If you're a beginner looking to learn piano, chances are you'll be able to find a local piano teacher willing and able to teach you. But, what happens if you're an intermediate to advanced player? Where do you go if you want advanced music performance training or you want to become a professional musician?

There are several problems that exist if you're an emerging piano artist who wants a good piano teacher. First of all, the chances are that it will be very difficult to find a local piano teacher with the right qualities and knowledge that are needed. You'll likely have to travel to find the piano teacher you're looking for.

Next, you should know that good piano teachers should first and foremost be professional players. Why? Because, they know more than just teachers. Their experience performing and working in the music business is paramount to getting the best instruction.

If you want to be successful as an artist you're going to need to find someone that is successful as a pro artist to guide you in the right direction. It's very important to learn to avoid their mistakes which in the long run will save you loads of time, energy and heartache.

Next, look for a piano teacher who actually knows how to teach. Don't take it for granted that just because they're a professional musician that they know how to teach. The fact is that most pro players don't know the first thing about how to teach. Teaching is all about providing the right information in the right order as well as being a good motivational inspiration to help you stick with it.

Ask colleagues and former students about a teacher's methods and find out if that will work for you. It's important to get as much information as you can about a teacher before committing so, make use of the internet to do your research.

Then, of course, you'll have to consider the cost associated with advanced musical training. Good teachers will charge upwards of $100 an hour. Add to that your travel expenses and you're looking at a pretty serious commitment. However, don't let that stop you. If you find the right piano teacher it doesn't matter how much it costs, it's worth it not just for the piano instruction but for the network and knowledge that they provide about the music business.

Is there an alternate to all this? Yes, there is. It's called online piano lessons. Recently there has been a wave of new teachers who are venturing into the online world. And why not? It's cheaper than a private lesson, it's convenient and it's easy to do your research before committing.

A couple of things you may want to consider however before signing up with an online piano teacher. And, it's basically the same formula for finding a private teacher. The piano teacher must be a professional musician, they must have a good solid method that is recommended by others, the quality of the video lessons should be very high and make sure they don't sell you any kind of new-fangled learn to play like a pro overnight method.

Be diligent when researching an online piano teacher. Find one that's right for you and if they offer a free video piano lesson then take that first before committing. Finally, be prepared to practice what you learn. Just taking lessons will not ensure success. You need to be diligent about learning and practicing the method you're being taught.