After months of debate, you finally went all in and purchased that digital piano you’ve had your eye on for forever now.
Maybe you’d love to take private lessons but are short on time and funding.
It all leaves you questioning whether it’s possible to teach yourself piano.
My answer may surprise you… Yes. But not in the way most people imagine.
In this post, we’ll cover:
- when self-teaching works
- where it falls apart
- mistakes to avoid
- how to make the fastest progress (this answer, in particular, might surprise you!)
Let’s get to it!
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I take no credit for the images appearing on this page. Specific photos are courtesy of Canva. Although I am a nurse practitioner, I am not YOUR medical provider. The information in this post is for informational purposes only. It does NOT replace individualized health information from a qualified medical professional. Please see a qualified medical professional for individualized assistance with your health and wellness. I do utilize AI for certain aspects of content creation; however, the main ideas are all my own.
- My Piano Journey
- Is It Actually Possible to Teach Yourself Piano?
- Why So Many Adults Want to Learn Piano on Their Own
- The Biggest Advantages of Teaching Yourself Piano
- The Downsides of Teaching Yourself Piano
- The Biggest Mistakes Self-Taught Pianists Make
- What Successful Self-Taught Pianists Do Differently
- Do You Need a Teacher?
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Final Thoughts – Yes, You Can Teach Yourself Piano
My Piano Journey
I’ve played the piano since roughly the age of 7.
Throughout the years, I have had formal training in classical music and countless piano lessons.
But I’ve also had years when regular lessons didn’t fit into my life.
To continue advancing at the keyboard, I’ve had to adapt my learning.
I’ve explored various online courses, YouTube videos, and a video tutorial or two.
Despite the solid foundation in my playing laid by years of piano lessons, I’ve still struggled to figure out how to learn and practice the material presented in lessons effectively.
All this to say that although I’ve had experience with lessons, all pianists are, to some degree, self-taught because it’s what happens in the practice room and your ability to translate information in a way you can remember that counts.
Some aspiring piano players have access to regular lessons, and some don’t.
Either way, you must develop the skills of translating information from your brain to your fingers and through the music you’re longing to play.
Is It Actually Possible to Teach Yourself Piano?
Short answer: Yes.
Learning to play the piano is a skill and, as such, is learnable in a way similar to learning to play tennis or pickleball.
There are many components of piano playing, such as proper body mechanics, technique, and expressive playing.
And not everyone has the same goals.
In fact, most people don’t set out to learn the instrument so they can one day play Carnegie Hall.
They learn because they want to play their favorite songs and feel the sense of accomplishment that comes with reading sheet music.
In this world of information overload, it can be easy for people to lose track of their initial goals and go down a rabbit hole of information that isn’t even relevant to them.
But the good news is that several excellent piano courses have been released in the past few years, which make it easier to pursue your piano goals without getting sidetracked.
Why So Many Adults Want to Learn Piano on Their Own
There are a few basic reasons why self-learning appeals to so many adults.
And as I explained previously, all skills involve some degree of self-learning, because even if you attend lessons with a good piano teacher, you need to figure out how to incorporate and repeat what you learn in a meaningful way.
One of the most common reasons why people want to teach themselves is time.
Time is the #1 reason I started seeking ways to teach myself, because I simply didn’t have time to put in the kind of practice expected by upper-level teachers.
There are some weeks when I’m only able to practice 10-15 minutes a day, and finding time to drive to a lesson felt impossible.
Other common reasons why adults want to teach themselves may include:
- Lesson expense
- Busy schedules
- Limited practice time
- Shift work
- Fear of playing in front of others
- Inability to attend weekly lessons
For all these reasons and more, it’s completely normal and expected that most aspiring pianists will find ways to teach themselves at some point in their piano journeys.
The Biggest Advantages of Teaching Yourself Piano
Learn on Your Own Schedule
Online lessons mean you can practice at your own pace.
Having a busy week?
Adjust your daily practice sessions accordingly.
Go At Your Own Pace
Still struggling with your hand position?
Stay at the lessons you’re currently at.
Take things as fast or as slow as you need to really absorb the information.
Choose Music You Actually Enjoy
Teaching yourself piano means you can decide which music you want to play.
You don’t have to spend weeks on repertoire you hate.
You’ll have many great options to play songs you actually enjoy!
Affordable Learning
Thanks to such a wide variety of learning modalities, you can teach yourself piano while staying within your budget.
And depending upon your goals, attending lessons on an occasional basis might also be an option.
But at the end of the day, your learning is still very much self-directed.
You can also find quality online memberships that provide a roadmap, but the learning is still up to you.
