Archive for the ‘Piano’ Category
Learn the Steps on Playing the Piano Effectively
1. Decide if you’re really up for the job. Meaning, you have to know how far you can go to spend time with teaching yourself on how to play. There are several considerations before embarking on a purchasing deal. If you only wanted a piano for display purposes, then might as well buy antique China porcelain. Pianos are instruments and not just a property that will serve its pleasure to the eyes.
2.If you have decided that you wanted to play real music through your piano, then, might as well include in your list a couple of piano lesson leaflets or books. This will help you dearly especially if you wanted to learn by your own.
3. Choose your instructor. There are a lot of options to choose from when guiding your way through piano lessons. First you could learn on your own basing on two things: manuals and through the internet. The good thing about learning on your own is that you own your time when you decide when and where to practice. And, these are cheap resources of knowledge and principles, although you should recognize your mistakes in the occasion that you make one.
The second option that you can go for is to hire or ask someone to spend even an hour of his or her time to teach you. You are lucky if someone in the family already knows how to play the piano because if not, it is very rare to find a person who can be hired to teach on such an affordable price. What’s good about finding someone to help out is that you can learn faster than learning it by yourself.
4. Either of the many variables mentioned, the next step would be tuning your piano. This would be an easy task to conquer because even before buying or delivering the instrument, you could ask someone in the music store to tune it for you.
5. Understand the manual. Don’t just read it, follow it and keep it locked inside your head. The books that you bought would be very effective only if you let yourself be taught by it.
6. Do not skip on every lesson. Every instruction is vital to complete the whole of your knowledge. Think of it, they wouldn’t be included in the instructions if they don’t mean a pinch of importance.
7. Familiarize yourself with the different chords. Unlike with the guitar wherein you can strum or pluck, in piano playing, you just have to press the right keys. It would be helpful if you would know the low pitched and high pitched tunes. Better yet, if you’re not able to remember, label your keys.
8. Warm up at the beginning of every practice to stretch your hands and make them work as a team and not just every man for himself. Playing the piano requires that every single finger attached to your hands must press the appointed keys. It’s more like encoding an article. Make your fingers move through every key.
You can play even though you’re not playing any sense out of it. This will help your fingers be more flexible and reliable. If you have struggled enough, try catching on the easy pieces.
9. Give yourself time to practice at least an hour every day. This would not make your fingers feel stressed out to advance to the next level of learning. Play with ease and relaxation.
Before Fingering, Learn the Notes on the Piano First
Once you have recognized your future in front of the piano, it can be a start. Eventually it becomes more easy and fun. You can play almost all of the songs written in songbooks fluently. You can even write your own composition.
Now that you have established that energy in you, there’s still something that lacks. Why, do you think it’s enough to have the spirit without even knowing the chords? If you have mastered and identified the basic and major chords, things would be more favorable.
Alright, here are some bits on learning the notes on the piano. After these simple steps, you’ll have a brief background on fingering.
Lesson # 1
There are 88 keys comprising of 12 notes (white and black keys included). These basic notes are the seven basic letters namely A-note, B-note, C-note, D-note, E-note, F-note and the G-note. The first key colored in white is the C-note. You have to remember that the C-note is always the key that is connected in front of two black keys. While the F-note is the key that stands in front of three black keys compacted together. From the first C-note to the next C-note is called Octave.
Lesson # 2
Black notes represent sharps and flats. But they are used in a different way that would depend which side you’re going to start. A (#) that symbolizes a sharp is the black key right after the white key. While a (b) is known as the flat. You can recognize this by spotting the first black note indicated on the keyboard. With these definitions, you can conclude that a Db is also a C#. Easy, right? No need to fuss about it. Familiarize these notes and master it.
Lesson # 3
The lesson doesn’t stop there. You have to realize that the C key right in the middle of the keyboard is also known as the middle C. You can easily spot this because it’s usually right below the piano’s name. The middle C can function as a wall that separates the right to the left. This means that those situated at the right part of the middle C is for the right hand and fingers to play. That goes with the left hand and keys.
Down with the fingering techniques. Once you have memorized and familiarized yourself with the notes, it’s time to let your fingers do want their meant to do. Teach those fingers to act the way a pianist should.
Fingering is simple for as long as you make all those fingers work. After learning the notes, stare at your keyboard and put the necessary fingers on the important keys. To do this task, find the middle C. This would be your basis to find all other keys like D, E, F, and so on. Remember, major keys are the white keys.
You’ll notice that the piano’s keyboard is number from 1-5. This will enable you to trace where to put your fingers. 1 is equivalent to the thumb. 2 is your index finger. 3 is for the middle finger. 4 is the ring finger. Lastly, 5 is the pinkie. As starters, you must put your thumb corresponding to the C-note. Locating the other keys would be easier if you first find the middle C.
Run your fingers through these notes. Make sure that every key corresponds with a different finger. Try it in a slow then a moderate aiming for a faster pace.
Why Learn Piano Playing
There are various reasons why many individuals want to learn to play the piano. If you’re one of those musically inclined individuals, perhaps yours is among the top twelve reasons. So why postpone your dream to become a good pianist? Start learning now.
Find out more about the twelve reasons why people want to play piano. Here they are:
1. There are many musical instruments and in your entire lifetime, you must be able to play an instrument. So why not choose a piano? True enough, this instrument is quite expensive but it’s worth the money. You must be able to play beautiful music with the use of a piano. Get a piano now and start learning to play such a magnificent instrument.
2. Being a good pianist will help boost your confidence. Many people find pianists as sophisticated individuals and if you want to become one of them, this is your chance. It doesn’t really matter if you’re young or old, rich or poor. There are no rules that say only the rich and young can learn to play such an instrument.
3. Playing the piano can help in maintaining an active brain or mind. Let’s face it, people who often stay at home with nothing else to do get bored and their brain get in a rut. If you don’t want this to happen to you, learn to play the piano.
4. Life can be so boring but if you already know how to play the piano, you will never get bored because you can keep on learning. You can still play other more difficult songs on the piano. You can have advanced lessons to further improve your playing skills.
5. You can play for your family. Not all family members can play the piano but if you know how to play, you can play their desired music. That way, you’re entertaining your family and you’re bonding grows stronger. This is one way to serve them as well.
6. People who know how to play a musical instrument is often admired especially pianists. The audience are led to thinking that pianists are geniuses. It would even boost your self confidence and self esteem when other people admire the way you’re playing the piano.
7. Try to examine the hands of pianists. Their hands are beautiful, right? If you want to have the same hands, play the piano. Soon you will also admire your tapered long fingers.
8. Learning is a continuous process. There are lots of musical pieces to learn and you can’t possibly play them all. You must continue playing new songs as you grow older.
9. It is fun to play the piano.
10. Almost every individual desires to play the piano gracefully.
11. You will feel satisfied after you’ve played the piano. If you can play flawlessly just like other famous pianists, you will be completely satisfied.
12. Boost your ego by playing the piano. Not one individual can resist excellent musicians.
Those are only twelve reasons why you need to learn to play a piano. There are other reasons out there waiting to be heard but it is only up to you to voice out that reason and take the necessary step to undergo piano lessons.
No matter what you’re reason is, don’t hesitate to play the piano. You will feel a different experience once you play this beautiful instrument.