20 years old, is it to late?

[linn1000]

Hi Sander.

I think the best thing you can do if you mean bussiness is to have one lesson per week, the main reason for this is to prevent too many bad habits starting, proper tuition will set you on the right track and then you will really notice the difference, you will get great solo skills, but the correct fingering and learning scales is the key to this...


Good luck !!

[Mansight]

IT'S NEVER EVER TOOLATE TO START PLAYING NOW. I STARTED PLAYING SINCE NINE AND NOW I'M ABOUT GOIN' FOR 14.(Srry for starting so early) I come to say that theses things depend on your determination, not age. The more harder you practice, the BETTER YOU WILL GET!!!

[Adilinar]

Its never too late in my opinion (Unless you're like 90 years old) ...
If you put enough time and dedication into it you will get better at it. You don't need to be playing for over 40 years to be a Jordan Rudess.... Jordan Rudess is more than technique, its about sounds and stuff.
You can become a Jordan Rudess, in your own way, you CAN play like him if you put enough time, dedication and effort into it.
Trust yourself, and practice hard.
Practice is the only road to perfection!

[osiris]

I've always dabbled on keys as we had one of those yamaha accompanying keyboards in the house. I started playing properly about 3 years ago, took classical piano lessons and got some synth gear, can't imagine how much free time I'd have if i didn't take it up


If classical isn't your cup of tea, you could always do jazz as other people have suggested. I'm not sure if its common, but both my piano teacher and A level music teacher are organists who happen to be amazing pianists. So if you're lucky you might be able to find a teacher than can teach you jazz organ and piano, just to broaden your experience.

It's never too late to take up a new hobby. Just go for it. If you've any questions you know you'll find some answers on this forum.

[nickm6]

i would definetly consider piano lessons, especially if your teacher gives you a lot of classical music to play. it is the foundation of technique, rudess and other wouldnt have been able to rock out and produce mind blowing solos if it werent for the classical training first.
i have studied classical piano for 16 years (im 20) and i really have to thank this type of training as it has given me the ability to produce half decent solos of my own. the skills are easily transferable between styles. you just need the bread and butter. oh and its never too late to start!

[ironwolg]

find a teacher that is into both classical and electronic music. i introduced my piano teacher to Jordan Rudess's music and she loves it. make sure you get a teacher that will teach you what you want to learn. however, if you can't find a teacher that is into electronic music, go with what's available. learning classical piano will not hurt you at all. you will develope very good technique :)
just remember, it's never too late till you're on your death bed!

[Maximus]

Originally Posted by ironwolg

find a teacher that is into both classical and electronic music. i introduced my piano teacher to Jordan Rudess's music and she loves it. make sure you get a teacher that will teach you what you want to learn. however, if you can't find a teacher that is into electronic music, go with what's available. learning classical piano will not hurt you at all. you will develope very good technique :)
just remember, it's never too late till you're on your death bed!

Glad to see you're doing well, keep playing every day

[Delta-1]

My friend, I just want to tell you one thing;
"Never it's too old for make anything you want, if you effort yourself and you have faith, there's nothing impossible."


Cheers,
Izmael.


P.S.: Oh, I almost forget to tell you, the Classical Music it's a Huge Great Step, I have been a classical pianist during 12 years and trust me, it gave me a lot of experience even for understand some of the modern techniques. Now I'm a Prog/Altern Composer and Keyboardist and there's many things that I enjoy so much thanks to my Classical Background, although yep, I confess you, that I had to learn some Jazz/Blues scales and harmony, nevertheless many of my technique it's thanks to the Classical School.

[mlunapiena01]

I want to add that Playing & Composition & Improvisation are 3 different skills (arguably 2) & you have to work on both ...

But anyway, it basically just comes down to the quality hours that you put into getting good at piano & writing & programming (if that's your cup of tea). Theory is pretty essential to learning to do a lot of the things you mentioned (learning to play in different styles), because you have to listen analytically to those styles and figure out how to imitate them (yet another different skill). Learning how to accompany and create accompaniment

But the technical stuff really just comes down to how much do you practice & do you have a teacher?

You also need to define your goals ... for example, if your goal is to be a professional (working) musician, you will need to practice a bare minimum of 3 hours a day & you will still be very behind

On the other hand, if your goal is to get good, you don't have to worry about the fact that you started getting devoted at 20, just stay devoted ... your piano playing is like a temple: the more you put into it, the more you get out.

Hope that helps ... I started my main instrument at 16, I'm 22 now & have been doing professional for the last 3-4 years or so (I would not have been able to do it without studying it in college) ... you can do it


(by the way, I would study classical piano first, then do jazz ... gives you more of a foundation to work off of)

-Mike

[Devnor]

My suggestion is to find a good teacher with a degree in jazz piano. You'll learn to voice chords. With practice anyone can rattle off a piece of sheet music or cop a prog-metal keyboard solo. It's the guys that can voice chords on the fly and make it sound interesting that get the gigs.