Are you interested in learning to play the piano, but not sure where to start? Check out the five steps below, and have some musical fun!
1. Learn the keys. A piano has 88 black and white keys arranged in a repeating pattern. The white keys are named with letters A through G, and the black keys can be are referred to as the letter of the white key next to them, then “sharp” or “flat” depending on whether they are positioned “up” or “down,” respectively. Check out the site HERE for a handy diagram. Amazon sells some great labeling stickers to use as a helpful guide on your piano or keyboard.
2. Learn the parts that make up written music. This includes the types of music notes, staves {horizontal lines}, clefs {symbols at the beginning of the staves}, key signatures, and more. HERE is a great resource.
3. Start slow – the piece you may want to learn to play is within reach, but there are building blocks to get there! Choose some piano exercises for beginners to get you comfortable with the layout of the piano and with reading music. There are many wonderful options HERE.
4. Take “notes” on your music. Perhaps you’re a visual learner. It’s perfectly okay to write the names of the notes on your music. Perhaps you like to say the names of the notes aloud as you’re playing them. Whatever makes the learning experience best for you!
5. Repetition. One of my favorite sayings I’ve heard in piano is, “practice makes progress.” It’s true! Find pieces you’re excited about. Continue to practice. It’s okay to play the same piece over, and over, and over some more until you feel comfortable. Take small fragments of a piece and break them up into more workable runs.
Kylie Coury played piano on a regular basis for 12 years, and still plays as much as she can now with two little girls, though it’s not as much as she’d like. While classical performance is where her heart is, she also enjoys hymn playing and piano theory. Kylie gives many thanks to Mrs. Roxann Mills, her teacher, whose many hours together are one of her favorite parts of childhood.
