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.

Interest If you are a child interested in learning, speak to your parents 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. Or you can buy a keyboard if you're low on space. Before buying a piano, make certain your are willing to practice thirty or more minutes each day. If you're not--then save yourself (or your parents) the expense of buying the piano and paying for the lessons.

Lessons Once you have a piano or keyboard, 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. Ask other piano students who their teachers are--and whether their teachers are "good." Ask "why" other students think their teachers are good teachers because sometimes a student likes his or her teacher for the wrong reasons. For example, if your friend likes his teacher because "she doesn't make me work very hard," steer away from that teacher.

Lessons Well Spent Once you've started taking lessons, make certain your teacher is including time spent learning chords, theory, and improvisation, not just learning pieces by note. 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.

Commitment Remember your commitment to 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.)

When Practicng When your teacher asks you to learn a hard piece, remember that 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.

A New Piece 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 where to go and when. Never learn an entire piece all at once.

Mistakes 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 fluently.

Improvisation 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.

Tips

Play pieces that you enjoy playing or pieces that you know well!

Never give up. The fingering, speed, and chords in some pieces may be frustrating and difficult, but push through it. If you get frustrated, step away from the piano for a few minutes until you are ready to play again.

The more you practice, the better you will perform.

If you're at a recital and your hands shake wildly, sit on your hands for a few minutes before you go out to play. It calms them down.

Find the right teacher! Your relationship with your teacher can affect the way you feel about practicing, so arrange for a trial period of a few weeks to find out if there's a good fit. Parents, especially--pay attention!

If you are shy, practice playing in front of your family and friends. They will enjoy it and in time, so will you.

Learning music theory is fun and is the best way to become a great musician, whether you want to play classical, jazz or pop.

Always follow the fingering on the piece (although there are certain exceptions). While some of the finger positions may feel awkward at first, following them will help you play more smoothly because you won't have to adjust your hand position because you cannot reach the next note.

Practice sight reading; it's an important skill. It will help you master a piece faster and give you more time to work.

Hand and body posture are very important. Slouching gives a bad impression and having a bad hand posture will be counter-productive to your practice. Keep your wrists loose and your hands flexible. Keep your fingers at a natural curve, as if you were typing. This gives you more power in your finger strokes.

Listen to your notes and tune your ears to the keys' pitches. This is needed on some advanced piano tests and will allow you to impress your friends by playing blindfolded!

Don't be afraid to really hammer out those notes in that triple forte section (fff). Just make sure you don't slip on the notes. Put some passion into it! Any kind of music is worthy of your passion.

Do not keep your foot on the sustaining pedal; it blurs your chords together and makes them sound "muddy."

It is better to play too slowly than to play too fastly when you are performing. Play evenly and with a great deal of care in your touch and you will sound professional.

Keep a regular, steady rhythm when you are playing. Just playing rhythmically makes a piece sound a lot better. Consider buying a metronome to help with this.
Play simple pieces by ear and make your own arrangements of them. This will help you to become less dependent on written music. When you are playing by ear, keep going! Do not start sections of the piece over again. If you miss a chord one time, you can practice so that you'll play it the next time. The main thing is to overcome repetition and hesitation and learn to play a piece through smoothly when you are performing it.

In addition to studying traditional chord relationships (harmony), take a class in composition and listen to as much music as you can. Community colleges offer excellent instruction in music theory, history, and composition. Playing with other people in ensembles is also an excellent idea.

Get used to the idea that some of the pianos you will be playing will not sound that good or be in perfect tune. This is one of the hazards of being a piano player--you can't carry your favorite instrument with you. Try to make the best of things when you are playing an inferior instrument. A good pianist can usually make a bad piano sound reasonably good--although some pianos are in such bad condition that you should feel free to say that you cannot play that piano.

If you want to correctly use the sustain pedal, play a chord, then before you play your next chord, quickly lift up the sustain pedal and put it back down. Whenever you change chords or play notes from a different chord, "reset" the sustain pedal.

