If you or someone you know is looking to learn how to play the piano, the first question you might ask is how much do piano lessons cost? After all, while you can teach yourself, the quickest way to learn is to have a professional teach you or subscribe to a course.
Generally, piano lessons will cost anywhere from $50 and $100 for a 1 hour session. There are a variety of reasons why a lesson may be cheaper or more expensive. A teacher’s experience, availability, location, bulk rates and more can all affect the price of a lesson.
While piano lessons cost quite a lot, there are other ways to learn the piano, including online courses and programs. Generally, these programs are much cheaper because they can be sold at scale. For example, an online program can teach thousands of people at once, while an in-person lesson can only teach 1 or 2 people at a time. This means the cost for an online program is far cheaper.
Therefore, over a year, you might expect to spend $2,400 a year on piano lessons if you are taking the twice a month. Compare that to an online program that might only be $100 for a year long course.
How Long are Piano Lessons?
A piano lesson can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 hour. You can take lessons that are longer, but it’s generally best to take a 1 hour lesson, go home and practice for a week or two, and then come back and take another hour lesson.
That structure gives you the knowledge you require from the teacher, while then giving you time to practice and work on what you’ve learned. And then in the next lesson, you can get additional tips and advice on how to improve.
You will spend a majority of the time learning the piano outside of lessons. The main reason for this is that practice is repetition of what you’ve learned in the lesson. As a general rule of thumb, for every 1 hour you spend in a lesson with a teacher, you should be practicing 8 hours outside of the lesson.
Not to mention that you will save money if the lessons are reserved for guidance instead of practice.
How Many Piano Lessons Do You Need?
Piano lessons aren’t something that you need a certain amount before you can play the piano. As a result, it’s impossible to give an exact number. However, you can estimate how much time you’ll need to practice for different levels of expertise.
Here a few timeframes to keep in mind. This is considering that you are practicing at least 30 minutes each day.
- 1 Month: You will be familiar with the piano, basic notes, and finger structure and techniques. However, it will likely still feel uncomfortable and frustrating.
- 3 Months: At this point, you should have the basics nailed down. It is becoming more and more comfortable every day and you are proficient at reading sheet music.
- 6 Months: Now you should be comfortable with playing the piano. You’re not an expert by any means, but you can read sheet music, the hand techniques on the piano feel good, and you can start playing songs by ear.
- 1 Year: You should be a strong piano player by this point. Still not an expert and there is a lot you don’t know, but you can confidently read sheet music, the piano is comfortable to play, and you can play even more songs by ear.
Those time frames are subjective and may not be exactly what you had in mind or will be how you experience the piano. However, it should give you an idea of what to expect and when.
Keep in mind, that 30 minutes a day after 1 year is 182 hours of practice on the piano. 182 hours is a long time to practice anything. So while 30 minutes a day doesn’t seem like a lot, it does add up over time.
Can I Learn the Piano Online?
This is a common questions when it comes to learning a new instrument or any skill. Can you learn the piano online? The quick answer is yes. You can absolutely learn piano or any other skill online. However, there are a few things to keep in mind.
First, you will actually need a piano to learn how to play the piano. You can’t just watch videos for 6 hours straight and then be able to play the piano. Online videos are a great way to learn basic skills and techniques for any skill, including piano. But you will really learn how to play by practicing. Practicing is the most important part of learning anything new.
Second, it is helpful to have a curriculum so you’re regularly learning new techniques. You don’t want to do a new YouTube search every day for another piano lesson video. Ideally, you would find a program that teaches the basics, then intermediate techniques, and finally more advanced skills.
That way you are continually improving and learning as you go and not trying to build your own piano curriculum.
Finally, we always recommend learning new skills. It’s a great way improve your life, which we’ve written about in this post about self-improvement activities.
Conclusion
This article provided a lot of information regarding piano lessons, including how much do piano lessons cost, how long lessons are, how many lessons do you need, and whether you can learn piano online.
At this point you should have a much better idea of what you need to learn the piano and whether in-person lessons are for you. Maybe online courses are more appropriate.
There are a lot of pros and cons to each, so you should do additional research about piano lessons in your area, online programs, and more to decide how you want to learn piano.
The most important advice we can give at this point is to start today. Come up with a plan, start learning, and continue practicing for 30 minutes each day. Just imagine where you will be a year from now if you start learning piano today.
