Out of all the musical instruments, the piano is definitely the father of them all, with its variety of sounds. Many people actually regret not learning how to play the piano in school as kids, therefore years later, as adults they want to learn how to play the father of all the instruments, The Piano.
For the important part of the process, you must ask yourself, can you teach yourself how to play the piano? I have good news for you, Yes you can!
Below I will provide you with a guide in how you can teach yourself to play the piano, as easy as 1-2-3.
Before start learning the father of music you should read the history of it. Here we have an article about the history of piano.
Tip 1) Buy Your Own Piano Or Keyboard:
You can’t learn how to play the piano, unless if you have one right? Even if you can go somewhere and borrow a piano, or have access to a public place, where you’re allowed to use their pianos, there’s nothing like owning your own in the privacy of your home.
Since a Piano is a very versatile instrument, it’s not very cheap, however it’s an investment worth going into, if you really want to learn how to play the piano, and, enjoy its many beautiful melodies.
As a beginner, you don’t need to purchase the most expensive piano, as you are only beginning this new venture, later on, when you have mastered its keys, you can make a bigger investment, and who knows, maybe even buy a grand piano!
If money is a problem to you, or if you simply can’t invest in a Piano right now, that’s fine, don’t get your hopes down! You can always start with a digital keyboard. Don’t waste your time, and money buying a low-quality keyboard, as this will take away from the melodies, and sounds you can create.
Since we covered the essentials, let’s move on to the next tip.
Tip 2) Find The Middle C:
Not that you finally have your musical instrument, whether it is the piano, or the digital keyboard we can start by taking this moment in, enjoying it, and visualizing yourself mastering the “father of all instruments.”
I know you may feel overwhelmed at first, seeing all those keys, however, don’t worry! It’s not as hard as it looks!
The Simplest and most common way to teach yourself piano, is by finding the Middle C. This key is like the home base, where everyone works off of.
You may be looking at the keyboard, and wondering where is the Middle C key? When you position yourself in the middle of the instrument, you will see that the black keys are in sets of two and three’s. The Middle C key is the white key, just to the left of the group of two black keys near the center or middle of the keyboard.
You start by placing your thumb on the Middle C, then your pointer finger, on the next white note, ( which is D), and then place your middle finger on the white note next to that, (Which is E). With these three easy notes, you should be able to play Mary Had A Little Lamb by ear, just letting your fingers play the notes, until you familiarize yourself with the song. You would start with note E, D, then C. Can you hear it now?
You should practice playing by ear, by listening to other professional pianists work their magic, this will definitely help you master this technique.
Tip 3) Take It Easy On The Keys!:
A beginners mistake, too often seen, is that they will press the note keys down, extremely hard. This will produce the sounds, that we do NOT want to hear, and can also give you cramps.
With this amazing instrument, you have to be very gentle. Let your fingers glide smoothly, over the notes. Don’t press down too hard, or hit the notes down too intensely.
When you play with a relaxed hand, easily, and smoothly, gliding your fingers throughout, this will make it easier to control, for example, you will be able to reach the far away keys faster, and easier.
Tip 4) Rhythm, Rhythm, Rhythm!:
The more you practice playing the piano, or keyboard, you will learn to keep a steady rhythm, and tempo. This is the most important part, and thing to remember, as you do not want to screw up a beautiful piece, by playing it too quick, or losing your rhythm somewhere in between.
Keeping a steady beat, and rhythm will help you cover up, any slip ups or fumbles, and errors, without anybody even noticing!
Tip 5) Watch Your Hand Position, & The Movement Of Your Fingers:
Don’t try to use both of your hands to play music at the same time, this will just confuse you at first. Instead, try practicing with your right hand first, and then moving to your left hand.
This is actually a technique used by many teachers, where they enforce practicing with one hand at a time, until you master said hand, then moving to the other, until you can easily and smoothly, play with both hands, at the same time.
Tip 6) Finding The Correct Music Piece:
Usually, teachers will help you to find the correct music pieces to practice, as they tend to focus on where you need the most help, however, since you are teaching yourself how to play, you are going to have to be, your biggest critic.
Don’t start by playing very complicated pieces, as this will only overwhelm you, causing you, to probably give up playing piano to begin with, and that’s the complete opposite of what we are striving for!
The internet is a great, and very common place to find music pieces for beginners. Those pieces will be perfect for you to start with, once you perfect that piece, then you can turn it up a notch, with something a bit more complicated.
Tip 7) Practice, Practice, Practice!:
Do you believe that the more you practice, the more you can perfect something? Well, it really does. You will have to practice day and night, and each time give it your all, until you finally master the father of all instruments.
You have to be consistent practicing everything on your keyboard, from the different notes, to the chords.
Always try to warm up before you actually start playing a musical piece. Try to spend at least 10-15 minutes just playing with they keys, and notes to familiarize yourself, and get your hand movement right.
One can tech himself piano from the internet, but usually they make 5 mistakes. What are the mistakes? Lets watch a video in it:
In conclusion, teaching yourself to play piano, is not easy, however, well worth it! It’s a beautiful instrument, and if you can master it, you will not regret taking on this venture!
As I stated before, teaching yourself to play piano Is not easy, however it’s not impossible either!
Below are the key components to learning how to play the piano.
- NEVER play too fast, or too slow, remember keep a steady rhythm and beat.
- Start off slow, then gradually increase your speed to the right tempo.
- Don’t forget to use your thumb!
- Always begin, with the black key notes!
Alright, I did my part in explaining how to teach yourself Piano, now it’s time for YOU to take action, and actually learn!