i've been learning piano since i was a kid, and i can understand what cello is trying to tell everyone.
but stick to the topic, about a 26yr old guy learning piano as a hobby and he has lots of other commitments, not just to music.
so i think going for the normal classical class at this age would really kill off his interest probably in 3 months (that's how long it took my 17yr old fren to give up) because he had to play kiddy-sounding songs.

at this stage of life and playin music as a hobby, i would honestly recommend the play-by-ear course. well, what's better than playing a popular/old piece for ur business client whenever there's a piano nearby? learning piano for socialising is also really useful. perhaps at a party you could play a crowd-favorite song, that'll be really good.

but don't get me wrong. still, classical route is the best option for everyone. but considering ur situation, it's okay to take the 'shortcut' to learning how to PLAY music in 3 years. 'shortcut' doesn't mean easy. honestly you have to REALLY practice. im sure many people have told u that, but it's true. whereas for classical, you have perhaps 4-5 years to achieve what you could've achieved in the play-by-ear course in 1 year.
so just do the math, on how much EXTRA effort you need to put in, compared to beginner classical pianists.

as for the keyboard, i cant advise u on this because im also blur on keyboard stuffs. currently i own a Roland Juno-D and still learning how to get the best out of it.

i can go on really long about piano-related stuffs but i just wana keep it short, simple, and on-topic.

(OOT) -personal information-

i played the piano since i was 5 years old. back then i hated to practice. forced by my mum to continue although i planned on quitting many many times. i hated practicing. although i was taking a classical piano course, i never got my first piano until i was grade 7. i practiced occasionally with the electone in my house. and when exam is near, i'd rent a studio at my music school to practice on the piano. when i was 16 i learnt to appreciate music, but for the wrong reasons. i wanted to be the crowd puller but i want to entertain people. i like entertaining people and seeing the smiles on their face. that's when i never really focus on technique, but instead i focused on flashy arm movement and other 'useless' stuffs.

this year i really learnt how to appreciate classical music. if you're a classical pianist who don't really know HOW to appreciate classical pieces, watch this japanese drama called "nodame cantabile".

i could say that 60% of the modern songs/instrumentals today are based on classical pieces. if those of you who played o2jam, remember the song 'electro fantasy' ? it's based off "fantaisie impromptu" by Chopin, a complicated classical piece which u really have to focus on technique and speed. both left and right hand parts are not the same rhythmic count.

*by the way, if anyone has questions about piano/music/theory im more than willing to share my opinion here.. just hope i can help somebody in something that i'm good at.

This post has been edited by hanhanhan: Aug 1 2007, 11:49 AM