The Keys You Need To Know If You Want To Learn Piano Fast
The next thing we need to do is learn the names of the keys. You dont need to memorize all 88 keys, because we have these sections of 12 keys. They just repeat themselves over and over again across the entire keyboard.
So lets focus in on one of these sections and learn the names of the keys. The white key to the left of any two black notes is a C key. Then from there we continue down the alphabet and go the right on our keyboard so we have C, D, E, F, G. Now, the alphabet starts over after G in music, so were going to go ahead to A, and B. Next!
Theres our seven white keys. Lets learn the five black keys. Black keys are named by the white key they are next to, and they also have the word flat and sharp in them. The way this works is that a sharp is a black key just to the right of any white key, and a flat is the black key to the left of any white key.
So for example, right here weve got C sharp, and then this is also called D flat. So every black key does have two names.
Wondering How To Play Piano
ByDavid Hagerman | Submitted On December 29, 2009
The beautiful and passionate performance of that concert pianist left you inspired. Music fascinates you. Or you would like to test yourself and learn something challenging and rewarding. Your reasons may be all these or much more. But the decision to start learning how to play piano is one that you will never come to regret. The piano is one of the most famous and recognizable musical instruments in the world. It exudes charm and grace. It is alluring and challenging. Its ebony and ivory keys hold the key to a world, where the deeper you go the more captivating it becomes. All the technology in the world will never be able to replace the musician whose creativity and passion can grip your spirit.
Where to start:Learning any musical instrument or learning how play piano first requires you to be well acquainted with the theory of music. This deals with how music works. Music theory involves acoustics, mathematics, physics and even psychology. It is advisable to seek an experienced music teacher to teach you the basics. The base of your learning must be strong for you to pick up and understand the how, when and why of music. However, you can even learn online. This requires you to be careful about the websites you choose to learn from. There are many different approaches to teaching music, and you may get confused if you keep switching websites or online instructors.
If Youre Happy And You Know It
This is one of the most fun keyboard songs for beginners. The tune gives your little musician the chance to clap and dance while playing. The only tricky part of this song is the inclusion of B flat.
This note is the small black key located directly between the A and B keys. If you are using a toy piano or xylophone, you may not have this key and can leave it out.
If youre happy and you know it, clap your handsC C F F F F F F E F GIf youre happy and you know it, clap your handsC C G G G G G G F G AIf youre happy and you know itA A Bb Bb Bb Bb D DThen your face will surely show itBb Bb A A A G F FIf youre happy and you know it, clap your handsA A G G G F E E D E F
Heres another helpful tutorial:
Also Check: Still D.r.e. Piano
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star On Piano
For the tune of this easy piano music, you will use keys C, D, E, F, G, and A.
For the very first verse of the song, we will be using Middle C, G, and A.
Remember, C is located to the left hand of the 2 black keys, G is located 4 keys to the right of C and A is the key directly to the right of G.
Using your right hand, place your fingers over these keys:
- A: Pinkie Finger
Perfect! Youre ready to start playing!
For the first line, you will play CC, GG, AA, G. Start slow and dont be afraid to sing along if it helps you remember the melody!
Putting Notes Together Into Chords
So far, so good. Now we need to look at chords and how you can form them from all those notes we just talked about. The good news is that most chords fall into two categories, and they are easy to learn. Whats the bad news? I cant think of any!
For the first category, we have major chords. Just like I showed you in my video, you form these chords with a 4-3 formula. That means you place your first finger on the note the chord is named after. Then you count upwards first by 4 and then by 3 to find the correct place for your next two fingers.
You can do the exact same thing to play a minor chord the only difference is that you reverse the formula to 3-4. So again, youll place your first finger on the note the chord is named after. Then youll count upwards to find where to put your other fingers, this time counting first by 3 and then by 4.
Are you still with me? Good! You can always watch my video again to see some more examples of how to formulate the major and minor chords. Lets take a look at what else youll need if you want to learn piano fast.
