How I did it: i took up the piano 6 years ago as i really wanted to start an instrument. i got lessons with a teacher and she recommended books to buy and she helped me with them. she started me off with some books by John Thompson- his books are very good for beginners! a few years later, about 2, she entered me for my grade 1 piano exam and with a lot of practise- i passed! i then went on to do my grade 2 and 3. i am now working on grade 4. I put 3 years as a time that it took me to get to grade one but if you are an adult then you can start exams sooner. 3 years is a rough time for what it took me to get to a decent standard and knowing quite a bit about playing
i try to practise every day even though it can be very boring but i don't stress if i dont do it one day, i simply just practise more the next. even though scales are really boring they are extremely useful! i get books with exercises in and i try to do them before i practise to warm up. learning the piano means that you learn how to read music too so if you are planning to take up another instrument (flute, clarinet, violin etc.) then learning the piano is a really great idea! I started learning the flute and im now on grade 5.
good luck and remember to enjoy it!

Lessons & tips:

• get a trained piano teacher
  
• try to practise everyday
  
• try doing some exercises for piano before you start practising pieces so then your hand warms up- its like doing a warm up before a dance lesson
  
• dont compare yourself to someone else

Resources:

• My piano teacher often suggested books for me to get- another reason to get a trained teacher!
  
• Talk to people at music shops, they often know a lot of books for whatever stage you are at
  
• For exams, get scale books, sight-reading books etc. because they really do help-scales etc. are things that you don't want to fail in your exam!

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May 07, 2009, 10:14AM PDT | 0 comments | 3 cheers