There are many and varied reasons to have piano lessons. It is a beautiful instrument with a beautiful look and a beautiful sound. It can be a soloist’s instrument or a group instrument. It sharpens the mind and body. The gift of music is therapeutic. There are many careers that require piano skills. The list goes on and on.
1.One quality that the piano and not many other instruments share, is that you can play more than one note at a time. It is polyphonic. Thus, unlike instruments like the flute or violin, you can play pieces with complex and rich harmonies when playing alone. That makes the piano a dynamic solo instrument. At the same time, the piano sounds beautiful accompanying other instruments. So, whether you are introverted or extroverted, the piano will suit your style.
2. Playing the piano also develops a high level of manual dexterity. While it may seem very simple to just push the keys, learning to perform complex pieces with precision AND emotion needs a little time and a very human touch. It has also been noted that co-ordination skills increase when you have piano lessons.
3.Research has shown that children who have had piano lessons do far better in scholastically than their fellow students. Not only are their artistic and musical skills above the norm, but also their language and mathematics skills are also improved. While this benefit is sometimes difficult to measure, piano students also receive a very tangible benefit. Many high schools are recognizing the achievements that children make in piano and reward them with high school credits when they pass certain grade levels. (In Alberta, Canada, passing a recognized piano exam level/grade 6, 7, and 8 is worth 5 credits each for a total of 15. When you consider the fact that one needs only 100 credits to graduate high school, this is a huge recognition)
4.Pianists also learn some basics in posture which can reap huge rewards. For one thing, the basic hand position required for the piano is also the one required for the typewriter/keyboard. Considering how vital the computer is these days, learning this technique is invaluable. With the proper hand position, one can avoid carpal tunnel syndrome that is plaguing our modern-day offices now that computers are being used so extensively. At the very least, the basic concept of sitting tall in a chair will help with basic posture and back pains.
5. Anyone aspiring to be an orchestral or choral conductor is required to study the piano. Learning the piano trains the pianist to understand and hear the interplay of the various harmonic lines in each piece of music. This is a vital skill for a conductor who must hear and guide all the instruments of his/her orchestra and voices in his/her choir. If you go to colleges which teach music, or if you are applying towards a degree in music or you want to learn to master an instrument at a university it is necessary to take a year or more of piano. Piano is a really good music classroom teaching tool and is the key and basis to learning music theory.
6.Since the piano differs from the guitar or wind instruments (in which the person usually memorizes finger paterns) the piano uses both hemispheres of the brain, requiring your ten fingers to be controlled independently! This might sound hard but with practice and time you’ll be able to even do more than one thing simultaneously. A piano player who decides to play drums, if skilled enough can pick them up more easily than someone who hasn’t had the experience to play such instrument.
7.There are many jobs and careers for people who have had piano lessons. One can be the piano player in a lounge, on a cruise ship, in a church (mass, weddings, funerals), or in a band. One can be an instructor with a college or university or teach out of a home studio. One can accompanying vocalists, choirs, violinists, and others as they perform for competition or for an audience. One can compose movie scores or commercial jingles or orchestral pieces.
8.The ability to play a musical instrument and to express one’s self with a musical instrument is very healthy and therapeutic. Stresses can melt away. The piano is always there, ready for you to pour out your soul. It is a most patient and agreeable companion. If you’re upset, go ahead and thunder away on the keyboard. And when you’re done and feeling better, go ahead and pick up a more languid or cheerful piece.
The Internet is the best way to find good piano lessons (no geographical barriers/ no re-occurring fees and no stranger in your house). The best piano lesson learning tool that I have found is here.
Posts Tagged ‘Piano Lessons’
See How your Kids Can be Smarter With Piano Lessons
Monday, September 21st, 2009Did you take piano lessons as a child?
Sunday, August 30th, 2009
How much do you remember about piano recitals, if you went to any? What makes a recital enjoyable rather than an ordeal?
Beginning Piano Lessons On The Internet: Useful, But Beware
Sunday, August 23rd, 2009
When learning how to play piano, free opportunities present themselves all over the Internet. Most notably, many websites offer quick step-by-step lessons, as well as free online sheet music, which beginning pianists can use to learn how to play piano at no cost. Obviously, like any free service, these should be approached with caution, and many should be taken with a grain of salt. After all, they are free for a reason. In spite of everything the Internet has to offer, most of the best ways to learn piano still involve paying money to a highly qualified professional instructor of some kind.
Whether you are learning how to play piano using free lessons, or you are using a pay service, any high-quality learning process begins with the fundamentals. It is one thing to show a few diagrams and to instruct the beginning pianist where to put her fingers; it is quite another thing to instill in the pianist’s mind a real understanding of the structures, systems, and theories that every great piano player must have internalized.
Thus, when learning how to play piano, free or through a pay service, make sure that the instructions use real musical terms, rather than downgraded proxy terms. That is, for example, an instruction shouldn’t refer to notes on the piano as numbers or as fingers; instead, the instruction should use the actual names of the notes — C, D, B flat, G sharp, and so on.
