Maybe you stumbled across a video on YouTube of someone playing the piano. How he’d played really left you at a state of awe and you feel you could do this too? That’s why you want to know the fastest and easiest way to learn the instrument.
Or you have close pals around you who play the piano and when they play, you always have the feeling it’s something you could do perfectly too? Of course it is.
Regardless of whatever your reason is, we at Musical Instru salute your courage to want to learn the piano. It’s such an exciting and rewarding activity which is quite good for your mental well being and self-fulfillment. We’d provide the necessary guideline with this article. So sit tight and enjoy!
Piano playing not magical tricks
First, we want you to know that playing the piano is not magical. It’s not something that comes to you just like that without expending efforts at learning it.
That is why the only answer to the question is ‘YOU’. Whether you’d learn the piano at a fast pace or not depends largely on you. However, we’d provide the necessary tips on how you can go about learning the instrument easily.
Meanwhile in the meantime, let’s get you introduced to the piano before we explore how you can go about learning the instrument easily and a fast pace.
The Piano
The piano is a grand musical instrument invented by Cristofori Bartolomeo around 1700 in Italy. Apart from its beautiful sound, the piano is arrayed with black and white notes arranged in octaves. It comes in different styles and brands; also while some are acoustic, others are electronic. From time immemorial, the piano has been played to different kinds of musical genre from jazz, to blues, to even soul music and hip hop in recent times.
Piano fundamentals
The learn the piano, ensure you master the fundamentals of the instrument some of which include
- Keys
Basically, musical keys are just musical foundations upon which songs are sang or instrument are played. On the piano, there are twelve keys which are divided into natural and accidentals. The natural keys are C D E F G A B; accidentals include C#/Db, D#/Eb, F#/Gb, G#/Ab, A#/Bb
- Notes
These are the combinations of white and black keys on the piano. These black and white buttons on the piano are known as notes
- Scales
Scales are an array of notes to be played in ascending and descending order. It establishes the relationship between notes. There are different kinds of scales, some of which include; major scales, blues scales, gypsy scales and minor scales to mention a few
- Chords
Musical chords are notes that are played simultaneously. They are built on either major or minor thirds. Several types of chords exist. Some of which include, major chords, minor chord, augmented chord, diminished chords, seventh chords to mention a few.
- Intervals
This is basically the distance between one note or another note on the piano.
Easy tips to a quick grasp of the piano thing
Having briefly introduced you to the piano, the following are tips on how you can learn the piano easily and at a fast pace
- Start slow
The best and easiest way to have a quick grasp of the piano thing is to play slowly. Don’t be in a hurry to sound perfect. Ignore the temptation to want to play and sound likes others at first. Because someone ran a fast scale or played on a fast tempo doesn’t mean you must do this too. Be disciplined enough to practices and play at a slow and steady tempo first.
- Build up your finger techniques
Playing the piano requires dexterity on both hands. To learn at a faster pace, you have to build up your finger techniques. You can do this by learning several fingering techniques or scale patterns. Don’t fall into the error of ignoring to train both hands at the same time as doing this can culminate into a major setback for your learning process. This is why you must take time to work on all fingers simultaneously. Practice the right fingering for every scale.
- Commit core moves to memory
You must pay attention to chord sequence and progression. Try as much as possible to commit these moves to memory. By doing this, you won’t forget what you are supposed to play and the time you are expected to play it.
- Give more time to practice
It is quite true that “Rome wasn’t built in a day” and “only persistence breaks rocks”. The more you practice, the more you get better at what you are doing. You could set up a routine for your rehearsals which must be daily. Even some professionals boast of practicing for over two hours every day. If a professional can do that, what stops you from rehearsing twice that time?
- Concentrate on your precision
It is not enough to skim through a musical piece; you should take time to master the exact chords to play and the exact timing. This sets you apart from most pianists who are not discipline enough to master their piece. The only way you can achieve this feat is to practice slow, after all, it’s not about how far but how well; so, take your time.
- Engage your emotions
What made famous legendary pianist like Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea remarkable on the piano was because they played with their heart. They expressed and captivated their audience through their emotional style of play. Learn to play the piano by heart too. Once you invest your emotions into playing, the whole process of playing flows naturally to you and in no time, you’d become a Pro
- Identify your mistake and correct them
Of course, everyone is bound to make mistakes. So, never let this get to you. Don’t fell demoralized when you seem to be making the same mistake over and over. Instead take a little time off, and attempt the exercise later. If it’s on a piece, you can take time to master the piece and play slowly. Just make sure you are always working on your mistakes and getting better.
- Get help
There’s no point keeping to yourself, reach out to your teachers or colleagues and let them help you. You even need people to help you spot your mistakes as it is not possible to see every mistake you make yourself.
- Be focused, steadfast and discipline
You know you have a goal in sight and that is “becoming a piano guru”. This is why you have to be focused on the goal every now and then. The process of learning to play the piano can be rigorous at times; sometimes, it will get boring, never let all this negative impulses demoralize you.
Join a group of other pianist in your neighborhood, this helps you encourage yourself whenever you feel like giving up on the instrument.
Be disciplined during practice. Stick to the goal you want to achieve at every practice session. Be organized.
- Track your progress
This is very important for you to make progress in a short period of time. By keeping track of your progress on a weekly or monthly basis, you challenge yourself to do more and achieve more feat. Be discipline enough to stick to this plan
In conclusion, as said earlier, there’s really no shortcut to learning to play the piano. You just need to get the right motivation and you will be okay. We trust this article has done just that.