Playing Piano Beginners Guide to Playing The Piano

By the team at www.how-to-play-piano.org.uk http://www.how-to-play-piano.org.uk/

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Table of Contents
Chapter 1 Why Play the Piano?......................................................................3 Chapter 2 Looking at the Piano......................................................................4 Chapter 3 The Home Keys and to !...........................................................4 Chapter 4 What re "#ales? .........................................................................$ Chapter % &eading '(si#) *ntrod(#tion.........................................................+ Chapter , The Lines and the "pa#es.............................................................1Chapter $ Written Piano '(si# and &hythm................................................12 Chapter . Personal "tory) Learning Piano /asi#s........................................14 Chapter + Keys and Key "ignat(res.............................................................1% Chapter 1- !et *t Together 0ith Chords......................................................1, Chapter 11 The /ig 1ake and *mpro2isation................................................1. Chapter 12 "ight3&eading Written '(si#....................................................2Chapter 13 '(si# Terminology 4or /eginners.............................................22 Chapter 14 1inding and Choosing '(si# to Play.........................................24 Chapter 1% Pra#ti#ing on 5o(r 60n............................................................2% Chapter 1, The "mall "potlight) Playing 4or 1riends and 1amily...............2, Chapter 1$ Playing 4or P(7li# 82ents...........................................................2$ Chapter 1. Personal "tory) Ho0 Playing the Piano /e#ame 'y 6##(pation2. Chapter 1+ Tips 4or /eginning Piano Players..............................................2+ Chapter 2- Lessons and Piano Tea#hers......................................................3Chapter 21 Con#l(sion) 8n9oyment That Lasts a Li4etime..........................31

Chapter 1 Why Play the Piano?

You probably already know that piano playing is an exciting talent to de elop. !" you are a #a$$ enthusiast% you may ha e listened to piano music "rom great artists like &ount Basie or 'uke (llington. You might like modern #a$$ piano players better and there are many who ha e won the hearts o" audiences e erywhere. )ne piano player who crosses many genres is *im Brickman% who o"ten plays his own compositions. +long with smooth #a$$ stations% Brickman,s music is played on pop% inspirational% and new age stations. You may be more interested in the rock keyboard players. -ome o" them ha e been: .ick /akeman o" Yes% Tony Banks o" Genesis% 'ennis 'e Young o" -tyx% and 'a id -ancious who played "or -pringsteen% -antana% and -ting. .ock piano players include (lton *ohn% Billy *oel% &arole 0ing% Paul 1c&artney% and &arly -imon. ( en i" you ha e ne er liked classical music be"ore% you might begin to en#oy it once you ha e started to play the piano. !t presents a challenge and is ery satis"ying to master. -ome o" the greats are Bach% Beetho en% 1endelssohn% -chubert% and Brahms. !" you are like many people who hear these great musical works o" art% you will want to emulate them. You may learn well enough to play "or a band or as a solo act i" you are dedicated enough. You can certainly learn to play the piano well enough to entertain yoursel"% your "riends% and your "amily. There are other bene"its to playing the piano as well. )ne is relaxation. /hen you "eel upset% it is ery therapeutic to play the piano "or awhile. !" you are angry% playing the piano can release your "rustrations. Your playing will soothe your ner es i" you are anxious. !" you are "eeling down% you can start with slow songs and build up to more up-tempo% happier-sounding songs. This will o"ten li"t your sad mood. !" you do end up playing pro"essionally% you can gain a source o" income "rom your piano playing. -ome piano players earn ery little 2 #ust some tips "rom a #ar on their piano bar instrument. )ther piano players can earn "antastic amounts o" money i" they are talented enough and lucky enough. +nother reason to learn to play piano is to de elop discipline. !" you are someone who starts and stops acti ities without gi ing them a "air shot% you might ha e better luck with the piano. !t gi es rewards at e ery le el% keeping you moti ated to stay at it and work harder. 3earning to play the piano is easier in some ways than learning other types o" music. /ith ocal music% you ha e to learn more care"ully about pitch. You ha e to worry about being #ust a touch abo e or below the note. /ith a piano% the only way that would happen is i" your piano is out o" tune% in which case you #ust ha e a technician "ix it. The main reason anyone should learn to play the piano is "or their own "ul"illment. 4o matter what that means to you% you will be happy when you ha e stri ed to reach your "ull potential. You will "eel #oy when you play a composition well. You will be a happier person "or letting music into your li"e.

Chapter 2 Looking at the Piano

Be"ore you begin to play the piano% you need to become "amiliar with what the instrument is. -ome pianos are upright pianos% which are usually large% hea y% tall ertical boxes. These are anywhere "rom 56 to 78 inches tall. -pinets are the shortest upright pianos% at 56 to 59 inches. + studio ertical is :: inches or taller. !" you ha e the opportunity to play on a grand piano% you will usually get a better sound and a more responsi e touch. Grand pianos are the more hori$ontal pianos% ranging "rom 7 to 9 "eet in length. !n a grand piano% the strings are hori$ontal. !n a ertical piano% the strings are% well% ertical. The piano will ha e a music rack o" some kind where you can put your sheet music. !t may "old down or slide into a slot. /hen you are ready to play% put it into position. There should also be a bench "or you to sit on. +d#ust the position o" the bench so that you can reach all the keys "rom one end o" the keyboard to the other. 'o not sit either too "ar or away or too close. There will be pedals at the bottom o" the piano where your "eet are. These need not be used by beginners. )nce you become more pro"icient at playing the piano% you can learn how to use these pedals to sustain sounds or cut them short. The part o" the piano that will be most important to your learning is the keyboard. !t is made up o" white and black keys which run "rom the le"t to the right o" the piano "ace. These keys do not alternate white-black-white "or the entire length o" the keyboard. !" you look closely% you will see that the black and white keys "orm a pattern that repeats "rom one end o" the keyboard to the other. The pattern consists o" ; white keys and 7 black keys in a particular order. <rom the beginning o" one such set o" keys and ending on the beginning o" the next set% an inter al is "ormed. !nter als are #ust the musical distances between two sounds. This particular inter al is called an octa e. The keys are lined up on the keyboard in order "rom the lowest on the le"t to the highest on the right. -tarting at the le"t and mo ing to the right% each black or white key is a hal" step higher in pitch than the key be"ore it. <or a "ull step% it is necessary to go up =or down> two hal" steps. Try some hal" steps and some "ull steps. /ith a little practice% you should be able to learn the sound o" those inter als easily. Try other inter als to hear their sounds. +lways pay attention to how many hal" or "ull steps you are taking. 'o the same inter als at se eral di""erent places along the keyboard. Try octa es. You can do this by picking out a key and playing the next key up that is in the same position in the next pattern group. -oon% you will be playing octa es with ease. This is ery important to all kinds o" piano playing. 4ow that you ha e "amiliari$ed yoursel" with the instrument called the piano% you can begin to learn how to use it to make music. There is much to learn% but you can begin playing simple songs ery ?uickly. +ll it takes is a little time and some e""ort% and soon you will be happily playing songs you en#oy. /hat starts with a "ew notes can end in a li"elong pursuit o" musical accomplishment.

Chapter 3 The Home Keys and A to G

You can start by learning where to put your hands. There are a group o" keys toward the center o" the keyboard called the @ome 0eys. These are nine keys where your hands should rest as you prepare to play. You might wonder why there are only nine @ome 0eys when you ha e ten "ingers. The reason is that both thumbs rest on middle &. 1iddle & is a re"erence point that will be re"erred to o er and o er as you are learning and studying the piano. !t can be recogni$ed by looking at the pattern o" black and white keys at the center o" the keyboard. 3ook at the picture o" the center o" a piano keyboard below. Take notice o" the keys that do not ha e a black key to separate them. This is how you recogni$e the pattern.

