how to play the piano

The majority of individuals do not want to ‘learn’ or ‘practise’ piano; they simply want to ‘play’ piano. ‘Practice’ seems like a chore, but ‘play’ sounds like enjoyment. We have a mental image of a child confined inside ‘practising’ scales while the other kids are ‘playing’ outside the window.

So, the first step is to change our perspective on piano practise. Consider it a means to speed up the learning process so that you may ‘play’ piano and do it well soon. You will progress slowly if you do not practise and only play old familiar pieces. Yes, you’ll improve at playing those old favourites, but you’ll also improve technically.

You can leap forward with proper, systematic piano practise. I mention ‘appropriate’ because many individuals believe that practising is simply repeating songs over and over. Uncharted territory should be part of the practise. “Practice what you CAN’T play, not what you CAN play,” says the golden rule.

First and foremost, determine your goals. If you just want to know all of your chords without having to think about how they’re made, create a practise programme that will help you achieve that aim. Perhaps you want to learn about inversions or chord substitution – tailor your practise to your objectives.

Divide your practise time into two parts. Play the harder things first since your mind is sharper, then reward yourself with some enjoyable but somewhat difficult tunes. Make certain you feel at ease. A faulty piano stool at the wrong height has caused many back problems. Check to see if your piano is in tune. If you don’t have a nice piano and want to learn to play, BUY ONE NOW.

Stretch your arms and shoulders every fifteen minutes, and roll your neck to relieve stiffness. Check out some Yoga shoulder and back exercises.

Follow the three-times-a-day rule. In practise, repetition is ESSENTIAL. If you’re having trouble with something, make sure you practise it at least three times per day. Don’t worry if mastering it takes months — you’ll get there.
Don’t bother with the neighbours. You should practise piano when no one is around so you can make a lot of mistakes and play things over and over. Organize your piano music carefully; don’t just pile it up and keep playing the ones on top. Put sheet music in a folder if you download it. Make sure there are enough of shelves around the piano.

Be realistic — I honestly believe that anyone can study piano and love it, but no two people are alike, and some people are more ‘naturally’ gifted than others. If your ability is ordinary, all you need to do is practise. You will learn more as you practise.

Practice with your eyes closed – or without looking at the keys – every now and then to keep your skills sharp. Organize your life so that you can practise (this where Mindfulness comes in). Too many people believe they don’t have time to practise when the truth is that they just haven’t found it. How long you should practise is entirely dependent on your goals.

You can put on some headphones and play whatever you want with a keyboard – you can experiment, make mistakes, sound ridiculous, and play something a thousand times without driving other people crazy. Ideally, you should have BOTH!

It is recommended to get an overstrung piano rather than a straight strung piano when purchasing a piano. How can you tell? The tuning pins should be visible at the top of the piano if you lift the top lid. A straight strung piano has tuning pegs evenly spaced along the pin block and strings that are all parallel and vertical. An overstrung piano has a group of tuning pegs on the left and a separate group on the right, and the strings cross over in an X form. Get a tuner to check it out as well. I once purchased a piano that required wood treatment since all of the pins were broken (that tighten the strings)

What type of keyboard should you get?
A lot depends on your goals. If you want a keyboard that sounds and feels like a piano, you’ll want to opt for one with WEIGHTED keys. Don’t be fooled by the other buttons; pay attention to the piano sound. A keyboard is what you need if you want something portable. Personally, I’d search for one with weighted keys because I despise the sensation of light plastic keys.

Get a keyboard with at least 61 keys; anything less will leave you wanting more after a few days. Make sure you get a sustain pedal as well; a keyboard is useless without one. When you pull your finger off a key without a sustain pedal, the sound stops dead — with a piano, the strings at least tremble for a second or two – the difference is pretty evident.