Piano lessons & Learn to Play the Piano

For the first time reader it will seem like there are an endless amount of notes that must be learnt – Unfortunately, it is also what makes the music quite difficult to learn. If you are learning to play the piano, then one of the first things that you will need to consider is, of course, the note. The note is the fundament of all music and the basis of all the tunes.

To begin with, you will need to learn the first 12 major notes. Don’t panic, as there are a number of techniques that you can learn to not only memorize them, but understand them as well. For the majority of us, we will have encountered the do-re-mi scale at some point in our schooling, and we have applied that here to show you how those notes that you learnt way back in school are interpreted into musical notes.

Just by simply learning the 12 notes, you are already well on your way to learning to play the piano. When you have these notes memorized, then you will be amazed at the number of doors that open for you. The next step is to move onto learning the 12 major chords.

These chords are the most important that you will learn, and, like the notes, will form the bedrock for your piano playing skills. Interestingly enough, these chords correspond directly to the chords that are used in playing the guitar, so when you have mastered them you will be able to play on both the guitar AND the piano!

On the table above you can also see the keys (notes) that are to be pressed in order to form the chord. The comparison between learning to play the piano and learning to play the guitar doesn’t end there – in both, all you really need to learn is the twelve major chords and then the proper positioning of your fingers.

As you probably would have guessed, there are a lot more chords available than just the ones that we have illustrated above, but these twelve are among the easiest to memorize. Also, learning these twelve will hold you in good stead for learning all the others.

When you begin to tackle more complex chords as you continue to learn the piano, many will seem really complicated and difficult to learn. In reality, however, they are just variations on the chords that we have illustrated above, and if you already know those, then you shouldn’t have too much of a problem. When you have mastered these – you will more than likely find it a lot easier than you think – you can move on to learning other chords.

The most important thing to remember as you memorize more and more chords is the location of middle C. If you bear this location in mind as you progress, you’ll discover that all other chords are based around its location. These variations are known as the minor chords. The biggest difference is that the major chords take only three fingers to play, whereas the minor chords can involve four and sometimes five fingers.

When you realize that the variations are based on what you already know, then you’ll see that the world really is your oyster! When you are just starting out learning the piano, all of this can be more than a little overwhelming. What you will find, however, is that when you know these simple principles, the rest comes quite naturally.

Copyright 2009 Lauren Paltrow (Stage Pianist)

Being musical is truly a gift and one that so few people get to experience. Many actually begin to learn to play instruments when they are children but then give it up as they get a little older.

Unfortunately, they also tend to regret it and try learning instruments as they get older. However, as we age we do not seem to pick up learning in the same way as we did when our minds were thirsty so this may make learning piano, or any other instrument for that matter, that bit more difficult.

If you are considering learning piano then the likelihood is that you will get frustrated with all of the resources out there. There are so many to look at but they all tell you something completely different from anything else out there and seem to advocate their ways as the only ways of learning piano.

Easy piano lessons is designed to assist you quickly and easily to start playing astonishing piano.

Of course, all of the courses and methods do work for some people but do not work for everyone, which is why you need to be able to choose the best possible options for you. Learning piano is an art and not a race so take your time and choose your best options using the following guide on how to choose the best aid for you:

• Play To Your Strengths – Do you learn better in one particular way? When learning to play piano, all some people have to do is listen to a tune and try to duplicate it, whereas others need to see a demonstration or read a manual. You alone know best how you learn so you alone are best placed to find a solution that caters for that. Never be sucked in by promises and offers. The only thing you should assess right from the start is how the program actually works. From there, you can find the best review for you.

• Look At Consumer Reviews – Other people will have tried learning piano with the various programs on offer so make sure that you take a look at their reviews so you can assess whether or not each one is worth the money. Some are bargains but others are a waste of space. Always remember what does not work for one may work for you but bear in mind that you should only take the constructive criticism on board.

• Assess Your Own Level – Are you a beginner at learning piano or have you skills from your childhood? Are you playing for the first time or do you have a good knowledge base that you want to build on? Every program is aimed at a specific level so choose the right one for you so that you can follow it and enjoy!
• Assess Your Affordability – Do not pay more than you can afford for learning piano. It is difficult when you are looking at fantastic promotions and offers, promises that you can learn to play in a few hours and so on. However, you have to make sure that you are within your own price range because until you have it there with you, you never know how good it is going to be.

• Make Sure Your Attitude Is Correct – Are you learning to play piano because you want to? Will you stick to any program that you buy? Are you prepared to commit to it? If the answer to any of these questions is no then you might not be ready to start learning piano just yet. You have to want to commit the time and energy to it or else it will be a waste of money so ask this as a final check before you hit the purchase button!

If you are interested in playing some of your favorite songs, but you aren’t good about figuring out how to play them on your own, you can find printable sheet music online. My husband has created program that takes a song and delivers it to him in sheet music form.

This can be great for anyone who wants to write their own songs, needs to learn another song in a hurry, or who just can’t seem to get the right notes. I know many musicians can easily pick up a song right away, but there is some music out there that can be very hard to figure out. It might be in an uncommon key, or it might just be that the notes are just too hard to pick out individually. If the software works right, it can do all of this for you, and it gives you printable sheet music to look at while learning the song.

You also have to remember that there will be times when printable sheet music will not be entirely accurate. You might find some mistakes, so don’t assume it’s all right. This is a great way to learn songs you can’t figure out, even if the person who transcribed the music didn’t get it right either. If they got most of it right, you can probably sort out the wrong notes on your own. If you find that it is terribly wrong, you still have one option.

Though I’m not clear on the specifics, I remember that there were many times when I had to share sheet music because the school could not afford to get any more. I would assume this meant that every sheet of music was bought and that it would have been illegal to make copies. This might be the same for downloaded printable music. You should ensure you read the small print on any site that offers this to you so you are sure you aren’t making a huge mistake.