yes and no. i've brought up my 'little wing' example on the site many times now but it applies here again hahaha.

when i first started that was the 3rd song i tried learning. failed horribly. i never actually planned on being able to play it yet at that point but just trying it out a few times over a couple of weeks was enough to get me trying out new things and stretching my fingers in new ways.

then when i went back to more appropriate stuff for my playing level it seemed a bit easier as i had already been trying challenging stuff. it's like playing a video game on expert difficulty for a few rounds before beating the crap out of it on normal.

in terms of metal it would have been like trying to learn 'battery' then going back and kicking 'for whom the bells toll' all over the place.

It really depends what instrument youre trying to teach yourself.
You can easily watch a youtube video and play a song on the piano, but for piano if you want to do something with it one or two lessons is really helpful.

I don't think you need more than a few lessons for guitar.

I think it's basically impossible to write your own piano compositions without having a sound knowledge of the instrument and of music theory (e.g. the cycle of fifths, scales, chord formations etc.) This is difficult to teach yourself and lessons are almost a necessity.

I taught myself guitar and found it's much easier to learn songs and write my own songs than on piano.

But when it all comes down to it I really think it depends on the person and whether they have a innate 'gift' for music or not. I know some brilliant musicians who are purely self taught, some that had lessons, some that did a bit of both.

If you're finding you're not learning enough from yourself, get lessons. If you're quite content with teaching yourself and are fulfilling your musical desires on your own, then there's nothing wrong with that.

Sam-Y.......I tea bagged em too.

i am self taught on the drums, bass, and guitar, and have never had a lesson, so i can't really compare the two.

I'm self taught but i have had lessons to guide me - Im pretyy happy with my progress but a long long way to go yet

Im pretty poor too but i have had friends teach my how to play the drums, its the best way to learn, especially if they rock. other wise you could just self teach but it will take a long time and a lot of work!!!

I started out on the drums a few years back but couldn´t get into my local music school. So I talked to a local drummer who offered to teach me, and that was a lot of fun and he showed me new beats in some sessions and made me play to songs while wearing headphones in others. Then he got real busy with his band and didn´t have time anymore, so I lost interest for about 1-2 years. Then, early this year, I got an interest in it again and gave been pretty active, have a band now too. Anyway.. You have to be active yourself in learning, but having a teacher is very good and alot of fun too..I´ve heard from a friend of mine who plays the drums also and learns in the music school, that it´s kinda boring being in that school, while being taught by some local drummer is more fun. What I´m saying is: Music is about fun and enjoyment, so I´d ask around if anyone would offer to give you a few lessons while still fooling around and as some people have mentioned, youtube is a fine way to go (spikeydrummer and others).
I´m new here, this is my first reply (a long one, I know :P) - Thank you - Mickey.

I found that me playing the piano for around 8 years has really helped me with other instruments and understanding them.
I think the piano is one of the most beneficial instruments to learn, what do you guys think?

Most definately.
Especially when you want to learn theory. It makes it infinitively easier when you can actually see which notes are what.