Hammond Music

Posts Tagged ‘play piano’

Well, since you’re here we imagine you already know the excitement that revolves around being able to play the piano. Maybe over the years you’ve listened to some of the greats like Count Basie or Duke Ellington. Then again, you might enjoy modern players of today who have won the hearts of many.

One piano player who crosses many genres is Jim Brickman, who often plays his own compositions. Along with smooth jazz stations, Brickman’s music is played on pop, inspirational, and new age stations.

If that isn’t you, and you prefer more of the rock keyboard players, there are plenty available. Whether it’s Rick Wakeman, Tony Banks, Dennis De Young or David Sancious, each one of them has played for popular artists. We’re pretty sure you’ve heard of Yes, Genesis, Styx, Springteen, Santana or Sting right? Oh, and let’s not forget the rock piano players like Elton John, Billy Joel, Carole King, Paul McCartney, and Carly Simon.

Once upon a time, these individuals probably played a little classical music at some point. Sure, it’s not the most exciting style of music to listen to for some, but when you actually play a piece it is simply unbelievable. Can you imagine being able to throw back a rendition from Bach, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Schubert or Brahms?

If you are like many people who hear these great musical works of art, you will want to emulate them. You may learn well enough to play for a band or as a solo act if you are dedicated enough. You can certainly learn to play the piano well enough to entertain yourself, your friends, and your family.

There are other benefits to playing the piano as well. One is relaxation. When you feel upset, it is very therapeutic to play the piano for awhile. If you are angry, playing the piano can release your frustrations. Your playing will soothe your nerves if you are anxious. If you are feeling down, you can start with slow songs and build up to more up-tempo, happier-sounding songs. This will often lift your sad mood.

It’s possible though that this could become a secondary or even primary income for you. However, if you’re going to be playing for tips in some bar, chances are you aren’t going to strike it big, but it is possible to enjoy all kinds of financial success if you have the talent and are a little bit lucky.

You’re going to need discipline though, which playing the piano can help out with as well. See, it doesn’t matter what stage you’re in as far as playing, because every level will give you a sense of accomplishment and motivate you to work harder.

Most importantly, compared to playing vocal music, this is one of the easiest things to learn. You probably don’t want to have to deal with playing slightly above or below the singer, but if you work with the vocal kind you will. Instead, when you play the piano this will never happen unless it’s out of tune. This means you would need a new technician to come out and fix it.

What it comes down to is you should play the piano for your own personal fulfillments. You can take this as far as you want to go, but there will be a lot of work ahead of you. Don’t worry, even all the greats started right where you are at the present moment. Just remember to have fun, learn to enjoy what you do with a piano, and let the music into your life. It will definitely change you.

Before you jump head first into playing the piano, it’s important to get a better feel of how it works. First off you have to take a look at all the various forms of pianos that are out there. Upright pianos have a certain appeal that offers vertical options that are large, heavy, and even tall. They can be around 36″ to 51″ high. Now, if you’re looking for a shorter version like Spinets, these are 36″ to 39″. Studio vertical pianos are 44″ and higher.

If you have the opportunity to play on a grand piano, you will usually get a better sound and a more responsive touch. Grand pianos are the more horizontal pianos, ranging from 5 to 9 feet in length. In a grand piano, the strings are horizontal. In a vertical piano, the strings are, well, vertical.

When it’s time to play you will see a music rack right in front of you. It might be a fold down option or some actually slide into a slot, but you will find one or the other. Just sit down on the bench that the piano comes with and set your music in the rack. Just remember to sit at a comfortable distance so you can reach both ends of the piano during your play.

There will be pedals at the bottom of the piano where your feet are. These need not be used by beginners. Once you become more proficient at playing the piano, you can learn how to use these pedals to sustain sounds or cut them short.

The most important part though is the keyboard. You see a variety of white and black keys which run from left to right. Just remember they don’t necessarily alternate white and black throughout the entire keyboard.

Take a look close look at the keys. You will see that there is a consistent pattern that works with 7 white keys and 5 black. There will be an interval formed from the beginning of one set and ending on the beginning of the next. These are the musical distances between two sounds. You may know this to be called an octave.

If you hit each note from left to right you will see that the setup order is from lowest to highest. In order to reach a full step you have to go up or down two half steps. It sounds difficult now, but after a little practice you will notice that it comes very easy.

Try other intervals to hear their sounds. Always pay attention to how many half or full steps you are taking. Do the same intervals at several different places along the keyboard. Try octaves. You can do this by picking out a key and playing the next key up that is in the same position in the next pattern group. Soon, you will be playing octaves with ease. This is very important to all kinds of piano playing.

