Does anyone have any suggestions for an adult beginner who plans to learn at home during free time in the evenings?

How does an adult beginner make certain that progress is being made if they are trying to learn on their own?

Are there any truly good MIDI software based teaching programs out there?

I am planning to simply begin to work on "Easy Piano" level books and see if I can develop any facility with the keyboard.

Thank you in advance for your assistance.

I was gonna ask the same thing

I had some piano lessons for about a year when i was 10 and havent really progressed with it since. After that I had a keyboard for a number of years which has allowed me to mess about and pick a few melodies up by ear but nothing serious.

Since starting university I decided to invest in a 5-octave weighted MIDI keyboard, a copy of Akoustik Piano (Really nice piano software sampler) and a sustain pedal so I could try and progress further. Over the past few weeks i've been teaching myself Joplin's 'Entertainer' and Einaudi's 'Le Onde', and while progress is slow with the Entertainer I am finding Le Onde a nice challenge and great to play.

My problem is that I dont know what type of music is within my grasp to learn. A few songs I have started seem ok but as they progress they become far too complex for me at my current level. Also, my theory knowlege has huge gaps, and my music reading is slow and painful at present.

At present I dont have the time or money to invest in proper lessons and so I dont have the guidance and direction I need. If anyone can give me any pointers or suggest any resources so I can keep learning until I am in the position to take lessons I would be really greatful

Sorry, can't really help with the software side of things.

Is there no way you can get a teacher? I know I was 'playing' around on the piano for a month or so before I found a teacher. However, on my first lesson she asked me to show her what I was playing and in terms of technique she pretty much pointed out about 100 things I was doing wrong! Wrong posture, wrong hand position, too tense etc etc.

I'd be careful that you don't end up with a lot of bad habits that when and if you decide to take lessons, will take ages to correct.

Some people manage quite well on their own and in some ways it depends what you want out of it.
If you have no previous experience with any instrument then it's possible that you may do ok with music you can hear and copy but wiithout some help it might be difficult to get to grips with music reading, particularly the concept of rhythm.
Another common problem with self taught people is that their fingering isn't always too good.
If you just want to play some tunes that you know then I think that self teaching as a total beginner is more likely to give you what you want.

I'm an adult learner myself and would suggest the best way to learn would be to find
a reputable teacher, they show you so many things that would take an age to discover yourself.

A teacher is best. A good teacher is most efective when you are just starting out, to put you on the right path. It is when you can already play fairly well that you can get by with only occasional lesssons.

If you really, really, can't get a teacher, then alongside learning graded pieces of steadily increasing difficulty I would recommend watching the performances of some of the magnificent pianists that you can find on YouTube. But pick carefully.

I would recommend anything by Arturo Michelangeli - especially his playing of simpler and less flamboyant pieces. Observe how he sits, how he hold his arms, the focussed and efficient movements. If you just soak up good examples like that, then you have a fighting chance of not developing too many bad habits.

It is also important to listen to yourself. If you find that hard then record your performances. notice the diference between the sound you wanted to make, and the sound you actually made. Videoing yourself can help too, as you won't have a teacher to point out when you are not actually doing what you think you are doing! You'll be able to see for yourself! Then sit like Michelangeli and try again!

Finally when you are practising, don't just struggle through whole pieces over and over. Notice the difficult bits, isolate them. Figure out the right fingers to use, and repeat as many times as you have to to get them fluent and sounding right. Practice them, both slowly and as fast as they need to be with separate hands. Alternate right hand and left hand practice. When you are fluent and relaxed with separate hands, put them together, a few bars at a time.

For pieces you could do worse than follow the AB exam syllabus. Alternatively one of the standard piano tutor books will take you in easy steps from total beginner to comfortable at the keyboard. Books of "easy" pieces can be misleading. Often they are not that easy!

Good luck. Playing the piano is one of life's great joys.

I would strongly reiterate the advice about not picking up bad habits, wrong technique etc.

Jax, what sort of music do you like? You mentioned a couple of pieces - is the Entertainer an arrangement or the original (not easy!) Some of us might be able to suggest other books for you to explore.

Good luck to both.

Thanks for the advice! I know I will eventually need a teacher but for now its just great to get back into an old hobby I used to enjoy.

I think i'll take you're recommendation and try some of the AB exam pieces so I can gauge what level i'm at. I'm fairly close to nailing 'Le Onde' but I have no idea what level that piece is. And even if I can play it fluently, I certainly dont know all the theory and technique that I would be required to know at that grade.

After watching a few videos of Michelangeli on Youtube, the first thing I picked up on was his posture. I'm normally either slouched or leaning against the backrest (I have to use a desk chair ). As far as the fingering goes, I really miss the little numbers above the notes I used to get when learning as a child so I just go for whatever is comfortable.

My goal isnt to become a concert level pianist. I just want to be able to pick up and play most pieces I encounter. Sometimes there's nothing more relaxing and better for relieving stress than to sit down and play the piano for an hour.

I'm pretty sure its an arrangement, but not an easy one. It uses the full octave chords for the melody, instead of single notes which i've seen in some easier arrangements. These are really hard to get right but it sounds great when you pull it off.

I enjoy most types of music, but for playing i'd like to focus on solo piano pieces, rather than vocal backing in pop songs etc. I'd probably sway more towards classical music, particularly piano concerto's, but i'm not exactly a musical connoisseur in that department

I've been looking for a song book which I could work through without too much difficulty. Obviously I want a challenge so I can improve my playing, but nothing insanely complex. At the moment i've been using www.sheetmusicdirect.com which is handy because the scorch plugin allows you to play through the song at any point.

I have been using "Kevin Mayhew" "easy piano" compositions in the classical genre. (I have two books of his music with approximately ten works in each.) Some are easy. Some, as was pointed out, use quite a bit of contrary motion, which is more challenging. I've also found "big note" books to be more on par with my skills at the keyboard.

Honestly, I'm rather tempted to try one of those books that simply requires that you play the right hand notes with the keyboard set to provide accompaniment. It may be closer to my rather limited musical abilities. It might also teach me how to use this keyboard (so many settings!) It may even help me to build a decent sense of timing with the keyboard providing rhythmic accompaniment. I acknowledge some very early efforts on the tin whistle, which render this option somewhat appealing, as it requires reading only individual notes.

I find myself happiest when I simply play one work over and over again until I can begin to do more than merely press keys in a sequence. When I can begin to express the work in terms of how loud I am playing passages, or even individual notes, and do it consistently, I am inclined to believe that I am getting somewhere.