How to Choose Between Digital or Acoustic Piano

Digital pianos are electronic devices that use sound chips and speakers to reproduce piano sounds. Some may have eight octaves, but they may have only six, or even as few as four. Four octaves will allow you to play simple tunes, but six or more octaves will be required if you want to study music seriously.

The tone and touch of an acoustic piano is usually far superior to a digital piano. Acoustic pianos have a large number of black and white keys, spanning up to eight octaves. Acoustic pianos create a natural reverberation in the room where they are played.
Most digital pianos have a MIDI output which allows you to connect them to a computer via an inexpensive interface, which allows you to record and edit your playing and add additional parts, as well as control other instruments.
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Change Musical Keys on a Piano

When playing the piano, and learning how to compose music, it is important to learn how to transpose any song from one musical key to the other. This is especially important when playing with a band, or accompanying a singer piano. It is also necessary in music theory exams, and when writing music for transposing instruments such as a Bb clarinet.
Steps

Figure out how far you're going. For example, if you're going from D to G, that's a perfect fourth, or four notes up, counting the D, the G, and all the notes in between. If you don't know about harmonic intervals, count the semitones, eg: A to Bb is one semitone, A to B is two semitones, D to G is five semitones.

Know what the key signature of the new key is. For example, D has F# and C#. G just has F#. Ab has Bb, Eb, Ab, and Db. Also, make sure you know how to write the new key, and which order to add in the sharps and flats. (See Work out Which Key You're In).

Play the music as written, except play everything the number of semitones higher or lower. Continuing with the same example, when you see a D, play a G. If you see an E, play an A, and so on.

Include the sharps or flats in the NEW key signature. For example, if you see a C in the original music (which is actually a C#, but that isn't important right now), you're going to play an F, because that's a fourth higher than C. But you're in G now, which has an F# in the key signature. So you play an F# instead. In this example, both the original note and the new note are both sharped. This will not always be the case. A natural note may become sharp or flat or natural, depending on the new key. This won't matter if you have translated everything up or down the same number of semitones.

Choose the corresponding accidental for the new key. For example, if your original song (in D) has a Bb, that's a half-step down from its normal pitch (n to b = -1). The note B in the old key corresponds to the note E in the new key. In the new key (G) E is normally natural, so you must drop it a half-step, to Eb.

Playing a song written in Ab, which has Bb, Eb, Ab, and Db. You're transposing it to E, which has F#, C#, G#, and D#. You see a D# in the written score. You say to yourself, " D is normally flatted in this key, but here it's sharpened. That means it's been raised two semitones, or one tone. D in the old key corresponds to A in the new key. A minor doesn't have any sharps or flats associated with it, so to raise it a whole-step up from A natural, play Ax, which is equivalent to B." Don't worry; it's not usually going to be this difficult in real life.

If there's a key change in the song itself, you have to make sure to transpose the music after the key change correctly. For example, if the original music goes from C to D (a modulation of one tone), and you're transposing such that it starts in Eb, the music after the key change must be in a key a tone higher than Eb, which is of course F.
Tips

If you need to, make notes on the score. For example, pencil in "Eb" or "G" to remind yourself what notes to play.

Remember that some keys can be expressed in two ways. They are C# (7 sharps) = Db (5 flats), F# (6 sharps) = Gb (6 flats), and B (5 sharps) = Cb (5 flats). If you're going into one of these, decide which one is easiest to think of, or suits the music more, although they'll both be played the same.

Warnings
Don't assume this is easy. Although one can understand how to do it, not everyone can, unless it's very easy, like transposing from F to C.
The two parts should sound exactly the same once transposed; just one is higher than the other. If they don't, something has gone wrong somewhere.

How to Be a Good Piano Teacher

If you are a good piano player and enjoy working with other people you might consider becoming a piano teacher as a way to earn some extra money and play the piano at the same time.

Steps

Develop a teaching style. Your style will partially come from your personality, but also from what you need to teach and the kind of pupils you will have. Adult pupils will require a different teaching style than children, for example.

Cultivate patience. You will have to correct every single mistake a student makes, which can take years. As a piano expert you know how difficult ir can be to learn, you will have to be by somebody’s side while they go through that process, over and over again, all the time.

Develop a lesson plan for each student, based on their ability and experience.

Notice where each student comes up short or needs special attention and help them to focus on those areas.

