How to Teach Yourself Piano the Easy Way
Learning to play the piano may seem daunting at first, but there are easy ways to learn the basics of piano playing and note reading. Once the basics have been mastered, the music and playing will come with a more certain fluidity than you might think possible. The two main components of mastering piano are learning notes and learning scales. Once the notes have been perfected, the scales will be much easier to play. Practice does make perfect, and not overwhelming yourself with attempting to learn too much at a time will ensure a comfortable pace of progress.
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Instructions
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Write the music notes on a piece of paper. There are 52 white keys on the piano and 36 black. Focus only on the white keys and write each note on the paper seven times. The music notes are A, B, C, D, E, F, G. Cut the paper into thin rectangular pieces to fit on the piano keys. Tape the paper vertically onto the corresponding keys, fully encasing the paper with the tape and securing it flush against the keys.
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Place sheet music on the piano. Songs like "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star," "Mary Had a Little Lamb" and "Happy Birthday" are very easy to play for beginners. There are two main clefs in music: the "treble" clef and the "bass" clef. The treble clef looks like a cursive upper-case "S," and the bass clef resembles a backward "C." If the sheet music you are reading possesses a treble clef, the musical notes begin with the D note and move from D to G in the next octave. If the clef is a "bass" clef, the notes begin with F and move to B two octaves above.
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Study the sheet music. Following the music from the beginning of the piece, play each note on the keys. Play the main melody out until the end of the music is reached or until you wish to take a break. Beginners' songs often do not have a second hand accompaniment, so the main melody is what you should practice until you feel comfortable in your ability. It is simply a matter of learning the notes on the keyboard.
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Continue practicing with the sheet music until you feel a sense of comfort with that particular piece. Use more sheet music, playing each note until you are comfortable with the piece.
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Tips & Warnings
When you choose a piece of music requiring accompaniment, practice the right-hand melody first, then the left-hand accompaniment. Once you feel comfortable with both, play them together.
Continue playing a song, and once you feel comfortable with it, try not looking at the keys while playing.
"Ode to Joy" (from Beethoven's Ninth Symphony) is a classical piece that is surprisingly easy to play. Once you feel secure with the notes, attempt this piece to improve your skills.
As your technique improves, you can move on to progressively more difficult pieces.
Learn all the basic notes and make sure you are secure with them before you begin practicing scales.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit piano image by Sergey Goruppa from Fotolia.com