For Medium/Advanced players, try playing through that new piece using the chords written above the grand staff. Use your left hand to play octaves and your right hand to play the chord. Start off using the first inversion of every chord, then for a challenge, limit yourself to using only one octave and trying out different inversions of chords.

Don't slack off. Sometimes it may become tedious, but keep practicing.
Don't be nervous at recitals. Just play your piece. Don't worry about how you look. Pay attention to the thing that really counts -- how the music sounds!

How to Write a Song for Piano

Play around on a piano. Use different chords and find a correct rhythm. If you don't want a completely accurate composition, create a song randomly without a firm beat. If you do want a rhythm, you are better off using a metronome, these can keep you too the correct beat whilst telling you what the time is.


Create a blank music score by just using a ruler. Draw five lines, then another set of five lines below for your left hand. If you download it or draw it. Your score should look like the image provided.
Play slowly the piece of music you have played on your piano again, and write down each note on the score. A standard one beat note should look like the image provided.
If you play to the left of the middle C, these notes will go in your bass clef, this is the bottom set of lines that begins with the C looking shape.
If you play to the Right of the Middle C, they will go on your treble clef lines.
The length of notes are written differently, and need concentration, but once you have got the hang of it, it'll become easy. A Link for lengths of notes is in the Tips box.

Tips

listen to a song that you like and steal one or two chords out of this if you can't think of your own chords. for exmaple, my fave song is boulevard of broken dreams, i want to take the the first chord out of the chorus, and find some other songs with chords that i like. get the point?

be creative

Try not to clash notes together if you are writing a song that will have words, such as for a band. If it supposed to be a death song that an emo would make up, make it clash. it adds a sense of "this is so bad sounding that it sounds like people dying" if you are an emo, as said before, you may want to take this route.

Make a beginning part, then a second part that is alost completely different but has the same feel about it, chorus, and a bridge (turning point) the order of these things should go as so... 1st...chorus...2nd...chorus...bridge...chorus (on some occasions you may want to use the chorus twic in the very end after the bridge.)

How to Tune a Piano

Are you a piano player or teacher who dislikes the unnecessary expense of hiring a piano tuner and feels that you could do it yourself with a little training? Well this is your lucky day. All you need are the right tools, a piano and patience,

Buy tools. Tuning tools are hard to find, especially if you are accustomed to shopping at local retail locations. eBay is a reliable place for tuning tools.

Choose a tuning lever and try to find one with a star tip as opposed to a square tip. This will give you some extra flexibility.

Set aside a couple of hours. Depending on the out-of-tuneness of your piano, this could take awhile.

Remove every item between you and your tuning pegs.

Block off the outside strings of your starting octave octave: F below middle-C up to E above middle-C-

Notice three strings for each of the keys in that octave. Block off the outside strings of each of those keys with the temperament strip. You will need a flat-head screwdriver to stuff the strip between the strings. F up to E

Tips

a tuning lever (AKA tuning hammer)
A=440 tuning fork
felt temperament strip (preferably tapered)
2 rubber mutes

Warnings

A piano is a fine and delicate instrument that should be tuned about twice a year. There is more to tuning than just following these instructions. It would be advisable to seek the services of a professional piano tuner to make sure that the tone is of good quality and sound.

How to Play the Concertina

The Concertina is a free reed instrument with a bellows similar to an accordion. It is smaller, lighter, and a little more difficult to play.

