How to learn to play the piano?

8th February 2023

Making sure you’re doing it correctly when learning an instrument is the most difficult aspect. How do you ensure that you don’t overlook a crucial instruction, forget a crucial aspect of music theory, or fail to produce the correct notes at the appropriate time? That is why musicians take lessons; your piano tutor will take care of those issues for you by directing you, observing your errors, and instructing you on what to do next. 

One of the best ways to enrich your life is to learn a new instrument. A vital and relaxing approach to relieving the stress of daily life, music can develop your relationship with everything around you and improve your relationships with others through music-making. 

To learn the piano, beginners must first comprehend what it is and how to play it:

  • Keys on pianos come in two hues: white and black.
  • Three black keys followed by two black keys are the identical pattern that these keys always follow.
  • When playing the instrument with two hands, we count our fingers from 1 to 5, starting with the thumb, equally on each hand.
  • Each key’s name, which is one of the first seven letters of the alphabet (A B C D E F G), is repeated repeatedly in that order.

With 88 keys and the ability to be played with ten fingers, the piano allows for a wide variety of note, tone, register, and timbre combinations. In order to organise these concepts into smaller groups, beginners first label each set of physical keys before arranging those keys into more manageable units. From there, we name and label the results of producing multiple notes simultaneously; we refer to these results as chords. When we produce those chords one at a time, like an arpeggio, we give them distinct names. These ideas are crucial to learning the piano and other instruments as a beginner.

According to the teachers of Tutorextra.co.uk, many private tutors have higher prices than the average, therefore, beginners must choose a qualified professional, whose guidance will be accessible. Additionally, the experts remind us that there are websites for private tutoring that offer normal costs, local, in-person sessions in the UK or online tutoring.

Simple and effective instruction methods

If you adhere to a simple plan, learning the piano can be extremely simple and easy. Making the most of your time while learning the instrument will be ensured if you follow these instructions.

  • Selecting the right instrument;
  • Beginners must study practical aspects of theory like dynamics, melody, and rhythm;
  • Learning the fundamentals of the piano, such as the keys, chords, and notes;
  • A good technique that incorporates finger intervals and locations.

Additionally, beginners can be certain that they will create some form of coherent and useful foundation if they follow a guide. 

Choosing the ideal instrument for you

Because pianos differ in size, cost, feel, and use, beginners frequently struggle to choose the best model. Many pupils don’t get how various instruments have more in common than not, despite the fact that some can be as big as your living room and many more can fit on a tiny desk or in a bag. Your tutor should help you make the choice and explain in detail the differences between instruments.

Use a metronome to practise

A metronome can make all the difference between a musician who is successful and produces excellent songs and one who is inconsistent and plays poorly. When learning a song for the first time, a metronome can help you establish the beat. The only thing to keep in mind is that repetition is the key.

Learning music theory

The word “music theory” is broad and inclusive, referring to a group of topics rather than a specific discipline. Simply said, it is the way that musicians communicate with one another and with themselves about the rhythm they are hearing, performing, or creating. Chords, dynamic marks, rhythm, time signatures, chords, and scales are all part of the fundamental understanding of this theory. These ideas may seem difficult for beginners, but they are really fairly straightforward.

Melody

Conceptually, the melody is quite straightforward. It is composed of a single or group of notes that float above chords. Sometimes lyrics are included, and other times it is merely played by instruments. Something you can sing is a tune. From Beethoven to Happy Birthday, there are melodies in both classical and popular music. As a beginner, learning how to play a melody accurately is a crucial component of learning to work with any instrument.

Musical dynamic indications

When you hear a rhythm, it may occasionally be loud or faint, and frequently, a composition will alternate between many distinct dynamics markers. Beginners must learn the correct way to play when a sign is printed, how to recognise them when they hear them, and how to produce any sign in any piece of music!

The beat of the music

Rhythms can be simple or complicated at different times. The fact that they are all written down and intended to be playable is what unites them all at their heart. Sometimes a rhythm will be written differently in each hand, but if you are proficient with counting and can play along with a metronome, the signs, flags, and rests are easy to understand.

Timing signals

Although the way that music is timed may initially appear challenging, it actually makes a lot of sense. Each measure consists of a specific period of time, which is divided into smaller segments and then counted. We restart the count at beat 1 of each measure, and we proceed as previously.

Music notes

For a beginner, the piano’s keys might be exceedingly perplexing. Enharmonic spelling is a theory that produces some really intriguing music. In order to play quickly, throughout a wide range, or fluently with both hands combined, beginners will also need to understand basic rules for fingerings and patterns for each hand.

Musical notes

Noteheads are used to indicate the piano’s notes on the grand staff, which has a tied-together treble and bass clef. Each of these five lines and four spaces, which make up these two clefs, corresponds to a distinct alphabetical note. Naturally, these notes are then divided into separate patterns for the bass and treble clefs.

Keyboard chords

When a pianist chooses to produce three or more notes at once, they are creating a chord. The challenge is knowing what to call these chords. Each chord is written out by musicians starting with a root note and combining various “thirds” to create a collection of notes that we refer to as chords. When a beginner has mastered the fundamentals of three-note chords, or “triads,” they can go on to the world of jazz chords by learning how to add more notes to a chord. 

We refer to this as a scale when a pianist produces several notes consecutively that are all in the same key.

Playing the piano

The term “piano methods” refers to a broad range of activities that pianists engage in to hone their skills or express themselves. Many of these, like knowing your finger locations or playing by intervals, might be crucial to comprehending basic playing, but more complex ideas, like ear training, enable pianists to play by hearing music, by hearing a tune in their own ears, or by singing. Nearly all other advanced piano concepts are made possible by ear training.

Finger placement

Like most things related to musical performance, finger posture appears to be straightforward, yet there is a subtle complexity that is not apparent to beginners. Put your first finger on the first note, as is generally recommended, however, because of key signatures, flat keys, and the challenge of climbing or descending past your thumb, finger locations are an essential component of playing the piano fluently. With time and genuine skill, finger position becomes automatic and beginners can quickly memorise that.

Finally, playing your favourite songs is essential to your success. Having fun is the main reason to pick up a new instrument and liking the finished product is what matters.