Record Your Practice Sessions
Its one thing to play the piano and quite another to sit back and hear yourself play. Often, beginners find it difficult to do the latter. When you teach yourself to play, you are your best and only critic. So record both audio and video to check for posture, positioning, accuracy, pace, pitch, flow, and tone.
How Long Does It Take To Master Piano
Any piano player above or at the expert level can be considered to have mastered the piano. It takes at least 10 years of continuous practice to be considered a master piano player.
Someone who has mastered the piano should be able to play any song on the piano, at varying tempos, have insane coordination, and multitasking skills.
He or she can deduce any chord, technique, just by hearing a song. A true piano master can play the piano for at least an hour without pause, having incredible resistance, and can memorize entire concerts effortlessly. Here is an example of a piano master and his capabilities:
Being Tutored By The Best
I had the great privilege to have been tutored and trained by the late Mr Josias van der Merwe for a period of approximately 6 years.
It changed my playing forever, bringing it up to the standard of concert performance. Without training from this master teacher professor, my playing would never have reached the standard it did.
I am forever grateful and indebted to this great teacher!
Also to the late Mrs Estelle Hudson who started my training as a young child and taught me the basics of music and the love of piano playing! Thank you!
I also need to honour Celine Gaurier-Joubert for the single lesson I had with her years back!
She showed me a new technique concerning touch on the piano, as well as movement around the black keys and practising the lightning-fast movements in preparation of jumping from chords to chords in a very difficult passage. Just this one lesson with a master pianist changed my whole way of playing by making difficult passages easy and producing a beautiful sound. For this, I thank you, Celine!
With this as my personal testimony of well trained personal gifted classical piano tutors who helped me reach my goals, I can only but recommend that you do invest in personal training and lessons on a regular basis if you are serious about your playing.
The time and money will be well spent.
Enjoy and do not delay to start lessons today.
Stick to it and you will reap the benefits!
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Get Your Hands On An Instrument
Some digital pianos such as Rolands GO:PIANO GO-88P feature Bluetooth audio functionality. This means they can stream audio from services such as Apple Music and Spotify through the keyboards onboard speakers so you can then jam along over the top using the built-in sounds, making for a fun and efficient way to learn the piano.
There are various factors that can determine what type of beginner keyboard is best for you to learn on. If youre headed down the traditional piano route, but dont have an acoustic piano in the house, a digital piano with 88 full-size weighted keys and high quality sampled acoustic piano sounds is your best bet. If youre just after having some fun playing keyboards along to your favourite songs, almost any entry-level home keyboard will suffice. For this article, were going to lean more towards the traditional piano route, as this approach will effectively cover both bases.
Youll be much more motivated if settling down to play your piano is a faff-free affair, so its preferable to find an instrument that you can just sit down at, switch on and play. Most big manufacturers – the likes of Yamaha, Roland, Kawai, Korg or Casio – make excellent affordable, entry-level and beginner digital pianos with built-in speakers that can spring into action at the touch of a single button. The Roland FP-10 or Yamaha P-45 are popular example models.
Get To Know Your Keys
Once you have an instrument to work with, the next step is understanding its components. When you get yourself a piano, make sure you learn to tune its keys first before playing.
Every key has a term associated with it. If you want to learn to play the keys, you have to know their names for later recall. Memorizing keys is also crucial to the learning process.
Usually, brand new pianos and keyboards come with a manual or instrument handbook that includes the necessary information on learning the basics. Read this book thoroughly and keep it nearby during your initial practice sessions. Having useful guidelines to refer to always helps when youre learning anything new.
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The Choice Between A Classical Piano And A Digital Piano
When it comes to choosing a musical instrument, there are pros and cons to both.
A classical piano is the real deal. Its a more realistic sound than a digital keyboard. Its also more complex to learn.
Both instruments can be very expensive and require a lot of maintenance.
If youre serious about learning to play the piano, its probably best to choose an acoustic piano. Because of the way an acoustic piano is built, its much easier for you as a beginner to learn the proper hand position and weight distribution for each note when using an acoustic piano than a digital piano.
However, if you dont plan on becoming a concert pianist in the future and are looking for something portable and less expensive, a digital keyboard is also good to learn.
Reading Piano Sheet Music
The first major leap for learning to play fundamental piano concepts is learning how to read sheet music. We label each of the notes with an alphabetical note name, then we can alter those with sharps or flats. True musicians will know how to read music by using interval recognition rather than reading from point to point, or note to note. Eventually master sight readers will know how to read many measures ahead of their current destination, but it all starts at the same by learning how to recognize notes on lines and spaces.