7 : !ig"re A

&

The middle &% where you will put your thumbs% is marked with a &. The keys with numbers under them are where you put your "ingers. The twos are "or the index "ingers o" your le"t and right hand% the threes are "or your middle "ingers% the "ours are "or your ring "ingers% and the "i es are "or your little "ingers. Place your "ingers on the @ome 0eys o" your piano keyboard. Play to the right up the keyboard "rom your right thumb to your right little "inger. 4ow play down the keyboard "rom your le"t thumb to your le"t little "inger. You can e en play a "ew songs with your hands in the @ome 0eys position. Try to pick out a song you know well. <or example% you can play 1ary @ad a 3ittle 3amb with the right hand when it is in the @ome 0eys position. Try to use your memory o" the sounds to choose the right keys. =@int: start with your right middle "inger.> 4ow% try using the @ome 0eys "or a re"erence point. Put your "ingers on the @ome 0eys again. 3ook up the keyboard% to the right% "or the next pattern that looks #ust like the @ome 0eys. You know where middle & is 2 now try to "ind the & o" the next octa e

up. 3ook "rom middle & to the & abo e middle &. This is how you will gauge your place on the keyboard. !n the beginning% you should always take a long look at the keyboard when you sit down to play. )nce you can recogni$e the home keys% you can begin any song "rom that re"erence point. /hen you ha e learned more% you will take one glance at middle & and know exactly where to put your "ingers no matter where they should go up or down the keyboard. 4ext you need to learn the names o" the keys% + through G. You know where middle & is now. -tart two white keys below that and you will be at +. (ach white key up% or to the right% goes up a letter in the alphabet until you come to G. Then% it starts o er at +. There"ore% the middle "inger o" your le"t hand is resting on the + in the @ome 0eys position. +s you go to the right% you will reach G by the time you get to the little "inger o" your right hand. -o% what are the black keys "orB They are #ust as important. They represent the sharps or "lats. !nterestingly enough% the same key can be either a sharp or a "lat. /hen you go up "rom a white key% the black key is a sharp% and when you go down "rom a white key% the black key is a "lat. To try an example% go again to middle &. Go up to the black key to the right o" middle &. This is & sharp. 4ow% mo e one white key up% to the index "inger o" your right hand. This is a '. Go to the black key to the le"t o" '. This is ' "lat. +ma$ing% isn,t itB & sharp and ' "lat are both represented by the same key on the piano. +s you learn more% you will disco er that both the black keys and the white keys are e?ually important in piano music. There would be "ew opportunities to ha e hal" steps on the piano without black keys% and most songs ha e some hal" steps in them. +lso% there are many instances where the black keys are some o" the main keys in the predominant scale being used.

Chapter # What Are $%ales?

+ scale goes "rom one key to the key that is an octa e abo e that key. !t consists o" eight tones. There are di""erent types o" scales. -ome o" them are ma#or scales and some o" them are minor scales. 1a#or scales ha e been described as sounding happy% while minor scales are said to sound sad or gloomy. !" you spend a part o" your practice time playing scales% you build muscle memory in your hands. This means that% a"ter much time practicing% your hands go more easily to notes in the scale you are playing at any gi en time. You only ha e to see the printed music or think o" the melody and your hands know what to do. To talk about scales% you must talk about keys. There are two kinds o" keys when you are learning to play the piano. There are the physical blocks o" i ory% or some look-alike material% and wood. There are also keys that scales or songs are played in. @a e you e er been to a lounge where a singer is gi ing an impromptu per"ormanceB -he might lean down to the pianist and say something like% C!n the key o" &.D That tells the pianist where on the keyboard to begin. !t also tells the pianist what physical keys to start with and what chords to use. The key o" a piece o" music is ery important. /hen you are learning scales% you can do it without learning all the key signatures. =0ey signatures are the written notation o" the keys% such as the key o" & or the key o" G.> You can begin by playing a & scale. + ma#or & scale is all done on the white keys. Begin with your right hand in the @ome 0eys position. .emember that your "ingers are numbered 8-7% with the thumb being 8. Play 8-A-5 as usual. This is &-'-( on the keyboard. Then% instead o" playing the next note with your ring "inger% slip your thumb under the "ingers and play < with your thumb. .eposition your hand so that your thumb is 8 on < and your pinkie is 7 on the & abo e middle &. Then% continue to play up the scale. -o% you are playing 8-A-5-8-A-5-:-7% or &-'-(-<-G-+-B-&. You ha e #ust played your "irst scale. Practice it a "ew times. To play a & scale with your le"t hand% put your little "inger on the & below middle &. Position your "ingers "rom 8-7 coming up the keyboard "rom each key to the next. Play 7-:-5-A-8. Then% reach o er the top with your middle "inger and place it on the next key. Play 5-A-8 "rom this position. There"ore% you are playing 7-:-5-A-8-5-A-8% or &-'-(-<-G+-B-&. +"ter you practice this "or awhile% try to put the le"t hand and the right hand together. Play the & below middle & with your le"t pinkie at the same time as you play the middle & with your le"t thumb. &ontinue up the scale with both hands. !t can be a little tricky at "irst because you are going o er with your middle "inger o" your le"t hand and the under with the thumb o" the right hand at di""erent times. Practice awhile and it will come naturally. )nce you get the basic procedure down% it is easy to play other ma#or scales. The only thing you ha e to remember is the se?uence o" steps and hal" steps in a ma#or scale. The correct order up a ma#or scale is: beginning note-step-step-hal" step-step-step-stephal" step. You should be aware that% since there are no black keys between them% the inter als "rom B-& and "rom (-< are each hal" steps.

You can play a scale anywhere on the piano. *ust pick a note to start on. !t does not matter whether it is a white key or a black key. Ese the gi en se?uence o" steps and hal" steps to go "rom there up an eight note scale. You can e en start "rom the le"t o" the keyboard and continue the scale all the way to the right. /ith a little practice% you will be pro"icient at playing ma#or scales.

Chapter & 'eading ("si%) *ntrod"%tion

/ith a little success under your belt% you can begin to tackle the #ob o" learning to read music. )" course% many musicians do not know how to read music. They #ust hear a song and play it% as they say% by ear. These musicians can impro ise on any simple themes and come up with elaborate renditions o" popular songs. These players know their instruments as well as singers know their own oices. You may be someone who can do that. There will be some in"ormation later on about chords and impro isation. @owe er% i" you are a beginner #ust "inding out about the piano% it is more likely that you need the help that written music can pro ide you. <urthermore% learning to read written music can open up a whole new world to you. You can learn songs that you ha e ne er e en heard be"ore. !" you want to repeat the per"ormance% you will ha e the sheet music to guide you note "or note. There is much to learn. You must "ind out about the way the notes are depicted. You need to know what the sta""s that they are shown on look like. You will learn how rhythm is represented and how sharps and "lats are shown. These are the basics% and you can build on this knowledge o er time. You can learn ?uite a lot #ust by looking at one piece o" music. !" you ha e some sheet music% a hymnal% or a songbook% take it out and look at the music. !" you do not already ha e some written music% buy some or borrow a songbook "rom the library. You will notice that there are groups o" "i e hori$ontal lines. !" the music is "or both hands% it will ha e two o" these groups o" lines connected together by a longer line along the side. The hori$ontal lines are called the sta"". You can get sta"" paper that is already marked with these lines. +t the "ar le"t side o" the sta""s you will see the cle" marking. !t will be a treble cle" marking "or the upper sta"". The treble cle" resembles a "ancy backwards - with a line going down through it and curling underneath. !n the beginning o" learning to play the piano% you will play the treble cle" notes with your right hand. )n the lower sta"" o" the two is the bass cle" sign. !t is something like a backwards & with two dots on the right side o" it. This sta"" shows the lower notes% and you will begin by playing the notes shown on this sta"" with your le"t hand. The upper and lower sta""s will repeat se eral times down the page. 3ook at your sheet music and identi"y the sta""s. 4ow you are ready to learn the notes.

