Music Questions I’ve answered on Quora. Part 2

Quora is an online question and answer (Q & A) platform. It allows people to seek answers from others in their community. Here are the questions and answers I’ve provided on Quora. Perhaps you will find an answer to your Q & A.

At what age should children begin voice training or vocal coaching?

There isn’t a set standard on when to start students. I find that 6 years old is the youngest I’d recommend for vocal training because they have been in school and have interactions with adults that are not their parents.

Some studies suggest waiting until after puberty because of the changes in the voice.

There are so many advantages of teaching students music that the earlier the better. A good vocal coach will teach your child music theory that will come in handy when they do more advanced training.

Realistically, can I learn to play the piano at 34?

Absolutely. I have students who are as young as 4 and as old as…. well, you get the point. What I find with students who are not in their teens is that they need a different way of learning the instrument. I try to found out what is their goals and get them to their goals. Many want to learn to play a song. If that is the case, I get them to learn chords versus starting with traditional classical pieces.

Find a teacher that will design a course of piano instructions that is important to you. Good luck!

I play piano. Recently, I’ve felt like I have no passion like I used too, and I feel burnt out. What should I do?

Burnout is common in all industries. Even the most passionate of people experience burnout. There are times when I sit down and don’t feel like practicing. Other times, I can spend hours practicing and hate to stop.

When I’m not in the mood, I stop. Give yourself a break. Perhaps there are other things on your mind prohibiting you from putting in all your heart into your craft.

Other idea is to do something different with the piano. If you play classical pieces, learn to play blues. Write a song.

How do you pick an instrument for a child to learn?

The question is…Has your child expressed interest in learning an instrument? If they have, that is your answer.

If your child has not expressed interest, what is the reasoning behind them learning an instrument. Learning an instrument takes time and dedication. The most common reason, in my opinion, that people stop taking lessons is that they don’t get where they want to go fast enough.

If your child hasn’t expressed interest, but you read about scientific evidence that connects music with improved academic performance, you may wish to start with something that doesn’t require as much resources, singing lessons.

Last, you can rent instruments from local music stores

Is it possible to learn and master an instrument by heart/naturally without taking lessons?

There are many people with different talents. You have some people who can play by ear, improvise, and sound incredible. Some have taken lessons others have not. There are many great artist that will admit they never took lessons in their life and they learned by just fumbling around. What they have in common is that they worked on it day in and day out over years. Paul McCartney just did an interview where he said that he and Lennon didn’t know how to read or write music when they became songwriters. It is possible.

I think it is the exception and not the rule. But, all great musicians, you will notice, that their earlier work is usually not as good as their work as they begin to grow and learn more about their instrument, music theory, have a producer work with them etc.

I say try it out on your own. Then, if you still feel a passion and ready to go to the next step, start taking lessons.

What would be better for my child to start learning music on a piano or a guitar?

I am a pianist and an inspiring guitarist. Although the piano is ranked harder than the guitar, in regards to difficulty in learning, I agree with the comments that there is much more instant gratification playing the piano.

But, overall, I think the best instrument is the one the students want to play. Ever done something you really didn’t like doing versus something you really liked doing. You may consider renting the two instruments and finding out which one they like first.

BTW, the acoustic guitar is harder to play than the electric guitar. The acoustic is portable and don’t need as much equipment.

Should I continue to learn to play the piano?

I have been playing the piano for over 25 years. Although I had to take breaks because of life (school, work, I didn’t have a piano at one point), I don’t think I ever stopped learning. I constantly listened to piano pieces, especially when it came to studying, needing to relax or reduce stress,^[1] or help falling asleep.

If you are considering stopping, do the following..

1. Write out the reasons why you want to continue
2. Write out the reasons why you don’t want to continue

Then pretend you are talking to a neutral person. Do you think the reasons can be overcome with changes or are the reasons too negative to overcome.

If you don’t like the teacher – that can be overcome. If you don’t like the music you are playing that can be overcome.

If you never, ever feel like practicing that might be a problem. Is it because you don’t like the music (it can be overcome) or you never ever enjoyed playing (might need to stop).

Sometimes a break is sufficient enough to get your answer. Take a break, if you miss it go back. If you don’t, it might be time to move on.