If you can get a better understanding for the piano in the beginning, it will be much easier to learn how to make music. In a short amount of time you will see yourself being able to play simple songs. All it takes is a little effort and drive on your part to make it all happen.

A scale on the piano consists of the eight notes that lay between one note and the same note but an entire octave higher.  The scales are all different.  There are minor scales as well as major scales.  The more upbeat and lighter sounding scales are known as the major scales.  The more melancholy or deep and gloomy sounding scales are what people refer to as the minor scales.

If you spend a part of your practice time playing scales, you build muscle memory in your hands. This means that, after much time practicing, your hands go more easily to notes in the scale you are playing at any given time. You only have to see the piano sheet music or think of the melody and your hands know what to do.

Anytime you mention scales you will most certainly also mention keys.  When a pianist hears the word keys, they think of either the ivory or wood keys on the keyboard or quite possibly the keys that a melody or scale is being played in.

You may hear a singer who is about to give their big performance lean over to the piano player and whisper “The key of C please”.  The singer is telling the piano player where he or she wants the pianist to being on the keyboard.  The keyboardist will know which keys to begin with as well as the chords that will need to be played to accompany the singer.  Playing in the correct key is a vital part of any good musical piece.

When you are learning scales, you can do it without learning all the key signatures. (Key signatures are the written notation of the keys, such as the key of C or the key of G.) You can begin by playing a C scale. A major C scale is all done on the white keys. Begin with your right hand in the Home Keys position. Remember that your fingers are numbered 1-5, with the thumb being 1.

Begin playing following the 1-2-3 pattern.  Once you have completed this pattern you have keyed the notes C, D, and E on the piano.  When you get to your ring finger in the count, place your thumb on the F key by sliding it under the other fingers.  Once your thumb is there, reposition your other fingers in order and begin the sequence again.  You will be playing 1-2-3-1-2-3-4-5, or C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C.  You have done it.  Your first scale has been played.  Be sure to take some time to practice what you have learned.

If you would like to learn to play the C scale using your left hand, begin by placing your little finger directly on the C that is below the middle C.  Place your other fingers in order from one to five traveling up the keyboard.  Push the keys in order, 5-4-3-2-1.  As you get to one, pull your middle finger over your pointer finger and put it on the next available key.  Begin again by playing 3-2-1 from that position on the keyboard.  When you are finished you have played C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C or 5-4-3-2-1-3-2-1.

Combining the functions of both hands at the same time is the next step once you have spent some time practicing with each individual hand.  You will be playing the C below middle C using your pinkie on your left hand just as you are using your right hand thumb to play the middle C.  Travel up the scale using both hands.  The task may seem a little challenging until you have gotten over having to maneuver one hand over and the other under to finish the scale.  After you practice you will find that it comes much easier.

Once you get the basic procedure down, it is easy to play other major scales. The only thing you have to remember is the sequence of steps and half steps in a major scale. The correct order up a major scale is: beginning note-step-step-half step-step-step-step-half step. You should be aware that, since there are no black keys between them, the intervals from B-C and from E-F are each half steps.

You can play a scale anywhere on the piano. Just pick a note to start on. It does not matter whether it is a white key or a black key. Use the given sequence of steps and half steps to go from there up an eight note scale. You can even start from the left of the keyboard and continue the scale all the way to the right. With a little practice, you will be proficient at playing major scales.

I often notice students using awkward fingering when playing piano. There is no doubt in my mind this is a topic that interests many beginners and intermediate piano players.

Contrary to what you may believe, this is actually quite a controversial subject.

There are people who strongly believe in proper fingering for piano pieces. There are also those who are firm believers in free-style fingering.

Here are my thoughts on the subject…

Though the length of fingers differ from person to person, we all have thumbs that are shorter than the rest of our fingers.

As a rule (or rule of thumb), the thumb is the strongest finger of all. Thumb, index finger (2nd), and long finger (3rd) are the most used fingers for piano playing. The fourth finger and fifth finger are weaker fingers.

Here are some tips concerning fingering which you should certainly consider:

1. Never use the thumb to play a black key. The exceptions are a) when you are playing a piece that has all black notes. b) when you are playing a group of keys where there are black and white keys. For example if your right hand is to play Bb, D, and F together in Bb major chord root position,your thumb will play Bb (black note) in this case.

