Piano Guidance
Piano Guidance
Photo: Mizuno K
I would tend to say no. I had two teachers for a short time and found it confusing when they had conflicting views on technique and repetoire. That said, my experience was in a classiclal sense. if you want to learn a more specialist genre like pop or jazz, another teacher could well work out for the good.
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Read More »I myself did have two teachers at the same time. Before I elaborate a bit on my position about having two teachers at the same time, I think it would be better if I elaborate a bit on my background. I started learning with the first teacher in 2011 (hereafter will be referred as Teacher X). Problem is, while he was a nice person, he was a terrible teacher and I did not agree with many of his views of piano playing, both in technique and musicality. Thing is, I had no other option than to continue with him, due to the school music program being terrible in the school in which I lived in, which gave me little option. So, I decided that in the face of suffering total loss of motivation towards piano and an attempt to commit suicide, I decided to look for private lessons outside. This is where Teacher Y comes in. I started classes with her in 2012, learning with her at the same time than with Teacher X. Thing is, Teacher X did not know of Teacher Y, but Teacher Y did know of Teacher X. I did enjoy my classes much more with Teacher Y though. However these classes were marred by the simple fact that Teacher Y felt that her repertoire took a backseat to Teacher X, hence I thin k she might not have taken me as strictly as she could have been. I now longer have either teacher, but I am now learning with Teacher Z, but that is not relevant for the topic. So, do I recommend learning with two teachers at the same time? It depends on the person, but these are the conclusions I made about it, some of which is advice and some of which are simply aspects I want you to take into consideration: 1.- It is more difficult to have to learn 8 pieces with two teachers than to learn 14 pieces with one teacher. The problem is with time management, and both teachers expect you to play continuously their repertoire, regardless of what the other teacher has given you. While it is possible to reduce the difficulties by having both teachers know each other and contribute to each others learning, the difficulty will still persist. Stress will also become part of a big issue here as well. 2.- Teachers often contradict each other in regards to the technique a student must learn, and how technically challenging the pieces must be to develop a students ability in the future. Some teachers will tell you to play octaves with the arm, some with the wrist, some tell you to use 14 fingering for octaves in the black keys, some tell you to always use 15. This becomes especially problematic when a teacher becomes inflexible and is tying to emphasize a specific technical aspect of a piece.
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Read More »3.- While you might not encounter this by any chance due to your intention to learn two different styles, do not under any circumstance attempt to learn the same piece under two teachers. You will only end up more confused and will not be able to please either teacher. 4.- How seriously are they willing to take you as a student? It becomes a problem when a teacher considers that his/her teaching isn't as important, urgent or even essential in comparison to the other teacher, as it can create the illusion both in you and in the teacher that some lessons are a waste of time. 5.- Don't have the lessons too close together. Distribute them throughout the week. But do not focus on only one teacher's repertoire for a couple of days only. That way you'll only practice a piece for three days, then nothing for four days, and you'll not advance as fast as you could. Sometimes this is necessary, but make it into the exception and not the rule. Practice with both repertoires each day, but please do not waste your time during practice going through sections that you've already mastered. Learn how to practice effectively. 6.- Two good teachers do not equal by far one excellent teacher. The good teachers will merely try to expand you technical capabilities. The excellent teacher will not only look to improve you technique-wise, but musically not only in one style but in several (although they will focus in the one of your choice) and more importantly to develop you as a person. Look for an excellent teacher in both styles, but if you can only find one excellent teacher and one good teacher, ditch the good teacher and keep the excellent one. However, despite all this, the main question is, are you determined enough to tackle this problem? Determination and motivation is important, perhaps more than anything else. It won't make things any easier, however they will make things much more bearable, and will only encourage you to go further. The state of mind is often neglected in music (shockingly so!), don't neglect yours. If you feel you can tackle this problem, then you can. I know I did.
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