Many people wish they could learn the piano but wonder whether they are too old to start learning. Sometimes it might be puzzling when you see many young pianist playing very advanced pieces because maybe you wonder how they got so good at such a young age. This might lead you to wonder whether you can only get good at playing if you start at a young age.
So are you ever too old to start learning the piano? The truth is a big fat NO.
The human brain is an amazing thing; we always have a capability of learning even in old age. The reason why people may ask this question is because it may seem that most of the learning that occurs in today's society is in schools and universities, places mainly inhabited by young people. But school isn't only for teaching young people, I have seen people in their 60s take new university courses and succeed. It doesn't help when idioms like "you can't teach an old dog new tricks" are so common. Although this is not correct, there may be some truth to it.
Now I would be lying if I didn't agree that it is easier to learn something when you are younger. We have more learning power when we are young. That's why it is much better to learn a second language when we are younger. The reason for this is that when we are younger our brains are still developing and they enter a state of plasticity so it is inherently easier to take in, remember and learn new things. After the brain leaves this state, it does get progressively harder (but not impossible) to learn new things. However, when we are older we have a better understanding of how to get good at something, which is through practice and perseverance.
Not getting enough regular practice is one of the most common reasons why young pianists never get anywhere with their playing. When piano is learnt at a young age, usually it is the initiative of the parents to get their children started in piano lessons and not the child choosing to learn piano. This causes many students to be uninterested and usually young pianists (under 10) do not have an understanding of how important regular practice is. Eventually students might give up piano because they are not getting anywhere with their playing because of the lack of practice.
So maybe it is actually better to start learning the piano when you are older because you have a better understanding of what you want to achieve and how to achieve it. You can organize your life to fit in regular practice sessions and can actively seek out good information and teachings to get better. If you keep at it, you will definitely progress faster than young pianists who are uninterested and do not practice regularly.
Although you may be getting on in years, age is not an excuse not to start learning piano. Sure it might be a bit more difficult to get used to a few new things when we are older but that is no match for effort and hard work. Playing the piano is one of my favorite hobbies. I'm sure it will become one of yours as well, but you should start as soon as possible. Remember the longer you wait and the older you get, the harder it becomes to learn. But who said age is a barrier.
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