Chapter + The Lines and the $pa%es

Your "irst experience with playing music "rom written notations will come as soon as you learn the notes. The "irst thing you ha e to do is to learn about the lines and the spaces o" the sta""s. )n the diagram below% the notes used are all ?uarter notes. That re"ers to the rhythm o" the notes which will be discussed later. The purpose o" this diagram is to show you the notes as they are positioned on the sta"".

Treble & !ig"re ,

'

<

&

'

<

!" you look #ust at the actual lines o" the sta""% you will see that they are% going up% (-GB-'-<. -ome people remember this with little sayings% like C( ery Good Boy 'oes <ine.D There are memory tricks "or all the lines and spaces on both sta""s. <or the spaces o" the treble cle"% you will notice that the letters o" the notes spell <-+-&-(. 4ow% you can relate the notes on the page to the keys on the keyboard. .emember where the middle & isB The & on the le"t o" the diagram abo e depicts middle &. The middle & is shown on an added line below the treble cle" or abo e the bass cle". Esing middle & as a re"erence point and your new knowledge o" the letters that go with the notes% try to look at each note and then play the key it re"ers to. Take the music you ha e at hand% and try to pick out a "ew notes on the piano "rom the treble cle". You might e en be able to play a melody line by using this method. This will only get you started. @owe er% e ery time you can ha e the satis"ying experience o" playing music% you should take it. The "eeling will carry you on to want to learn more. There are more notes to learn on the bass cle". + diagram o" the bass cle" with the notes on the lines and spaces is shown below.

Bass G !ig"re C

&

'

<

&

)n this diagram% the middle & is shown on the "ar right% which would be the end o" this short piece o" music. The lines o" the bass cle" are G-B-'-<-+. 1any people turn the treble cle" saying around and use the saying CGood Boys 'o <ine +lways.D The spaces are +-&-(-G. )ne popular mnemonic de ice "or this is% C+ll &ows (at Grass.D <eel "ree to make up anything that will help you to remember. /rite your sayings down and memori$e them. +nother thing to learn is the notation "or sharps and "lats. This is the sign "or a sharp: F. !t is placed to the le"t o" the note. The "lat is a totally di""erent sign. !t looks something like a small letter b that has been s?uee$ed until the circle looks almost like a hal" o" a heart shape. !t is also put on the le"t side o" a note. 3ook through your printed music "or any sharps and "lats you might recogni$e. 'o not worry about the rhythm at this point. Take your written music and play as many notes as you can "rom it. -ay the note names as you play at "irst. This will get you in the habit o" thinking about the written note as a musical sound with a letter name. +ssociating the three aspects o" a note together will help you become more pro"icient at reading music. Buy some sta"" paper or make your own. You can make sta"" paper by drawing "i e straight hori$ontal lines across the page% lea ing a space% and then drawing "i e more hori$ontal lines. 4ow you can draw some notes to play simple strings o" notes. 'raw a note by making a "illed in circle either on a line or in a space. Then% draw a line up "rom it on the right. 1ake notes on di""erent lines and in di""erent spaces. -et aside your pencil and try playing your notes. You should be able to look at the note you ha e drawn and think o" the letter name and the physical piano key it belongs to. Pretty soon% you will be playing all the notes you can write. !" it comes naturally to you% you might start coming up with music you en#oy listening to as you write your notes. /hen you ha e learned all about the lines and spaces% you will be well on your way to understanding written music. The next step is to understand how chords are written. &hords are notes that are played simultaneously. You will recogni$e chords on the sheet music because they are written in a ertical line. !" they are ?uarter notes% as the notes in the pre ious diagrams are% they will share the line that goes along the side o" the note. There will be more on chords later. <or now% #ust take a look at how they are shown. Try to play some chords as they are on your written music. You may ha e to place one "inger on a note at a time when you are "irst learning% but e entually you will see the chord and your "ingers will go into that position. 'o a little practice with chords and get ready to learn about rhythm.

Chapter - Written Piano ("si% and 'hythm

.hythm is something that can be impro ised or changed easily i" you know the piano well. Think about singing: You can sing by holding some notes longer and cutting other notes shorter. You do not need to be told how to do it. !" you want to learn a song that you do not know% written music can be used to help you understand the rhythm. +lso% i" you want to play in an ensemble that is playing "rom sheet music% you will stay in time with them better i" you play "rom written music as well. The "irst thing you need to learn about rhythm is the time signatures. The time signature is written to the right o" the treble and bass cle"s on the "irst line o" a piece o" music. !" the time signature changes within the piece% a di""erent set o" numbers is written at the point where the change is about to take place. + time signature is two numbers% one o er the other. The top number tells you how many beats there are to a measure. + measure is a unit o" the musical piece that is marked o"" by a ertical line through the sta"". There should be identical ertical lines through the treble and bass sta""s at arious points. Try to "ind them on your music. The bottom number tells you what kind o" note makes one beat. There"ore% a 5/: time signature would mean that there are three notes to a measure and these notes are ?uarter notes. +s you become more "amiliar with piano rhythms% you will see that the time signatures are more o" a suggestion than an order to stamp your "oot and play a ?uarter note with each beat. @owe er% to begin it is easiest i" you do i" you tap your "oot and play one beat per e ery note o" the type listed in the bottom o" the time signature. 4otes ha e di""erent alues based upon how they are written. + whole note is the basis o" the rhythm. + measure can consist o" a whole note and nothing more. !n :/: time% a whole note is worth : beats. This makes sense when you consider that a ?uarter note is worth 8 beat. : ?uarter notes would make one measure. <our "ourths e?uals a whole. 1usic rhythm is ery similar to math. !n "act% it has been shown in studies that babies who are exposed to hearing music with complex rhythms are better at complex math later in li"e. To begin% though% you only need to know a "ew simple e?uations. !" a whole note is worth : ?uarter notes% it can be worth two hal" notes as well. + measure can also be di ided up into eighth notes. + whole note% two hal" notes% or "our ?uarter notes are worth eight eighth notes. /hen you add a dot to a note% it adds hal" again to that note. -o% a dotted hal" note would be worth three beats% or the duration o" three ?uarter notes. The whole note is a simple circle with an open center. The hal" note is the same% but it has a line coming up "rom the side o" it% making it look di""erent. The ?uarter note is like the hal" note% except that the center o" the circle is "illed in. +n eighth note has a small "lag on the line coming up "rom the note. !t can look like this i" it is alone: G. )r it can look like this i" it is with another eighth note: H. 3ook at your sheet music and identi"y the note alues. To practice% tap your "oot to establish the baseline rhythm. !t should be a steady beat. &lap your hands to the

rhythm o" the note alues. !" it is a whole note% clap once and then do not clap again until you ha e tapped your "oot three more times. !" it is two eighth notes% clap once as you put your "oot down and another time as you pick your "oot up. Try clapping out rhythms o" any sheet music you can get your hands on. )"ten there will be more than one simple line o" music% so you must choose to ignore all but one line to begin. &lap out one note at a time% which is the only way you could do it anyway. /hen you are good at clapping out rhythms% go on to playing notes in rhythm. !" you cannot "ind music that is simple enough "or you to understand% make up some o" your own. Ese the sta"" paper you ha e purchased or made. 1ake a :/: time signature and write some measures. 1ake sure you always put in notes that add up to : beats% or one whole note. You can also use rests% which are notations denoting a pause where nothing is played at all on that cle". You can play your composition "rom your sheet. !t may not sound like a song to you% but the rhythm will be interesting i" you ha e used di""erent note alues. !t is "un to make up your own music. You can use this method to practice the particular aspects o" music you are learning. /hen you do% you are not "orced to search "or music that "its the situation. +t the same time% you are practicing coming up with examples o" concepts you are trying to learn. !t trains your mind. +ll along% you can also be testing out what you ha e learned by trying to play parts o" written music that you ha e on hand. !t can all be a part o" the process.

