I have heard it so many times from many of my friends and acquaintances, that I think this needs a clarification once and for all.
So, many people ask me: Do you think I can start playing at my age? How long would it take me to learn and to actually being able to play an instrument? I have always wanted to learn how to play the piano, where should I start?
And the list goes on, but the essence is always the same: The majority of people I know, would love to learn to play an instrument, and it’s not only because I am a music educator; all researches confirm that 2 out of 3 people would love to learn how to play an instrument. (*)
And by the way it makes so much sense! Playing an instrument is the best hobby you can have! It will give you the opportunity to nurture a fantastic way of self-expression and communication, to relax whenever you want, to create and compose something for you and the people you love, to play with friends and let them be a singer for the night. Playing the piano even has benefits or the brain.
So that’s it, I am doing it! Here’s the ultimate list tackling all those excuses people have about actually trying to learn an instrument. Because those barriers are actually much smaller than what people think.
1) Time (or the argument of “I would love to but I don’t have time for it”)
Many people think that learning an instrument will take hours of practice every day. Probably they are imagining the likes of Lang Lang, Horowitz or Bill Evans, when it comes to playing an instrument.
And yes, they are right! – It will take hours and hours of practice (some say 10.000) to make a professional career out of your instrument. But honestly, are you really planning on becoming a professional pianist/ instrumentalist, touring the world’s concert-halls? If not, relax and think it over! It takes less time than you think to achieve a satisfying level of playing an instrument. May it be for your own enjoyment or relaxation, letting your friends sing along to some tunes, or even compose a song for your loved ones. I am convinced that everyone of us spares a couple of hours a week for musical fun-time. So why don’t you make a start and wake up the musical talent inside you?
2) Money (or the argument of “It’s very expensive”)
Assuming that you don’t have a friend or family member, who can
lend you a guitar or a piano, here are some good news for you: An entry level instrument can be as affordable as €90.
And the lessons? This really depends on the way you want to learn, but what if I told you, that you can actually spend less than €20 per month on professional piano-education? (…Just keep reading…)
You can also read about the benefits of learning with a piano app.
3) Commitment (or the argument: “I am not good at committing to something, I know I will quit after a short period”)
Well, of course, if you don’t like something enough to keep doing it, it is very likely, that you quit. But why is that to some things we like to commit and to others we don’t? Have you never stopped catching up with your best friend or voluntarily stopped watching a movie, that you really love? Well, the key to commitment is motivation and motivation is based on a simple mechanism: An activity is self-motivated, when you get more reward out of it than the energy you put into. Or have you ever quit reading your favourite book, because you had an unstoppable desire to do the washing up? If yes, please come and visit my kitchen! 😉
So how does this translate to learning a musical instrument? Well, everyone I know, who has ever experienced producing beautiful music through their own hands will agree, it’s one of the most rewarding activities. You may think it takes lots of commitment to achieve this, but believe me, every minute you spend practicing will turn into hours of reward. Try it yourself and I can assure you, that playing an instrument is one of the most fulfilling activities you will ever be able to experience.
Ok, so now that we have mythbusted some of the major barriers, what are you waiting for?
The guys here at Skoove have some great news for you:
You want to know how it feels to play the piano even if you don’t have a piano? You can start today! Go and check out Skoove, you can try it with your PC-keyboard!

Just to prove my view of myth one and two: Skoove can actually teach you to play the piano at your own pace and without spending a fortune. You can login to Skoove whenever you want and whenever you feel like you want to practice or learn: they developed a system that can get you playing your first melody within minutes, with the right technique and from the comfort of your room, with real time feedback that guides you to play correctly and on time. At the same time, Skoove teaches you how to sight-read notes.
Oh, and did I mention that with the the premium version of Skoove cost less than €20 per month?
If you have always wanted to learn to play the piano, that’s it, no more excuses. You can really do it in an affordable and effective way. Start now and make your musical dreams come true.
And if you can’t wait to start, go and read our 4 tips to learn piano effectively or start now with these Easy Piano Songs For Beginners.
Related article:
- Stop making excuses and learn how to play the piano
- Best piano app
Try out your free trial of Skoove today!
(*) Base: Population, Weighted average USA, UK, Australia, Germany Sources: GFK (2012), Gallup Poll (2009), Nexus (2007), OECD