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How can I effectively learn how to play the piano if it is simply impossible for me to get a teacher?
I took it upon myself to learn the piano. However, I am not sure where to start, especially with regards to getting things 'right' (i.e. posture, etc.) and of course actually hitting the right keys and stuff.
My goal is to at least be a semi-competent (hobbyist) pianist.
Effectively, you could learn piano by starting with the basics.
First, I would suggest learning the notes on the piano:
Then learning the intervals:
Then learn some chords:
After you've learned the notes, intervals and some basic chords, you'll be able to play some (simple) songs you might like. So, just look up for a song's music sheet (or tab).
For the correct posture, take a look at these:
Personally, I prefer books to learn music. That's not really necessary; you could learn online. But I would suggest getting a beginners book for piano. It might help you.
You can use Learn and Master Piano lessions, which is very helpful for learning piano without any teacher and within a very less time. I am learning from it for last 7 months and found it very helpful.
You can definitely learn by yourself. Note that you will need to have discipline to learn. You will need even more to learn alone.
Using someone else words: Piano is a very deep art. The fact that is polyphonic with all the scope of dynamics make it a complex machie to master. People spend a life studying piano.
If your goal is to play a couple of simple songs to amuse yourself and friends you will be able to do it.
Else I really advise looking for a teacher. You will progress a lot faster and you will avoid many pitfalls. A very important aspect of learning an instrument, sometimes negletected, is benchmarking. You can always do more, comparing yourself to others will give you the needed benchmark and inspiration to progress faster and do more. If you study alone you will make mistakes that you are not aware of and you wont be able to benchmark yourself.
The physical part of learning piano is about finger mechanics and getting practice with movements. If learned wrong from the beginning they will be a barrier for future learning. Note that scores omit a lot of information. Its assumed that the player knows it. Even learning it from videos or books will hardly be enough to play well. Concepts like rhythm are hard to learn just by looking at videos. Even worse only learning from a book.
This is probably not the answer you looked for. I totally encourage you to start for yourself if that is your wish, but if you decide otherwise look for a good teacher. Don’t rely only on price. An experienced teacher, with a solid background, can make you progress much more and avoid wrong habits and pitfalls.
You can, but it'll be much harder. You'll pick up bad habits, but despite what people might say, you'd be better off getting experience and breaking bad habits later than not having the experience at all. If you can get a teacher, you should, even if you only see them monthly. If you can't don't be put off pursuing your what you want to do. If you have any friends that play piano, try to get help from them.