Decide what kind of concertina to play. Anglo-German or English are the two most available.
Procure a concertina. Buy, rent, or borrow one.
Learn about the fingerings for your particular concertina. The website www.concertina.com is a good place to start.
Get a book of simple songs, or even a specific book for your concertina. "Del Rey's Deluxe Concertina Book" is older, widely available, and good for the Anglo concertina. "The Concertina: A Handbook and Tutor for Beginners on the English Concertina" can be found on the concertina.com webpage.
Learn how to use the bellows. Gently pull the bellows or push the bellows while holding down individual buttons. Don't worry about playing specific chords when you start. Concentrate on first making a scale from "C to C". If you aren't able to get the basic 8 note scale, or octave ("oct"=8) you will have a difficult time learning songs.
Learn a few simple songs with melodies that you know in your head. If you can't read music you can learn how to play by ear as well.
Practice. Practice. Practice!
Get a friend who plays the guitar to play chords for you while you play melodies. If you can download sheet music on the internet you can find notes and chords to match. Most songbooks or "fakebooks" have simple melodies with chords.
Study the history of the concertina so that you can be a proud concertina player!
Search YouTube for "concertina". There are quite a few good tutorials there, as well as talented performers to help give you an idea of what can be played.

Search YouTube for "concertina". There are quite a few good tutorials there, as well as talented performers to help give you an idea of what can be played.

There are several types of concertinas, but you'll likely only run across the two major ones: Anglo-German and English. The Anglo concertina plays different notes on push and pull (diatonic, much like a harmonica) whereas an English concertina plays the same notes on push and pull (chromatic, like a piano accordion). The easiest way to tell the two apart from pictures is that the Anglo has a wrist-strap while the English has a thumb strap with a metal "J" at the bottom for the pinky finger.
An Anglo is good for Irish music or folk music, with push/pull on the bellows quickly changing the notes. An English is more versatile having additional buttons for the accidentals (sharps and flats). If you are used to playing accordion or want more choices in the music you play choose an English.
Look through eBay for one on sale, ask your local musicians where you could rent one, or ask if anyone happens to have one from their grandpa in an attic that you might borrow. There are a lot of expensive or antique concertinas out there (1800's-1900's) so don't be dismayed to see concertinas selling in the multiple-thousands of dollars. A good starter instrument should run from $80-$200.
An Anglo will typically have a particular chord associated with it "C/G" or "G/D" for example, and have rows of chords. An English will have columns of buttons, the middle 2 columns are the natural or "white notes", and the outer two columns of buttons are the accidentals. A 30 button English will have some missing places for sharps/flats, whereas a 48 button English should have all 4 columns filled with buttons.
The number one producer of accordions and concertinas in the 21st century is China and you may see die hard concertina players grumbling about the quality of Chinese instruments. Don't get the cheapest one available, but you don't need to spend more than $200 on a starter instrument.
There are some producers of concertinas in the United States and Europe. If you eventually get to the the point where you wish a high quality instrument, seek out one of these manufacturers. These tend to be private individuals making them rather than mass produced, so the quality can be high but also more expensive.
A concertina has about the same range as a violin. Sheet music for the violin is playable on the concertina.
Chords are playable on concertinas, but start with simple melodies first. On an English or Duet concertina just about any major or minor chord can be made, if you are dexterous enough. An Anglo is more limited in that regard.
English concertinas tend to be a little more expensive than Anglos: More reeds and buttons!
Because it is diatonic (different note on push/pull) an Anglo can be more difficult to play for experienced musicians with other instruments. A lot depends on the type of music or sound desired. For more questions ask on a Concertina forum such as at www.concertina.net. Some players prefer one over the other than many players do have strong opinions about their chosen style.

Beware paying high dollar values for "antique" or "vintage" instruments that need repair. Older instruments can have problems with bellows, leaky wax around the reeds, buttons that stick, or other issues that a starting player shouldn't have to deal with it. If you are purchasing a used instrument as a starter be sure you can hold it, play all the notes, that no keys stick, and that the bellows are solid, tight, and leak free. Most newer instruments that are sold on eBay are okay, but likely to be made in China. The older ones sold on eBay for thousands of dollars, and made in 1890, are much like the electric guitars made by Gibson in the 1950's, a 1960's hotrod, or a grand piano. You're wanting to learn how to play, not get the highest quality instrument you can get.
A soft case gig bag is good for taking your concertina around, but when you remove it from the case don't pull it out! Always "pour" your concertina out of any box it is in otherwise you may stress the bellows and could damage your instrument. A hard case for your concertina is a good investment.
Never push or pull the bellows without holding down a button. All concertinas have an air button that allow you to close or open the instrument without making noise.

