Hammond Music

Posts Tagged ‘learning to play the piano’

Learning to play an instrument like piano, keyboard, guitar, or drums. Let’s go

A few points on what to expect when getting going learning about music and any instrument.  The basics are important – too quickly. Trust me -been there-done that.

Instruments come in all sizes and shapes. Some have strings that are pucked. Some have keys to press. Some you hit with sticks. But not to worry, most instruments are ready to play when first turned on. You will learn more details as you go along. When all else fails, read the instruction book-if there is one.

Understanding the instrument is important..It’s OK to skip the history lesson, and most of the ‘how it works’ details.

If you want to play skip the printed music, it’s still beneficial to understand the fundamentals of reading music.  Knowing what and where a given note is, both on the instrument and on the printed music is important.

There’s a lot that’s helpful to learn before actually playing any music. The instrument layout and the note sounds that it makes have relationships that our brains can easily learn.  Not to worry. A very important basic skill is learning the note’s names and locations. It’s very simple to learn where they are on the instrument. However, being able to name the printed notes instantly is NOT as simple because of the bass and treble clefs. The design and naming of the notes on the printed music has evolved over time. And probably won’t change much anytime soon.  So – just learn it.

In case you didn’t know, the name of a note on the printed music depends on whether it is in the treble clef (right hand – but not always) or bass clef (left hand – usually). Sound confusing? It is, until it gets explained to you – then it all makes perfect sense. You can’t change it.

If you are anything like me, until you get fairly good at reading the note names, you will be using all sorts of mental games, etc. to figure this out. Trying to do this while playing a piece is frustrating. I’m still working on it.

All these topics are discussed in more detail on my Learning to Play blog

Several excellent learn to play courses are available online to teach you enough to start enjoying your new instrument.

For details, reviews, customer testimonials, and recommendations about courses for learning to play an instrument, go to this learn to play product side by side comparison page.

It is a fact that at some point in all of our lives we strongly consider learning to play the piano. Do you have an idol that you admire because of their piano-playing talent? Do you have a passion for listening to well-played piano music?

You should know that you are not alone – so many of us have had that very same urge, but never taken it up. Do you think you need a little push in the right direction? Before you begin, think about the two ways of learning the piano:

1)    Chords
2)    Note reading

Before you rush headlong into either of these methods, you need first of all to understand what you want to achieve. If you are quite content to read other people’s music, then all you really need to learn is how to read the notes. On the other hand, if you are feeling more creative and want to go down the route of composing your own music, then you will also need to have a good understanding of the chords.

What is also dependent here is the time-frame you are currently looking at. The note reading can always come a little later. The mastering of the chords will give you a much better understanding of the sounds that they make, both when played alone and together. For the player who wants to learn more quickly, then the chord-based approach is probably best-suited to you.

There really are a lot of ways to learn to play the piano properly – and if you are just starting out then you should be considering the pros and cons of getting a good piano teacher. It’s quite easy to find an experienced teacher, and there are also a lot of benefits that come with this – for example you can often learn either at their studio or at your own home.

Before you begin looking for an instructor, then it’s a good idea to have a goal in mind. Remember the two approaches to learning – if you want to play for a bit of fun (and it is good fun!), then you should be looking for a piano teacher who will teach you the note side of things. Conversely, if you are looking to expose your more creative side and want to compose yourself, then a chord-based teacher is going to be more productive.

It is vital to get this right, as otherwise you will find that you are wasting quite a bit of money on something that will not give you the benefits of achieving your goals. Piano teachers are often not too expensive, but if you are only learning something that you could learn from a book, it is still an unnecessary expense.

You might also want to take a look at some of the online programs that are currently available. Many of them are far cheaper than one-on-one piano lessons, and they can be just as good. There are many benefits to learning online – you can learn at your own pace, and no-one stands behind you with a big stick as you practice!

