Piano playing can provide lasting health benefits for mind, body and soul. Studies show that making music can increase memory recall, focus and socialization skills.
As shown above, start at Middle C on the keyboard by placing your index finger (Finger #1) on it, followed by all remaining fingers on white keys below it.
Getting Started
Learning music offers many advantages; be it to relieve stress, have more enjoyable interactions with others or express something words can’t. Dedication and perseverance are the keys to success – getting started takes time and energy, but will open up a world of possibility and make learning something that everyone understands no matter their background or culture.
As soon as you sit down to play piano, begin by finding middle “C”. These keys serve as your home keys – where your fingers will go to rest. On the keyboard there will be lines, symbols and numbers called notation systems; 12 white keys with 8 black ones between each grouping form an octave; start from there to find middle “C”.
First, place the thumb of each hand on its respective home key for each finger (index finger on both hands, middle finger on both hands, ring and little fingers), moving your fingers up one white key before returning back down the following white key in turn – repeat this process until all keys have been used up and back again.
This will give you a basic foundation for playing any song you wish to on piano, including chords. Most songs contain chords; knowing them makes learning new songs much simpler.
The Keyboard
As seen in the image, a piano keyboard contains both white and black keys, each representing its own note; these 12 white and 8 black keys form what’s known as an octave. As part of your first lessons you should focus on finding notes that contain middle “C”. To find them place finger 1 (your right thumb) over any set of two black keys adjacent each other.
Through your lessons, you will become acquainted with all of the other notes in this group and practice finding all white keys as well as black ones. White notes are named alphabetically; once you learn all their names it will become much simpler to locate the black notes.
Once you realize that do is the first white key in Group 1, and fa is the last black key, you will quickly realize that every other white key in this group is half step away from either of these two black keys – an invaluable concept which you will return to again and again while learning to play! This concept will prove extremely useful as you progress with your musical training.
No matter if you want to perform pop hits, have a player piano entertain guests or practice Brahms, modern electronic keyboard instruments offer music tailored specifically for you. Kurt Vonnegut would likely be amazed by their variety of prerecorded titles from pop to jazz and classical genres; some even come equipped with an internal computer capable of loading hours of recorded tunes onto them!
Rhythm
The piano is an enduringly popular instrument that offers players of all skill levels an opportunity to create beautiful music and relieve stress through creative expression. Additionally, playing can help people express feelings that cannot be described with words alone.
Understanding rhythm is one of the key aspects of playing piano. Achieving good rhythm will make it easier for you to match the beat of songs or your own pulse when it comes time to playing notes on piano, or create your own music. A metronome will be invaluable in developing rhythmic sensibilities; use one daily as you practice so you don’t rush or slow down too quickly when practicing or when taking lessons.
An important element of rhythm is learning how to read musical notation. Reading notation allows you to quickly locate keys corresponding to specific sounds of different notes and give you an understanding of their duration; for example, one whole note (semibreve) can be divided into halves (minim), quarters (crotchet), eighths (quaver) and sixteenths (semibrev).
Once you have mastered these fundamental principles, it’s time to begin learning songs. An ideal place to start would be by mastering simple chords; these will serve as the building blocks to learning more complex pieces as well as opening up many genres that previously seemed impossible on piano.
To locate a chord, look for groups of white keys on the left side of the keyboard that have two or three white keys in groups of two or three on it. Middle C should be finger one’s initial target note from among all white keys above black ones – from here move your right hand up and down matching notes according to their names.
Scales
Scales on the piano can help familiarize players with its keys while developing finger dexterity and reading music easier. Scales will also facilitate chord reading since their origin lies within scales themselves. Practice of scales and chords also helps build comfort playing both hands together at first, which can be one of the hardest challenges. You may find yourself having to shift fingers around as your brain makes new connections – stick with it though; soon enough you will be playing two-handed without much thought!
Scales are groups of notes played together in an ordered manner. Most scales are octave-repeating, meaning that their pattern of tones repeats every octave; for instance, C major has the pattern C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C. When learning music notation, scales will often be listed with individual notes listed ascending order within them – for instance C1 indicates its first note within C major scale.
Modes differ from other scales by changing how whole and half steps interact with one another to change its sound; this allows each mode to have its own distinct sonic identity.
Beginners should start their scale lessons on middle C, which is located just to the left of any pair of black keys in the center of the keyboard. Place finger 1 (your right thumb) on middle C and move it up and down the keyboard with it.
Music Theory
Start learning music theory to elevate your piano playing to new levels of sophistication. Once you understand chords’ structure, you can experiment with creating individual styles of playing and improvising; one of the greatest joys of piano learning. Opening up new songs and musical genres.
As you embark on your musical journey, it is essential that you set realistic goals for yourself. While it may not be possible for you to play Beethoven by this time next year, setting goals that are achievable can serve as motivation to learn something new and challenging. Adults tend to be purpose driven individuals who find the initiative of learning new things inspiring.
Starting is easy on a piano keyboard! Simply locate Middle C (located beneath the black key that says “C”) and place your thumb there; your index finger on its white note to its immediate right (D); your ring finger two black keys away (F). Play these notes together (C-D-F). Congratulations – you just played your first chord!
Begin incorporating more complex chords, such as diminished chords. Diminished chords may not be as common as major or minor chords, but their unique sound adds depth and tension to songs. They can also serve as transitional notes between other more stable-sounding chords, like major or minor sevenths. Examples of songs featuring diminished chords include Beach Boys’ “God Only Knows” and Rolling Stones “Jumpin’ Jack Flash.”
Once you have mastered the five-finger scale, it is time to learn the notes on a staff. An effective way of memorizing these is singing along to popular show tunes; many begin learning “Do-Re-Mi-Fa-So-La-Ti-Do.” Singing along will familiarise yourself with both melody and pitch for every note on the staff.