For context, I started playing piano when I was a kid with a mix of classes and self-learn, tried to pick up guitar a few years ago and I'm now learning clarinet with a teacher.
With this experience, I can say that self-learning an instrument is the most inefficient way to learn it, specially if you haven't already learned another instrument before. Don't bother comparing it to self-learning programming because it's a whole different world:
- If you don't know basic music theory (notes, rhythms, basic chords, etc) you'll have a hard time understanding any method or any other resource of any kind. A teacher will usually teach you those concepts as you go along and help you understand them. You can self-learn music theory but it's not the fastest way.
- As a beginner, your ear is not trained to the instrument. If you haven't played an instrument before, your ear won't be trained at all. You will sound bad and you won't know why. Having a teacher hear you and tell you what's going wrong will help you advance faster and also train your ear so you detect those issues.
- Technique. This is one of the things that's the hardest to learn by yourself. You can read books and watch videos and still nothing beats having direct feedback from someone who knows the technique. You might struggle days by yourself for days to play some passage, then your teacher comes along and tells you how to do it in five minutes. And yeah, that teacher will probably make you do boring exercises, but let me tell you something: those exercises are necessary. I didn't do enough exercises when I learned piano, and I feel that lack of technique and agility now. On the other hand, now my clarinet teacher insists on technical exercise along with practicing pieces and those exercises are already paying off, in the sense that I can pick up pieces faster. Technique is necessary, if you don't do it at the beginning you'll hit a wall later on, you'll need to practice technique anyways and it'll be worse because you will have picked up bad habits.
- Repertoire. As a beginner in an instrument, knowing which pieces you can play is really hard. A good teacher will know pieces and will give you pieces that you like, that are up to your level and it a lot of cases they will actually help you improve with certain aspects.
If you are serious about wanting to learn an instrument (as in 'I want to dedicate time and effort to this', not necessarily being professional or anything), the best option is to get a teacher. It's more expensive, of course, but tends to be more rewarding and efficient. Even if you only take a few months of classes when you're starting, it will give you a lot more tools to continue improving than if you were doing it by yourself.
Also, there are no shortcuts. I've seen a lot of people who wanted to learn piano, and instead of starting with the basics they just took a song way above their level and tried to play it. After a year, the song still sounds bad, and they haven't actually learned anything that helps them playing another piece. Playing music is amazing, but be patient and don't be discouraged when it takes time.
That's great advice. I had two piano teachers. One of them made me love going to the lessons and the other made me hate to go there. The latter was first so I quit piano and took a few years break before I found the teacher who gave me inspiration.
That's the main issue with teachers. Bad teachers can really make you quit an instrument, same with parents forcing kids to go to lessons. Luckily I think here in HN most people will be able to choose a teacher and leave it if they don't like it.
With this experience, I can say that self-learning an instrument is the most inefficient way to learn it, specially if you haven't already learned another instrument before. Don't bother comparing it to self-learning programming because it's a whole different world:
- If you don't know basic music theory (notes, rhythms, basic chords, etc) you'll have a hard time understanding any method or any other resource of any kind. A teacher will usually teach you those concepts as you go along and help you understand them. You can self-learn music theory but it's not the fastest way.
- As a beginner, your ear is not trained to the instrument. If you haven't played an instrument before, your ear won't be trained at all. You will sound bad and you won't know why. Having a teacher hear you and tell you what's going wrong will help you advance faster and also train your ear so you detect those issues.
- Technique. This is one of the things that's the hardest to learn by yourself. You can read books and watch videos and still nothing beats having direct feedback from someone who knows the technique. You might struggle days by yourself for days to play some passage, then your teacher comes along and tells you how to do it in five minutes. And yeah, that teacher will probably make you do boring exercises, but let me tell you something: those exercises are necessary. I didn't do enough exercises when I learned piano, and I feel that lack of technique and agility now. On the other hand, now my clarinet teacher insists on technical exercise along with practicing pieces and those exercises are already paying off, in the sense that I can pick up pieces faster. Technique is necessary, if you don't do it at the beginning you'll hit a wall later on, you'll need to practice technique anyways and it'll be worse because you will have picked up bad habits.
- Repertoire. As a beginner in an instrument, knowing which pieces you can play is really hard. A good teacher will know pieces and will give you pieces that you like, that are up to your level and it a lot of cases they will actually help you improve with certain aspects.
If you are serious about wanting to learn an instrument (as in 'I want to dedicate time and effort to this', not necessarily being professional or anything), the best option is to get a teacher. It's more expensive, of course, but tends to be more rewarding and efficient. Even if you only take a few months of classes when you're starting, it will give you a lot more tools to continue improving than if you were doing it by yourself.
Also, there are no shortcuts. I've seen a lot of people who wanted to learn piano, and instead of starting with the basics they just took a song way above their level and tried to play it. After a year, the song still sounds bad, and they haven't actually learned anything that helps them playing another piece. Playing music is amazing, but be patient and don't be discouraged when it takes time.