Very basic common sense approach to learning the piano

These are a few basic concepts that I consider integral to learning the piano. I hope that they help everyone else as much as they have helped me.

First off - ask yourself why you want to learn piano and write it down along with some of your expectations and questions. Then, when you are satisfied that you a good understanding of what your motivations are, speak to an instructor and show them your thoughts and ask them to be honest. You might be surprised at what they tell you. After talking to them you might not want to learn piano any more.

Before you start, have your instructor give you a basic OH&S demonstration. You need to know how to sit at the piano properly so that you do not develop any bad posture. The last thing you want is to find playing the piano uncomfortable. It is also very important to make sure that the instructor gives you some idea on what common mistakes should be avoided so that you do not develop any bad habits. Write these down and keep them in mind.

To start with, get some basic fun music and put a bit of time in each day to learning. Your instructor or advisor should be able to suggest a good first piano book that fits the type of music you want to play. Don't try and learn something that you are not ready for.

You should start off by just putting in about twenty minutes a day or you will burn out. Try to have a regular time without interference and keep this activity going until it becomes a set routine every day. Once a habit is formed you can expand the time outward until you are satisfied that you are practicing enough each day to achieve your goals. Remember to speak with an instructor now and then to make sure you are not picking up bad habits.

It is really worthwhile to invest some time into learning how to read music. While this might not be time spent at the piano, it is well worth keeping this up until you can at the very least read basic music and know what the main notes are when you read them. This will save you a lot of time when you are sitting at the piano for your daily practice session. Remember; you want to spend that time practicing, not reading from your notes. Should you decide to follow this advice then do not let it interfere with your practice time!

I always liked to have one day away from the piano each week where I would spend an hour listening to piano music of different styles. This gives you a break and is still educational. Perhaps take the time to have a cup of tea with an experienced piano player at the same time.

Try to keep changing the songs that you are learning as you become more comfortable with them and keep challenging yourself with newer and more different pieces of music. In the early days you are not aiming at perfection before you move on, so do not let perfectionism become a delay you. Every song that you learn is adding something new and will help to keep you learning.

If a piece of music is being a particular problem then do not get frustrated. Instead of getting angry why not have a cup of tea and a short break. Afterwards, play something completely different. You can always go back later and try the difficult music again.

Once in a while go back to music that you have already learnt and play it again. I call this 'polishing' and it is good for improving the quality of sound.

Always be prepared to take advice and do not be afraid to ask more experienced musicians how you can play better, however you should make sure that the people you are asking are not just going to tell you what you want to hear as that kind of advice is useless. I would pass on these suggestions to my instructor who could sieve out the sensible ones from the ones I should ignore.

Once you are feeling more confident take every opportunity presented to have fun playing music with other musicians. You will find that there is a lot to learn about music from 'jamming' with other performers. You will also make good friends, travel to new places and have a lot of fun.

Finally, play about a bit. Spend a bit of time messing around on the keyboard once you are starting to feel confident and know a lot of songs. See if you can change them around as you play them. Take the first pieces of music that you were learning and try to improve it while you are playing. Mess with tempo changes and even merge songs together. Do not be afraid to sing while you do it and have lots of fun. You will be amazed at how much your skills improve just through taking a bit of time to muck around with what you already know.

All the best with learning the piano and I hope you find it a rewarding experience for you and your family.

Thanks for the image goes to Sixninepixels and is used with permission.