Chapter . Personal $tory) Learning Piano ,asi%s

! was one o" those people who always dreamed o" playing the piano but ne er thought ! could. +t least ! was until ! came across some short% simple lessons on the basics o" piano playing. ! decided to gi e it a try% and ! ha e been practicing e er since. /hen ! started% ! knew what a piano looked like% but ! had not really taken notice o" how the white and black keys make a pattern. That was the "irst little bit o" instruction that helped me to reali$e that the piano might be decipherable a"ter all. -ince the keyboard could be broken down into sections% ! had something to guide me in "inding each indi idual key. ! began with the lessons that were in the material ! had. +"ter each section% ! had to try out the concepts ! had "ound out about. ! had to try to play the notes% write the notes% clap the rhythms% or play lines o" melody. !n awhile% ! began to test mysel". ! went back o er the lessons and tried each concept. ! did this se eral times% always getting better and better. ! de eloped my own practice schedule% "inding time between my work and daily chores. !t was satis"ying to accomplish so much so ?uickly. The slow pace o" "ormal lessons may be good "or children% but as an adult% ! appreciated the ability to go at my own pace. There came a time when ! wanted to play music that was easy "or me 2 music that ! recogni$ed rather than what ! was writing out in my exercises. -o% ! went to the music store and bought two books. ! chose an (asy Piano Book and a <ake Book% #ust as the lessons had suggested. ! went through the (asy Piano Book% learning to sight read without too much di""iculty. That was when ! began playing songs ! had heard all my li"e. This particular (asy Piano Book was based on Broadway musicals. ! knew most o" the songs already% so it was great to be able to play them. The <ake Book% on the other hand% was "ull o" modern pop songs. ! had read through the lessons and "ound out how to use a <ake Book% so ! ?uickly began. ! did not know all the chords% so ! looked up the new ones be"ore ! tried to play each song. -oon ! was playing songs that ! had heard on the radio. This was #ust as "un as the Broadway songs% and my "riends seemed to like it e en better. !t was a lot o" "un "or e eryone% me included. ! am so glad that ! took the time to learn the basics o" piano playing. ! am not a pro by any means. !t does not matter to me. ! ne er wanted to take the world by storm. ! #ust wanted to learn something that would make me personally a little happier. +nd that is #ust what ! did.

Chapter / Keys and Key $ignat"res

!t is di""icult to talk about keys without some con"usion because the physical blocks you strike are called keys. +t the same time% it is also necessary to talk about the theoretical keys music is written and played in. <or the purposes o" this chapter% keys will re"er to theoretical keys and not the physical wood piano keys. .emember the talk about the lounge singer choosing a key in which to sing. +lso remember that keys can be ma#or or minor 2 happy-sounding or gloomy-sounding. There are many "actors that determine what makes up the key o" the music. They in ol e theory that is too complex "or most beginners. @owe er% you can learn the key signatures that show what the key usually is. The key signature is a grouping o" sharps or "lats on the sta"" at the beginning o" a piece o" music. There might be no sharps or "lats% and i" it is a ma#or key% then it is the key o" & ma#or. <or the purposes o" beginning key signature theory% it is best to begin with ma#or keys. The important thing to learn is what notes to make sharp or "lat when you are playing. /rite on a sheet o" paper: <-&-G-'-+-(-B. 4ow draw a box around the G. This is a way to remember the sharps and the ma#or sharp keys. )ne o" the sharp keys is G% which has one sharp% which is <. +nother sharp key is '% which has two sharps 2 < and &. !n other words% you start with the box to learn the name o" the ma#or key. Then% you count the letters starting with G. The key will ha e that many sharps in it% and they will start with <. <or the "lats% write down: B-(-+-'-G-&-<. This time draw your box around the <. There"ore% the key o" < has one "lat% which is a B "lat. Then% you go back to the beginning "or the next one. The key o" B "lat has two "lats% which are B "lat and ( "lat. Be"ore you begin to play a piece% look "or the key signature on the le"t-hand side o" the sta"" a"ter the cle" sign. !t will simply show sharp signs on each line or space that corresponds with the notes that should be raised one hal" step. )r% it will show "lat symbols on each line or space that matches the notes that are to be lowered one hal" step. )ne thing to remember is that% ordinarily% the sharps or "lats in the key signature are carried throughout the piece. That means that% "or the key o" <% e ery time you see a B on the sta""% you play a B "lat% "or example. The "lat or sharp signs will not be written beside those notes as long as the key signature is in place. The key signature can change during the piece at any point. !" it does% there will be a new cle" sign and a new key signature marked on the sta"" at that point. +nother time you might play something di""erent is i" you ha e an accidental. +n accidental is a note that is not ordinarily in the key. + sharp or "lat sign will be written by it to tell you what to do. +s a beginning player% the key signature is really ?uite simple. *ust use it to tell you what notes to play sharp or "lat throughout the piece. You can learn more about keys when you ha e ad anced "urther in your studies o" theory.

Chapter 10 Get *t Together 1ith Chords

!" you ha e sheet music or songbooks to play "rom% they will likely ha e chords to play. There are hundreds o" possible chords in piano music. There are ma#or and minor chords% diminished chords% in erted chords% augmented chords% and more. *ust because there are so many chords to learn% it does not mean you cannot get started on them right away. The easiest place to begin is with the ma#or chords. To think about chords% you can start by thinking o" the scales. You ha e played a & scale% which has all its notes on white piano keys. You can start with a & ma#or chord. .emember that the scale went up: beginning note- step-step-hal" step-step-step-step-hal" step. + chord can ha e more than three notes in it% but you are going to choose the beginning note% the third note% and the "i"th note. There"ore% you will be playing the beginning note% skip a step% play the next step% skip a hal" step% and play the next step 2 one% three% "i e. !" you will look back at <igure +% you can use the @ome 0eys position "or a & ma#or chord. *ust put your right thumb on &% your middle "inger on 5 which is (% and your pinkie on 7 which is G. Push down all o" the keys together. You ha e #ust played a & ma#or chord. You can in ert the & ma#or chord "or a slightly di""erent sound. +ll you ha e to do is to use the same three notes 2 &% (% G 2 and play them in di""erent positions. <or example% you can play the ( and G in the positions they are on in the home keys% but use the & abo e middle & with them instead o" middle &. Try this and make up any ariation o" the &% (% G combination you can. You can make chords "rom any scale. *ust remember the se?uence o" the scale and choose the "irst% third% and "i"th tone in that scale. There are two other ma#or chords that can be played all on the white keys. They are the < ma#or chord and the G ma#or chord. 4ow try these chords. Ese the one-three-"i e se?uence to make up each chord. !" you analy$e the '% (% and + chords% you will see that their simple ma#or chords are not much more di""icult. You #ust ha e to put the middle "inger on the black key "or the third tone in the scale. .emember that ' "lat is the same as & sharp% and so on. This gi es you se eral more chords to choose. The next three basic ma#or chords are the opposite o" the pre ious three. The ' "lat% ( "lat% and + "lat chords are such that you put your "ingers on the black keys "or the one and "i e positions and on a white key "or the third position. /hen you in ert the chord% you will ha e to remember which keys were originally one% three% and "i e% #ust as always. !t is easy to remember that the G "lat% also called the < sharp% chord occurs all on the black keys. You will ha e to work to memori$e the B ma#or chord and the B "lat ma#or chord% as they are a little di""erent. B goes white "or one% black "or three% and black "or "i e. B "lat is #ust the opposite% with black "or one% and white "or three and "i e. 1inor chords% the serious or gloomy-sounding chords are easy to make as well. <or basic minor chords% you only ha e to lower the third note one hal" step. You would end up with a &-( "lat-G "or a minor chord. This goes back to the scale set-up. /hen you

count your steps and hal" steps% you need to account "or the third step being a hal" step lower. There"ore% you would ha e beginning note-step-hal" step-step-step "or the "irst "i e notes. You can continue to learn di""erent chords "or a long time be"ore you will ha e mastered them all. 3earning chords gi es you a way to add "resh new material to your practice and playing. The more you know% the easier it will become "or you to play without written music.