In other words, a beginning pianist wants to internalize the fundamentals of music as early as possible. If you feel like your ability to play music is proceeding faster than your actual knowledge of piano and music, then there is something wrong with your instruction. Both the skills and the knowledge should go hand in hand.
When starting out, the budding pianist can expect to be assigned a lot of repetitive tasks. She will have to play a lot of scales, arpeggios, and simple songs that are designed to help piano students master the complex methods of keyboard fingering. This is normal, and in fact, it is necessary. Any piano lesson program that doesn’t involve a lot of repetitive tasks is probably not the best way to learn how to play piano. Free lesson plans are often guilty of this.
This repetition is what leads a lot of beginning pianists to give up very early, but for the more persistent, things do get better. After a while, when you have internalized the fingering techniques that every pianist must master, songs will grow more complex, and then the repetition becomes a joy. For pianists who are a little further along in the learning process, there is nothing more pleasurable than opening a book to a seemingly incomprehensible notation and working at it until it becomes a beautiful piece of music.
For now, though, most of the songs played by beginners are relatively simple and straightforward, not involving a lot of sharps or flats, and not requiring the pianist to move her hands around a lot. In fact, most songs will be in the easiest key — C major — and won’t deviate from standard hand positions.
Of course, this will all change when you begin to learn about more complex chords, more difficult keys, and more convoluted melodic structures. Once the basics are learned, it won’t take long before these fun elements come into play.
In short, what I have been driving at is that starting to learn the piano rarely offers instant gratification. When learning how to play the piano, free services tend to offer unrealistic, quick goals. In reality, learning piano is a gradual process that involves lots of practice, lots of repetition, and a strong commitment on the part of the pianist.
Is being double jointed a drawback when learning to play piano?
Sunday, August 16th, 2009
I am taking piano lessons right now and was wondering if being double jointed is considered a disadvantage? Does it even matter?
Learn All Traditional Piano Lessons With Variety of Courses
Saturday, June 20th, 2009
Do you want to become successful in playing piano. If u interested to know about the piano playing but you have not time then don’t worry we help’s you.For learning piano there is no age, You are never feel old to start learning how to play the piano. Now a days there are many online course available on web, but which is little bit confusing to choose one our of many. It is our intent that this article will help to create a light into your search to find the most appropriate course for your specific musical needs.
At first, I strongly recommend that you do some profound searching and choose what style of music you really want to play. There are so many styles of music and at this stage in your life; you should only focus on the style of music which give you a really enjoyment.Second, decide how much time you can spend to learning to play the piano. Now, if you’re only concerned with playing with the least amount of mental and physical effort, I advise you to seriously consider purchasing an inexpensive keyboard that offers instrument accompaniment features. You don’t need to “take lessons” for this type of recreational enjoyment.if you’re really interested in learn how to make music on the piano, and can consistently set aside at least 15 to 30 minutes a day, then you should definitely continue your search for the online programs that helps to your specific needs and lifestyle.
If you search for a complete gospel, jazz, piano, organ lesson and resource center then you will get all traditional piano lessons with variety of courses that will helps you to be a advance artistically in music. Other kinds of music, including Gospel music , is often used to encourage visitors as incentives to continue their efforts in exercises like sight reading, technique, or memorization. Even you can find DVDs to help in learning piano without a teacher.
The trick you will see in the video is that Christopher plays a simple major chord with both hands repeating the same chord up the piano octave by octave. The end result sounds like a flourishing move that expert pianists make; only it is so easy to do. Try it yourself and see. It has really made my day as a beginning piano student to try this lesson. I hope you get a lot out of it too.
When should children begin taking piano lessons?
Monday, June 15th, 2009
My daughter just celebrated her 4th birthday. She has shown an apttitude for music and an interest in playing instruments, especially the piano. My wife took dance lessons as a child and I have sung with various musical groups all my life, but neither of us plays an instrument. When should we look to enroll her in piano lessons?
Is piano or voice lessons more important for college?
Thursday, June 4th, 2009
I’ve been studying voice for a long time and I absolutely love it, but I’ve heard that piano is more important to study in high school if you’re interested in majoring in music (which I am, vocal performance) since choir will prepare your voice. I can’t take both and I don’t want to give up my voice lessons, but I don’t want to hurt my chances by not knowing piano.
How do I compose a song on the piano?
Saturday, May 16th, 2009
I know basic piano – I can read very basic sheet music, and I can play by ear. I can get the melody to a song, play it with one hand, but how do figure out which notes I should be playing with the other hand to give it that complete, harmonizing sound? I took piano lessons years ago, so I can’t remember. I think it has something to do with chords though, right?
Can I play piano notes on the keyboard?How much will an acoustic piano cost me?
Friday, May 1st, 2009
I really cant afford a piano rightnow and i plan 2 purchase an acoustic one after i get the hang of playing notes, butcan i practise all my piano leson notes on the keyboard. If so should i buy a keyboard for this and which type and what brand?I havent started piano lessons yet but are keyboard and piano lessons the same thing? Or do they teach different notes. Or is there any note on the piano that cant be played on a keyboard.All answers will be appreciated plz reply.