Learning how to play the piano is one of the most exciting, fun, and rewarding niches anyone can have. However, along with the fantastic perks of playing the piano, there are challenges that people may face in their piano learning journey. If you’ve ever felt discouraged or intimidated to learn the piano, it is so essential for you to know that you are not alone in your struggles. For this blog, we’ve put together a list of 5 things you should know before starting the piano to not only inform you but also to encourage you! Check it out:
1. Choose The Right Piano For You
The first out of the 5 things you should know before starting the piano is to choose the right piano/ keyboard for you. Having a piano you love to play makes a world of difference in your piano playing journey. If you have an instrument you just can’t want to spend time with, it’s going to increase your chances of spending time with it and getting your practice time in! So, how do you find the perfect piano for you? A great and fun way to find a great piano is to go to your local piano store, like Miller Piano Specialists in Franklin, TN, and play as many keyboards and pianos as you can. The most important thing is finding a piano that feels great under your fingers and sounds great in your ears. The Ideal piano to start with is a piano/ keyboard with 88 keys or a minimum of 64 keys. A great piano also has touch-sensitive and weighted keys to make playing feel acoustic and natural. There are endless options to choose from in the piano world, from big to small and low to high price range. If you’re not sure which piano to choose, come check us out online or in person and let our piano experts help you find the perfect piano for you!
2. Get Comfortable With The Piano
Getting very comfortable with the layout of your piano is one of the first things you should do as a piano beginner. For example, learn what not each key is or how to move your hands from the C position to the F position. Although it might seem unimportant to do, taking the time to learn your piano FIRST will help you move so much quicker in the long run. So, how do you get comfortable with your piano? A great way to do this is to get comfortable with your musical alphabet. Yes, it sounds basic. However, the musical alphabet goes from A-G, and then it repeats. If you want to learn the piano faster, learn the musical alphabet, both forwards and backward.
3. Your Hands Aren’t Going To Listen
Something many piano beginners may not know is how disconnected their brains will feel from their fingers. It’s a fascinating thing to watch as your brain tries to tell your fingers how to move, but your fingers won’t listen. This can be overwhelming and even discouraging. Good news, we’ve all been there! When you learn a new skill, you have to create a new pathway for that skill in your brain. So, what does this mean? Imagine being in a forest with no trail to follow, and your goal is to find the waterfall. It might take some time for you to create a path as you bushwack and trailblaze, and you probably won’t get there in one day. But if each day, you keep getting a little closer to the waterfall. Eventually, you will get to the waterfall, and you will have created a new path for you to get there! Reaching our goals as piano players in the same way. If you choose to practice each day, getting a little closer every time you practice, you will eventually make a pathway in your brain that will be easy for you to follow. Try it, and see how much easier it will be for you to get to your piano goals!
4. *How* To Practice
One thing is knowing what to practice. But, do you know how to practice? The first thing any beginner should know is the difference between playing the piano and practicing the piano. When you play the piano, you’re just playing a song or enjoying playing. When you practice, you’re taking your time, you’re going slow, and you’re picking things apart. Practice time is where the magic and progress happen. For example, If you have a song you’d like to learn, take the time to pick the song apart into sections, and master each part of the song. When you do this, you’ll be amazed at how wonderfully you’ll play that piece. Try this technique with scales, chords, and anything you want to learn on the piano.
5. You Can Play Songs You Want To Play
Last but not least, play the songs you want to play right away! No, you don’t have to play Hot Cross Buns forever. But you can learn the songs you love by learning how to play chords and reading chord charts, and it’s easier than you think! There are endless chord charts online for every song out there. Check out this video on how to learn basic chords:
Conclusion
We hope you enjoyed reading these 5 things you should know before starting the piano! If you’re interested in buying your dream piano to perform with, we can help you. Come check us out at Miller Piano Specialists in Franklin, TN! If you have any questions about where to buy a piano for the best price, we are open! Our hours are Monday-Saturday from 10 am to 6 pm. We are happy to help you in person again, using all the guidelines we have been provided. We are here for you.