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I wish I’d had this with my piano lessons instead of the traditional do-the-grades approach, it was v much a chore. These days I play quite a bit to add layers to my band’s stuff and wish I’d stuck at it past 15/16 years old. So useful now but I struggle with technique stuff
jackbepablo-
Don’t get me wrong, it was years of reluctantly doing grades before that point!
I also had piano lessons till I was 10-11 and gave that up to play the drums, which I regret - ‘fun’ instruments are a lot easier to play to a competent standard than traditional ones. -
I learnt classical piano from 4 to 16 or thereabouts to a decent standard. In that time, I stupidly never pushed to learn more about improvisation and ended up not touching a keyboard for the next twenty years.
About four years ago, I got an old Kawai hammer action stage piano off craigslist to have a go. It took a solid 6 weeks of straight technique for an hour or so a day before I could attempt to get up to speed on some old stuff - proper arm pump and cramp. After that it came back surprisingly quickly and I found that the intervening, unlearned guitar playing had given me a better ear for picking up stuff quick. Kept it up for a couple of years but it's been another year or so since I've touched it. It's astonishing how use it or lose it the practice is. I can't play for shit again now!
For me at least, playing to a decent standard required a couple of hours a day just to maintain and who's got that time? I can noodle on guitar for 30 minutes and be happy. Probably an indication of how much lower my standards are.... :)
Dramatic_Hammer
Jung
I reckon it took 10 years of lessons (and not very much practicing) for me to start enjoying playing violin/viola on its own. Prior to that I’d only really enjoyed playing in various ensembles (4-100 people). Kept it up till I left college but only as I had a very good teacher who viewed our Friday afternoon lessons as a chance to relax, have a chat and play some duets. If I’d been under any pressure to achieve at that point I would have probably binned it off but I think it was trained technique that let me enjoy it. Different with bowed instruments though where the timbre is unlistenable without good technique!