Revisiting The Piano Options

[violin123]

So I gave up the piano about a year ago. I'd been playing it for 3 years and had taken grades one (118) and grade 2 (123). As these marks reflect, piano had never been someting that I a) enjoy or b) am good at, although I understand it's an important skill for a musician to have.
Since I quit piano i've been doing a lot of theory, and having played the piano a bit recently, and tried some scales I can now work out what to do instead of having to memorise combinations of sharps and flats (!!) also, right now i'm working towards grade 6 violin (the exam will be in December) and have a lot of work to do. I'm wondering if I should get my teacher back round for weekly piano lessons, or teach myself piano until i'm finished with grade 6.

Thanks in advance
Violin123 (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[sbhoa]

Depends how interested you really are in learning piano.

And those marks look to me like the marks of someone who is pretty good at and so quite possibly enjoys playing the piano.

[Organistin]

Your marks improved from grade 1 to grade 2 which is a good sign.

I think it would be worth having another shot at it. The theory has obviously helped you and it is very useful to have reasonably good keyboard skills.

Give it another go otherwise you will always wonder what if.

I never wanted to do piano as a child/teenager but did it for the sake of my great love (the violin) and now I am glad every day that I kept up the piano because it is so useful in so many contexts and I love it now.

[Mad Tom]

So I gave up the piano about a year ago. I'd been playing it for 3 years and had taken grades one (118) and grade 2 (123). As these marks reflect, piano had never been someting that I a) enjoy or b) am good at,

They reflect no such thing. They are good marks. Most beginning pianists would be pretty pleased with them.

although I understand it's an important skill for a musician to have.

But not essential

Since I quit piano i've been doing a lot of theory, and having played the piano a bit recently, and tried some scales I can now work out what to do instead of having to memorise combinations of sharps and flats (!!) also, right now i'm working towards grade 6 violin (the exam will be in December) and have a lot of work to do. I'm wondering if I should get my teacher back round for weekly piano lessons, or teach myself piano until i'm finished with grade 6.

Thanks in advance
Violin123 (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Well, as a fanatical pianist I find it hard to understand how anyone can NOT love piano. But getting good at piano is hard graft like any other advanced skill, so I can't really see the point of learning piano if you don't enjoy it for its own sake. I doubt that it will make you a better violinist. Quite the opposite, as you will have less time to work at your violin. It helps with theory, but only because the layout of the keyboard maps directly to notes on a stave - and you can make use of that fact without actually playing the thing.

[Piano&ViolinLover(:]

I think you did really good on those exams, considering you really didn't enjoy piano. Once you feel you're ready to do both again, you should start getting piano lessons again. I got a 139 on my Grade 1 Piano exam, and I think that under your circumstances, you did wonderful. I think you should start up again once you finish Grade 6 in Violin. Hope that helps(:

[TshepoM]

Depends how interested you really are in learning piano.

And those marks look to me like the marks of someone who is pretty good at and so quite possibly enjoys playing the piano.

spot on

[Blackbow]

I was just saying this morning how much I wished I could have learned to play the piano when I was young. There were 6 of us living in a 2 bed terrace so we barely had room for chairs, let alone a piano so it wasn't possible, keyboards not being invented until decades later.

So, if you think you might want to do it, I would give it a go. It is much better to try it and give it up again that to not try, and wish years from now that you had. (If you see what I mean.)

[Music_lover96]

It sounds like you did really well on the piano! I played piano for 7 years and did grade 1 (118) and grade 3 (115) :/ I chickened out on grade two! I didn't really enjoy the lessons even though my teacher was very good so I quit. I play Clarinet now and really enjoy it it definitely helped knowing the piano because I knew all the notes etc. I play the occasional piece on piano and it's good fun - but I think if I start lessons again, I won't enjoy it... So I'd just stick to the violin and wait till your older before starting the piano again if you want (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)