Chapter 11 The ,ig !ake and *mpro2isation

!t is nice when you are able to set the music aside and play any music that you like. !t may be di""icult to "ind the sheet music "or e ery song you en#oy. There are two ways to o ercome this predicament% and they are related in a way. )ne is to use a <ake Book% and the other is to learn impro isation techni?ues. You can get <ake Books at music stores or by ordering them online. You can also get a ersion o" the same concept when you come across a simple notation o" a song. + <ake Book% or the like% has only two things to guide you. <irst% you will get a melody line in the treble cle". This will usually only show one note at a time 2 no chords 2 and it will be a simpli"ied ersion o" the song. The second thing you will get with this simple music is a letter abo e the sta"". The letter signi"ies the chord you are to play in the bass cle" and possibly add to the treble cle" i" you are skilled enough. There will be a letter abo e the sta"" each time the chord changes. By learning the chords% you are preparing yoursel" nicely to be able to use a <ake Book with ease. You can use the straight chords or in ert them. You can play them as running chords where you play each note separately in succession. You can come up with any rhythm you choose "or the bass cle". Esing a <ake Book is a somewhat creati e endea or. You ha e to use what you know to "ill in the blanks that are le"t by an incomplete score. !n that regard you are in charge o" in enting the music. You can "ind <ake Books that are "airly current% with music you ha e heard recently on the radio. Yet% i" you want to really come up with your own original song or instrumental piece% you can do it better by learning to impro ise. You can learn ery complex theory about impro isation% but you can begin with the in"ormation you already ha e. You need to know mainly about scales and chords. &hoose a scale to work "romI a & scale may be the easiest "or you since it is all on the white keys. 4ext% choose some chords within that scale. <or the & ma#or scale% common chords to use are < ma#or and G ma#or. This is because they do not ha e any sharps or "lats in them. 1ake up a chord progression. !t can be &-<-G-&. Practice playing these chords with your le"t hand. The base chords are usually played below middle &% but that is not a rule% by any means. Play them where er you see "it. Play them as simple triads or in ert them. Play them in any se?uence. Play until they come naturally. /hen you are com"ortable with your chord progression% you can begin to impro ise a melody. *ust play with your right hand% one note at a time to make a melody line. !t may not seem like music at "irst% but i" you keep trying you will e entually come up with an interesting melody line. You can also impro ise on a melody you know. -ay you want to play *ingle Bells% but you do not ha e the music. You can ?uickly pick out the melody. Then% you can

choose chords to go with the melody based on the key% or scale% the melody is in. !" you do not ha e sheet music% these are ways to play without it.

Chapter 12 $ight 'eading Written ("si%

-ight-reading written music is when you play music as you see it "or the "irst time. /hen you "irst get a piece o" sheet music or a new songbook% all the music will be un"amiliar to you. You can get o erwhelmed i" you try to play per"ectly "rom the ery "irst glance. There are a "ew tricks you can learn to make it easier. 8. 3ook at the key signature. This could possibly be the most important piece o" preliminary in"ormation you can ha e. Think ery hard about which sharps or "lats are listed in the key signature. You will want to remember to use those notes whene er they occur throughout the piece. A. 3ook at the time signature. The measures will not make much sense to you i" you do not know how many beats there are in each one o" them. !" you do not know what kind o" note makes up a beat% you will be lost. 5. 3ook o er the piece "or any changes in key signature and time signature. You may be playing along and come across a change out o" the blue. !" you are not prepared "or it% you might end up playing the song incorrectly "rom that point on. :. 4otice what note you will start on and what note or chord you will end on. !t helps to know the starting point and the ending point o" any song be"ore you start to play it. This will guide you towards the "inish o" the song. 7. Glance at the type o" rhythm that is used in the le"t hand. The le"t hand is usually the rhythm hand% though not always. !" you count out the notes o" the le"t hand be"ore you begin% you will ha e a better idea o" how the song is going to go. 6. 'o a one-handed once-o er o" the melody. *ust play the melody line by itsel" to get the sound o" it into your mind. )nce you know that sound% you ha e unlocked the uni?ueness o" the song. /hen you begin to play the song all together% the melody will stand out in your mind as a signi"icant thread. ;. 3ook at any other markings that are on the piece. -ome o" these markings will be co ered in 1usic Terminology. They include the loudness or so"tness o" a piece% how short or long you hold the notes% and the o erall speed o" the music. J. Take a deep breath% "ocus% and begin to play. You should try to play the song all the way through when you sight read it "or the "irst time. There will be time later to break it down into measures and work on each one i" that is what you want to do. <or the time being% howe er% #ust do your best and keep going. You might wonder why it is important to know how to sight-read in the "irst place. +"ter all% you could learn the song a little at a time. -ight-reading "orces you to keep trying until you reach the end o" the song. /hen you sight-read properly% you a oid some bad habits. You a oid the habit o" looking at each note slowly be"ore you play it. You also a oid the habit o" starting and stopping e ery time something goes the least little bit wrong.

!" you want to play per"ectly "rom the ery "irst sight o" a song% you might as well "orget it unless you are ery experienced or talented. -ight-reading gets you started on the road to learning to play better.

Chapter 13 ("si% Terminology 3or ,eginners

There is so much music terminology "or piano players that e en experienced players come across new terms on piano music. -ome o" the words used are more common% though. + "ew o" these are listed "or you. A%%elerando 2 getting "aster as the section o" the piece marked goes on. Adagio 2 played ery slowly Allegro 2 played at a "ast tempo and with a cheer"ul mood Andante 2 played moderately slowly A tempo 2 go back to the original tempo ,eat 2 the basic unit o" time in music% it is a regular tap o" the "oot% "or example Chord 2 when you play three or more notes together all at once Coda 2 an ending that is di""erent that pre ious erses in the musical piece Cres%endo 2 getting louder and louder through a marked passage 4imin"endo 2 getting so"ter and so"ter through a marked passage 4ol%e 2 sweetly 5nsem6le 2 a musical group% it could be anything "rom a band to a classical group !orte 2 means to play the piece loudly% "orce"ully !ortissimo 2 play the piece ery loudly Genre 2 the category o" music =or any other artwork>% rock and blues are examples Glissando 2 playing down the keyboard rapidly% usually by sliding thumb down the keys *nter2al 2 the distance between two musical tones Largo 2 ery slow and broad (e77o 3orte 2 play the piece somewhat loudly (e77o piano 2 play the piece somewhat so"tly Phrase 2 a unit o" music% denoted by a cur ed line under or o er notes phrased together Pianissimo 2 play the piece ery so"tly Piano 2 play the piece so"tly Presto 2 play extremely "ast $emitone 2 also known as a hal" step $ta%%ato 2 play notes ?uickly% crisply% and detached "rom each other Tempo 2 the rate o" speed o" the musical pieceI it can ary during songs when marked 8ariations 2 when you play a basic tune and then play di""erent ersions o" it that retain the same basic melody. These are the most common music words used by pianists% along with the words that ha e already been used in these lessons. 0eys% key signatures% time signatures% notes% whole notes% ?uarter notes% and so onI impro isation% etc. There are always more words to add to your musical ocabulary. -ome o" the words abo e are written out abo e or between the sta""s. -ome are noted by using a mark o" some sort. There are many markings to learn% but some o" them are easy. This is because the word is o"ten written out along with the marking. <or example% a crescendo marking starts as a point on the le"t and opens up wider to the right. -ometimes% the word crescendo will also be written somewhere either in the marking or under it to help you. -ome markings you will ha e #ust ha e to learn. -taccato music is marked by dots under the notes you are to play short and crisp.

