It’s easy to feel stressed when you pick up a new piece of music. Where do you start? What should you do if you get stuck? And how long will this take? Read on as Winnetkta, CA piano teacher Anthony B. shares his advice…
There are a lot of variables that go into how long it takes someone to learn a piano song. In this blog post, we’ll explore some of those variables and give you a general idea of how long you can expect it to take.
Keep in mind that everyone learns at a different pace, so your mileage may vary.
But with some practice and dedication, you’ll be playing your favorite tunes in no time!
How Long Does it Take for a Beginner to Learn a Piano Piece?
There is no easy answer to the question of how long it takes to learn a piano piece:
- It depends on factors such as the level of difficulty of the piece, the experience of the student, and the amount of time that the student is willing to devote to practice.
- There are some general guidelines that can help to gauge the amount of time required.
- For instance, a beginner may be able to learn a simple piece in a matter of weeks, while a more complex composition could take several months or even years to master.
Ultimately, the best way to determine how long it will take to learn a particular piece is to consult with a piano instructor or other experienced musician.
Ready to get started with learning piano? Check out the video below with more tips on playing simple songs – and be sure to sign up for piano lessons as soon as you can!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F35UkNPC1jw
How Long Does it Take To Learn a Piano Song?
Everyone has a repertoire of songs that they practice or play often; but what happens if you don’t have one, or better yet want to expand it? When learning a song on the piano, the biggest struggle resides in choosing a piece of music you’d like to learn, finding the route to go about purchasing the sheet music or locating the book it is found in. Once settled, and you have the music in front of you, there is a pressing question on your mind: How long will it take to learn this?
This question cannot be answered in a generic sense. Everyone has their own way of doing things and their own pace in which to do them. It starts with your level of experience (which is true for almost anything). An experienced piano player, for example, might look all the way through the piece, making sure to note key and time signature, repeats, repetitive passages or riffs, etc.
No one should expect to be able to learn a song overnight, though; it takes time and practice. Michael Jordan didn’t make it into the Hall of Fame shortly after picking up his first basketball; it took him years of training. In other words, do not get discouraged if it seems like it’s taking a long time to get everything right. Start out by learning one section of the song at a time.
Here are a few more tips.
Set Goals
Set goals! Consider telling yourself, “By Wednesday, I want to have the first section down.” Once you feel comfortable enough with the first section, move section by section until you can put the whole piece together and play it all the way through. A good way to learn a new piano piece can be simplified even more by playing one hand at a time.
Pick a Hand
Also, make sure to choose which hand you’d like to start with. I tend to learn the part for the right hand first because it usually contains the melody and the more complicated riffs. Once you have the passage or section down with the right hand, switch to the left and learn that part by itself. After you are confident with both hands individually, it’s time to put both hands together. Note: For some, this may be very challenging. Take your time and play through the section slowly until you get the feel for using both hands. If you are just starting out on the piano, this is a great way to effectively learn a new piece. Be patient and take it slow.
Take Breaks and Be Patient
No matter how long it takes to learn a new song, whether that be one hour or one week, you have it in you to achieve any goal you set for yourself. If you get discouraged, take short breaks to gather your nerves and come back to it later. If a certain passage is giving you trouble, repeat it over and over until you memorize it. When the passage comes up again, you will approach it with ease.
Don’t Be Afraid to Fail
And lastly, make mistakes! Even professionals make mistakes; they only make you a stronger player. Think of the following quote as you learn and grow as the musician you are striving to become:
“We can choose to throw stones,
To stumble on them,
To climb over them,
—William Arthur Ward
How Long Does it Take to Play Piano With Both Hands?
Depending on how frequently you practice, it could take anywhere from a couple of weeks to a few months to develop the muscle memory necessary to play the piano with both hands. However, keep in mind that everyone learns at a different pace, so don’t get discouraged if it takes you a little longer than average to get the hang of it. The most important thing is that you keep practicing and enjoy the process!
If you want to learn how to play the piano with both hands, you should aim to practice for at least 30 minutes every day. Of course, you can practice for longer if you have the time and energy, but 30 minutes is a good goal to start with. Remember, quality is more important than quantity when it comes to learning an instrument. As long as you are focused and disciplined during your practice sessions, you will make progress quickly.
There are a number of exercises that can help you develop the skills needed to play the piano with both hands. One exercise that is particularly helpful is called “broken ten.” To do this exercise, start by playing an ascending scale using just your right hand. Once you reach the highest note in the scale, continue descending back down using only your left hand. Then, try playing the scale using both hands at the same time. Start slowly and gradually increase your speed as you get comfortable with the exercise.