The bottom line is; the thumb is not designed for playing black keys, simply because it’s too short. Instead, it’s the second and third fingers which should be used for playing black notes. In other words, if you find yourself playing a peace which starts with a black note such as Bb major for example, you should use your second or third finger rather than your thumb.

2. In the event that you’re playing a piece with your right hand and you’re in a situation where some of the keys are out of reach, you should simply move your hand so that you can play the note. Of course, if the desired key is only one or two steps down from your thumb, then you can use the thumb as an anchor while are you cross your second finger over to the note in question. In this case, it wouldn’t be necessary to move to your hand, but instead, you simply move your second finger over.

Once the second finger plays the key, the thumb will soon follow to cross over to play other note left of the key. Suggestion: practice the scale well to know what finger to follow.

3. Same rule applies to left hand.

4. Watch other experienced pianists whenever possible, look at their fingering and imitate their movements. I suggest you watch those players who are well trained classically as they have spent many years going through the structured repertoire and virtuoso training that help built a firm foundation.

One important point: The function of good fingering is to ensure smoothness of musical passages.

If for example you want to play the work of Bach and other classical composers, then good fingering is crucial. In fact, even the slightest change in fingering can result in a complete disruption. On the other hand, strict fingering is less important for improvisational and accompaniment pieces.

You’ll also notice that musical pieces which have been edited by different editors tend to have changes in terms of fingering. For example, you’ll notice different fingering suggestions for the “Sonatina” piece composed by Clementi, depending on the different editors. While some prefer to use the second finger more often, others favor the third finger instead.

In conclusion: if you are improvising, pay less attention to which finger you are using. As long as you abide by the above rules and ensure a smooth flow of musical passage, you are fine.

If you get too critical about fingering, it distracts your musical thoughts and flow. After all, it is music that you are conveying. Piano playing gets rather complicated when you are trying to balance both hands, keep a steady tempo (rhythm), make sure the pedals are going in at the right time, listening to the music.

Though it seems difficult, the truth of the matter is that learning to play piano is simply a matter of time and persistence. One of the big reasons to love the piano is thanks to how versatile it is. For instance, if you want to learn how to play blues piano, you will find that it is simply a matter of learning how to control the style to your satisfaction!

In the first place, think about what blues piano is. It is essentially a music style, and once you have learned how it works, you will find that you have a great head start on learning other piano styles. What are the tips that you are going to help you?

To start with, you must know 12-bar blues. This is a very common progression if you want to do blues piano playing. To play this particular blues form, most pianists make use of seventh chords. A song is usually broken into 3 sets. Each of the sets consists of 4 bars. Start by playing the song on the C key. Use ‘I’ to illustrate the tone (C) in the C key. The IV tone is F and the V tone is G.

The initial set is played as I-I-I-I. The next set is played as IV-IV-I-I. The final set is V-IV-I-I. Use your right hand when playing these three sets on the piano. To come up with a sound that’s just like blues piano, try to master playing 7th chords.

As you start with your left hand, use the eight note pattern. This pattern uses I-III-V-VI-VIIb-VI-V-III. As you play the C chord with your right hand, you will be playing C-E-G-A-Bb-A-G-E. When you turn to the G chord, you will be using G-B-D-E-F-E-D-B, while the F chord uses F-A-C-D-Eb-D-C-A.

When you are looking into learning to play blues piano, make sure that you look at the chords and the notes that are played by your left and right hand. Consider the different piano chords and notes that you are learning and realize that blues piano is no where near as hard as you might think it is.

If you want to establish a good foundation in playing the piano, you must learn to play the blues first. Many successful pianists started out by playing blues and then they slowly made their way into playing the music style that they love. Once you develop a strong foundation, the new lessons will be so much easier. Learning the different music styles is challenging but if you can play them with elegance and grace, your audience will love and praise your performance.

Find a good teacher that can teach you all the things you need to know about blues piano. If you can’t find a piano teacher, you can use other methods like using DVD or CD programs, online piano lessons, and a piano guide book. The learning process will be solely determined by you. If you’re serious with playing piano and if you’re determined to master your lessons, you will soon learn to play blues piano.

When you want to make sure that you are going to be able to play the piano, you will find that time, effort and investment are necessary. Think about the styles that you want to conquer and what they might mean for you!

Are you thinking about learning to play the piano?  Would you like to play sweet music just by hitting the magical combination of black and white keys?  Are you dying to tickle the ivories to the tunes of your favorite composers or pianists?  If this is what you dream about, you’ll be pleased to know there are several ways to learn piano.

