Hi all,

How long should you leave it between starting a new instrument and learning a new instrument? I am currently learning piano starting grade 2 stuff, but I have a violin and want to learn that too. My teacher can teach both, but how long should I wait to play both?

Thanks!

I think piano and violin are so different that you could start violin whenever you like. With similar instruments e.g. clarinet and trumpet you might find that playing one might affect the embouchure for the other, but the technique for violin is totally different from piano, so you're unlikely to encounter any problems.

The main issue is whether you have enough time to practise two instruments. If you have, then go for it!

Thanks for the quick reply I was thinking to continue my hours piano practice in the morning before work, then an hour violin after work and then an hour or two on the OU music course I am gonna do. I am just dying to start the violin! I have had it a while (may have rescued it from the back of my sisters cupboard when she played as a youngster) I had the strings replaced and it looks, if a little worn, good to play

I waited 61 years between piano and flute - but I don't recommend that

I was about to reply but would be saying the same as Berkshiremum. If you feel you can, try it and see. The main thing is having time.

What I'd do for Dr Who's tardis!!

Steve

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh I wanna learn both lol. I think the piano would take precedence still, but he violin is definitely on my list!!

... I said that when I started clarinet........

Same here, but swap clarinet with recorder.

Have you both managed to play and practice both successfully?

I started singing lessons in 2006, almost four years after starting piano. I needed a break from piano exams, plus I wanted to develop my voice more. My piano teacher also taught me to sing. I have a clarinet which I want to learn but am unable to at the moment.

Good luck.

Yes. Both teachers are aware of how things are and I'm currently trying to get the balance right by having fewer pieces on the go on at one time on both instruments.
It was ok when I was still able to coast to some extent on clarinet but that's not possible any more.
I also thought of clarinet as a definite 2nd to piano but now I'd say that they have equal importance for me.

Howdy DaisyChain

We have spoken about my singing haven't we!! Mind you I did a mock for my piano grading and got full marks for the echo singing! I got 133 in total, but I imagine it will be about 132 less in the actual grading through nerves LOL

Hello,

Yes we have! A dying crow comes to mind!

Well done for the mock exam! Don't be daft..you'll be fine! We've spoken about nerves.. I know how you feel though. I was just the same.

I'm so taken with the violin. My teacher plays too and one of my colleagues (also a friend) she plays so beautifully I was so jealous!! Do you reckon I should give it a go or wait a few years?

I think you should go for it. Perhaps you can do what I did when I was having lessons...one week was singing, the next was piano. It worked well with having the same tutor for both.

Be careful when you start all the OU courses though. I neglected my piano a bit while I was studying. I'm sure you could work out a practice timetable though.

Wooooooo I'll have a word with my teacher, wonder if he will allow it??

You can but ask! He's the best one to advise you.

I can't imagine finding the time to learn to play another instrument really well. I keep getting tempted to pick up clarinet again, or continue where I left off preliminary explorations of the viola, or to make a serious effort to play the guitar properly, or (and this is most tempoting because it can produce such amazing sounds) start studying the harp

But then I remember that the piano is more than enough to not master in one lifetime.

I do know how you feel. It's so frustrating. Years ago I had loads of free time but not a penny to spare for music. Now I can afford it but have hardly any time.

But it also depends on what you want to get out of it. I love playing but have no desire to be a virtuoso and get my photo on the cover of classic FM. I just love learning and playing and that's good enough for me. Besides, life's too short. I prefer to try everything, do everything and when the time comes to shake off these mortal coils, I'll go out with a satisfied grin, rather than moaning that I never tried to learn the contra-hecklephone.


Steve

I'm with Mad Tom on this one, I've spent years trying to learn two (or three) instruments at once and have now realised that just one to a higher level of competence is far more satisfying to me than being able to get by on several. So now I work at my clarinetting and I just keep my saxophones, recorders, flageolet and keyboard for fun ( and just in case I change my mind......).

I agree too. I've messed about for years on all sorts of stuff (as evidenced by the massive list on another thread). Now I play the oboe seriously (every day when I'm at home) and the recorder and melodeon a bit (about once a week). I'm sure I wouldn't be able to give as much attention to the oboe if I took up something else and I have no great desire to spend much me on inferior instruments.

I started violin about 20 months ago and then started learning piano about 6 months ago ( I could play piano a bit but never had lessons before).

It's really hard to fit everythhing in and I've found that because I'm learning composition too the piano is totally taking over. (Also as next exam is piano)

Not that I mnd too much. But it's really hard to treat the instruments equally!

