What Makes Piano An Ideal First Instrument
If someone is interested in learning how to play a musical instrument, learning to play the piano is an ideal place to begin! It is an ideal starter instrument, and here are several reasons why:
Get A Piano/find Yourself A Keyboard
The obvious first step is to acquire a piano for yourself. Set a budget, do your research on different types of pianos, and look online and in your community for deals.
Some things to consider:
Many music stores rent keyboards. If you want to rent before youre sure the piano/keyboard is right for you, this might be a good place to start.
If any of your friends or family are involved in the music world, reach out. They may know someone dying to sell an old instrument that isnt getting used for half what it would cost coming out of a box.
If youre unable to find a piano, a keyboard is a great alternative. Theyre affordable, never go out of tune and have lots of sounds and features that can enhance your music. Not to mention, theyre a lot easier to move around and dont take up much space. A learning keyboard is a great tool for a beginner. These specialty instruments light up in a specific order to help you learn songs more quickly. Typically, they come with books and videos that will help you learn musical notation. You can always start out on a keyboard and then upgrade to a piano.
Keyboards generally cost less than pianos do. On the plus side, keyboards never go out of tune and take up much less space than a piano will. Wherein, acoustic pianos typically range in price from $2,000 to $10,000 or more for some high-quality concert grand pianos.
What Instrument To Learn First
The drums and piano are usually the quickest to learn . Fundamentals are typically required for band and orchestra instruments to be mastered.
Learning to play an instrument is one of the most rewarding activities one can have. Some instruments are preferable to others for beginners. The guitar is an excellent place to start, whether youre looking to network or get your foot in the door. A piano, like the guitar, is another instrument that teaches skills and techniques that can later be applied to other instruments. The piano is never too old or too young to learn. The piano, unlike the guitar, requires some time and practice to master. Despite being a little less versatile than a piano or guitar, learning to play a flute is simple.
The violin is simple to learn, but there is a little bit of a learning curve. This is the second wind instrument to make the list after the clarinet. Playing the drums requires dexterity and a keen sense of rhythm. Drummers are in high demand for all types of bands and symphony orchestras. The drums are one of the easiest instruments to learn. As your child learns to play the drums, he or she can begin with a single snare drum and gradually add instruments to their kit. If you enjoy classical music, the piano is an excellent choice.
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Learning To Play The Piano With Skoove
The reasons why Skoove is considered one of the best apps to learn how to play the piano with, because it has so many features which make learning the instrument simpler than traditional piano lessons. Skoove also has lessons for every musicians skill level, beginners and advanced. Included in the Skoove app:
- Each lesson can be separated out one hand at a time
- Teaching lessons for all skill levels
- Teaches the basics of reading music
- Available in six different languages
- A fully featured metronome,
Learn The Style Youre Actually Interested In
Oftentimes people think that they have to learn classical music when learning to play the piano. This is not the case, however, as you can choose to learn the style youre actually interested in. If you want to play for your own enjoyment and to have fun, you can start with pop songs, for example.
Many songs from older artists such as Abba have some great keyboard songs which can be played with the piano. This is actually a very important aspect when you want to learn something, it must be enjoyable.
A great adult piano method of learning is to start by learning familiar songs and tunes which you actually like. It will help you in the long run, as it will inevitably motivate you to keep on learning, and nothing compares to that feeling when you learn to play a familiar tune, you will love it! Find the piano song version of the artists that you like, and start practicing it!
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Accessing Wider Online Resources
There are an infinite amount of additional resources available online that can help piano students at every level.
The internet is home to things like online lessons, chord charts, sheet music, tutorials and forums. Theres no limit to the amount of information available at any given time of the day.
Create A Specific Goal For Yourself
When it comes to learning to play the piano for adults, it is important to have a goal in mind. Most people work best with project-based learning, unlike children, and as such, if you set yourself a goal, such as learning a specific song, play for someone, that will help you tremendously.
You dont need to learn music theory if you just want to learn simple piano songs, such as Happy Birthday, or Canon D, however, the latter will require some dedication. In fact, if you wish to simply sing randomly, you still dont need music theory, up to a certain point at least, you just need to learn the keys, and a couple of chords, scales, and you will be amazed at what you will be able to do, perhaps enough so to even learn music theory later.
You only need a piano, a bit of dedication, a song that you love, and youre off on your musical journey before you even know it! Always set up milestones, goals, to keep your interest and motivation active! Piano lessons for adults are available online, so you can set up some goals regarding them!