Make sure to cover all the aspects of playing a piano you need to cover in the correct order. Don't teach finger work after your students have developed bad habits.

At the end of the lesson, always smile at the student and say goodbye or have a great day.

Tips

Being a private piano teacher is like running any other business, you will have to do some accounting, pay taxes and remind the parents when they forget to pay for the class.
When the student enters the classroom, smile at then. That way he or she will think that you are in a good mood.
Never shout at a student. Meet with the parents if you have trouble with a child's behavior.
Remember that not all your students will want to be there or even want to learn piano.

Warnings

Do not be rough with students, you can go to jail.
Arrange a payment plan before beginning the lessons or taking a new student. Have your policies regarding these formalities written down and stick to them.
Last but not least, make sure the student is having fun. If he isn't he will think piano is boring.

How to Accompany a Performer

Accompaniment is incredibly different from playing. When you accompany, you have to cater your own music to someone else, which can be quite a challenge.

Steps

1.Learn to accept that you're not in charge. The biggest difference with accompaniment is that you're there to show off the soloist. If you're the type of musician who likes to throw in trills, glissandos, or other decoration, learn to stay away from that. It'll only distract the audience from the soloist.

2.Know your music well! When a piece calls for an accompanist, chances are it's rather difficult. Usually, the soloist is going to have to work hard to stick with you through the piece. If you don't know where you are, it's even harder for the soloist to get used to you. Know your piece backwards and forwards before you rehearse with the soloist.

3.Rehearse a lot beforehand, so that you know how the soloist takes any rubato, speed changes, etc. that may be in the piece.

4.Check your music. Rarely do you get an ideal accompaniment score. With instruments, you may be lucky and get an actual piece written for accompaniment. With vocalists, you may not be so fortunate. You may need to revise the score, so as to not overshadow the soloist, especially if you're playing out of a standard songbook. It's usually a bad idea to double the vocalist's part, so cut back on what you're playing if it seems to be overpowering.


5.Talk to your soloist! Some soloists want you to follow them, and others need you to keep a steady beat so that they have something to keep them on track. Everyone is different as to what they need, so simply ask. Your soloist can tell you what works best for him or her. You have to play "accompagnato" - following everything that they do.

6.Always follow the soloist. If they change the tempo, skip a measure, or start playing the song backwards, it's your job to follow them. This is their performance, so take your cues from them.

How to Play the Piano

The piano is one of the most popular instruments because of its ease in learning and versatility. It is used as an accompaniment for other instruments or for singers. The tone is amazing, and the type of music you can use it to play is endless. It is also an important foundation for all musicians, even if their "main" instrument is not piano.

Steps

1.Speak to your parents, if you are a child interested in learning, and ask them if they can buy you a piano. Keep in mind that pianos can be very expensive, so they may be hesitant and require you to prove your dedication to play piano first. Once you (or your parents) buy one, the next step is to arrange for music lessons. Look for a teacher who is in the National Teachers Association or who has other accreditations, or been referred to by another student. Lessons should include time spent learning chords, theory and improvisation, not just learning pieces by rote. Understand that in learning the piano, you are also learning the language and history of music. It takes time and effort to learn this "foreign language" and musical understanding means more than just playing a few pieces well. True mastery of music is a lifelong process. It takes many years to become a good musician.

2.Understand that you must practice every day for at least thirty minutes or more. Your fingers will "rust" if you do not play for even a week. At first, practicing might be a pain and you might get very frustrated. As your skills grow, you will become facile and playing piano will become pure enjoyment. It's best to warm up at the beginning of every practice session with scales, warm-up exercises,and relatively easy pieces. These will stretch your fingers and hands and help you play with your hands relaxed. (When you play, you should be able to see your finger bones move. Let your hand just hang and move only your fingers)

3.Remember that when your teacher asks you to learn a hard piece, it's worth the effort and will make you a much better piano player. While there are many ways to practice, here's a good one for beginners. First try to sightread the piece without worrying if you make mistakes. Then practice each hand independently. Break the music into segments and learn the right hand part. Learn segment by segment, then connect them together. Once you've mastered the right hand play through the entire piece. If you make a mistake start over from the beginning. This might try your patience a bit but it will enable you to get through the entire piece flawlessly. Once you've mastered the right hand, repeat the process with the left hand. Then, repeat the process again, this time for both hands.