One of the most traditional yet effective ways to learn how to play the piano is by finding a private teacher. Of course, you will also need to secure a piano before you learn piano. However, once you do that, here are some tips to help you find the perfect teacher:

1.  Select A Piano Teacher With Adequate Experience.

Okay, the teacher does not have to be a concert pianist or be the world’s best teacher, in order for you to learn piano well. That said, the teacher should not have too much to learn himself or herself. In particular, look for teachers who can address certain weaknesses that you may have as a piano student. One of the best ways to learn this information is to simply ask about how successful the teacher’s past students were.

2. Find Out Where The Lessons Will Take Place.

While some teachers make house calls so you can learn piano, others require you to travel to their music studios or to their own homes. While having lessons in your home can be very convenient for you to learn piano, sometimes it is beneficial to wander out of your comfort zone. In fact, playing on different pianos can also help to improve your piano-playing skills.

3. Determine How Long The Lessons Will Be.

Most piano lessons will last 30, 45, or 60 minutes while you learn piano.  For beginners, its highly recommended that you take lessons that are a little shorter.  This prevents becoming overwhelmed and giving up.  If you want intense lessons, you will have to enroll in longer sessions that last about an hour.

4. Find Out If The Teacher Hosts Recitals.

Once you have begun to learn piano, recitals can be the source of major stage fright.  Studies show that people are more afraid of public speaking than death.  Regardless, find out if the piano teacher requires mandatory participation in recitals or not.

As a rule, its recommended that you select a teacher that offers recitals.  Recitals are an excellent way to showcase your skills as you learn piano.  They are the ideal way to show your family and friends how much you’ve learned.  They are also a great way to boost your confidence.

However, as a piano student you may have no interest whatsoever in playing in public. Thus, you may want to avoid recitals and a possible coronary.

If your want to learn to play well, you will have to have a good teacher.  For this reason you should consider using Rocket Piano.  This program makes it a cinch to learn piano and is the best teacher around.

The piano or the keyboard is a popular musical instrument that is very versatile and can play all types of music genre. The first few weeks of learning it can be difficult for most people. Here are some tips that may help beginners who are playing this instrument improve fast:

1.The first step is to be accustomed to the piano or keyboard keys. Being familiar or having memorized the keys, and the tones each key produces will help you easily improve in playing the piano. Usually beginners have difficulties in remembering the keys of the piano since looking at it may confuse them. Actually a pattern is seen in the keyboard which designates one key from another. Knowing about this will more easily help you in memorizing the keys.

2.    Taking piano lessons, Find ways to help you easily familiarize yourself with the notes and to learn how to read piano music sheets. About three to five weeks is good enough for a beginner to familiarize himself with the notes and learn to read a music sheet. By reading music sheets and visualizing the piano keys and as if playing it, greatly helps in the improvement of ones skills, since it is said that visualization serves as a practice.

3.    Learn to play a song using only the hands and not yet with the foot pedals. Learning to play the instrument involves a step by step process that greatly helps in remembering the timing and the beat of the song being played. Just be patient and not rush the learning process. After becoming adept at playing a song using just the keys, try now to learn the song using only the foot pedals while counting the beats. Once you have familiarized yourself with the song’s timing, try now to play the song using both the keys and the foot pedals. It may not be as polished at the first try but continue practicing until the feet and the hands are playing in a synchronized manner.

4.    Constant practice and replaying the songs you have learned will be a good habit if you are determined to master the instrument. By this method, recalling what you have learned and slowly adding songs with increasing level of difficulty may also increase your skill level. Always practice first with easy songs and work yourself up slowly to the difficult pieces.

5.    Ask tips and advices from people you know also playing the piano or keyboard. Ask for helpful techniques, new song pieces to practice and some strategies and tips on how to better play the piano. Be observant of how other people play, but establish your own unique style. Every pianist has his own distinct style of playing. Be unique so that people could recognize you in your own characteristics. Trying out combinations of notes and composing tunes, likewise, will help improve your skills.

Following the basic tips enumerated above will most assuredly help improve the piano playing skills of any beginner. Patience and hard work is all it takes before you achieve a certain goal, and in learning playing the piano, it needs hard work and patience as the key.

You can actually learn to play the piano by “playing by ear,” but it’s not the common route. The usual way to learn to play the piano is to learn and read music at the same time. Most professional musicians can play by ear regardless of how they learned, but this was a talent fine tuned with years and years of practice, reading music and listening. Of course, playing by ear CAN be a born talent. It is said that Mozart as a small child could play and compose beautiful compositions before he even saw a sheet of music.