There are free resources out there as well, but one of the challenges of free piano lessons is that they tend to be a bit fragmented, and if you don’t have a more complete roadmap guiding your learning, it can be distracting and difficult to determine your next steps.
But once you’ve built a solid foundation, learning from a variety of resources might enhance your learning.
The bottom line is that you have more resources to learn piano than anyone in the history of time has ever had at their disposal.
The Downsides of Teaching Yourself Piano
Bad Habits Develop Quietly
Few things are as devastating as an injury which prevents you from doing what you love.
And the structures in your hands are quite prone to injury when you play incorrectly for an extended time.
Tension can creep in ever so slightly, leading to stiffness and difficulty playing faster passages.
Incorrect posture while playing can cause back and neck pain if left unaddressed.
And regular practice with poor fingering can significantly hamper progress.
Proper posture and technique are crucial for preventing injury.
When you teach yourself piano, it’s really hard to pick up on these subtleties that might cause injury over time.
You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know
When you teach yourself piano, it can be really tough to pick up on where you’re going wrong.
You know something doesn’t sound quite right, but sometimes it’s difficult to tell what the problem is, much less how to fix it.
A lot of people plateau and stall out completely because they start to feel stuck in their playing.
Random Learning Creates Gaps
If you’re trying to piece together your piano learning with YouTube tutorials and free online piano lessons, there’s a good chance that you’ll start to feel lost at some point.
Free resources are great, but they often don’t provide a roadmap to guide your learning beyond a lesson or two.
Sure, you can find some simple exercises here and learn about major keys there, but forming a more cohesive learning experience can be a challenge when you’re pulling random things together.
Motivation Fades
When you’ve inadvertently developed bad habits and feel stuck about how to solve the gaps in your learning caused by random resources here and there, it’s really easy to feel hopeless.
You might feel like you simply don’t have the talent.
And you may stick with it for a bit, but it can be very difficult to overcome these feelings that you’re simply not cut out for this.
The Biggest Mistakes Self-Taught Pianists Make
Only Learning Songs
Yes, I know you’re dying to learn the top popular songs of 2025.
But if you don’t put a bit of effort into learning note names or proper technique, you’ll never improve.
There are so many different aspects that go into becoming good at playing the instrument, and if you only focus on one or two, your progress will grind to a halt.
One really useful skill is ear training, which develops your ability to listen more critically to music.
Ear training helps with many aspects of musicianship, including sight-reading and memorization.
Learning only songs means skipping this essential component of becoming a more well-rounded pianist.
Avoiding Music Reading
Some of the best free resources for learning songs are YouTube video lessons that teach you the notes to play without having to read musical notation.
But if you never learn to read music, you’ll only ever be able to play music by watching YouTube videos.
And there’s a whole world of amazing music written for the piano out there!
You don’t want to limit yourself to playing only from very specific instructional videos.
Never Practicing Technique
Even if you never plan to pursue advanced studies, working on technique will only benefit your future self.
As I mentioned above, if your technique isn’t solid, you’re at risk of injury.
Luckily, there are a couple of great programs out there that include technique in their learning library.
Two of the better ones include:
Practicing Mistakes Repeatedly
Without positive feedback from a piano teacher, it can be easy for mistakes to creep into your playing.
One of the best ways to get feedback on your own playing without a teacher is taping your practice session.
In fact, one of my top tips for anyone who wants to teach themselves piano is to record your sessions and watch them back to help you catch mistakes you wouldn’t otherwise catch.
Even professional pianists record themselves to analyze and improve.
If you’d like more information, check out my previous post: Why You Need to Record Your Piano Practice and Simple Tips.
Constantly Starting Over
It can also be easy to fall into the trap of thinking that you need to play a song from beginning to end every time.
In fact, your learning skyrockets when you break a song into smaller chunks and then piece those chunks together.
And if you’d like to do accompanying someday, it’s very useful to practice handling mistakes, because you can’t just stop in the middle when you’re playing with someone else.
You need to practice the skill of continuing to play despite errors because they are inevitable.
The same applies to your learning.
When you find a method or online course, stick with it for at least a couple of months before moving on.
Glean everything you can from the resource before moving to the next.
What Successful Self-Taught Pianists Do Differently
The journey to achieving your piano goals is not straightforward.
If your goal is to teach yourself, then you’ll likely need to incorporate information from different sources to become a more well-rounded pianist.
Maybe this is a combination of private lessons here and there with supplemental online course material.
Regardless of your preferred learning method, the best way to make consistent progress is consistent practice.
Setting up a regular routine to sit down at the keyboard and play is what sets the successful players apart from the rest.