Find All the Chords You Need Just Like I Did for My All of Me Piano Cover
Maybe youve been wondering how youll know which chords to play when youre learning your favorite songs. But the answer is right in front of you! Just like you probably found me through a Google search, you can find chords for almost any song just by searching for the song name followed by chords.
Read Also: Go Easy On Me Piano Chords
How To Play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star On Piano
Learning to play Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star is the rite of passage for all new pianists it is also a popular English nursery rhyme by 19th-century English poet Jane Taylor and was published in 1806 as The Star. but sometime later the poem was set to the melody of Ah, vous dirai-je, Maman. Heres how to teach yourself to play it right now.
There are 52 white keys on a modern piano 6 of those keys will produce the melody for Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.
6 keys doesnt sound too difficult, right? Its not!
We get it. You are learning how to play a beginner piano. Youre staring at 88 keys wondering how to make sense of what notes come from which keys and how to properly move your fingers from key to key.
Learning how to play Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star on the piano is a good place to start. Its a melody you already know by heart. You can even tell your friends youve learned a variation of Mozart.
This particular piece of music also uses 6 of the 7 keys used to create a scale, making it a great first introduction to piano.
Some related nursery rhyme/childrens songs are baa baa black sheep, happy birthday, and London bridge which are great for young beginners and have free piano sheet music.
How I Wonder What You Are
Youre doing great! Once youre comfortable with the first line, lets move on to the second.
For the second line, we will be using keys C, D, E, and F. Just like it looks, D, E, and F are the first, second and third keys to the right of the C key.
Using your right hand again, move your fingers over these keys:
Our second line goes like this: FF, EE, DD, C.
Can you hear that? Now youre playing!
Practice this line a few times before moving onto the next, if youre comfortable try to play the first and second line together!
Recommended Reading: How To Read Piano Sheets
Chapter : Shopping Guide
Main article: How to Buy Your First Piano
Buying your first piano or keyboard can be exciting and overwhelming at the same time. Here are a few things to keep in mind:
What is your budget? The price range for pianos and keyboards is huge. . Meanwhile, concert grands can net six digits.
How much space do you have? Measure the area you intend to fit your piano in and bring your measurements to a store.
Who do you live with? If you live with roommates, family, or in an apartment building, you may want to choose a piano you can use headphones with. Many acoustic pianos also come with a quiet practice pedal.
Acoustic, digital, or hybrid? The sound quality of an acoustic piano is unparalleled, but digital pianos and keyboards are way more affordable and often come with useful features. A hybrid piano has elements of both.
Rent or buy? If youre uncertain about committing to the piano, you may want to rent one first. You may also be able to find affordable, high-quality second-hand pianos.
Features to Look For
There are so many products available how do you know what features to prioritize? We have the following recommendations:
Resources
These videos may also help!
How To Find A Piano Teacher
See also: How to Find a Piano Teacher and Whats the Best Way to Learn Piano Online?
Other than your piano, this is probably your most important investment.
Not too long ago, the only way to learn piano was to visit a teacher once a week. Today, thanks to the Internet and new technologies, we have many more options.
Lets take a look at the pros and cons of three major ways of learning: in-person lessons, app learning, and online learning.
In-Person Lessons
| May be against local Covid-19 restrictions | 100% virtual and socially distant |
If youre on the fence about joining Pianote, take a peek at the membership here.
Combine Methods
If online, traditional, or app learning doesnt cut it for you on their own, try combining methods. For example, you could take lessons with Pianote and connect with an in-person instructor once a month.
Whichever method you decide on, keep these two things in mind:
Also Check: Songs To Learn On Piano For Beginners
Is There An Easy Way To Learn Piano Chords
The easiest way to learn piano chords is to first understand basic music theory like whats taught on the Music Theory website. Rather than googling the chords you want to learn, youll quickly understand what a chord is, how they work, and their relationship to music as a whole. .
There is often a more efficient way of doing things, and I think that learning chords that way is the best way to go, although, getting bogged down by theory is something that you should avoid if you feel that its killing your passion for the instrument.