How to Play the Accordion

The accordion is one of the most interesting instruments, a combination of a piano keyboard, with pull and push to get the sounds out of the according. It takes strength and patience to play, but once you learn, you will enjoy it. This is one instrument that can easily be taken with you to all party functions...and makes a great accompaniment for sing-a-longs.

Stand behind the accordion so that the piano keys are on your right, facing away from you. Slip your arms into each strap so that the accordion is well supported on each shoulder.Once you are wearing the accordion, slip your left hand underneath the smaller strap on the left side of the accordion. Now you are in position to play
Undo the safety buckles (one on top and one on the bottom). Do not push or pull on the accordion yet.
While pressing down a key on the piano keyboard let the accordion fall open, supporting it with your left hand. (The right side of the accordion does not move).

It is possible to play music and even perform knowing this much. If you ever had piano lessons as a kid and you know your way around the keyboard you are ready to go. Try playing without looking down at your right hand. From this angle it doesn't help much to look anyway, so try to get comfortable with playing by feel, sort of like typing without looking at your fingers.

Feel under your left hand, the bass and chord buttons are organized in rows parallel to the floor. Find the bass C button. It will have a slight indentation and will be on the second row from the bellows. Some models have multiple buttons with indentations. If yours is one of them, the C is located in the middle of the bass panel, again, on the second row from the bellows.
Hold down this button, play a C scale with the right hand. You'll notice that the accordion falls open much quicker than before and ultimately you will have to push with the left hand to continue to play. After some practice this will become second nature. Eventually, you won't have to think about pushing or pulling at all.
Understand that the bass and chord functions in the left hand are a bit more complicated and require a simple knowledge of chord structure and theory.

The rows of buttons move up in fifths and down in fourths. This makes it simple to play a song with a 1-4-5 progression. For example, F and G are the buttons directly below and above (respectively) the middle-C button.There are six buttons in each row. Each row of buttons contains, in order: the third, the root, the root chord with the fifth in the base, a minor third chord, a dominant seventh chord and a diminished chord.

Play around with these until you get comfortable with each key, their respective chords and moving from row to row. Listen to different styles of accordion music to hear how the left hand is played. For instance in a waltz it is common to alternate (in the key of C) between C and G on the down beats with the two upbeats being on the C chord button with G in the root (the button immediately following middle C).

How to Play Piano in Less Than One Hour

If you're looking for a way to quickly play the piano, you're going to love this. Most of you already know that the quickest way to play the piano is by learning chords.
Learn the chords. There are triads, seventh chords, diminished chords and thousands more.
Remember that there are closed position chords and the open position chord. With this chord you will be able to create your own music in less than an hour!
Become a piano player immediately, and enjoy playing your favorite songs. Start out with open position chords, you'll immediately sound like a professional!
Try the seventh chord because it's a modern sounding chord:
All this means is that the seventh note of the scale is used, along with regular triad notes to give it a more contemporary sound.
Jazz musicians use it all the time.
It covers more than 2 octaves of the keyboard, giving you a very nice "open" sound. If you love contemporary stylings, you'll be playing them in no time with it.
Last but not least, you use both hands right away to create with! In fact, the chord is so wide open that you can literally create music without moving your hands around at all.

While you might be able to easily and quickly play a song, you are not learning about piano techniques, scales, or chord study. You will not be a real pianist, but you will enjoy playing songs and having fun.
Any method that does not have your hands moving around, is not teaching how to play piano. The beauty of playing this instrument, is how nimble your fingers become, by learning scales, and moving your hands up and out, fast and quickly.

Remember, that anything worth learning, takes time. If you wish to really become a pianist, play the classics, enjoy performing and understanding music and how chords are created, it is suggested you take piano lessons, and learn by a master teacher.