/hen you learn all o" this musical terminology% do not sit back and ignore the rest o" the words and markings you "ind. 0eep learning and you will ne er get bored. There is always more to know.

Chapter 1# !inding and Choosing ("si% to Play

You can learn and en#oy yoursel" by playing music you make up and write% or make up and impro ise on the spot. -ooner or later% you will want to "ind some sheet music or songbooks "or more music. You can get music in music stores or online easily% but it may not be the music you want to try and play. You need to "ind music that suits your le el o" play. The best way to do this is to #ust look at the music. !" you are buying in a store% you can examine the books or sheet music thoroughly be"ore you buy. )ne thing you can look at is how many sharps or "lats the songs in the songbook tend to ha e. + song that uses too many o" the black keys is harder to play when you are "irst starting out. +lso% "or some reason% many people "ind the sharp key signatures more di""icult to manage than the "lat key signatures. 3ook% too% at the di""iculty o" the chords. !" the chords are clusters o" many notes% you will know that the chords will not be as easy as simple triads. Take note o" whether there are chords o" "our or "i e notes together on both le"t and right hands. You can learn these i" you want to% but be prepared to work a little bit. 3ook "or di""icult rhythms. You might see a lot o" dotted notes or notes with di""erent alues mixed together to make up a measure. +gain% you can take your time and learn these songs. You can clap out the rhythms until you ha e them down be"ore you play. @owe er% i" you are looking "or some ?uick success% look "or more e en and simple note alues. Besides looking at sheet music and songbooks that are already printed% there is another way to buy music in a music store now. 1any stores ha e a special computer set aside "or making copies o" music. You choose the song you want "rom a list. !" you only know a "ew words% you may still be able to "ind the song i" the search tools are good enough. +"ter you ha e selected your song% you get the opportunity to look at the music. You can look at the music "rom beginning to end% but you cannot copy it until you agree to buy it. The artists are protected in this way because the store pays the royalties "rom your payment when you buy the copies. You should expect the copies to be high ?uality% and on good paper. You can also get sheet music online. /hen you buy online% you usually do not get as good o" a look at the music you are about to buy. You are more likely to get a small sample to gi e you an idea o" what the music is like. The online companies do not like to show too much because it is too easy "or people to steal work that is printed on the internet. They will send you your choices by mail or by download as soon as you pay. 4o matter how you get your music% be sure that you get the music you like and you will be able to play in the near "uture. There is no need to stockpile music "or that someday when you will suddenly be playing like a pro. !nstead% get songbooks and sheet music that you are ready to use right away.

Chapter 1& Pra%ti%ing on 9o"r :1n

!" you are playing the piano as an adult sel"-learner% you will do best i" you work in some practice time most days. You might like to establish a routine o" how you will go about your practice. You can do things in a certain order% or you can mix things up di""erently e ery day. )ne thing you should always do when you practice is to play scales. You do not ha e to play e ery scale e ery day. You might want to "ocus on the "lat scales one day and the sharp scales the next. You do not e en ha e to take it that "ar 2 #ust be sure that you practice scales o" some kind "or awhile be"ore you begin to play. 4ext% play some chords. Build on the scales you ha e played and make up as many chords as you can manage in the time you ha e allotted to spend on the exercise. The more you play your scales and chords% the better you will be when it comes to impro ising. You will e en play written music better because it will make more sense. !t is a good idea to ha e a set musical piece to play e ery time you practice be"ore you start playing other songs. !t can be any song that you can play "airly easily. -omething that gi es you a "eeling o" satis"action is always a good choice. 1ake sure you do not pick a song that is new or tricky "or this. You want to start out with a positi e experience. You can work on the hard music later in the practice session. +"ter you ha e played your starting piece% go on to play songs you ha e been working on. Go o er the rough spots care"ully and try to play them "rom beginning to end without stopping. +t this point it is a good time to sight-read any new music you ha e on hand and want to try. Then% take a little break. Get a drink o" water% eat an apple% or make a phone call. Then% go back to the piano and "inish your practice. 1any people belie e that you ha e to sit down and play until you are exhausted. They ne er consider that taking a break can breathe new li"e into your playing. )nce you ha e had a break% you can use the rest o" the time to impro ise. You can make up music based on the chords and scales you played earlier. !" you pre"er% you can go in a completely new direction. 3et this be your time "or en#oyment and pure pleasure. /ith the right attitude% impro isation does not seem like work at all. !t "eels like complete "reedom. /hile it is good to practice most days% do not hesitate to take a day o"" i" you are "eeling bored with it. There is nothing that kills enthusiasm like o erwork. Take o"" #ust enough time to renew your excitement about playing the piano. !t should not take long. !" you are ha ing trouble "inding moti ation to practice% go to a piano concert% buy a piano player,s &' or 1P5 download% or listen to a mo ie soundtrack based on piano music. /hate er it takes to get you back in the groo e% do it.

Chapter 1+ The $mall $potlight) Playing 3or !riends and !amily

You ha e learned to play some songs ery well. Your "riends and "amily are anxious to hear you play. This is no time to disappoint them. Play your heart out and gi e them a show to remember. There are a "ew things to consider when you are in this position. <irst o" all% your "riends and "amily can be your kindest audience or your harshest critics. 1ost o" your lo ed ones will want you to do well. They might be so care"ul o" your "eelings that they tell you how great you played e en i" you know you made a lot o" mistakes. There is nothing like the lo ing kindness o" a "riend or relati e. You can become more con"ident i" you know you are going to get praise when you play. @owe er% i" the admiration is not sincere% you will "eel cheated. You might e entually stop playing "or them because it does not seem to matter what you do 2 you always get the same reaction. /hen "riends or "amily members try to help you polish your act% they can be troublesome as well. They might or might not know something about playing the piano. !" they know nothing about it% their ad ice will be nothing more than an irritation and an annoyance. !t will not help you in the least when it comes to correcting any mistakes. !" there are other piano players in your intimate circle% they can be demanding. !" you play better than they do% they might be #ealous. They might say things to demean you. !" you are not as ad anced as another piano player in the room% you may be up "or some pretty harsh criticism. <riends and "amily members o"ten "eel as i" they ha e the right and e en the responsibility to set you straight e ery time you miss the mark. !n the end% you ha e to play what you en#oy to play and hope that e eryone en#oys it as well. You cannot please e eryone% nor should you try to. !t is "ar better to play without "ear o" what others might say than to worry about e ery little note. .emember that your lo ed ones generally want what is best "or you. They #ust ha e a strange way o" showing it sometimes. &hoose times to play "or your "riends and "amily when music seems a natural part o" the occasion. !" there is a birthday% ask i" the host would like you to go to the piano and play @appy Birthday. <or &hristmas parties% you can olunteer to play carols "or the group to sing. <or a casual e ening% you might see i" people want to hear current songs. !t is important to bring the others into the e ent and let them be a part o" it. /hen you are playing "or a small% casual group such as this% it is good to start a con ersation with the others about what they would like to hear. !" you know how to play it% or can impro ise it% per"orm it "or them right away. !" it is something you are un"amiliar with% suggest that one o" you looks "or the sheet music "or a later song "est. Your "riends and "amily will en#oy your playing i" you are committed to making their experiences pleasant or mo ing. !t is also good i" you always look "or ways to keep your repertoire up to date so that you can surprise and ama$e your small audience. +"ter awhile% your lo ed ones will look "orward to hearing you play.

