Can you start learning to play the piano when you are very young?
The question of the age at which piano learning can begin is a recurring one for parents with young children. Many of them imagine that learning and mastering the instrument is complex, much more so than that of other musical instruments.
The stringed instrument, with its 88 keys, is scary because it seems difficult to access. However, it is at the age when children begin to learn to read and write that they will be best able to integrate piano gestures and musical understanding.
Most scientific studies agree that 6 years would be the ideal age to start playing the piano. At this age, pleasure is an essential part of the learning process. Hence the musical awakening classes that work well from this age, or even before. These courses are an effective way to develop musical sensitivity and understanding. Young children must be given time to reach a certain stage of psychomotor maturity so that learning the instrument can be effective. That’s why piano apps, such as La Touche Musicale, Onlinepianist, Flowkey or Simply Piano, are aimed more at young children over the age of 6.
Can we start learning piano before the age of 6?
As you can see everywhere on the Internet, fabulous stories where young prodigies already master the piano very well from the age of 3 or 4 are legion. It happens, but it’s rare! And beware of demotivation. Indeed, by giving your child music lessons too young, you increase the chances of disgusting him/her with music pedagogy by imposing a very harsh discipline on him/her from an early age.
It must be understood that learning to play the piano is long, rigorous and requires a lot of investment. However, at this age, it is very difficult to concentrate your child in a long and regular way on the same discipline. Moreover, music education, which is perceived as an obligation and lacking a playful character, will have a great chance, one day or another, of disgusting the learner and he or she will eventually turn away from it.
Can we start the piano very late?
Of course, of course! Contrary to popular belief, adults maintain their learning functions over time. The brain’s memory capacity is never saturated throughout our lives. All that matters is motivation. If an adult feels motivated by the idea of learning the piano, he or she will move much faster than a child who will not be motivated or who will be less motivated. In fact, many piano books for beginners focus exclusively on adult learning.
On the other hand, what is more difficult in adulthood is the return to school. At this age, it is indeed much more complicated to recover from the conditions of traditional classes, such as those we used to take in school when we were children. Hence the creation of new learning systems, playful and effective, such as the one proposed on La Touche Musicale.
The playful dimension of an education system makes it possible to accelerate the learning process. The learner will not feel his learning effort because he will feel like he is having fun, spending his time doing something that relaxes him. As a result, his brain’s ability to memorize will be increased tenfold.
In short: whether you are 40 or 90 years old, if you are motivated to learn the piano, do it! You will progress quickly, especially if you enjoy it. Life is simple ?
The ideal age to learn piano and other musical instruments
If the learning of the piano depends on its motivation to do so, there is when for a number of scientific studies an ideal age to start. Here are the main points, classified by instrument and age:
The ideal age to start music lessons according to the instrument learned | ||
Piano | 6 years | The ideal age to start piano classes |
Guitar | 7-9 years | The ideal age to start guitar classes |
Drums | 7 years and plus | The ideal age to start drums classes |
Voices | 12 years and plus | The ideal age to start voices classes |
Saxophone | 7-8 years | The ideal age to start saxophone classes |
Flute | 7-8 years | The ideal age to start flute classes |
Clarinet | 7-8 years | The ideal age to start clarinet classes |
Violin | 6 years | The ideal age to start violin classes |
Alto | 6-7 years | The ideal age to start alto classes |
Cello | 7-9 years | The ideal age to start cello classes |
Trumpet | 8-10 years | The ideal age to start trumpet classes |
Trombone | 8-10 years | The ideal age to start trombone classes |
Basse Guitar | 9-10 years | The ideal age to start basse guitar classes |
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