Another helpful exercise is called “fifths.” To do this exercise, play two notes that are an interval of a fifth apart (for example, C and G). Start by playing these two notes together with your right hand, then add in the corresponding notes with your left hand (in this case, G and D). Again, start slowly and increase your speed as you get comfortable with the exercise.
How Long Does it Take to Learn Piano Sheet Music?
If you’re new to piano sheet music, it can be daunting to look at a piece and see nothing but a bunch of squiggles on a page. It will likely take several months for you to learn piano sheet music.
Step one is understanding the basic layout of the page. Usually, the first thing you’ll see at the top of the page is the name of the song and the artist. Below that, you’ll see a series of lines and spaces that represent different pitches. The spaces are called staffs, and each line or space corresponds to a specific note. The notes on the staff go from low to high, just like they do on a piano.
The next step is learning to read clefs. A clef is a symbol at the beginning of the staff that tells you which notes correspond to which lines and spaces. The two most common clefs are the treble clef and bass clef. The treble clef, also called the G clef, is used for higher notes, while the bass clef, also called an F clef, is used for lower notes.
Once you know which clef you’re looking at, it’s time to start learning what all those symbols on the page mean! The first symbol you might see is a whole note. A whole note looks like a big black circle, and it means that you should hold that note for four beats.
If you see a symbol that looks like a whole note with a stem coming off of it (either up or down), that means it’s a half note, and you should hold it for two beats. Notes that look like half notes with two beams coming off of them (instead of just one) are called quarter notes, and they should be held for one beat each.
There are lots of other symbols as well—for example, eighth notes (which look like quarter notes but with an extra beam), sixteenth notes (which look like eighth notes but with an extra beam), and so on—but those are some of the most common ones you’ll see.
The last step is putting it all together! Once you know what all the symbols mean and where they go on the staff, you can start reading sheet music with ease. Just remember to take your time and go slowly at first until you get used to reading notes off of the page.
Can You Learn a Piano Song in One Day?
One of the great things about piano is that there are so many songs that you can learn quickly. Whether you want to play for your own enjoyment or you’re trying to impress someone, being able to sit down and play a song in a short amount of time is always impressive.
While it’s pretty much impossible (though not totally impossible) to learn a piano song in just one day, here are some songs that you should be able to pick up pretty quickly:
Für Elise” by Ludwig van Beethoven
This popular classical piece is perfect for beginners. It only has a few notes and it’s relatively slow-paced, making it easy to learn. You can find dozens of tutorials online that will walk you through how to play this timeless tune.
“Sweet Home Alabama” by Lynyrd Skynyrd
If you’re looking for a classic rock song to add to your repertoire, look no further than this Southern rock staple. The chords are simple and the melody is catchy, so you’ll be playing it over and over again in no time. Just be sure to practice the solo before you perform it in front of an audience!
“Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen
This beautiful ballad has been covered by hundreds of artists over the years, but the original version is still one of the best. The intro might take some practice, but once you get it down, the rest of the song will come easy. And trust us, it’s worth the effort – this is a real crowd-pleaser.
How Long Does it Take to Learn Piano Songs? Well…It Depends!
A lot of people want to know how long it will take them to learn a piano song. The answer to this question is not as simple as you might think.
How quickly you learn a piano song will largely depend on how often you practice. The more you practice, the better and faster you’ll become at playing the song. Of course, life can sometimes get in the way of our best intentions to practice. But if you can make time to practice even just a little bit each day, you’ll see progress much more quickly than if you only practice once a week or so.
Your skill level also plays a role in how quickly you learn songs. If you’re a beginner, it’s going to take you longer to learn a new song than it would for an experienced player.
That’s because experienced players already have a good foundation of piano technique and theory under their belts. They can also sight-read music more quickly, which means they don’t have to spend as much time slowly deciphering the notes on the page.
There’s no magic formula for figuring out how long it will take you to learn a new piano song. It all depends on your skill level, how often you practice, and the difficulty of the piece itself. However, by making time to practice regularly and choosing songs that are at an appropriate level for your skill set, you can make significant progress in your piano playing relatively quickly!
Anthony B. teaches music theory, trombone and piano lessons in Winnetka, CA. His specialties include classical piano, pop chord comping, pop/jazz theory and classical theory. Anthony joined the TakeLessons team in March 2013.
Photo by Mourner
Suzy S.