Chapter 1- Playing 3or P"6li% 52ents

!" you practice and play long enough% you might get enough experience to play outside your most intimate social circle. You might be asked to play piano "or a church ser ice or as a member o" a rock band. You might be gi en the opportunity to play the piano as a paid soloist "or a wedding% engagement party% or "uneral. There are many chances to play the piano in public i" you are someone with reasonable talent and experience. !" you are playing "rom sheet music% you can make your li"e easier by preparing your sheet music or songbooks ahead o" time. Get some plastic slee es that you can put a page o" music into and place each sheet in a slee e. !" you own a book% you can cut the pages "rom the book and insert the ones you need into the slee es. Then% clip the slee es in order into a ringed binder. Esing a binder makes it easier to turn pages without dropping your sheet music or "umbling with a bulky book. The music is all right there% and you will not damage the corners by trying to turn the pages too ?uickly. +nother ad antage o" using the binder is that you can put all the written music "or the entire per"ormance in one binder. Then% you do not ha e to keep going "rom one sheet or book to the next o er and o er. You might get some butter"lies in your stomach when you play "or a crowd. !t is per"ectly natural. The main thing to remember is to relax. Tighten up your muscles and then let them go. You will "eel a sense o" calm a"ter you do this. !" the situation is right% you can calm your ner es by talking so"tly to other musicians while you are waiting "or the e ent to begin or the curtain to go up. 4e er talk when you will disturb the audience% though. The most important thing to do when you get ner ous is to think about the music. 3et your mind dri"t away "rom the audience and the circumstances o" your playing. !" you ha e chosen your song well% concentrating on the music will carry you through the ner ous times. You will not ha e to do much thinking about the e ent you are co ering because the song will speak "or itsel". There are times when you play with other instrumentalists% such as in a rock or country band. You might ha e written music% but o"ten you will be impro ising. -ometimes% you will be trying to imitate someone else,s ersion o" the song you are playing. Be sure you know the goals o" the group in this regard. /hen you are playing with others% do not hog the limelight all the time unless you are the "eatured player. !n most cases% you will be #ust one member o" the ensemble% doing your own indi idual part to make up a balanced act. .emember to let others ha e their turns to shine. !" you accompany a chorus% you can lead them to a certain extent. You can set the pace according to the lead o" the choral director. )n the other hand% i" you accompany a solo singer% your #ob is to pro ide #ust a "ramework "or the singer. +t the same time% you need to be "lexible enough to mold your playing to the ariations the singer makes in her per"ormance. Playing "or public e ents need not be scary. You do not ha e to be a musical genius to do it either. *ust do your best and your experience should see you through.

Chapter 1. Personal $tory) Ho1 Playing the Piano ,e%ame (y :%%"pation

! ne er dreamed that ! could e er play the piano be"ore a group o" strangers and sound like anything truly musical. ! #ust learned to play "or my own en#oyment. ! wanted a pastime that would keep me busy in the e enings while my kids were busy with homework and extra-curricular acti ities. ! kept practicing and learning more as the months went by. ! picked up more and more music books% eagerly poring o er e ery note. The day came when my brother asked me to play the piano "or his daughter,s birthday party. ! "elt like he was only being generous to me. @e knew ! wanted to play "or the "amily and he was gi ing me a chance. ! was not too ner ous because the party "or the "i eyear-old in ?uestion would be all "amily except "or a "ew kids. /hat ! ne er thought o" was that my cousin would be there 2 my engaged cousin 2 my soon to be married cousin. -he was looking "or someone to play the piano at her wedding. /hen she heard me play at the party% she decided that she liked my style. -he asked me right then and there i" ! had the date o" her wedding open to play piano "or her guests. ! was a little shocked. +"ter all% it was to be a ery large wedding. ! was not an extremely experienced piano player. -urely she could ha e gotten someone better% ! thought. @owe er% she explained that the "ew people she had considered were una ailable. -he was not satis"ied with the alternati e players she had "ound% but she really liked my playing. -he was serious. ! knew ! could not play 1endelssohn,s /edding 1arch. ! was #ust not ready "or such an ambitious piece. ! could not spread my "ingers out so well "or such big chords. ! was not sure ! could play it "ast enough either. ! asked my cousin about this. -he said not to worry. -he would #ust choose another song to lea e the altar on. +"ter much back and "orth% my cousin con inced me that ! could accomplish what she wanted me to do. ! practiced her selections% prepared my music% and got through it nicely when the time came "or the wedding. ! did so well% in "act% that two other guests came up to me and asked me "or my number so that ! could play "or them. )h% and ! did learn the 1endelssohn,s /edding 1arch. The more weddings ! played "or% the more experience ! got. /ith more experience% ! learned how to play more di""icult songs% and songs like that one were such standards that ! had them nearly memori$ed in no time. 4ow% ! play "or all kinds o" public and pri ate e ents. ! ha e been asked to be one o" the regular pianists "or my large church. ! think ! will take them up on it. ! en#oy the playing and ! can think o" no better way to use my gi"ts. 1y husband asked me once i" ! would ha e rather been a concert pianist. ! tell him no. ! en#oy playing "or the e ents o" e eryday li"e. ! bring music to the worlds o" people who would ne er listen to a piano concert. !t is more than #ust a hobby% it is a calling.

Chapter 1/ Tips 3or ,eginning Piano Players

To get a #ump start on learning to play the piano% you can use a "ew extra tips. -ome o" them are ob ious% but they need to be said anyway. )thers% you might not ha e thought o" at all. 0eep this list in mind as you start to learn. 8. !" you are really not interested in the piano% do yoursel" and e eryone else a "a or. 'o not try. 1aybe you reason that it would be ad antageous to play the piano% but your heart is not in it. !n that case% you could listen to lots o" piano music and see i" you de elop an interest. 'o not start trying to play until you are happy at the thought o" learning. A. Play what you like. !n the old days% and o"ten e en today% piano teachers spent months with their students be"ore they were allowed to play anything they en#oyed playing. You will get more grati"ication i" you "ind ways to play at least simple or impro ised ersions o" songs you know and like. That will keep you going. 5. 'i e right in. 'o not wait "or the sun to turn purple or e en to learn all the scales. -tart playing music as soon as you can. The more you play% the more you will learn. The more you learn% the more you will play. !t creates an upward spiral that will increase your abilities. :. Try to play on the best piano a ailable to you. )" course% you can learn ?uite a bit with e en a small electronic keyboard. !" you ha e a &la ino a it is better because this instrument has all JJ keys. -ome would say that an upright piano is better still. Endoubtedly% i" you ha e access to a good grand piano% play it. 7. 'o your best not to disturb others in the household. They will almost certainly hear you play. !n most houses% there is no getting around that. Yet% you can be considerate o" the times when other members o" the household need ?uiet time to study or do work that is intellectually challenging. 1aybe they ha e had a hard day and #ust need a little peace. !" you ignore their "eelings% "riction between you will make your practice unpleasant. 6. -et up your own reasonable discipline. 'o not be harsh with yoursel". !" you will not allow yoursel" to stop a practice no matter what exciting thing is happening in the household% you will come to resent the piano. +llow yoursel" a little leeway. +t the same time% keep up the practice as much as you reasonably can. !t is with practice that you will de elop your ears% your eyes% your hands% and your mind. ;. 0eep a #ournal o" new things you learn. !" you come across a new term% look it up either in a music dictionary or on the internet. /rite it in a notebook or make a document on your computer to type in all the things you ha e learned. You can also write in the notebook what has worked "or you and what has seemed to make things harder. 'o not "orget to record your accomplishments. +s a beginning piano player% you ha e all the time in the world to learn new things abut your instrument. (ach time you "ind something that makes your li"e easierI remember it so that you can use it again. /hen you do that% you can build on each lesson and ad ance to higher and higher le els.