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Type Of Piano Lessons
The type of piano lessons can affect how easily you can learn them. The best method is to learn from an expert piano teacher/tutor. But since this method is quite expensive, other learners resort to using YouTube videos or other online free apps to learn the piano.
While the latter is less expensive and more convenient because you can learn anytime you want in the comfort of your own room, it may not be the best.
The reason is that no one can give you immediate feedback on your progress. Also, your little mistakes cannot be corrected instantly. Thus, you would be starting your piano lessons incorrectly.
With a competent piano teacher, you can ask any questions and expect immediate responses. The teacher will also be able to guide and direct you to the proper technique during your lessons.
On the other hand, if you have no option but to learn online for free, at least research well for reliable and effective piano lessons.
Utilizing Software And Apps
Learning keyboard skills through software and apps incorporates videos and other features, as the previous online learning methods will do, but they do so with a special twist.
Flowkeys user interface
They endeavor to harness the power of computer technology beyond videos and downloadable PDFs. Three popular choices from this arena include FlowKey, Simply Piano, and Piano Marvel.
With variations, these options teach basic keyboard concepts and enable you to play a wide range of popular tunes. Many of them do not teach comprehensive music theory, sight-reading, improvisational style, or sight-reading skills.
Nevertheless, these software alternatives stand out for two noteworthy reasons.
First, they provide dedicated software and apps across popular operating systems, including Windows , Mac OS , Android , and in some cases even Steam, making these learning resources available on your computers, tablets and phones.
These programs also feature plug-in connectivity enabling you to sync your electronic keyboard to your phone, tablet, or computer.
This enables your device to hear what you are playing and provide constructive, interactive feedback along the way, with corresponding, onscreen visuals such as finger hints, misplayed notes and hand assignments.
Online videos cannot provide this feature. Furthermore, some of these options even offer support for lighted keyboards, illuminating the keys to your song in real time.
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Purpose Of Learning The Piano
Whats your purpose in learning how to play the piano? Are you doing it as a mere hobby, or are you planning to go pro? If its only a hobby, then it only takes a shorter time to learn the basics.
When you plan to go professional and play on big stages, your level of learning is higher. Thus, you can spend 10 to 15 years learning how to play professionally. In instances when playing the piano is your career, learning would be a lifetime process.
It doesnt stop when you have learned to play several musical pieces. The lessons tend to continue as you advance in your careereven when youre a skilled piano player already.
Piano Offers Instant Gratification
The best thing about the piano is that when you press down a key, a sound will occur.
Even the most inexperienced player can play a C, and it will sound like a C.
You dont need to tune the piano and if you do, you certainly dont have to tune it very often.
An inexperienced player can quickly start to pick out melodies to songs, and even play whole songs with one hand.
When I taught guitar, it would take some students weeks just to produce notes that didnt buzz and squeak.
Trying to pick up a trumpet for the first time is a similarly discouraging experience you must learn to create proper embouchure, learn to blow properly to produce a note, and then learn to change your embouchure to alter partials.
Its hard.
Sit down at the piano, press a note and youll be on your way.
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Learning To Play The Piano Provides A Solid Musical Foundation
The piano provides you with a vast range of musical notes that are even greater than other musical instruments. At the same time, the notes are laid out side by side for the players convenience.
It is easy to identify sharp and flat keys. This makes it easy to understand scales and keys. Everything is just there right before your very eyes. Undoubtedly, playing the piano offers you a great way of understanding music theory.
Learn Basic Piano Knowledge
Any good piano teacher would begin your introduction to the piano by teaching you basic piano knowledge. So, if youre teaching yourself how to play, thats the place to start.
- Familiarize yourself with the piano. Look at and listen to the middle keys, flat keys , sharp keys , bass and high tones.
- Learn where middle C is. Middle C is the home base of learning the piano. It is near the middle of the keyboard and is the white key to the left of the grouping of two black keys.
- Learn the basic keys. The naturals are the white keys and are C- D -E- F- G -A- B. Black keys are called accidentals as they make a flat or sharp note when pressed. Each octave has five accidentals, which can be sharp or flat.
- Learn the language of music. You might want to study some basic musical terms. This Glossary of Musical Terms from Khan Academy is free and covers the basic concepts in music.
