What is the best way to learn piano for beginners? This question has been debated over time, but there are some definite steps that can get you going in the right direction. There’s no perfect way to learn, so find what works for you and stick with it.
The rest of this blog post will provide advice on how to start learning piano.
Consider the type of piano you want to buy
Before you can learn your piano, you have to buy one. Having a good instrument is the first step to learning how to play. There are several types of pianos available for purchase, such as:
- Grand Piano
- Upright Piano
- Electric Piano or Digital Piano
Pianos come in these variations because they vary in size and sound quality. In most cases, it’s best to buy an upright piano if you want the best value for money (you’ll also be able to find them easier). However, if you plan on playing music with full orchestration accompaniment, then it may be worth looking into buying a digital/electric piano instead – so you don’t have to worry about finding a good pianist or renting an upright.
Play the instrument before you buy it!
While this may be obvious, make sure that you play different variations of the piano (different brands and models) before making your final decision. This will give you the chance to try each one out for yourself – especially if you’re buying online or from a physical store where you can’t try it beforehand. Always look into how easy they are to use and how responsive they are to know what works best for you. See which keys cause problems like sticking, rattling, etc., and avoid them at all costs!
If possible, visit music stores in person where there is usually someone who can demonstrate the pianos properly for you. In addition, if you want to try out more than one piano at a time, then make sure they are tuned similarly so that you can compare the different sounds and quality.
See also: How often to Tune a Piano?
Sometimes it may not be possible to test play each instrument before buying one – which is why online shopping might be more convenient for some people. If this does apply to you, then simply read up on what other customers have said about the product in question to get an idea of whether or not it’s good.
Find a Piano teacher
If you want to learn how to play piano, then it’s best to find a piano teacher who can teach you. The internet is full of them, so don’t be afraid to do some research!
When looking for a piano teacher, the main thing that should stand out is their personality and teaching methods – this means finding someone who has experience teaching people like you in the past. It may be worth considering taking lessons with several different teachers until one stands out from the crowd – simply because they are passionate about what they do and know how to explain things properly.
Practice makes perfect, but having a good instructor will help make your practice more effective!
After all, learning something new can be frustrating, so learning from someone who has been there will increase your chances of success!
Learn the basics of piano playing
As with any instrument, there are specific things to learn before you can play music. The basics for the piano include:
Learning how to press and release the keys
There are 88 keys on a piano that must all be pressed in order to play anything! To do this successfully, you need to get used to where each key is located and how to press each one without causing faults (such as pressing two keys at once). The most challenging part of this will be learning where the white and black notes are, as they’re not always alphabetized in the same way.
Another thing to keep in mind is that some keys have different names depending on where they are located. For example, middle C is also known as C4, while the A above that is known as C5. You’ll want to learn the notes of each key as well as its corresponding letter name so that you can play music efficiently!
Rhythm
While not necessary to learn before playing music, Rhythm can help you play the piano more quickly. The different notes in music have standard “beat” placements that make up common rhythms, and if you know where these are located, you can easily try playing music! You may want to learn this first before anything else because it’s simple and can be taught in a short amount of time.
In addition to mastering basic rhythms when choosing different notes in the middle of the piano, it’s also good to learn how long each note lasts; this is especially important for beginners who may not be used to reading sheet music at this stage – practicing with metronomes and having someone help you learn how to count out each note with a stopwatch can vastly improve your timing!
Note reading
Once you have learned the basics above, it’s time to start reading sheet music. By learning how to read music, you can become more creative with your playing and effortlessly play any song that has been written out in sheet music! This will likely be one of the most challenging parts of learning piano for beginners who aren’t used to it yet, so you’ll want to practice at home for a while until it becomes second nature.
Another thing to note is that there are several different types and levels of sheet music. For example, beginners may start with “piano flashcards,” which only have one song per card. Once they become more familiar with the notes on the piano, it’s then time to move onto reading traditional sheet music for beginners!
Practice daily to build up muscle memory and improve technique
Now that you know the basics, it’s time to get playing! Practice daily for 15-30 minutes a day, depending on how busy your life is. If you’re determined to learn the piano quickly, consider practicing an hour every day, so often, until you feel like it’s not as challenging anymore!
When learning to play any instrument, the most important thing is to build up muscle memory and get used to how the keystrokes feel. Practice slowly at first, so you get the right “muscle memory” for each note, but once you have done that, it’s time to speed things up!
While learning basic rhythms is important when choosing notes in the middle of the piano, it’s also important to practice reading sheet music and time your playing accordingly. If you stick to a daily practice schedule, you’ll be able to learn to play the piano quickly! Practice playing with the metronome as well, so you can begin to understand how long each note should last.
Use online resources
After learning the basics, it’s important to continue practicing daily, so your practice schedule doesn’t slip. This is especially important because if you don’t continue to learn how to play piano at this point, there’s a good chance that you’ll forget some of the skills and knowledge that you’ve already gained!
There are several great online resources for learning piano, which can help both beginners and experienced players become more creative with their music. Sites like YouTube are great for finding beginner piano music lessons and songs you can play with friends or on stage!
The internet is a prominent place filled with a lot of different information, so be sure to use it wisely when learning how to play the piano. While there are some helpful resources online, be wary of videos and sites that offer tricks that claim to make you an instant master at playing the piano – these techniques aren’t reliable and will cause issues down the line!
Learn songs that you like
One of the best ways to become an even more effective musician is by learning how to play songs that you like for yourself! It’s all too easy to rely on sheet music or online resources if you aren’t dedicated to finding a style of music that inspires you. Once you find out what kind of music really grabs your attention, it opens up many more opportunities for creativity!
For example, if you’re into classic rock, then look for sheet music from your favorite band and use their songs as inspiration when playing the piano. If rap/hip hop is more your thing, try creating a piano beat that matches the drum rhythm in your favorite songs (or look for sheet music from other artists who are good at matching beats) and use that as inspiration for your own song!
The more you practice playing music on the piano, the better you’ll get at finding unique and creative ways to play songs – these skills are a lot of fun to learn, and they definitely make it easier to find sheet music online for free, which is awesome!
See also: 12 Easy Piano Songs for Beginners
Join music groups or local events to meet people with similar interests
If you really want to learn how to play the piano quickly, you must surround yourself with other musicians at a similar skill level.
It can be very frustrating if you’re just starting out trying to get better, and everyone else seems like they understand music theory more than you do! The best way around this is by meeting up with some friends who have similar interests and goals as regards music – this will motivate the group of you to push yourselves so much further than perhaps you would on your own!
If you do find friends to play music with, make sure that the group has a variety of interests so everyone can learn something. Some people may be classically trained while others might have learned from an app, and still, others might pick up new songs by ear – all of these skills are important, and they will help create a unique style that suits your tastes as well!
Use social media sites to share your work. Social media is another excellent way to get in touch with other musicians who want to learn to play piano for fun or professionally!
Don’t give up!
Learning how to play the piano isn’t easy, but consistency and perseverance are necessary if you want to do it correctly!
It can be hard to push through and learn everything when you feel like it takes so long. It’s crucial not to give up though when learning to play piano – the more you practice regularly, the better you’ll get at playing no matter what style of music or song you listen to. This is something which will certainly benefit your skills in the long run as well!
Conclusion
Learning how to play piano for beginners can be a fun experience – you must find a style of music or artist that inspires you, so stay persistent and keep learning!
One of the best ways to get feedback on your skills is by joining up with other musicians interested in playing piano together. By sharing stories about your favorite styles of music and allowing yourself to be inspired by others, you’re sure to enjoy playing even more than ever before!
