Not to an advanced stage but just compitant enough. I've been playing three weeks from scratch and am struggling through scarborough fair at the moment (the next lesson is chopsticks ), that, and none of the previous lessons I can play through correctly and to tempo.

I know things like practise time and individual talent will affect this but I was just wondering if there was an average time for the average person, doing the 15 - 20 min practice a day.

Well it really depends, as you said, on musical ability and practise time.

People always said to me that on average it took a year to do each grade, but I've been playing a year and am taking my grade 4 in a couple of months.

It also depends what level you'd class as a competant level....do you mean to be able to play a basic tune, hands together up to speed, or to be able to sight-read a bit or improvise?

If you mean to be able to play a basic tune, then not very long at all I'm guessing. I practise at least an hour a day...and I suppose to be able to play a basic song it would have taken me anything from a week to a couple of months? And as for sight-reading/improvising....I'm yet to be able to do that...so more than a year probably.

But everyone is different, so I (or anyone) probably can't put a time on it....except maybe a piano or music teach who knows how you play and how fast you learn as an individual. Your best bet is to ask them.

Sorry I wasn't much help. Good luck for the learning, I'm sure you'll be at a good level soon enough!! :P

Laura
XxX

The more you play the easier it gets. sometimes I'll be workin on a part and feel ...I cant do it , then all of a sudden it clicks ! just keep at it ,love it 'N' Live it ! 6 mts at 1 or more hrs a day, even if you break it up 15 min,s at a time .The more you learn ,the faster you learn !Think of a snowball rolling in snow...Its kinda like that. Just when you get frustratedstop 1min. then get right backto it .It will click ! GOD Bless'n'Dont give up.

<Added>

Greatness is just around the corner you just cant see it,coz it around the bend !

Practice yous scales with diffrent beats,play with them and have a good time with it! EnJoy!! Its yours for the takeing!You'll all of a sudden think wow Im alot better...then hey Im not bad ..then WOW Im pretty good...up'n'down the keyboard,go from octave to octave use both hands....dont stay in one octave spread out .... have fun playing....GOD Bless !

Thank you for the encouragement. It's interesting to see people talk of it 'clicking'. I was wondering if it was like a bicycle or car.

Funny thing is, I get to play a peice and then go on to another more difficult peice, return to the first one only to find I cannot play it and have to practice again!!

Yes fustration, but rewarding.

At 15-20 min's a day I'd say a week . Thats comeing from my view point though,I'm dislexic so it takes me longer. I have to play repetetive to learn a song, and do it frequently to keep it! I learn songs by puting on a CD and playing along with it.I play by ear.I play it over and over and learn it in sections/find the patterns then learn them in sections...hope this is a Blessing to you....






[;]]



0

At 15-20 min's a day I'd say a week . Thats comeing from my view point though,I'm dislexic so it takes me longer. I have to play repetetive to learn a song, and do it frequently to keep it! I learn songs by puting on a CD and playing along with it.I play by ear.I play it over and over and learn it in sections/find the patterns then learn them in sections...hope this is a Blessing to you....






[;]]



0

Personally for me, the clicking works great on my keyboard, but if someone out there only has a piano, a metronome is awesome!

Yay! Pav13 is here all week and taking bookings

Progress report, while I'm here, can play scarbrough fair, chopsticks, oh suzzannah and most of morning as broken, these just use appeggio and broken cord accompinant. Bassically lesson 11 of'complete learn to play piano' by Peter Gelling. And it's just started to feel fluent and comfortable at just over 5 weeks.

And cheekily can play chopins funeral music and first 10 bars to the bach prelude no 1 48 whatnot, though i know thats naughty.