How much being a touch-typist can help learning the piano faster?

Question

I'm a touch-typist, and I want to learn piano. Does my touch-typing help me learn it faster? I have a good amount of control over my left hand, and my palms are curved as if I hold an small orange. My pinkies (little fingers) are staying on keyboard, and all of my fingers are not getting far in the air while I'm typing. Do these attributes help me learn piano faster?

Answer 1

As far as I can see, your only benefit will be already having learned the basics of technique (that is, if you type properly, with relaxed fingers, wrists held high, etc). The finger independence that you'll have learned is certainly important, but I don't think that it will help you in any significant way for the following reasons:

• Computer keyboards have an entirely different feel from piano keyboards, all the way from the layout to the movement of the key (short, easy throw versus a piano's long throw).
• Computer keyboards are not touch-sensitive, while piano keyboards are.
• The most important (or at least the trickiest) movements in respect to playing the piano are cross-overs, where you tuck your thumb under your other fingers to continue a line. This is entirely untrained by computer keyboards.
• Piano music generally requires you to use your hands for independent means (Usually one for melody and one for accompaniment). The issue is that typing does not train the ability to read two lines at the same time; it trains the ability to read one line and split it amongst your hands accordingly. (Cue arguments and flames :P)
• And building off of the last point; For beginners, the biggest issue is reading musical notation, which obviously is completely untrained.

None of this means that learning to play the piano will be any harder for you; I just don't think that it will be any easier by virtue of being able to touch-type.

Answer 2

While theoretically it's probably better than nothing, I don't think it will matter. Maybe if you were used to a typewriter, because you have to develop your muscles more for that. There are certainly superficial similarities but major things like playing smoothly, heavily repeated patterns, moving up and down the keyboard, chord positions etc. won't be informed by your typing.

Answer 3

I've personally actually found it to be a DETERMENT. The same with having previously been a percussionist. You're used to using your hands in concert. When typing, your hands are working TOGETHER in order to create the words, code or whatever you're typing.

Once you move to piano, all of a sudden you need your hands to do dramatically DIFFERENT things. Your hands are so used to moving together and working together that when you're trying to do melody in one hand and harmony in another, it's easy for what you're doing with one hand to bleed over into the other. It had made playing syncopated pieces or anything with a good deal of hand independence a real chore.

Now touch typing will help with your hand-eye coordination, which means you'll probably not have to look down as much sooner than others but for the most part, I've found the large amount of typing, drumming (not the kit variety. That would've probably helped!) and driving I've done to actually make hand independence that much harder.

Answer 4

The physical act of playing piano (or any instrument) is probably only 20% of the process, if that.

Music is an ear/brain thing, not a finger thing. It is not weightlifting or drag racing where more/faster always equals better.

It is a multi-disciplinary skill that involves broad aspects of thinking, anticipation, repetition and listening, not just how fast or independently your fingers can move. If that was all it took, then every 75 year old grandmother that has been knitting for 40 years could play like Chopin.

Can having finger dexterity assist during the beginning phases of learning any instrument? It probably can't hurt.

Will it in anyway translate into an increased ability to be a better piano playing musician? No.