Piano Lessons in Munich

Who are these piano lessons for?

For children from 5 – the piano is the instrument you can sensibly start earliest, because it demands no posture like the violin and no strength like the guitar: press a key, the note is there. For teenagers who want to play songs from their phone or take the keys in a band. For adults who "had lessons as a kid" and find after twenty years that the hands remember more than the head. And for beginners of any age who have never touched a key.

What you don't need: sheet-music skills, a grand piano at home, prior experience. What you do need: 30 to 60 minutes a week with us, 10 to 15 minutes a day at home, and an instrument with weighted keys to practise on – we advise before you buy anything.

What a piano lesson at Fretster looks like

We work with the Fretster method across four areas – rhythm, motor skills, ear and theory – and on the piano all four carry equal weight: the hands have to become independent (motor skills), the left hand has to hold the pulse (rhythm), and because the keys are laid out so clearly, chords and keys are understood faster here than on any other instrument (theory).

A typical lesson: a short warm-up, one building block of technique – hand position, fingering, hands together – then the piece, broken into sections you can practise during the week. Reading music comes early on the piano because two hands are two staves; we build it in small doses, always on a piece, never as an exam. At the end of the lesson you know exactly what to practise until next time.

For practice at home there are our own tools from the Fretster app: metronome, ear training, the sheet-music library – free in the browser.

What playing the piano does to the brain – the research

The piano is the most studied instrument in neuroscience, because both hands work as equals. A much-cited study (Hyde and colleagues, Journal of Neuroscience 2009) compared 6-year-olds after 15 months of keyboard lessons with peers without lessons: in the piano children, the brain areas for fine motor control and hearing grew measurably – and those were exactly the areas where they improved. The groups were small (15 and 16 children), but the pattern has been confirmed in many studies since: the brain reshapes itself around what it does regularly.

What does not follow: that piano makes you "smarter" or lifts the maths grade. Such transfer effects don't survive large studies, and we don't promise them. What the piano demonstrably trains is what it demands – coordination of both hands, pitch hearing, concentration over minutes. That applies to adults too, just more slowly.

Piano or keyboard? And the band

To learn, you need an instrument at home with 88 weighted keys – a digital piano from about €400 is perfectly enough; an acoustic piano is lovely but not necessary. A small keyboard with light plastic keys, on the other hand, holds you back after a few weeks, because the fingers build no strength. Don't buy anything before the trial lesson – we advise on model and budget.

What sets us apart from other piano schools: as soon as you can hold chords securely, you can join a band – keys are wanted in every line-up. Our band programmes and the Jam Station put you on stage with other students. If you prefer to play alone, you play alone; but the door is open.

Locations, Fridays and prices

Piano lessons are available at both Fretster locations in Munich: in the south in Obersendling (Hatzelweg 25, 81476 München) and in the north-west in Allach-Untermenzing (Gustav-Otto-Bogen 13, 80997 München). We currently have open slots on Fridays – just add "Friday" to your trial-lesson request and we will find location and time.

One-to-one lessons on a monthly plan: 30 minutes 105 €, 45 minutes 149 €, 60 minutes 185 € per month. No commitment: a 10-lesson card (30 minutes 510 €, 45 minutes 570 €, 60 minutes 650 €). The trial lesson is free for children and teenagers; for adults it costs 20 €. After that, you decide – no automatic contract.

Frequently asked questions

From what age can children learn the piano?

From about 5. The piano demands neither a difficult posture nor strength, so it works earlier than violin or guitar. What matters is whether the child can stay with one thing for a few minutes – the trial lesson shows it.

Is a keyboard enough to practise on?

A keyboard with 88 weighted keys (a digital piano) – yes. A small keyboard with light keys – only for the first weeks. On unweighted keys the fingers learn no strength and no touch, and that is painful to catch up on later.

Do I have to learn to read music?

On the piano it pays off early, because two hands are two staves. But we don't start there: first you play, then you learn to read what you can already do – in small doses, always on a piece.

Classical or pop?

Both – you help decide. The technique comes from the classical school; the repertoire can be Bach, film music, pop, jazz or whatever is playing on your phone right now. With children we mix: one piece they want, and one that moves the technique forward.

I played as a child and stopped – do I start from scratch?

No. In the trial lesson we see what stayed – usually more than you think. Then you start where you stand and close the specific gaps.

How fast does it sound like music?

A simple piece with both hands after four to six weeks of weekly lessons and daily practice. Fluent playing with pedal and dynamics takes months, a difficult piece years – that is the same for everyone, professionals included.