Maybe it is just me, but when I was learning to play the piano, I often really struggled with learning to play anything from the Baroque Era (which was from about 1600 to 1750). For me, this meant quite a bit of Handel and J.S. Bach. For those of us that studied classical music, you ... Read more The post Why Does Baroque Music Seem to Be Harder than Other Genres of Music? first appeared on Piano for Retirees ..read more

When kids are exploring their interest in learning to play the piano, adults try to encourage the young person to have a go at learning and to try their best. This is not bad advice at all. We adults know that kids genuinely don’t know how much they are going to enjoy taking lessons, practicing ... Read more The post Advice Specifically for Retired People Who Are Interested in Learning to Play the Piano first appeared on Piano for Retirees ..read more

From the numerous people that have spoken to me over the years about wanting to be able to play the piano, I would say that at least half of those people did in fact start learning to play the piano when they were younger. I have heard all sorts of reasons why this happened and ... Read more The post How to Start Playing the Piano Again After Many Years first appeared on Piano for Retirees ..read more

Yes, the ideal is to practice every single day, but we all know that while that might be the ideal, it just simply doesn’t always happen. There are genuine reasons why piano practice doesn’t happen in the short term. Those reasons are often because of sickness or due to travelling. The very first thing that ... Read more The post How to Start Practicing Again After a Break Due to Illness or Travel first appeared on Piano for Retirees ..read more

Musical talent seems to be one of those elusive, almost mystical and ethereal types of talent, that people who don’t perceive themselves to have any musical talent seem to just stand in awe of. On many occasions I have had people become just be in awe of me when I have told them that I ... Read more The post What is Musical Talent? first appeared on Piano for Retirees ..read more

Most, but not all scales have scale degree numbers of 1 through to 7. The starting note is known as 1 and the numbers are assigned in order, so the 7th degree or note of a scale is the one just before you get to a higher version of your starting note. So the scale degree ... Read more The post Scale Degree Names and Why They Are Important first appeared on Piano for Retirees ..read more

It is well and truly obvious that to learn to play the piano, or any other musical instrument, you need to practice regularly and the more regular it is the better. In fact, I think that it is much more important to practice for a few minutes every single day than an hour once a ... Read more The post Having a Practicing Routine, Is Essential in Making Sure That You Practice Regularly first appeared on Piano for Retirees ..read more

Recently I have seen online various adverts that talk about secret knowledge of being able to successfully remember how to play pieces of music that you have already learned months or even years ago. It is no big secret, it is just using what is called muscle memory. (As an aside, it is purely a ... Read more The post Muscle Memory is Useful for Playing the Piano first appeared on Piano for Retirees ..read more

I’ve noticed lately that there are quite a number of sources saying that learning to play the piano is hard and it has not just been one or two websites. The myth that learning to play the piano is just about impossible for adults is alive and well, unfortunately. What is also alive and well ... Read more The post Perpetuating the Myth that Playing the Piano is Really Hard first appeared on Piano for Retirees ..read more

I’ve been thinking lately about why kids seem to be content when they are learning something new, like learning the piano, unlike adults, who seem to spend so much energy wondering whether they are going to be any good. If you think of a five or six year old, they don’t worry whether they will ... Read more The post Focus on the Daily Goal, not the Long Term Goal first appeared on Piano for Retirees ..read more