This post will focus on motivation and where we put our attention.  When self-teaching, we are responsible for choosing our learning path and our motivation to stay with that choice.  If it turns out that the path we have chosen is not getting us where we want to go, it is our responsibility to determine a more suitable path and stay on that.  The problem can become whether our current path is really working for us, but maybe we are becoming impatient. 

The real problem with self teaching is that it can be a case of the "blind leading the blind".  We are not accomplished piano players, yet we are assuming that role when making decisions as to what we should be working on, for how long, and whether we are working efficiently towards our musical goals.  In a sense, this is like going on a trip through the Amazon for the first time without a guide, and expecting to end up at a destination we have never seen.  It may be possible to succeed, but it is likely that we will get lost somewhere along the way and never reach our destination. 

Some people do succeed.  I read on Michele McLaughlin's site that she took a few piano lessons as a child, but became enamored with the playing of George Winston.  She learned to play by learning all of George Winston's music by ear.  When a discussion like this occurs, it is unavoidable that the word "talent" comes up.  That word is loaded with a lot of cultural baggage, largely because for many years, people seem to have believed that "some got it, some don't" and that is all there is to it.  With many people taking many paths to learning, and becoming able to play piano, it is apparent that most of us have at least some of whatever it takes to learn this skill.  However, we all seem to have different learning styles.  Just because I may not be successful learning the way Michele McLaughlin did, does not indicate that I am unable to learn to play.  I just have to find another path.  As Tony Robbins (the motivation guy) says, if one way doesn't work, try another.  If that doesn't work, try another.  Eventually, you will succeed IF you don't give up trying, but don't stick with what is not working.

But then, the problem becomes one of jumping around so much that we never settle into any learning path and never make any progress.  It is quite typical among self-teachers (including me) to have acquired a number of piano courses and books, and after a number of years, still not play very well (if at all), while a person who just knuckled down and got a live teacher and took weekly lessons, has become quite proficient over that same period of time.  A live teacher simply is not practical for everybody due to work schedules, not having the money to take regular lessons, or not having a teacher in one's area who teaches in a manner consistent with one's musical goals and/or learning style.  However, it does seem to me that whether we are self-teaching or working with a teacher, the shortest path to developing pianistic skills is to find a path and stick with it.

We can become distracted by any number of things, especially with the advent of the internet and its easy access to literally millions of sites, new piano teaching products, and especially the forums.  A couple of good books to read that deal with motivation and focusing on a goal are "Mastery" by George Leonard (http://www.amazon.com/Mastery-Keys-Success-Long-Term-Fulfillment/dp/0452267560/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1422807537&sr=1-1&keywords=george+leonard+mastery) and Steven Pressfield's "War of Art" (http://www.amazon.com/War-Art-Through-Creative-Battles/dp/1936891026/ref=sr_1_1_twi_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1422807646&sr=1-1&keywords=war+of+art+by+steven+pressfield).  These books both address the very issues that will cause self-teachers to jump around from course to course, being distracted by every new course they find on the internet or that is mentioned in the piano forums.  Spending time in the forums talking about playing can become a means of what Steven Pressfield calls "avoidance" - that aspect of human nature that causes us to do everything EXCEPT the very thing we should be doing if we really want to achieve our goals.  In "Mastery", George Leonard talks about how we come face to face with our true motivations as we struggle with staying motivated enough to actually follow through with our goals in the day to day activity needed to achieve them.  I recommend reading and rereading periodically, both books.

Another problem I see when becoming involved with the piano forums (yes, I do participate there) is that there are people who obsess over the quality of digital pianos or the minute details of different acoustic pianos.  to me, this seems a case of not seeing the forest for the trees.  If we are focused on making music and pursuing our goals of becoming skilled at playing the piano, then such issues are best left to others to worry about.  We choose our instrument based on our current requirements and budget, and then forget that and move on to actually using that instrument every day in the pursuit of our goal.  It is very easy to get caught up in all that noise, and certainly sometimes a lot more fun than daily practice - unless...we are careful to cultivate a healthy attitude about practice and our chosen path. 

It does seem to me that we must truly love piano music and truly desire to be able to play that music ourselves.  If we don't love it enough, then the motivation to play simply won't be there.  As David Sudnow said in his course,  you really have to want to do it.  My main instrument has been guitar for many years.  However, I have been finding myself seeking out and listening not to guitar music, but instead to solo piano music.  I truly enjoy listening to many new age piano players as well as cocktail style.  I have all of Jim Haskins' cocktail piano CDs (www.cocktailpiano.com/), and Michele McLaughlin and David Nevue new age piano CDs (michelemclaughlin.com) (http://www.davidnevue.com).  There are many other artists in these styles, but these in particular I seem to really resonate with and are therefore motivated to want to learn from by listening to them again and again.  Again, David Sudnow, in his course, talked a lot about finding one or more piano "heroes" (those players whose music really captures your ear and motivate you to want to play).  These three are mine.

When I am working through the Duane Shinn 52 week Crash Course, I am realizing that I need these skills in order to play the music I want to play.  His course will take me directly into what I need to be working from lead sheets for cocktail style piano, while at the same time, developing the skill in my hands to also tackle new age piano.  Periodically, I do explore learning some of the music of these three artists I mentioned by ear off their CDs.  I can do that once I am able to hear their music in my head from having listened to it so often.  You have to really love the music to want to listen to it that often.  It really comes down to that.  You have to really connect with some form of piano music to become motivated enough to stay with it day in and day out.  Without that, it simply won't happen.  It doesn't matter what style or artist(s) capture your ear, but something must.  When you have that, all the chatter in the forums won't sway you, though you can certainly enjoy the company of those with similar interests in these forums.  When you have chosen a learning path that you trust to help you develop the skills you need to play the music you deeply love, you need to constantly remind yourself that what you are learning today is building the foundation you need to play that music.  You must start somewhere and be willing to put in the time and effort to achieve your goal.  However, if you don't love your goal enough to really, really want to achieve it, it won't happen.