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Most beginners were just struggling to learn their first piano chords. But learning how to play a musical instrument starts with those awkward moments of trying to understand the notes and chords and associating those notes and chords with the correct finger placements.
If you are like most beginners back then, eagerly wanting to learn the piano, I would suggest that you first know the best ways to learn the piano. Of course, you can learn the piano even if you are in your 50s, for no one is too old to start learning the piano. You only need to have a burning desire to learn how to play it and be cognizant of the best ways to learn it.
Best Methods for Learning the Piano for Beginners
There are several methods to learn how to play the piano. You can, for example, follow the traditional methods of learning it. You can also go modern with the use of a modern video course to get the hang of piano playing. Below are the most efficient ways you can follow to learn to play this lovely musical instrument:
1) Traditional Methods of Learning
The traditional way of learning the piano involves enrolling in piano lessons and paying someone to guide you through the rudiments of learning the piano. Many professional piano players teach piano and are willing to do piano tutorials, whether at home or online. Others, however, hold their music classes that you can attend weekly.
The traditional methods of learning have their pros and cons. In times of pandemics, like the Covid 19 Pandemic, for example, you can’t ask your teacher to go to your house to teach you piano. Moreover, it may not be convenient for you to attend weekly lessons.
Besides, it is hard to find a competent teacher nowadays who can really teach you the rudiments and basics of piano playing. Many students, however, thrive in such a setup and benefit from undergoing the traditional methods of learning the piano.
2) Through Online Video Course
With the availability of the internet, you now have the option of taking your piano lessons online. You don’t need to be in a standard classroom attending your class on piano. You only need to turn on your computer and log on to your online class to learn the basics of piano playing. You only need to enroll in an online piano class or avail of the piano video course online like the Piano for All.
Such online video courses are easy and exciting to learn, and they are prepared in a way that beginners can follow according to their learning pace. These stepladder-approach lessons allow the students to learn at their own pace through a combination of different learning styles. With such a course, you will learn how to read music quickly without relying on traditional methods.
3) Using a Lighted Keyboard Piano
Another exciting way to learn the piano is via a lighted keyboard and interactive apps. Learning the piano this way allows even kids to enjoy the process of learning by simply following the lights of the keys that you need to play.
The lighted piano usually comes with interactive apps that you can use when playing the piano. With the help of the apps, you will have very interactive graphical interfaces to accelerate learning. Such a combination of technology enthuses even little children to learn the basics of piano playing.
Lighted keyboards are easy to use. When you turn on the keyboard piano and set it up, the program will enable you to see which note is the next to play because they light up on your screen. So, you don’t need to think much as to which notes or keys to press afterward. You only need to follow the guiding light. This method of learning the piano is perfect for those who find it hard to understand the theories behind the music.
With the lighted piano, you won’t need to sit in a boring class for the whole week to digest what the instructor wants to convey. Moreover, you don’t need to wait for every weekly lesson. You only need to play and replay the lessons on your computer, allowing you perfect control of your learning pace.
You only need to buy a keyboard with keys that light up. You can choose, for example, a 61-key digital piano that you can easily connect to your music software via USB or wirelessly. Such a digital piano is usually compatible with PC and Mac.
Illuminating pianos function by enabling the keys to light up using various colors via a MIDI controller. You only need to select the song that you desire to play, and the software relays the signals to your digital piano so that you can follow the light.
4) Self-learning or Self-teaching Using Method Books
Many pianists were self-taught, using method books that allow them to learn the basics of piano playing. You can avail, for example, of books like Piano for Dummies. Such a book can provide you with an excellent means to kickstart your piano learning. In your starting days you can start by using appartment paino, then you can upgrade yourself with your skills.
Method books have been around for quite a long time. With the help of an exemplary method book, you can engage in a do-it-yourself study of the piano without needing a piano instructor.
You can also avail of interactive e-books or use software that could provide you with the steps to play the piano. Such a method book can help you learn at your own pace.
Which Piano Should You Use as a Beginner?
When it comes to piano learning, you have several options as to which instrument you are going to use. You can use the traditional upright or spinet piano or go for the studio or grand piano. These pianos, of course, provide the real mechanical action that most professional pianos want to have, and they offer fuller sound control and superior timbre and tone.
When you press on their keys, you will feel the hammers’ slight vibrations striking the metal rings inside the piano. You will also hear the acoustic sound reverberations. With these pianos, you can shape your sound using the pedals likewise.
You can also use digital pianos that offer many benefits that you would not find in acoustic pianos. First, they don’t need tuning, allowing you to save on tuning because it is expensive. Moreover, digital pianos are not bulky, and many of them are portable. Besides, they come with features like volume control and headphone jacks to allow you to practice quietly sans disturbing other people around.
Piano keyboards also come with recording capabilities, letting you record and save your playing and replay them afterward. You can also connect them to your computer, allowing you to use intuitive software like Sibelius and Finale.
The digital keyboards are also less expensive than acoustic pianos. Hence, you will not dent your savings much if you opt for digital pianos. The prices range of an acoustic piano (low to mid-tier) from $3,000 to $5,000 or even more. Those of the digital pianos, however, range from $500 to $2,000.
Other Additional Tips For Beginners To Learn Piano Fast
Aside from the above-mentioned tips on learning how to play the piano, you can check out these additional tips that could further facilitate your learning of piano:
1) Begin with the Basic
Many piano learners become impatient and want to go immediately to the more complicated aspect of piano playing. Yet, the approach in learning the piano should be a stepladder approach. It will help to begin with the basics, and from there, you move on to more complicated techniques.
The basics of piano playing include learning the correct posture and understanding the fingers and wrists’ proper position when playing. Once you’ve perfected your form, you can then focus on learning the basic chords and rhythms.
2) Make a Marginal Adjustment in Your Schedule
Nothing is achieved without sacrifice. Similarly, if you want to learn the piano, you need to invest time and effort to learn it. You need to practice, and practice entails time. For this reason, you need to make a marginal adjustment in your schedule to accommodate the time for piano practices. The more you practice, the better you will become at playing the piano.
3) Play Slow at the Onset
If you are new to learning a skill, it will help to play it slow. Just like in learning the piano, you can’t play like a master at the onset. You should take it slow and learn the chords slowly and accurately. Allot time for perfecting your notes and transition from one note to another or one chord to another.
Remember that learning entails three things: knowledge, association, and mastery. Once muscle memory starts to work, you will discover that playing the piano will become second nature to you.
Conclusion
Learning how to play the piano comes with many benefits. Some of these benefits include improved memory, improved sensorimotor skills, and a better understanding of music theories. It’s also a good way of relieving yourself of stress. Plus, you get to improve your social life by playing in social gatherings. No doubt learning the piano improves you as a person.
Of course, at the onset, you will feel daunted by the thought of learning the different chords. Yet, take it slow and be patient with yourself. Many have tried to master the piano, but only very few succeeded in mastering it. So, be patient with yourself and be willing to spend lonely hours practicing to gain mastery of this musical instrument.