I've been mulling this one over recently too, since I've been wondering whether to try to brush up my piano playing (learned as a child - never got beyond Grade 4 /5ish, and gave up when O levels were looming). I guess it's slightly different, since I have a basic knowledge of piano already and so wouldn't be starting completely from scratch. It would be useful to be able to (eg) accompany my son when he is doing his trumpet practice; and I would also feel a little less like I had wasted the 8 years I spent having piano lessons in the first place if I could build on it now to become a competent player.

However, what's putting me off is that I'm worried that it would detract from my saxophone practice time. I really love my sax and never seem to have enough time to practise as it is.

Son seems to manage to progress fine on both piano and trumpet, but he's only 10 at present, so homework etc (let alone housework / paid work) isn't really an obstacle.

I think I need to clone myself....

I suppose it probably depends what else you have going on in your life and what sort of time you have to concentrate on music. It's worth remembering that a great many music courses absolutely require 2 studies, particularly for those with lower than grade 5 on a keyboard instrument.

I wonder if perhaps at this stage you could learn to practice smarter not harder - an hour on piano every day sounds overkill for your grade, and maybe you are not doing the right things. I believe it's vital to teach pupils to practice, then the practicing (along with guidance and feedback on technique) teaches them to play. Sheer repetition is generally unhelpful. Maybe one lesson on piano you and your teacher could focus on practicing, how you normally do it, show him/her your usual routine, how you choose which bits of a piece to practice or focus on, what you do when you get to a bit you are having trouble with, being precise enough with your demonstration that it's possible for your teacher to suggest alternative effective strategies. I got my brand new scales up from quaver=80 to quaver=270 with perfect fingering, etc. by trying a new practicing strategy, so a lesson spent on practicing strategy could be an amazingly effective investment.

If you are wanting to introduce a new instrument on top you want to be really sure you are getting the most from your time.

I think your dedication to your chosen instrument is a fine example to us all, and I admire the way you are determined to stick at it. I sincerely wish you well in your ultimate achievements.

My own piano playing reached a peak when I was in my mid-50s and after 8 or 9 months of hard study, I managed a passable performance to family and friends of the Granados piece "Maiden and the Nightingale" (which I recently learned was on the list for performance Diploma). But my burning ambition was to play with an orchestra and that meant learning a piano concerto. I tried several, but in spite of applying the same diligence as before to the difficult passages, I could not play them. I probably could have made better progress if I had taken piano lessons again, but the gap was too great between my ability and my goal. So I concluded I had reached my peak of achievement - but that left a hole in my musical ambitions. So I had the idea that when I retired I would learn a new musical instrument. The problem was that when the time came, I chickened out of making a choice for 6 years.

It was by accident I acquired a flute, started trying it out, and really took to it. I don't regret not continuing to work hard at the piano because I had reached my limitations and recognised that fact. I do regret not starting a new instrument when I had more years of my life left in which to perfect playing it .

So I guess what I am saying is that for my personal situation, concentrating solely on one instrument was great while I was making progress, but when I reached a plateau I should have recognised that earlier and maybe then taken steps towards learning another one.

I think an hour a day is actually fine. If not more. I spend 10-15 mins going through scales and broken chords to start, I do sight reading for about 15 minutes then practice pieces, for grading and the ones I am learning for enjoyment. I also spend time practicing aural aspects that I can. I think any less than an hour and I wouldn't have time to fit it all in!! I enjoy each aspect of practice immensely, and cutting it down, I feel it would take me three times longer to pick up what I want to.

My teacher has always given me technical exercises to practice, including how to alternate volume, speed, dynamics and other things to build dexterity and allow these to be incorporated into pieces. When I play, he gives a lot of feedback, asking where I thought I may have tripped up, why, and we work out how to rectify any areas I am struggling with using more exercises to help it come more naturally.

I'd say it's definitely possible to learn two instruments at once, and that it is a lot easier if they are very different. Three of my good friends in high school did music A level and all three played piano plus another instrument (two clarinet and one violin). At one point I was doing violin, viola and piano at the same time, and while I did make good progress in all three it was extremely hectic - five AS levels, two GCSEs and three instruments at the same time very nearly made me crack. My progress definitely slowed when I was playing three instruments as opposed to two, though the crossover between violin and viola is so small that the real issue was just finding the time to ensure that none of the instruments was neglected in terms of repertoire. I'd imagine playing three completely disparate instruments (e.g. piano, violin, trumpet) at the same time and trying to maintain an equal distribution of time and progress between all three would be close to impossible.

Two instruments is often possible, if you can spare the time with your other commitments. Three is difficult, four or more is kidding yourself.