Chords are an integral component of Western music, serving to harmonize and progress songs forward.
Locate the “C” key on your keyboard to begin. This white key should be immediately left of a pair of black keys.
Notice how each key has an interval of half step; this will come in handy later when learning to recognize sharps and flats.
Keyboards
Just like driving or throwing baseball requires the appropriate equipment, piano playing requires a keyboard as its heart. No matter if it’s an acoustic piano or digital, keyboards will remain at the core of your instrument for years.
As it will require pressing lightly for soft sounds and harder for louder ones, it is vitally important that your keyboard be touch-sensitive. Make sure it contains at least 88 keys, giving ample opportunity for learning and practice. Likewise, look out for one with adjustable volume so you can tailor the playing experience depending on ambient noise levels in the room.
Piano playing requires an understanding of music theory. This includes reading notes on a staff and understanding chord formation from those notes; knowing how the intervals of notes are determined also will allow more accurate keyboard keypresses.
Beginning piano students should start by familiarizing themselves with major piano chords. You will recognize these from most songs you hear – for instance, “Let It Be” by The Beatles begins with C major.
Launch into white keys of the keyboard and locate middle C, usually indicated with its brand name on most models. On your right hand, place your thumb over this key before playing finger 1 (your index finger), 2 (your middle finger), and 5 (pinky). These four white keys form the outer “shell” of a C major chord; practice playing them together until they feel natural and comfortable.
Once you’re familiar with white notes, advance to black keys. Each white key is spaced by half steps; therefore the first black key you touch should correspond to middle C; this knowledge will aid your reading sheet music and learning new piano chords.
Pedals
One of the biggest mistakes a novice piano player can make is to neglect or overuse pedals. Used correctly, pedals can enhance your sound and add impactful playing. Take time to experiment with and understand how they function – this will come in handy as you learn specific pieces that require their use.
The right pedal, also known as the sustain pedal or damper, allows you to play continuously. By pressing this pedal down and raising its dampers from the strings, it enables them to vibrate for much longer after keys have been released and gives a much fuller sound than simply pressing and releasing keys – Beethoven often used this sustain pedal as part of his compositions for creating richer sounds that fill a piece.
Pedal Phrasing is another effective way of using the sustain pedal. To use it correctly, read carefully through your sheet music to identify little peaks which indicate when to lift and clear (clear out) the sustain pedal (lift it briefly before playing the next note) so the new notes won’t blend with those previously played – an essential technique any pianist must master!
Most pianos feature a middle pedal, commonly known as the una corda or soft pedal, that functions differently depending on its use and type of piano. When pressing this pedal on upright pianos outside Europe and Asia, for example, it acts as a mutes; when you press this pedal a piece of felt lowers between hammers and strings in order to mute their collision and produce an exceptionally muted and dull tone.
On grand pianos, the middle pedal serves as both an una corda and sostenuto pedal. By raising the hammers closer to the strings and reducing force applied when hitting them with less force than normal, producing a quieter and more subtle sound, it creates an effective method for playing jazz where sustain is commonplace.
Tone
Becoming a good piano player takes practice, time, and dedication – but there are ways you can instantly improve your sound right now, without needing to wait years before getting started.
One of the most essential steps you can take as a pianist is paying close attention to your tone. Beginners (and some advanced players) tend to play their piano with harsh, almost “hitting” notes – however as a pianist you want to create soothing sounds that transport listeners on an unforgettable musical journey.
Accomplish this through proper finger movement. Aiming to press down on each key then slowly raise it upward in a flowing movement is key; this allows your fingers to “play into” the keyboard rather than simply hitting its keys – an approach used by great pianists like Celine Gaurier-Joubert.
One way you can improve your tone is to learn to read music. Doing this will enable you to better comprehend the compositions you play as well as learn scales correctly and how best to perform them.
For beginners to reading music, I suggest starting by learning some basic notes. Locate the lowest note on your piano and place your finger there before finding the next note up; repeat until eventually, you can read entire songs and start learning how to play them!
Once you know how to read basic notes, it’s time to practice rhythm. Begin with simple finger rhythms that match up with the beat of a song before progressing to matching chords and then improvising. At first this may take some trial-and-error; with continued practice it should become faster and easier over time.
Rhythm
Piano is an instrument that relies heavily on rhythm to maintain its sound, so developing good rhythm skills is critical if you wish to play alongside other musicians with confidence that your music will sound consistent. To develop these skills, practice playing chords with your right hand while melodies with your left hand, alternating right/left handed melodies; additionally you could experiment with various note lengths to see which are easiest for you to play in rhythm.
As an initial step, start off by learning the fundamental rhythms that appear in most songs – often known as straight rhythms – which include counting whole, half, quarter, eighth, and sixteenth notes. Master this pattern until it can be played without making mistakes before moving on to rhythms that incorporate multiple types of rhythm.
For optimal rhythm playing, use your backhand rather than fingertips to touch each key and ensure smooth transition between different keys. Also keep your hand close to the keyboard so that when pressing one of its keys it does not cause it to change position or alter position.
Another effective technique for honing rhythm is tapping or moving along with the beat of each song while you play. This will force your feet and body to keep up with what the music requires, helping ensure more consistent learning of new tunes. This strategy works great on any musical instrument – not just piano.
One of the greatest challenges associated with piano can be playing multiple melodies at once with their right hand while keeping time with their left. To master this skill requires much practice and can be developed further with guidance from an experienced piano teacher. Listening to recordings of your favorite songs may also help; try mimicking their rhythm as much as possible when practicing solo melodies on piano.