If you’re new to the piano you might be looking for a piano chords for beginners guide. And now you have one.
Many young children are required to take piano lessons at the request of their parents, whether they like it or not. Although many of them quickly discover that they actually enjoy it and look forward to their weekly lessons. However, kids aren’t the only ones who can learn to play the piano.
Some teenagers and adults may also have an interest in learning a new instrument and find the piano to be their first choice, especially if they already have a piano in their home that they can practice on.
No matter why you’ve decided to start playing the piano, it can be a great instrument to play. Not only is the piano known as one of the classic instruments, but it’s also used in many churches, schools, and other events, so learning to play can have many benefits, and you’ll be able to share your talent with a variety of people.
It’s a skill that can be beneficial in so many ways, so it’s worth giving it a try.
Benefits of Playing The Piano
Playing the piano is a great outlet for anyone who is interested in learning to play. Pianos are fairly common in many households, so it’s pretty easy to track one down to practice on. There are also affordable options if you’d like to have one in your home to use at any time.
Not only is the piano a classic instrument, but it also has some great benefits that could help you if you decide to play. Keep in mind that no matter your age, it’s not too late to learn how to play the piano if it’s been on your bucket list for years.
- Easy to Learn – Of all the instruments you could choose, the piano is one of the easiest to learn to play, especially for teenagers or adults who have decided that they want to start playing an instrument for the first time. They could be on their way to playing basic songs within just a few weeks once they’ve learned the fundamentals even if they’ve never learned to read music before. Many other instruments can take months or even years to play well, which isn’t always an option for some, especially if they don’t have a lot of free time.
- Improve School Performance – There have been many studies showing that young elementary students who take piano at a young age generally tend to do better in school and have improved cognitive development compared to those who don’t play an instrument. The main reason being is that it teaches students how to concentrate. They have to think about each key that they press as they play and read music at the same time. This directly impacts their school work and the same type of discipline required in the classroom.
- Helps Your Physical Health – It may come as a surprise that by playing the piano, you could be helping benefit your health in a variety of ways. For one, you’ll learn to improve your fine motor skills, which is a huge benefit for children who start to play at a very young age. They’ll practice by moving their hands quickly across the keys as they learn to play new notes and chords. It’s also been said that music, in general, can help lower your blood pressure and help you to relax. In turn, this will help reduce your stress levels that could cause severe physical health problems in the future. Having an outlet to help relieve stress is important to your overall health.
- Learn How To Accept Feedback – This is an important skill that you can work to improve no matter your age. When you start to learn to play the piano, you are going to make mistakes. Your teacher is going to tell you when you don’t do a good job or if you play a song wrong the first time you try it. They won’t do that because they don’t believe in you. In fact, they want to see you succeed long term. The only way to improve is by letting you know when you’ve made a mistake and encouraging you to practice and get better. Constructive criticism is found in all areas of your life. So learning the piano is a great way to introduce the concept.
- Improve Your Concentration – Playing the piano does take some skill and patience. You’ll need to learn how to divide your attention to the different types of keys and peddle once you’ve gotten to a certain level. You’ll also need to be able to read music, listen to the notes, and work the pedals all while using both hands to play. It’s no wonder that it’ll help improve your concentration that can be carried over into other aspects of your life. Playing the piano has also been shown to help slow down hearing and memory loss in the elderly.
- Encourage Creativity -Once you’ve learned the basics of playing the piano, you can start playing around with the notes and create your own music. It can help spark your creativity as you play around with the sound and style of the notes on the piano and discover what types of music you enjoy the most. You’ll also have the opportunity to learn how to play some of the most popular classics that will help inspire your creativity not only with music but in other aspects of your life.
- Time Management – If you learn to play the piano, you’ll be expected to practice nearly every single day and have a piano lesson at least once a week. This will help you to improve and refine your playing skills. It’ll also be helpful to establish a better daily routine and have something fun to look forward to aside from your everyday school and work assignments. Even if it’s something that you’re required to do doesn’t mean you can’t have a little fun at the same time. You’ll have to learn to balance the free time you do have to make room to practice, which will take dedication on your part.