It may seem like learning online is the only real option in these circumstances, but you must also bear in mind that by learning online and at your own pace, there is no-one breathing down your neck as you practice!! Also, if you are learning online, and there is something that you don’t understand, there is no-one there to ask for help. Quite often, this can lead to a drop in your motivation levels – if you are only doing it for yourself then sometimes it can be difficult to continue!

The end of the lesson is quite simple: the piano should be something you enjoy playing, and enjoy learning to play. When you get frustrated and fed up with it, then you need to look at the approach you are taking to it. That’s not what playing the piano is all about!!

Copyright 2009 Lauren Paltrow (Stage Pianist)

Have you envisaged learning to play the piano? At the moment you don’t even need to purchase a real piano. Instead of this you can splash out on a excellent second-hand digital piano for a very low cost. Once you have bought one, the next course of action is getting lessons. If you have lots of dosh, personal tutor lessons are an adequate way to learn. You would need to ring up a local tutor and then plan lessons with them on a regular basis. The main downside of this is that it can be very expensive.

The alternative is to have lessons via online piano lessons or piano lesson DVDs. For example one of the most highly rated DVD presented piano courses available today is this one http://piano-lessons-reviews.info, which offers around14 DVDs of great course material. There are a number other courses on the interweb that offer fantastic teaching and are suprisingly reasonably priced. They have a great many advantages over a traditional human tutor. These include: learning at your own speed, lower cost, allowing to play along to a backing musical piece and lower travel time. Imagine not having to repeat the same piece of music over and over again in front of a teacher. Instead it’s much more favourable to play by yourself with the help of a computer or DVD player. The DVD will not criticise you or make you feel workless. It definitely is an excellent way to learn. The lessons usually come with videos, sound clips, support forums, worksheets and ebooks. They also include a huge variety of piano music and music styles including classical, jazz and modern music.  

Another huge advantage with computer/dvd based piano lessons is that they are very flexible and can adjust to your learning speed. You can have a lesson when you have the time available, you are not stuck to a fixed time every week. If you are at home for a period of time you can spend the additional time having additional lessons! If you are very busy throughout the day you can squeeze in a lesson in later on in the evening.
If you are seriously thinking about learning to play the piano and are unsure of the best approach then click on the hyperlink above to navigate to one of the best online piano lesson review sites. 

beginner piano

Have you imagined learning to play the piano? Nowadays you don’t even need to purchase a acoustic piano. Alternatively you can pay for a descent second-hand digital piano for a very reasonable cost. Once you have bought it, the next plan of action is sorting out lessons. If you have a lot of molar, personal tutor lessons are a very good way to learn. You will need to find a local teacher and then start lessons with them once a week. The main problem of this is that it can be exhorbitantly pricey.

The best approach is to have lessons via online piano lessons or piano lesson DVDs. As an example one of the most popular DVD based piano courses available is  http://piano-lessons-reviews.info, which offers an amazing14 DVDs of interesting course material. There are numerous other courses on the web that give excellent teaching and are suprisingly reasonably priced. They have numerous advantages over a normal human tutor. These include: learning at your own speed, reduced cost, ability to play at the same time as a backing track and much less travel time. Imagine not having to play the same tune over and over again with a tutor. Instead it’s much less embarrassing to play by yourself with the help of a laptop or DVD player. The computer will not make you feel awkward or make you feel stupid. It really is a brilliant way to learn. The lessons commonly include video clips, sound bytes, email advice, ebooks. They are also enhanced by a wide variety of piano music and music styles including jazz, classical and modern music.  

Another huge advantage with online piano lessons is that they are highly malleable and can adjust to your learning speed. You can take a lesson when you have the time free, you are not fixed on a rigid schedule every week. If you are at home for a week you can use the extra time having additional lessons! If you are really short of time in the day you can fit in a lesson in the evening.
If you are seriously thinking about learning to play the piano and are unsure of the best way to approach the problem then click on the hyperlink above to go to one of the best online piano lesson review sites.