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Is It More Difficult To Learn Piano As An Adult
This is one of the biggest myths that Mark finds he has to battle. You are not too old! I have clients playing in their 80s, having lots of enjoyment and engaging with a hobby that helps keep them agile both physically and mentally.
The idea that its harder to learn as an adult comes back to this notion people have that it is a hard instrument that takes many years to get good at and get pleasure from. Mark argues that the benefits of playing piano come from day one regardless of whether you are any good at the actual playing or not and its important to focus on that first and foremost.
Playing piano is a great stress reliever trust me, it is impossible to worry about the stresses and strains of life whilst you are trying to figure out what note or finger to use! I have clients telling me they sleep better, that it is their equivalent of meditation and that they feel their mental health has improved, all whilst still being complete beginners. Is it tricky to master? Maybe. But is it hard to feel the benefit of making a little piano part of your day? Absolutely not.
Is It Better To Learn Piano Or Guitar
Which is better, piano or guitar, does of course come down to personal preference, goals, and may not indicate which is easier.
If youre aim is to learn an instrument so you can play songs you enjoy, what instruments are used in those songs?
Obviously, if the songs you enjoy primarily use piano, piano is a better choice for you.
If youre aspiring to learn music as a whole, and plan on learning multiple instruments, Piano would be better, as you can more easily visualize music theory on the keyboard, versus the fretboard.
You can even learn guitar and piano at the same time, if that interests you.
You should solidify what your musical goals are: if you want to strum along with folk songs, take up guitar, if you want to learn music as a whole take to the piano.
You might even consider learning both piano and guitar together!
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How Hard Is It To Learn Piano
Learning how to play the piano is a fun and fulfilling challenge to take on. But its understandable if youre concerned about how difficult it will be to learn. How hard is it to learn piano?
Learning to play the piano is not at all difficult. Its just that some piano students take a little longer to learn compared to others. Once you have mastered the fundamentals of reading piano music and proper fingering, everything else will be easy for you.
Read on to learn more about how hard is it to play piano, and how to make it easier to learn.
Guitar And Piano Affordability
While the ease of actually playing the instruments is a major factor to consider, any good analysis of the guitar vs piano debate must also consider affordability. After all, an instrument may be easier to play in theory, but if that instrument has a significant price barrier, that can prevent you from learning to play it all together.
The quick answer to the question of affordability is that guitars are generally more affordable than pianos. You can purchase a perfectly good beginners guitar within the $100 to $200 price range, while $500+ will be able to get you a much higher quality guitar, that will be suitable for more advanced playing.
A full-size acoustic piano could easily cost upwards of $1,000 and for more advanced players, it may be necessary to spend significantly more. The most expensive pianos will far exceed the price of the most expensive guitars, so aside from the technical ease of use, a guitar is likely to be easier to actually buy and practice with.
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Play Your Favorite Songs On Piano
The best time to start learning piano is right now, and with the right sets of instructions you will be well on your way to accomplishing all of your goals. The most confusing part of learning an instrument is making sure that youre doing it right. How can you make sure that youre not missing a key instruction, forgetting an essential part of music theory, or playing the right notes at the right time? That is why musicians take lessons, because your teacher will solve those problems for you by guiding you, watching your mistakes, and telling you exactly what to do next. Teachers are not always available, so why not use a piano teaching app that is available for you at any time of day, can teach you any style of music, and with the right app guiding you, you can be more confident than ever.
Learning Without A Piano Teacher
A piano teacher can make learning the instrument easier by
Establishing good habits: A large part of playing the piano successfully is learning the correct muscle memory of posture, hand position, and finger movement. While working under the instruction of a piano teacher doesnt guarantee you will become a concert pianist, it can help you not learn those bad habits.
Making stylistic corrections: Piano music sounds best when it is played at the proper volume, rhythm, and tempo. Its also easiest to play if you incorporate the correct fingering and hand movement. You may not realize your own mistakes without the help of a piano teacher by your side to point them out for correction. This one-on-one feedback is impossible to get from a textbook or online tutorial and is key to progressing to the next level.
Providing teaching materials: A private teacher can recognize specific areas where youre struggling and recommend extra study exercises to help you improve. Without this extra push, you might struggle with a certain part of music theory for much longer than necessary.
Holding you accountable: Youre much more likely to achieve your playing goals if you have someone to hold you accountable. Your piano teacher will set certain expectations and hold you accountable for them, making it more difficult for you to give in to the temptation to slack on practice or quit.
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