Learn how to read piano sheet music faster.
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The Waltz And Other Types Of Music
Maybe you already found similar ones in the songbook that you acquired? Some of them can be seen in the figure above.
The time signature represents the length of a bar like you already learned when we talked about the 4/4 bar.
A 3/4 bar indicates that the length of each bar equals 3 quarter notes. A 2/4 bar indicates that each bar has the length of 2 quarter notes. A 6/8 bar indicates that each bar has the length of 6 eighth notes.
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A 3/4 time is used for waltz
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A 2/4 time is used for march or polka
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A 6/8 time is used for a jig, or American march
Below you will find a library of time signatures and examples of how they are played. How about a bite of music to whet your appetite?
While the page with the time signatures loads, you can listen to the song Take Five by Paul Desmond.
Your browser doesn’t support HTML5 audio. Here is a link to the audio instead.
The song is written in 5/4 time therefore it consists of 5 quarter notes per bar. You also get a 5/4 bar when you combine a 2/4 bar with a 3/4 bar. Combining different time signatures is a common technique to create a unique rhythm.
Waltz 3/4
Your browser doesn’t support HTML5 audio. Here is a link to the audio instead.
Your browser doesn’t support HTML5 audio. Here is a link to the audio instead.
Irish Jig 6/8
Your browser doesn’t support HTML5 audio. Here is a link to the audio instead.
Half time
Your browser doesn’t support HTML5 audio. Here is a link to the audio instead.
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12 bar blues in 4/4
You did great!
Tips For How To Teach Yourself Piano
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Traditionally pianists have always taken piano lessons to better their playing. For some, lessons can get quite expensive this is how much piano lessons typically cost. Knowing how to teach yourself piano can not only save you a lot of money, but its actually quite doable.
Below are 15 tips for how to teach yourself piano.
Each of these tips can be applied to both children and adult pianists. Next, Ill dive into each of these methods and describe how you can use them to teach yourself how to play piano the right way. Before you do anything, you first need to know what kind of piano player you want to be.
Interested in quality digital pianos for easy learning? You can find them by clicking here#ad
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How To Teach Piano
This article was co-authored by Michael Noble, PhD. Michael Noble is a professional concert pianist who received his PhD in Piano Performance from the Yale School of Music. He is a previous contemporary music fellow of the Belgian American Educational Foundation and has performed at Carnegie Hall and at other venues across the United States, Europe, and Asia.There are 9 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been viewed 222,739 times.
If youre a skilled pianist, private instruction can be a rewarding and lucrative business venture. While starting a piano studio can be a daunting task, it is possible if you make a thorough plan and maintain realistic expectations. Once you’ve worked out all of the logistics for your new endeavor, being an effective teacher is as easy as showing interest in your students’ lives, developing custom lesson plans for each student, and making learning this beautiful instrument an enjoyable process.
Learn To Position Yourself Correctly
Believe it or not, learning to play the piano is considerably impacted by your posture and the positioning of your fingers. Every bit of precision goes a long way toward mastering an instrument.
Make sure your arms and palms are in the right position. Place your fingers directly over the keys, not alongside them. Your palms must form a cup-like shape over the keys and your fingertips are all that should cover the keys.
Initially, this positioning tactic is going to stress your hand muscles out, including your shoulders and your back. To ease the pressure, practice five-finger routines across the entire keyboard. It helps to use the black keys more frequently. Get the hang of such swift movements and your fingers will be set to play the keys in effortlessly.
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Ten Tips For Learning To Play The Piano As An Adult
Learning to play the piano as an adult can be intimidating. Many people limit themselves because they think they are too old or that its too late to start something new. The good news is, its never too late to start. If you have a desire to learn to play the piano, here are some tips to help you on your way.
1. Find a teacher
There are plenty of online tutorials to help you teach yourself, but it is always good to have a teacher. Meeting regularly with a teacher can help you reach your goals and be accountable. Its a good idea to have a support system of people encouraging you as you learn a new skill.
2. Set goals
Know what you want to accomplish as a piano player. Do you want to perform for a special event, play for your own enjoyment, or learn a favorite song? Have a clear goal in mind of why you want to learn to play the piano. It will help keep you focused and motivated as well as give you something to work toward.
3. Learn the basics
Its important to start with the basics. If you dont already know how to read music or the fundamentals of playing the piano, take time to learn notes, rhythm, scales, proper posture, and other basic skills. Failing to learn correct habits and good piano-playing practices now will hold you back later on.