The best learning method in the world means nothing if you don’t regularly review the material.
A few other tips to set yourself up for success:
- Follow a structured curriculum to its end instead of hopping around between different ones.
- Record yourself and listen back to your recordings regularly.
- Learn music theory gradually.
- Celebrate small wins.
- Play music you love!
Do You Need a Teacher?
I’ve briefly mentioned piano lessons here and there throughout the post.
Although it might seem that taking lessons doesn’t fall under the category of “teaching yourself,” I believe the opposite to be true.
At the end of the day, everyone is on their own journey to learn piano at their own pace and for different reasons.
Piano lessons are another tool you can use to advance toward your goals.
It’s fairly common to take lessons for a period and then stop for a while.
With online learning methods, it’s easier than ever to bring high-quality instruction into your home.
A few things that a teacher can help with include:
- Improving technique
- Keeping you motivated
- Answering personalized questions
- Personalizing learning
Again, guidance doesn’t have to mean weekly in-person lessons.
It can come in the form of:
- Online courses
- Video feedback
- Memberships
- Occasional lessons
One specific course that I’ve personally had great experience with is ProPractice by Dr. Josh Wright.
His course has a classical focus but includes a comprehensive library of videos that explain how to learn many pieces from the classical repertoire.
There’s also a very supportive Facebook group where you can post videos and other members will give you feedback.
It’s a supportive way to learn independently, without the isolation that often comes with trying to teach yourself piano.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you really teach yourself piano?
Yes, you can teach yourself piano with the right learning resources and consistent practice.
A structured course or curriculum will help you progress much faster than relying on random videos or tutorials alone.
A few of my favorites include:
How long does it take to teach yourself piano?
Most adults can learn to play simple songs within a few months of regular practice.
Becoming a confident, well-rounded pianist typically takes several years, but steady improvement comes from consistent practice rather than long hours.
Is it harder to learn piano without a teacher?
Learning piano without a teacher can be more challenging because it’s easier to develop bad habits and overlook mistakes. However, many adults successfully learn on their own by following a structured program and occasionally seeking feedback.
What’s the best way to teach yourself piano?
The best way to teach yourself piano is to follow a step-by-step learning plan, practice consistently, and learn both songs and fundamental skills like technique, music reading, and music theory.
Recording yourself and reviewing your progress can also help you improve more quickly.
Can adults successfully learn piano by themselves?
Absolutely! Adults often make excellent piano students because they’re motivated, disciplined, and have clear goals. While progress may look different for everyone, adults can become accomplished pianists through regular practice and quality instruction.
Is YouTube enough to learn piano?
YouTube is a fantastic resource for learning individual songs and picking up new ideas, but it’s usually not enough on its own. Because videos aren’t organized into a complete curriculum, many self-taught pianists eventually encounter gaps in their technique, theory, or reading skills.
Are piano learning apps worth it?
Yes, piano learning apps can be worthwhile, especially for beginners who want an affordable and flexible way to get started. The best apps provide structure, motivation, and feedback, but they work best when paired with thoughtful practice and a long-term learning plan.
If you’re curious to learn more about apps, check out my previous post The Best Piano Learning Apps for Adults Ranked by Learning Style.
Final Thoughts – Yes, You Can Teach Yourself Piano
So, can you really teach yourself piano?
Absolutely.
But perhaps a better question is this: Can you stay committed long enough to enjoy the rewards of learning?
Whether you choose an online course, occasional lessons with a teacher, or a combination of different resources, the real progress happens every time you sit down at the keyboard. Every scale you practice, every measure you finally master, and every song you learn builds on the last. Those small victories may not feel significant in the moment, but over weeks and months, they add up to something remarkable.
Don’t let the pursuit of the “perfect” learning method keep you from getting started. There will always be another app to download, another YouTube video to watch, or another course to consider. Instead, choose one structured path, give yourself permission to be a beginner, and trust the process.
Remember, you don’t have to become a concert pianist for your piano journey to be worthwhile. Maybe your dream is to play your favorite worship songs, entertain your family during the holidays, accompany a choir, or simply unwind after a long day at work. Those goals are every bit as meaningful as performing on a concert stage.
Learning piano is about so much more than pressing the right keys. It’s about developing patience, perseverance, creativity, and confidence—qualities that often spill over into the rest of life.
So if you’ve been waiting for permission to begin, consider this your sign. Sit down at your piano today, play a few notes, and take the next small step. You don’t have to know everything before you start—you just have to keep showing up.
Your future self will be grateful that you did.
Until next time, happy practicing!
