The life
trying to master both playing and teaching piano. Since this is my
profession, I charge to play piano (or keyboard) and also charge to
teach it. I also try to offer free tips and participate in online forums
to help people overcome issues. When it comes to something specific,
sometimes a free video or tip is helpful. However, I believe learning
something is quite a different story. As I see it, there are 2 main
problems with learning piano with the free content online (or offline).
Problem #1: Too Much Theory
Many of the free piano sites I've come across simply throw a bunch of theory at the viewer and leave it up to them to figure out what it all means and how to use it. Even some paid subscription sites follow this model. If you are someone who knows a lot of theory ("Every Good Boy", memorized all your chords, know what a key signature is, etc.) let me ask you, can you actually play piano? In my experience, simply knowing theory doesn't help you play piano in the real world.
Problem #2: Inexperienced Teachers (and even wrong info)
A few sites I've uncovered are from actual piano teachers. However, many of the "teachers" online are beginners themselves, or don't even teach or play music professionally. You really have to ask yourself, "Who is this teaching me and why should I trust them?".
Even in the offline world there are part-time piano teachers who do it only to gain a little side income. They grab a lesson book (charged to the student of course), and go from page 1 to page 2 through the book with the student. Unfortunately, many of them aren't all that interested in helping students learn, just trying to make a few extra bucks. The same applies to online teachers. Buyer beware, even if it is free.
So my bottom line is:
Free lessons can help with specific issues, but can rarely teach you something from scratch very effectively. The main reason to pay a professional to teach you, either online or off, is that they have spent at least a good part of their life learning and perfecting how to teach properly. More importantly, they are truly interested in helping you achieve your goals and have the tools to help you get there. Don't be one of those students who takes piano for years and still can't play anything.
Problem #1: Too Much Theory
Many of the free piano sites I've come across simply throw a bunch of theory at the viewer and leave it up to them to figure out what it all means and how to use it. Even some paid subscription sites follow this model. If you are someone who knows a lot of theory ("Every Good Boy", memorized all your chords, know what a key signature is, etc.) let me ask you, can you actually play piano? In my experience, simply knowing theory doesn't help you play piano in the real world.
A few sites I've uncovered are from actual piano teachers. However, many of the "teachers" online are beginners themselves, or don't even teach or play music professionally. You really have to ask yourself, "Who is this teaching me and why should I trust them?".
Even in the offline world there are part-time piano teachers who do it only to gain a little side income. They grab a lesson book (charged to the student of course), and go from page 1 to page 2 through the book with the student. Unfortunately, many of them aren't all that interested in helping students learn, just trying to make a few extra bucks. The same applies to online teachers. Buyer beware, even if it is free.
So my bottom line is:
Free lessons can help with specific issues, but can rarely teach you something from scratch very effectively. The main reason to pay a professional to teach you, either online or off, is that they have spent at least a good part of their life learning and perfecting how to teach properly. More importantly, they are truly interested in helping you achieve your goals and have the tools to help you get there. Don't be one of those students who takes piano for years and still can't play anything.