4.Take a new piece apart, by learning one or two measures at a time, and going over it again and again. The next day do the same thing with a few other measures, and then include the last measures and play them all, together. By practicing this way, you can spend quality time listening to how they sound, and making sure your fingers know what and where to go. Never learn an entire piece all at once.

5.Try not to "learn" your mistakes. Playing the piano is an automatic process like walking (you don't think about each step you take, you just walk). Because of this, past mistakes have a tendency to come back when you play the piece later on. To avoid this, do the following: When you are learning a new piece, break it down into simple parts that you can practice without making a lot of mistakes. And play slowly. For example, practice each hand separately. After you have determined the fingering you are going to follow, play both hands together in short sections. Eventually put the sections together. Do not try to play at normal speed until you are secure in your fingering and notes. Then increase the speed gradually. Play the piece over and over until you memorize it and you can play fluidly.

6.Improvise and think notes. "Thinking Notes" means that you know every single note that you're playing. While that sounds easy, it can be very hard. Play a piece that you have memorized and can play very well. Now, name every note that you played without looking at piano. Then, take a melody you've heard on TV or somewhere else and try to play it using your ear. Learn to know all the notes that you're playing. While playing by ear is good, it's a lot better if you know every note that you play.

Runs & Fills: How To Add Real Excitement To Your Piano Playing!

We've all heard pianists who make us drool with musical jealousy when they play, using a tool box full of lighting-fast runs and clever fills that have us clamoring for more.

I well recall hearing Errol Garner play "I'll Remember April" when I was about 14. I had no idea a piano could be played like that, and I was absolutely fascinated by all the interesting and exciting runs and fills he added to his improvisation of those standards.

If you're anything like me, you would love to learn how to "fill up the empty spaces" with scale fragments, chords, broken chords, and so on. Techniques such as 8th note runs , 16th note runs, 32nd note runs, triplet fills, and many combinations thereof -- some so fast you can't even see which notes are being played. Techniques such as "cascading waterfall runs", the fabulous "pro straddles", the exciting "tremolo-fired runs" and lots more. Learning how to "fill it up" with runs and fills would certainly take your piano playing to the next level.

After listening to countless pianists in all genres, I compiled a list of six types of runs and fills that they often use:

1. "Cocktail" runs --The lightning fast runs used by the great "show" pianists. One hand runs, two hand runs, open-octave runs, tremolo-blasted runs, cascading waterfall runs and more. Made famous by such names as Eddy Duchin, Carman Caballero, Liberace, etc., but also used tastefully by many others, such as Roger Williams and many "pop" piano players.

2. Embellishments -- Mordents, inverted mordents, trills, turns, tremolos, grace notes, glissandos, etc. These are the "finesse" techniques that give your piano playing class and grace. Virtually NO amateur piano players use these, so the pianist that learns these is putting herself or himself in a class usually reserved for professional pianists.

3. Piano tricks -- How to make your piano sound oriental, or make it sound like a drum or a music box? A bell? Latin? Country?

4. Evangelistic runs -- These are the octave runs and fillers used by the great gospel pianists of past and present such as Rudy Atwood and other evangelistic piano players.

5. Jazz & blues runs -- Using the "blues scale" up and down the keyboard, blue note-crunches, slides, etc. These runs are very useful not only in jazz and R & B, but also in "black gospel" (I hate to use that term because it sounds racist, but people use it to describe a certain type of gospel music, so I reluctantly use the term...but only in that sense of the word), fusion, and many rock-pop songs. 6. Fillers galore -- Filling up an empty measure with a counter-melody; creating an intro; creating an ending; developing "turnarounds", plus chromatic fillers, fillers based on the Dorian and Lydian scales and other "church mode" scales used by contemporary jazz and fusion artists.

It is exciting for any pianist to picture himself or herself playing those LIGHTNING FAST runs up the keyboard and back down in time for the next chord, or playing CASCADING RUNS down the keyboard for a WATERFALL of wonderful sounds, to say nothing of using mordents, inverted mordents, trills, turns, tremolos, grace notes, glissandos, fillers galore, cocktail-piano runs, plus gospel-style runs as well as "blues runs" based on the blues scale!

Is it worth the effort to learn some or all of these techniques? It certainly has been for me, but every pianist will have to make that judgment for himself or herself.

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