Piano Terms For Beginners
When you hire a piano teacher, the first thing they will teach you is a few basic piano terms and piano chords for beginners. They’ll go over every term and explain why it matters when it comes to learning the piano.
They’ll also spend time showing you by playing a few chords and explaining the difference between each. It can seem overwhelming at first; however, with practice, it’ll come naturally, even if it doesn’t feel like it at first. You can do this!
There are a few terms that you’ll need to know before you can start to play the piano. Check out this list for a complete guide of all the terms related to learning piano.
Chords – A combination of three notes that are played all at the same time. This goes the same for playing two notes; however, playing three at a time is more common. These are popular in most popular and classical songs and are used multiple times throughout each one.
When you’re learning a new song, take the time to learn the chords first. Once you get the hang of playing them, everything else will come naturally.
Piano – Yes this is the instrument that you will be learning to play. However, you will also hear the word “pianoforte” when you start to learn to play. It describes how soft or loud you play. When you first learn, it can be tempting to pound on the keys no matter what song you’re learning.
However, as you go along, you’ll learn that it’s an art to know when to play softly and when it’s appropriate to play the keys louder. Always pay attention to the written music as it will always tell you how to properly play a specific song.
You’ll notice when you learn to read music that it will tell you when the music should have different dynamics to help emphasize a particular part of the piece.
Forte – This means that a piece of music should be played with force and power. When you use this type of note while you play, be sure not to simply pound on the keys. Remember that playing the piano is a type of art, and the way that it sounds is important.
Many composers love using fortes because of how they make the piano sound, so you’ll see these incorporated in many songs.
Crescendo – This type of note requires your patience. You’ll get louder gradually. You’ll need to learn how to control the volume as you play to make sure that you don’t get too loud too fast, or it could ruin the way that the song was intended to be played.
Decrescendo – This is the opposite of a crescendo. You’ll need to be able to gradually get quieter. Again this will take practice to be able to perfect it.
Staccato – This means that you need to play the notes quickly. You’ll lightly tap each key without holding it down for long. This will make the notes sound like they are bouncing up and down.
Piano Chords for Beginners
If you play more than one note at a time on the piano, you’re playing a chord. It can feel nearly impossible to figure out what notes you play to make a specific cord. However, it’s not as difficult as it seems. Every chord is made up of three tones, the root, third, and firth to help break it down.
For example, the G major chord will have a G as its root and lowest note. The third would be the third tone of the G major scale. Each chord is named for its root. There are four basic piano chords that you’ll need to be familiar with when you start to play.
- C major (chord symbol “C”)
- G major (chord symbol “G”)
- A minor (chord symbol “Am”)
- F major (chord symbol “F”)
Major Cords
There are 12 that you can play, and they are used the most often in playing the piano and therefore are the most common. They sound upbeat and strong. Most songs incorporate major cords, so they are the first ones that you will learn when you start to play the piano.
The best way to start learning these cords is by practice. Your piano teacher will share with a few different methods to help you memorize them all, and before you know it, you’ll be able to easily play all 12 cords.
Minor Cords
They are most commonly used for sad and emotional songs. To help express how the song should make you feel by making an impression as you listen. There are also 12 minor cords. When you change from a major chord to a minor chord you simply move the third down a half step. It’s actually quite simple.
Chord Progressions
Every song combines multiple cords to incorporate chord progressions. They make up the entire song by telling you which cords you need to play and in what order. Chord progressions help every song played tell a story. As the song progresses the cords can quickly change from upbeat and happy to slow and sad. This helps the composer express their emotions throughout the song and help keep it interesting.
Conclusion
Playing the piano is an excellent way to learn something new and discover a creative outlet. Learning how to play is actually much easier than you might think. If you have a good teacher or find online resources to help you, you’ll be playing simple songs in no time.
Especially if you’re able to quickly familiarize yourself with the basic piano chords for beginners. Just be willing to be patient with yourself as you start to learn.
The best part about learning to play the piano is you will quickly see results. Which will help to motivate you as you consider to learn and improve
