Tradebit Tips: Learn to Play Piano
The piano is an instrument that comes in many shapes and sizes. From a classical grand piano, to a baby grand piano, to an upright piano, a piano can be a wonderful addition to your home, and learning to play the piano is a skill cherished by many. If you are interested in learning how to play the piano, here is a quick tutorial that will help you find out what level of lessons you need to take, who you can learn music technique from, and how you can learn, many times for free, about innovative ways to practice and master the beauty of the piano instrument.
Know the piano keys
When one is new to learning the piano, you will want to familiarize yourself with the parts of the keyboard. The piano keyboard has 88 keys. They are black and white. Each key sounds different notes, and keys played together sound chords. A full piano keyboard will never have less than 88 notes, although some electric keyboards that are not full size do have fewer keys.
Seeking assistance
Before you can learn a song on the piano, you may need a little bit of help. In terms of playing the keys, there is no problem. But finger placement is key, and you will also need to be able to learn how to read sheet music and sometimes chord tabs as well. If it sounds to you like you are up for the challenge, read on. Learning how to play the piano takes hard work, but if you are musical and want to devote yourself to the study of theory and song, it is definitely a musical instrument that can lead to beautiful music time and time again.
Piano music theory
Piano practice starts with theory basics. You will need to learn about time signatures, how to make and take a tempo, and you will need to learn about scales, arpeggios, major and minor keys, triads, chords, and harmonics. Once you have started these basic inquiries you can move on to hand position technique. Unlike a guitar or other 'band' instruments that you can move around with on stage and bring with you for your college years, the piano is an instrument that you'll want to start learning early, if given the opportunity- because the best technique is learned when the hands and eyes are young and most coordinated.
The versatility of the piano
Once thing to note is that the piano is not only a classical instrument. You can learn different styles of piano such as ragtime, jazz, blues, and even world music for piano. If you ask a number of world class pianists what age they were when they started lessons as a beginner, they will most likely say between three to seven. But just because they've played for years doesn't mean that you can't learn how to play well too! It may not be as easy as an adult, but with practice you can become the best player that you can be within the terms and time that you have to start to practice at home.
Piano sheet music
For the beginners among us, one of the most difficult aspects of playing the piano is learning how to read the sheet music and relate each finger position to its correct note. You will want to start with what is the 'home' position on the keyboard, just like the computer. Your thumbs should both find middle C, the middle-most note of the piano keyboard, and from there, you will be able to start practicing your scales. The 'easiest' key to play scales on is the key of C. Most pianists that teach lessons as well will ask you not just to practice songs on the piano, but also to write out music theory assignments and read about finger placement.
Research before you buy
If you are playing the piano just to have fun and are looking for a way to make life more interesting by buying a piano or electric keyboard, just remember to read all of the reviews for the instrument first. You want to know what the proper name of the piano is- what it's called and for which specific playing use it is for. Do some reading and research into what the major brands are, and you can even listen to how instruments sound on youtube videos these days. Once you have reserved the instrument you want, you'll be able to have it either delivered by professional piano movers, or if it's an electric keyboard, you'll have a more simple transport, most likely in the trunk of your car and into your home.
Adults can learn to play, too
If you're ever played piano before, maybe as a kid, there are definitely pros to taking up the instrument as an adult. You'll be able to learn a different way and fall back in love with the instrument that you played as a child. If you don't have the old sheet music that you played from as a child, we have many copyright free options to choose from. Do note that pop songs today have their own rights and it's not always easy to get some of the more featured or popularly played songs on the radio from every site. But of course there are some websites with a staff of people dedicated to putting down the notes to the most popular titles and to share that with the public, so if you search long enough, you'll definitely find the basic sheet music for most everything that you are looking for. And if you are a composer or arranger yourself, feel free to share the music that you put together and to contact those people who can get it out there and get a little play back for it!
Adopt good habits
When approaching the piano as a new instrument, it is important that you understand what methods of progression are available to you. Many books begin with posture exercises, have articles about flat, sharp, natural and other symbols and notation that you'll need to be familiar with, and try to give you an understanding of the skills necessary for left and right hand technique, and introduce you to other classical players and techniques.
Seek tuition
As much as you can learn online and in books, it's always good to check in with a teacher, who can act as a guide and increase your understanding for tickling the black and white keys. If you take a lesson, even if it's a video lesson, it's sure to help you learn in a short time some valuable extra skills that you can't necessarily learn in the privacy of your own home. You'll be able to scale extra heights and learn the true depth of your instrument. Give it a try- it's a practice policy that's sure to improve your playing and your level of musicianship.
