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)

If you have any inclination to learn the piano, then there is really no reason why you should not start straight away. If you are at all unsure, then here are the top twelve reasons to start right now.

Obviously, there are many many more reasons, certainly a lot more than twelve, but these are the best reasons, and if you have any inkling towards learning to play the piano, then after reading these you should be well on your way to starting!

1)    Music is a wonderful thing, and everyone should be able to play at least one instrument. And the piano is one of the most versatile to learn.
2)    There is a great deal of sophistication involved in playing the piano – you can feel and look amazing whilst doing so. It doesn’t matter what you look like, or how wonderful your self-esteem is, if you sit at the piano and are able to play properly, you look like a movie star!
3)    It’s great for the brain! The brain is the largest muscle in the human body, and like all muscles, it needs exercise to help it grow and develop. Music is a fantastic way of doing just that.
4)    Playing the piano is a great way to alleviate boredom. Just think of all those times when you had literally nothing to do and were scratching around for something to occupy your time. What better than playing the piano?
5)    It’s great for bringing the family together – many is the time when myself and my family have gathered around the piano as I play.
6)    It’s really good fun! It’s so diverse, there are so many ways you can learn, so many ways you can play, the list is really neverending – you can relax and enjoy it, or even challenge yourself to take it to new levels.
7)    Not only is it fun, but it’s also tremendously rewarding. People who play the piano get a strong sense of satisfaction from it.
8)    There are a few people who are fantastic at playing the piano – concert pianists and those with a very special aptitude for playing the piano. If you never start to learn, how do you know that you are not one of those elite people?
9)    There is a great deal of reverence associated with playing the piano. People genuinely admire those who can play any instrument, and the piano seems to be revered above most.
10)    If you have ever looked at someone’s hands and thought to yourself how long and slender the fingers looked, then it’s more than likely that they were a piano player. Playing the piano is great for the hands; it builds up the muscles and is also fantastic for developing your hand/eye coordination.
11)    There is absolutely no limit as to what you can learn when you play the piano. The well of music can never be exhausted, and you could never memorize every song ever to be played on the piano. You could, theoretically, learn a whopping ten songs a day for the rest of your life, and you still would have barely scratched the surface of the vast amount of songs that it is possible to learn.
12)    “Learn to Play the Piano” actually tops all the charts for the most stated New Year’s Resolution! By this, we can only assume that the majority of people wish that they could play the piano. Why not make yourself one of those who can?

I have no doubt that you can think of many more yourself. Whatever your reason is, however personal it is to you, then there is nothing stopping you – learn to play the piano today! There really are a myriad of reasons for you to start learning the piano.

Copyright 2009 Lauren Paltrow (Stage Pianist)