Reading music, however, is an important basic and most beginning piano instruction will include music reading. It will give you all the basics you need to learn to play by ear. Without good playing technique and a thorough understanding of music theory, playing by ear will be very difficult for most people. So spend time with your scales and positions because it’s important. These tasks, though boring, should be part of every piano session. They help to develop good habits, and just as important, they help to train your ear. We may not all be Mozat, but we can learn some of his skills with regular practice!

Once you reach an intermediate level, you may need to search for a teacher skilled in the art of playing by ear. This will give you another boost in your playing abilities. They can help you learn the tricks of the trade for listening that will help you identify chord progressions that form the foundation of any piano playing. They will usually combine this skill with regular music-related teachings.

Whether you want to play for fun or become a professional, or to make music for friends and family, you’re best bet is to first learn to read music and then by ear. But don’t worry because it’s never too late to start if you’ve ignored either. There are even Internet or computer-based courses, such as Rocket Piano, that teach these skills.

Start searching, start learning, and have a lot of fun in the process. Once you have a beautiful piano and piano light, and you can both read music and play by ear, you’ll be a complete pianist!

You can actually learn the piano by “playing by ear,” but it’s not the common route. The common way to learn piano is to learn to read music simultaneously. Most professional musicians can play by ear regardless of how they learned, but this was a talent fine tuned with years and years of practice, reading music and listening. That being said, playing by ear is sometimes a case of being born with the talent. It is said that Mozart could play and compose great and complicated compositions as a child before he ever saw a sheet of music.

Reading music, however, is an important basic and most beginning piano instruction will include music reading. It will give you all the basics you need to learn to play by ear. Without good technique and a solid understanding of music theory, playing by ear will be much more difficult for most people. So spend time with your scales and positions because it’s important. These seemingly mundane tasks should be a part of every practice session. They help to develop good habits, and just as important, they help to train your ear. We’re not all Mozart, but we can gain some of his skill with practice!

Once you reach an intermediate level, you may need to search for a teacher skilled in the art of playing by ear. This will give you another boost in your playing abilities. They can help you learn the tricks of the trade for listening that will help you identify chord progressions that form the foundation of any piano playing. They usually take this skill and combine it with teachings related to music.

Whether you want to play for your own pleasure, play for friends and family, or even make a career in music, you’ll be well-served by opting to both read music and hone those playing by ear skills. If you’ve ignored either, it’s never too late to start. There are even Internet or computer-based courses, such as Rocket Piano Software, that teach these skills.

Start searching, keep learning and make sure you have fun in the process. Once you have a beautiful piano and piano lamp, and you can both read music and play by ear, you’ll be a complete pianist!

What is the pentatonic way of playing piano? As defined, penta means five and tonic means the principal tone in a scale.So when you hear the word again, put in mind that it refers to the scale that contains five notes.

The pentatonic way of playing piano concentrates only on hitting the five notes. Thes efive notes conforms to the piano’s five black keys.

The pentatonic music scale is the basis of many distinguished music. They maybe hymns and folksongs or even classical or rock.

Learning this method enables new learners to improve their skills in the technical aspect. Hand and finger positions as well as mastering some songs are being learned first instead of several notes because the five notes are the main focus.

The chords and melodic patterns will help enhance the skills of the learner in using both hands efficiently.

This way of learning promotes the artistic experimentationwith the five notes both accompaniment and melody arrangements. It is a great benefit for beginners to learn this method since they are not yet aware of the music concepts as well as the reading the notes. It will give them the chance to enhance their abilities in creating unique passages and original pieces.

A beginner can start on playing right away and make awesome music immediately as well. Getting to know the method more will increase the ability of playing popular pieces with great accompaniments.

learning to play by ear is also being developed. As the student progress in learning the pentatonic method, they can easily hear what accompaniment will suit best to an existing piece.

The music is pleasing to the ears. Various combinations of the five notes will sound great to the listeners even from the beginning of the learner’s study. Further discoveries and experimentationin the music world is being encouraged. Learning the piano using the pentatonic method is a very nice experience. The domain of music reading and notation will be conquered easily by the students if the mastered the method.

If you are new on the keys, you can have more experience to learn piano by visiting an online course piano. Play like Elton John, Alicia Keys,Sarah Mclachlan and many others by clicking on to wwwrocketpianocom. A course offered by the famous Grammy Winner Will Barrow will be suitable for aspiring adults who wants to play piano superbly.