Chapter 20 Lessons and Piano Tea%hers

/hen you are beginning to learn the piano% you might "eel that you need all the help that you can get. You might look "or lessons online or through the mail. Getting a piano teacher may be a priority "or you. These are possibilities you can consider. There are many di""erent people and companies o""ering piano lessons online. -ome o" the lessons are ery expensi e and some cost less. !t may be di""icult to "ind out the price o" the lessons without committing to them% but you can do it i" you are care"ul. You should de"initely make sure that you are going to be getting lessons "rom a reputable teacher. 'o not be a"raid to ask "or ?uali"ications and accomplishments. -ome websites o""er se eral "ree lessons to get you started and gi e you an idea o" what is to come. )ne website o""ers o er 8KK short "ree lessons be"ore you buy. )nline piano lessons might be help"ul to you. The problem is that they are ery generic and do not accommodate your own personal learning cur e. They are not designed with you in particular in mind. You can get most o" the in"ormation "rom reading. )n the other hand% a piano teacher might be more help"ul% pro iding she is a good one. You must expect a lot "rom a piano teacher. 3ook "or someone who will change her teaching style when her original methods are not helping. Try to "ind a teacher who works with scales% chords% and impro isation. 1ore piano teachers are training their students on these sub#ects now than e er be"ore. 1ake sure you "ind one o" them% and not someone who sticks to written music alone. Get a music teacher who plays well hersel". .egardless o" what has been said about% CThose who cannot do teach%D your teacher might be a ery able piano player. !t is to your ad antage i" you can "ind someone who knows the tricks o" the trade "rom experience. !nter iew piano teachers to "ind out which one you might get along with the best. Personalities are important. You will want someone who will inspire you% but not someone who will be unkindly critical. You will want someone you can talk to on an e?ual le el when the sub#ect is not piano playing. +"ter all% you should be gi en the respect that is due any adult learner. /hen you belie e you ha e "ound a piano teacher who can help you% you can begin your lessons as soon as she can work you into her schedule. 'o not lea e it at that. +lways be aware that you can change piano teachers at any time. !" your piano teacher does not seem to know much about the kind o" music you want to play% do not do the easy thing and stay in her lessons. !n time you will completely lose interest in playing the piano and ?uit. 0eep searching until you "ind that special teacher that can help you learn all you want to know. !t might take awhile to "ind the right piano teacher. !n the meantime% you can keep your interest ali e by studying the piano on your own. 3earn about how to read music% play scales and chords% and impro ise. !t can only help you when you are ready to learn with "ormal lessons through a piano teacher.

Chapter 21 Con%l"sion) 5n;oyment That Lasts a Li3etime

Playing the piano is not something you can "ully master in a "ew practice sessions or lessons. Yet% it is en#oyable all along the way i" you "ind ways to keep up the excitement. <rom the time you begin playing% you ne er ha e to ?uit as long as you can sit up% mo e your hands% and your mind is still "unctioning. That is a ery long time "or most people. ( en i" you go "or a "ew years that you do not ha e a piano "or some reason% you can easily take it up again when you ha e one once more. You might be a little rusty% but you will not be starting o er at s?uare one. You will ha e a ast store o" knowledge in your mind to guide you as you re"resh your playing skills. 'uring hectic days% you will "ind that playing the piano gi es your li"e balance. /hat is more% you will ha e a center o" peace"ulness to your days. Your "amily will come to understand that you need your time with your piano to concentrate on something completely di""erent than e eryday problems. /hen your children go o"" to college% i" they ha e not gone already% you will "ind yoursel" spending more time at the piano. You will suddenly ha e more time to "ocus on your practice sessions. Your "riends and "amily will notice the impro ement and might ask you to play "or them "re?uently. +s your golden years approach% you can re isit songs o" your youth by playing them on the piano. !t is o"ten easier to "ind piano music "or old songs than to "ind the recordings. )n the other hand% you might want to keep up with the kids and learn all the new songs. The choice is yours and you can spend your time playing whate er you want to play. There are "ew other really interesting and en#oyable hobbies or pastimes you can be in ol ed in during your ad ancing years. Too many times% older people are gi en boring tasks or busy work to try to make their days go "aster. @ow much better it is when the elderly can manage their own time with some well-played piano music. !t makes them happy% as well as those around them. 4o matter how you look at it% the piano learning you begin now is only a prelude to the happiness the pastime will gi e you in the "uture. !" you keep playing% you will "ind all sorts o" occasions where you can play "or "un or pro"it. !" you only play in the pri acy o" your only home% though% you will get a peace and contentment that is uni?ue to people who "ind "ul"illment in their music. There"ore% learn all you can and keep your interest ali e% but do not "eel that the bene"its are short-term. Plan to make playing the piano a part o" your e eryday routine "or the rest o" your li"e. You will be pleased that you took the time to "ind a pastime that o""ers you so much. !" you ha e ne er considered learning to play the piano be"ore% now is a good time to explore the option. !t is ne er too late as long as you ha e all your "aculties intact. @owe er% the longer you ha e to play% the more you will get out o" it. !" you are truly interested in playing the piano% do not put it o"" another day. -tart learning all you can "rom this moment on. !t may be the best thing you e er did "or yoursel". &lick here to get started online now

Chapter 22 'eso"r%es
There are many sources o" in"ormation on piano playing. <or more on the sub#ect% contact the "ollowing sources. )nline Piano .esources /ebsite: http://www.how-to-play-piano.org.uk/ +merican Pianists +ssociation General !n"ormation /ebsite http://www.+mericanPianist.org :6K5 &larendon .oad% -uite K5K !ndianapolis% !4 :6AKJmailto:+P+!n"oLAmericanPianists.org !" you de elop your talent to a pro"essional degree% you might want to contact this organi$ation. !t is dedicated to promoting the careers o" concert-le el classical and #a$$ pianists around the nation% between the ages o" 8J and 5K. 1T4+ 1usic Teachers 4ational +ssociation /ebsite http://www.mtna.org This association is "or certi"ied music teachers and teachers who wish to become certi"ied. !" you are looking "or a certi"ied piano teacher in your area% the association has a teacher "inder that you can use to search their database. Piano 1anu"acturers +ssociation !nternational :KAK 1& (wen -uite 8K7 'allas% TM ;7A::-7K57 Phone =9;A> A55-98K; This organi$ation is a power"ul "orce in regulating the manu"acture and sale o" pianos. !" you ha e a complaint about a decepti e manu"acturer or "aulty instruments% you might contact this association. )therwise% watch maga$ines "or news o" their industry regulation. Piano Technicians Guild :::: <orest + enue 0ansas &ity% 0- 668K6 Phone =985> :5A-99J6 /ebsite http://www.ptg.org This organi$ation is actually "or people who work on pianos. @owe er% their website and resources include in"ormation on e erything "rom how to choose a piano to how to "ind a good technician. The website e en has in"ormation "or pianists themsel es% like how to "ind sheet music and a listing o" piano products. !t is a website that is well worth your time to isit.