Tuesday, February 17, 2009

How to Learn Piano

By L. M. Ray

The most popular and useful instrument in the world is the piano. The appeal of the piano is worldwide as it attracts many people because of its adaptability to different forms of musical styles. People love to learn piano, but sometimes they are disappointed because it has so many confusing methods and styles of learning.

Is there an easier way to learning the piano? No, there isn't and anyone who believes that is fooling themselves if they think they can play Bach Inventions or Jazz piano like George Shearing. What will happen is that the student will become very frustrated and disappointed if they don't see that they are playing complicated pieces.

The most important thing for beginners is doing one thing at a time and you need to learn the process and the technique first. Don't start trying to play a song before you are comfortable with the individual notes. Learning to read music is a pretty high priority for a new pianist, because once you can read the music you are one step closer to becoming proficient.

Another thing that new pianists should do right off the bat is to set some goals. While you don't want to set the goals at an unreachable level, you want to challenge yourself so you can surprise yourself and others. Just like in any other area of life, goal setting is critical in playing the piano, especially for the adult student.

Be clear with some goals. Do you want to be able to use both hands to play by a certain day? Just decide what it is that you want to get done and execute a step by step plan to get it done.

Set aside a certain amount of time every day to work towards your goal of building a foundation. Some beginning students want to find an easy way to get to be a good musician and pianist because practicing sounds too time consuming and boring. What they have to realize is that most excellent pianists have spent literally hours of practice perfecting their technique, sight reading, and musicianship.

You don't need to practice until you are exhausted, as that will do more harm than good. You don't want to be tired and bored after a few weeks, but you should set up a step by step plan to get to your larger goal which you can discuss with your instructor. Lastly, question your teacher about anything that confuses you regarding your assignments or mastering the fundamentals of the piano.

The last thing that you need to remember is to not criticize yourself. Negative self-talk has prevented some potential virtuosos to quit much too early because they were frustrated and impatient. Perseverance and determination are two key components that an aspiring pianist needs to have to master the basics and build a solid foundation.

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