The Best Ways to Learn Piano
Have you always wanted to learn piano? The best approach to learning piano is to start! Learning piano takes a significant amount of time, patience, and effort. When you decide you want to learn piano, it is important to set goals, be patient, and focus on having a good mindset. This will go a long way toward ensuring that you are happy and remain dedicated to playing the piano. Purchasing a new piano, for example, can help to provide you with an incentive to continue playing the piano, even when it feels hard. Here are some of the best ways to learn piano.
Learn the Basics
Though you may be inspired by world-renowned musicians, they all had to start from the beginning, just like you do. Focus on learning the basics and building on your foundation from there. This is an incredibly important part of learning the piano. Learn how to play with good posture and focus on understanding each part before moving on to more complicated things. If you are feeling overwhelmed, it is likely that you haven’t spent enough time on the basics. Ensure you invest ample time in learning the basics before you move on in your practice.
Notes
When you are focused on learning the basics of the piano, one of the most important things to learn are the notes. Identify where middle C is on a piano and work from there. You may find charts helpful when it comes to learning the notes. Many people place temporary markers on the keys until they become more familiar with the various notes that each key plays. Once you are familiar and comfortable with the individual notes, you will be able to move onto octaves and chords, as well as playing in general. Most beginning music books will start you learning simple songs that only use a few notes until you become familiar with them.
Octaves
Octaves are commonly used in piano playing. An octave is essentially a measurement of the distance between notes. Playing the C that is closest to the right of middle C is an octave above middle C. The C that is on the left of middle C is an octave below middle C. Focus on learning how to read the notes, as well, so that you will be able to find which octave the piece expects you to be playing in.
Chords
Chords are combinations of notes that are played simultaneously. If you have learned how to play on another, single-note instrument, chords may be a slightly more difficult concept to grasp. For example, flutes only play a single note at a time. On the piano, you can play multiple notes concurrently to create a particular sound. In general, chords tend to be made up out of the key you are playing in. So in the key of C, a 1, 3, 5 chord would consist of playing the notes C, E, and G simultaneously. Studying basic music theory will give you more in-depth explanation surrounding keys, notes, chords, octaves, and more. It may also be beneficial to work with a piano teacher to give you more information regarding these aspects of playing piano.
Consider Lessons
Piano lessons can be an incredibly valuable investment for beginning piano players. When you get professional piano lessons, you will be able to ensure that you don’t develop bad habits, such as poor posture, and are learning the correct way to play the piano. The teacher can also help you to design a practice schedule and ensure that you are practicing effectively and making progress. Working with a piano teacher can be an incredibly beneficial way to keep yourself on track and accelerate your progress. It is also a great way to ensure that you stay accountable for the amount of time that you invest in practicing.
Get a New Piano
Starting to learn the piano can be incredibly exciting, but that excitement tends to wane after a while and, with it, your motivation to practice. Getting a new piano is a great way to kickstart your motivation and make you excited to practice again. When you purchase a new piano, you have made a substantial investment in your piano playing dedication. The purchase alone can cause you to feel more inclined to practice piano on a regular basis. We can help you to find the perfect piano that will compliment your skill level and accelerate your progress.
Set a Practice Schedule
Regular practice is the most effective way to improve your piano playing. When you set a time to practice on a regular basis, you will be able to build habits that will help you enhance your skill. The more practice you put into your piano playing, the better your piano playing will be. It is also important to ensure that you practice piano playing on a regular basis, rather than practicing for an extended period of time every once in a while. The more consistent your piano practice is, the more effective it will be. By implementing this practice schedule, you will be able to accelerate your growth and learn piano more effectively.
Warm Up Before Practicing
Take the time to warm up before you start practicing. An effective warm up helps you to review the basics and get your body prepared to play on the piano. Warming up helps to prevent cramping and often improves the quality of your overall performance. Spend a few minutes warming up with some scales every time you go to practice. This is also a great time to review the basics and build a solid foundation.
Set Goals
When you don’t have goals, it can be difficult to track your progress. Setting goals helps you to keep track of your progress, as well as ensure that you have something to work toward. Your goals can be anything that you feel will motivate you to keep working on your piano playing. You may want to consider choosing a particular piece that you want to be able to play or a time at which you will be able to perform. Working with a professional teacher is also a great way to identify effective goals that will help to keep you on track with your piano playing.
Find Music you Enjoy Playing
Piano playing can be incredibly fun, but it is important to ensure that you find music that is fun for you to play. Everyone has different music tastes and so it is possible that something that someone else thinks is fun isn’t fun for you. Keep your own music tastes in mind and focus on finding music that you enjoy playing. The piano is a particularly versatile instrument that can be used to play music in many different types of styles and genres.
Listen to Piano Music
Spend some time listening to piano music when you first start to play the piano. It is especially beneficial to listen to professional recordings of the pieces you are learning to play. This will help to ensure that you get a good idea regarding how the piece is supposed to sound. It is a good way to gauge your progress, as well.
Be Patient
One of the major problems that people experience when they learn to play the piano is that they get impatient with themselves. Learning how to play the piano can take a great deal of time and effort. It is important to be patient and let yourself take the time to become better at piano playing. This will go a long way toward keeping you motivated to continue with your piano playing.
Take Hard Parts Slowly
Difficult pieces can be particularly discouraging. Slow down and play the difficult parts slowly when you first start to learn them. Just take it one note at a time until you have it down. Then, you can gradually speed it up until you are playing at the intended speed for the piece.
Practice with Each Hand Separately
One of the most difficult components of playing piano is learning how to play different things with both hands. Practice with each hand separately before you try to put it all together. This is another step that can help to prevent you getting discouraged with your piano playing. Learning each part individually will make it substantially easier to learn how to play them together.
When you are trying to learn piano, these tips can help you to stay dedicated and prevent you from getting discouraged. Any skill takes a long time and many hours of hard work to master. There are many benefits that you can gain from learning how to play the piano. Our team can help you to choose the perfect piano that will perfectly compliment your piano learning process. For more information about the best ways to learn piano and the pianos that we have at our gallery, contact us at Ogden Piano Gallery today!