I find its best to first cultivate your passion and love for the instrument through whatever means you find the most inspiring, and once its set in stone that youre serious about playing, then you can get more into theory. But when youre first starting out, I find its best to learn the most basic theory and quickly start applying it by learning how to play some of your favorite songs. Just make sure theyre easy enough.
Thats why Im always harping on getting PianoForAll. PianoForall is an easy to get started on the piano and in a way that isnt going to hurt your feelings or bore you to death.
Old Macdonald Had A Farm
This is another classic childrens piano song that your son or daughter will love playing over and over again so they can sing about every animal on the farm.
Old MacDonald had a farmG G G D E E DE-i-e-i-o
G G G E C B A
Happy birthday to you
F F E C D C
This handy tutorial shows you how to play this number at a slow tempo. Once you get comfortable with it, you can speed it up.
Recommended Reading: You Are My Sunshine Piano Chords
Use Both Hands To Play One Chord To Build Hand Synchronization
Once youve figured out how to play these basic triads on the piano, which you probably did with one hand if youre anything like me, you then went to figure out how to play the same chords but by using both hands, rather than only one. To do this, its really the same thing and this is where the structure of the piano is really helpful.
Remember that the notes are the same octave by octave up and down the piano, so if youve played an A Minor triad with your left hand, you can simply use your right hand to add other notes of that same triad further up the piano but using your right hand.
This is how you get really nice-sounding chords on the piano. Because we have ten fingers, its possible to have a 10-note A Minor Chord that sounds very harmonically rich and interesting, unlike the guitar, where we can only play 6-note chords maximum . Lets dive into this concept a little further.
How to Play Piano Chords With Both Hands?
To play piano chords with both hands, first, find the notes of the chord that you want to play, ie, the A Minor chord, which has 3 notes, A, C, and E. Play the first three notes with your left hand and then find those exact same notes one octave higher and then play them with your right hand.
Learn To Play Piano With Nate Bosch
In the last lesson I told you that I would explain what I meant by a 1-4-5 progression. In order to do that let’s backtrack a little to when we learned the C major scale. In learning the scale, we gave the notes names. The notes can also be numbered. The first note of a any scale is its root. In our case, the first note is C. If we count from C we’ll get to seven when we get to the B note. The scale repeats itself at 8, which is the same note as the root, but an octave higher than where we first played it. Chord progressions are given as numbers so that it is easier to transfer them into any scale. Our 1-4-5 progression is made of the chords based on the first note, the fourth note, and the fifth note of our C Major scale. Those notes are C, F, and G. Chord progressions are normally given using roman numerals and that is how they will be represented for the remainder of the lessons.
In just a few short minutes you have went from looking at a piano keyboard and wondering where you start, to learning where Middle C is, the C Major scale, a few chords, a chord progression, and finally a simple song. As you learn more scales and techniques you will be able to expand on what you’ve learned and create more complex music. So, play around with what you have learned today. Get comfortable moving between the chords that I have taught you so far and then come back and see what I have in store for you in the next lesson!
Recommended Reading: How To Play Amazing Grace On Piano
Playing With Both Hands
Main article: Play Piano with Both Hands
Lets get one thing out of the way: playing with both hands feels weird. At least at first.
Hand independence is something youll continually work on as a pianist. Even advanced pianists have challenges with hand independence.
The Five-Finger Scale in Both Hands
You already know the five-finger scale. Now lets try playing it with both hands.
When you play the five-finger scale up with both hands, the fingering with look like this:
Right hand: 1-2-3-4-5 Left hand: 5-4-3-2-1
When you play the five-finger scale down with both hands, the fingering will look like this:
Right hand: 5-4-3-2-1 Left hand: 1-2-3-4-5
If this feels easy, try playing loudly in one hand and softly in the other. Then, switch.
Mary Had A Little Lamb
This is often one of the first for kids that instructors will teach new students. The song has additional verses about the adventures Mary and her lamb have, to keep the fun going while you sing and play together. Check out the verses and the notes below.
Heres an excellent video tutorial, showing all the notes labeled:
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