is 28 too old to learn the piano ?

[robogone]

ill do my cockney boy routine 4 ya ...

Like this?

[rlahalla]

Like this?

Or was it like this?


Yes, I know I should be beaten.

[iaminsane+]

do you lot think im gonna struggle to learn at 28 ?

dude - you're 28 ??? that is sooooooooooooooooooooo old.

You got maybe 2 or 3 good years ahead of you, and then it's pretty much over. Hurry, learn what you can.

The question itself is just weird. You're 28 and asking yourself if you're too old to learn something? What are you going to be like at 48?

You need much more than a little encouragement, you need a fundamental attitude change. If you are thinking to yourself already you will struggle... Sounds like you are living with regrets or already making excuses as to why you can't do something, I've got almost 20 years on you. If I was 28 again, I could do anything!

You need to wake up, shake it off and go change the world.

I LOVE you dude - PEACE!

[vurt]

Like this?

Or was it like this?


Yes, I know I should be beaten.

rick is a northerner not a cockney.

[rlahalla]

rick is a northerner not a cockney.

figures

[VitaminD]

If you're still sucking down air and can remember what you ate or wore yesterday then you are fine to learn new things..

That said I was recently watching some videos from "Oliver Sacks: Tales Of Music And The Brain" and one guy in particular came to my mind when reading your post... this guy an orthopedic surgeon in his 40s was struck by lightning.. a few weeks later he had the urge to play piano.. and obsessed over it apparently.. he ended up not only learning to play but also to create his own music..

If someone in their 40s, struck by lightning can learn to play.. You can too. The key factor here is dedication.


You can learn to do ANYTHING you want.. (well short of grow wings and fly to work ) I'm always surprised to see people doubt themselves over silly things such as this.. just takes time and patience.

[robogone]

If you want to learn the things that you like, look around for a piano teacher who understands what you want to learn. Learning some theory and how to play the pieces that you want to play might be a good start. Call a few piano teachers and talk with them - if get on with them and like the way they react to what you say, take a couple of lessons. If you like it continue, if not find another teacher.

Age is meaningless in learning something new. The only thing that might stop you is if you get obsessed with your age and think you can't do it.

[loose snare]

28 is waaaaay too late, you'll never learn. You will only make a fool of your self and more likely you'll give up soon anyway.

Basically a complete waste of time, energy and money.

(reverse psychology and something to quote with slightly smug air to slightly bored friends before / after / during your first proper public performance in a few years time)

Actually I don't even buy it that it will be any harder than if you were 13 (given the same teacher/ hours of practice).

Although at your age you will need to run up and down a few mountains every day and do lots of pull ups and have a special diet.

[BUNJA]

Like this?

Or was it like this?


Yes, I know I should be beaten.

lol thats funny i didnt know rick asley was a cockney boy

this is what u proberly think i sound like lol
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=dj79GAu81 ... re=related


what a couple of plonkers in that video


i like this one better
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=IQxlVETWv ... re=related

[BUNJA]

im loving all the top notch answers here by the way

[blackboyrockinit]

Monet started painting when he was well in to his adulthood.

Jesus' didn't really get it going until he was crucified at 33.

this old man is still going. check him out.

[Gospel]

neuroplasticity can be a bitch.

Long post warning:

i don't really recommend being struck by lightning. however a little low level cortical stimulation is always good. i got mine at age 8. i stuck my finger in a lamp that was turned on while my parents were changing the light bulb. the last thing i remember was my mom saying don't stick your finger in there. always the rebel, i did just that. but i digress.

anyway, vitaminD mentioned Oliver Sachs and the book those stories are from is called "Musicophillia". I actually prefer "This Is Your Brain on Music" by Daniel J Levitin. It is a fascinating book that goes in depth on the way music is hardwired into our brain.

I might be reading into the original post a bit too much but it seems to me he is really asking two questions. The first is at 28 is my brain too old to be taught to read music and play piano? The old dogs and new tricks thing. the second seems to be, at 28 do i have enough time to get good?

Getting or answers from Daniel's book the answer to the first question is a resounding NO. The human brain was built to adapt. Many people have sustained massive trauma to certain areas of their brain, like stokes and have lost certain abilities. Many of these people have been able to retrain themselves and have been able to regain these abilities. Basically what they are doing is training a new part of their brain to accomplish the tasks that were handled by the damaged part of their brain. This is neuroplasticity. so yes at 28 you can still train your brain to accomplish new tasks. Also to your advantage as stated in "This Is your Brain on Music" music is hardwired into the human brain. Music is processed in every region of our brain from the highest prefrontal lobes to our most primal part of brain the amygdala. Oliver's book is full of examples where people have suffered many types of trauma that have removed most of their functioning and/or personallity that can still play and sing music well but can't recall what they played or even their name seconds later.

To the second question " at 28 do i have enough time to get good?". It depends on what you mean by "good". it is theorized that we need 10,000 (ten thousand hours) of practice to be considered an "expert". this is why i personally don't believe in the concept of talent. As the old gag goes "How do I get to Carnaige Hall? The answer: Practice.' Natural apptitude and genius aside we get good by practicing. So at 28 you have a lot less time during the day and years of your life than a 13 year old would.

However does that make it pointless to try? Hell no. Personally if i have learned all i was going to learn at ANY age, life would be worthless. Another great quote from Steve Hilage of Gong and now System 7 fame said "The best is the enemy of the good." To me this means perfection is an unachievable ideal and good is perfectly acceptable. Are great songs great because they are technically perfect? Or are they great because they captured something wonderfully human and thusly imperfect and then were actually finished and released in a timely manner? i'd be willing to bet 99 times out of hundred it is the latter.

So go ahead and learn the piano and since your child will also be starting you have a great excuse/reason to buy a nice hardware keyboard. good luck- gospel

I'm gonna go take my meds now.................

[blackboyrockinit]

I disagree in the above post in the sense that at 28 you tend to learn things faster and understand concepts quicker. When I was young, video games would frustrate me and be impossible to beat even after months of practice. Nowadays the same game takes me a day to figure out.

Quit worrying about your age. What if you didn't know how old you were? Would you still worry about not being able to learn piano?

I guess that's why the he told you not to bite the apple.

[debra1rlo]

Jesus' didn't really get it going until he was crucified at 33.

Oh yeah, I'll bet he regrets not getting it done while he was younger so he could just move on with the rest of his life.

[skipscada]

You're definitely not too old. I live with a piano teacher, and regardless of age, I observe that the pupils who make progress are the ones who have a genuine interest and practice between classes. So go for it, but go for it.