The piano is a fantastic instrument. It is incredibly versatile and can make some beautiful sounds. Therefore, it is no surprise that it’s one of the most learned and played instruments globally. Still, there is a big difference between the casual piano player who sees it as a hobby and those that have mastered the skills to earn a living from it. With that in mind, many ask what they must do to take their practice to the next level and become a professional pianist.
To become a professional pianist takes years of arduous work and dedication, with a lot of sacrifices along the way. Having a good teacher is essential as they can guide you, correct your mistakes, and provide motivation. Anyone can do this, but it’s only the dedicated few that will succeed.
Becoming a professional piano player takes more work than many people realize, and it requires significant sacrifices to make a career out of it. Even though the piano is played by so many people worldwide, not everyone is cut out to become a professional. Let’s look at what it takes to reach that level and the methods used to learn the piano well enough to play professionally.
What It Takes To Become A Professional
Learning to play the piano well enough, and to have a good enough grasp of all other aspects of the instrument, such as theory and composition, takes much more time and effort than most people realize.
Seeing a professional piano player in action may look like they are just having fun, or their skills have come naturally to them. Still, in reality, that person has spent the majority of their lives studying their instrument and all that it entails getting to the point where they can play professionally and make a living from it.
There are many types of professional piano players, and each one of them has spent many years perfecting what they do.
To become a professional piano player takes many hours of practice every day with a focussed and intense dedication to the piano’s music and learnings. Countless hours are spent in piano lessons learning from great players, and it requires arduous work and comes with a lot of frustration.
Many professional working pianists have sacrificed much of their lives to play the piano. Practicing to achieve this level of skill and musicality takes a minimum of 5 -6 hours of practicing every day and many hours of study and composition.
Even though many people play the piano, due to the dedication, focus, and frustrations, the ones that define themselves as professional are a lot less.
What Defines A Professional Pianist?
There are many different types of professional piano players, but a loose definition is someone who makes a living or gets paid to play the piano in a professional setting.
There are many avenues that piano players can take to earn an income, but they are all considered to be professional pianists.
The highest level of professionalism when it comes to being a pianist is working as a concert pianist. These piano players will travel the world, performing intense classical music pieces in solo performances, orchestras, or with smaller ensembles. These piano players are the best in the world.
However, many other types of professional piano players have also dedicated their lives to playing their instrument, even if they are not concert pianists. Many work as music teachers, play in bands and are freelance.
Professional freelance pianists make a living by playing piano for schools, choirs, recitals, social events, dance classes and performances, weddings, funerals, or even provide background music in many different circumstances.
Some are session musicians who are hired to play on recordings or studio albums or play in corporate bands. These players are highly sought after and require specialized musical experience and skills to do what they do.
Piano teachers are also professional pianists. They play and teach piano for a living, and without them, there would be far fewer performing pianists in the world. Piano teachers are some of the most essential professional pianists, and they are capable of earning a decent living if they teach well.
In the modern world, some professional pianists solely perform, teach, and play the piano online. Platforms such as YouTube make it possible for them, especially piano teachers, to make a living online by creating good quality lessons and other content.
Being a professional pianist comes in many different forms, and it is more accessible now than ever before. However, it still takes a life dedicated to music and playing the piano well to reach the professional level.
Do I Need A Teacher To Become A Professional?
There are many piano players who already have mastered the basics and have some skills, and there are others that are just starting. These players often find themselves asking if they need a piano teacher to progress to a professional level?
The truth is, having a skilled piano teacher is very important.
A good teacher will teach you the skills needed to play piano professionally. They will keep you accountable, correct your mistakes, and guide you. Along with playing skills, you will need a deep understanding of the music, which is better learned from an experienced and knowledgeable teacher.
A teacher will focus their lesson plan around your abilities, work on your weaknesses and push you to improve. They will motivate you to practice, help you correct any bad habits or other issues before they become a problem, and keep you focused on your goals and decisions.
That being said, having a good teacher is only part of what it takes to become a professional pianist. A teacher can not make you a good piano player, no matter how skilled they are. How well you play the piano is entirely determined by you, how much you practice, how dedicated you are, and hard you work. You will need to be willing to make sacrifices to achieve your goals.
Can I Teach Myself Piano?
Many piano players want to push themselves to progress further to play at a professional level, and they often wonder if they can teach themselves what they need to know to improve.
To some degree, it is possible to teach yourself piano. If you can already play piano on some level and have had at least some basic instruction from a teacher of some kind, then teaching yourself to progress is possible. However, it is very doubtful you can achieve professional status this way.
If you are an absolute beginner, it is much more challenging to learn by yourself, as it is very easy to fall into poor paying techniques that can be very detrimental to your playing.
If you are dedicated enough, are diligent, and careful about where you get your resources from, you will be able to teach yourself to play the piano to some degree. However, if you want the best results, then it is best to get guidance.
Consider this: when you look at athletes and business owners who are successful, there is a very strong probability that they will have coaches, advisors, and mentors that help guide them along the way. If you’re looking to play the piano professionally, then it will be a similar path.
Can You Learn The Piano From YouTube
Learning from videos on YouTube is another way to teach yourself to play the piano. Many excellent teachers give valuable lessons for free and are great for practice. You will get the best results if you combine these with a dedicated learning style from a teacher you can communicate with.
It’s not ideal for the complete beginner as you won’t benefit from a teacher making sure you create good habits and correcting your mistakes. Also, it’s unlikely to turn a budding pianist into a professional on its own.
However, you can find some great teachers with detailed videos that give clear instructions and set reasonable goals. If you follow along, work hard, you will see yourself progressing at a good pace.
You can also find teachers who play a different style like Jazz & Blues who’s instruction can help you become a more rounded player. Make sure you check my article about 29 piano teachers you can find on YouTube, covering a whole spectrum of teachers you can find there.
Conclusion
Although anybody, no matter how old they are, can learn to play the piano, it’s just the dedicated few who can become professional pianists. The road is long and will require a lot of hard work, intense practice, and steadfast dedication and endurance.
Becoming a professional piano player will also take many sacrifices, but it can be very rewarding and provide a wholesome way to make a living.
If this is your dream, then you will need to set goals to help you achieve it. You may have the discipline to do this yourself, but just like the athlete has a coach and the business leader a mentor, you will get better results if you have an experienced teacher to guide you along the way.