4. Make practicing a priority
5. Find music you enjoy playing
6. Take it one step at a time
7. Be willing to make mistakes
8. Celebrate improvements
9. Have fun
10. Start now
Create A Practice Routine
If you want to succeed at the piano, then you need to practice as much as possible. I would set up a practice schedule similar to this one. With something like this, you can break down every aspect from start to finish.
Choose what pieces or techniques you want to warm up with, pick a couple of concepts to review, and then dive into your new repertoire.
The best thing you can do for your playing is to stay consistent. Most people who struggle to learn the piano either on their own or with an instructor give up too early.
Not every student takes off quickly with the piano, but its okay to take a slow approach to learn the instrument.
If youre an adult student, I would make it a goal to learn and perfect one new unit or concept per week. This way when you move on to new material, youll still have a firm grip on the freshly learned concepts as well.
As you advance, you can start teaching yourself how to play more and more.
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How Long Does It Take To Learn Piano
Learning the piano might seem like a daunting task at first, however, it takes about a month of practice to learn the basics, play certain songs, and develop your skills. So is piano hard? It all comes down to how much time you invest in it, your sense of rhythm, and your multitasking skills. If you want to learn the piano, discover how much it takes to reach a certain level, then weve got you covered as we will talk about each step in this article.
The Correct Posture And Finger Position
Remember our method of assigning a number to each finger? This was a tool to prevent your fingers from tripping over each other. For the finger technique to work, however, your hands must be correctly positioned.
Figure 1 shows the correct hand position: The back of the hand is parallel to the piano keys. Try it yourself! Hold your hand over the keyboard as shown in Figure 1.
See how your forearm is parallel to the keyboard?
When youre ready, play a note. Remember that the anchor point is in your wrists and not your elbow. Therefore, only your wrist and of course your finger joint should move when you press the key. The movement is similar to scratching your leg. Try it again!
Here are some more tips on posture:
Your fingers should remain slightly curved under your hand.
You should sit up straight like youre typing a letter.
Your arms should be relaxed.
Your right foot should be higher than your left foot so that the heel can support your back position.
Thats it for this lesson. Your motivation to learn the piano is to be highly commended! You studied all these lessons without a teacher to help you. Your self-initiative and passion will be invaluable in your quest to become a good piano player.
One day, you will need the help of a mentor or teacher to refine your skills. But remember, you dont learn to play the piano overnight, its a long journey.
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Learn A Classical Music Piece
Many rock stars have learned how to play classical music on the piano.
Maybe its not your thing, but classical music can teach us a lot of fundamentals and techniques that can be useful in your journey to learn the piano. Even if youre not taking online piano lessons or learning with a piano teacher, you should consider learning at least one classical piece. It will be useful in your piano learning process.
Choosing Your Learning Pathway
Once youve selected your instrument, its time to start learning for real. As you sort through your options, remember theres no one right answer!
In fact, even the best option for you will be imperfect. So lets survey your choices together and evaluate the pros and cons of each one.
The following list provides you with a range of options, ordered by their degree of traditional or technological elements.
The first set, DIY, features options that use neither technology nor an instructor.
The second set, Traditional, features options guided by an instructor without technology.
The third set, Technological, features options which utilize technology without an instructor.
The final set, Hybrid, features a hybrid option that pairs an instructor and technology together.
Self-Teaching, Do-It-Yourself Methods
A Hybrid Method
- Taking private lessons online
At a glance, which of these options seems best for you? Not sure? Then lets take a closer look.
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Bossa Nova Piano For Beginners
Also known as the F clef, it is the bass clef for the lower registers and should be played with the left hand for piano beginners.
As you can see below, notators use main lines to indicate pitches above or below the lines and staff spacing.
The middle C lies between the treble and bass clave and is often suitable for beginners in piano lessons.
The advantage of ledger lines is that they make it easier for beginners to understand the art of reading music.
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star Piano Music
And although there can be so many lines above or below the stick in books, two or three are often enough to learn, otherwise the lines are quite difficult to read.
Sometimes you might want to change the pitch by a semitone. If yes, you need to add random before the note.
For what its worth, there are two things to consider when it comes to learning piano music:
Second, the accidentals last for one bar and, when they end, return to the slabs or sharps found in the key signature. This also applies if the bar contains other notes.
Beginner Songs For Piano
If the scribe wants to make some notes sharp or flat during the piece, he must indicate this with a key.
To be clear, a key can be a low note or a sharp note, not a combination of the two. The parts raise the pitch by a semitone, while the lower parts lower the pitch by a semitone at the corresponding point.
The same applies to sharp objects. There is no transmission to all octaves here.
