The piano is one of the most popular instruments in the world, and learning to play it can be a challenge but a rewarding one.
If you are looking to learn to play the piano this year during lockdown, visit LVL Academy for more information or here are some simple tips to help you improve your playing in no time.
Ear training
The easiest method for learning the piano is to learn by ear. Ear training is the simple method of listening to a piece of music and then trying to recreate that music on a piano by ear alone. The best way to do this is to choose a song or theme tune you know very well, and practice creating these notes. Improvising in this way is a good chance to get to know the piano and it can be an excellent technique. Using background music is also a great idea to get used to different melodies as you learn.
Slow down
The first time you try to learn a piece of piano music, it is important for you to slow down and take your time. Never try to rush a piece of music because this is where you are more likely to make mistakes. Start off playing nice and slow, and once you start to get comfortable with the piece, you can speed up until you are able to play a piece first-hand.
Every Good Boy Deserves Football and FACE
Perhaps one of the most intimidating things about learning to play music is sheet music. Trying to learn how to read sheet music is daunting and often focusing too much on this will hinder your progress. When you look at a set of sheet music you will see 5 black lines and four white spaces. The 5 black lines, from bottom to top, represent the notes: E,G,B,D,F. The easiest way to remember these notes is Every Good Boy Deserves Football. The white spaces represent the notes: F,A,C,E, which is easy to remember. Once you know what the notes on sheet music are you can start to practice reading them as you go.
Write the notes down
Reading sheet music is second-nature to most pianists, but when you start out this can be the thing that slows you down the most. The best way to learn sheet music is to print out the sheet music and write out the notes you want to play. This will act as a simple guide and it will make it much easier for you to play a piece of music in sequence.
One hand at a time
For a new pianist, a challenging aspect of play will be learning to move both hands at different speeds at the same time. For example, if the right-hand needs to be 4 beats per second and the left-hand needs to play 3, it can be hard to coordinate this effectively without getting flustered., The best thing to do as you start out learning to play with both hands is choosing pieces where both hands are moving in sync. A wonderful example of piano music that sounds complex but has both hands in sync is Le Onde by Ludivico Einaudi. It is a piece that sounds impressive but offers the ideal chance for you to learn how to play with both hands.
Go section by section
If you have a piece of music in front of you to play, it is tempting to try and play the whole thing from start to finish immediately. However, it is not always easy to try and memorize a whole 3-4 minute piece of music first time. Most piano pieces are made up of smaller sections, as you learn to play, familiarize yourself section by section until you can string these sections together in one place.
