A piano is a fascinating musical instrument, and everybody wants to learn how to play. However, not everybody is willing to put in the effort and time required to become an expert. Let me tell you a secret – anybody can become a great pianist. All you need to do is to be consistent with your lessons, practice all the time, and develop a great passion for it. In this simple piano for beginners’ guide, you will learn a lot about the piano and how you can fast-track your learning process.
There’s something you should know before I proceed. The positive result you get from your piano lessons is directly proportional to your passion, consistency, and practice. Trust me; if any of the three elements mentioned above are lacking, you may not get what you expect.
So, before you start your lesson, try to develop your passion for the instrument. And be willing to give it all it takes. After all, nothing good comes easily.
It baffles me a lot when I see people being intimidated by a piano. We are in the information age where crowd-sourced information and online learning are accessible from the comfort of your room. So, you can quickly get a new or used piano online, and if you want to get chord notation, you can search Google for it.
Piano For Beginners – Understanding the Keywords
One of the first things you will learn in your piano class is the keywords. Your instructor will teach you the different keywords and their functions. Here are some of the aspect of the piano keywords you should familiarize yourself with;
Identify Octaves
The first thing every piano for beginners’ class focuses on is to teach you how to identify octaves. Piano keyboards usually have a pattern in which they are arranged. Understanding this pattern is a fundamental aspect of your lesson.
The piano keyboard is arranged in a sequence of keys that repeat itself after every 12 keys. This sequence is called Octaves. Again, you can’t find your way around the keyboard if you can’t learn how to identify octaves.
Finding Middle C
Now that you understand the pattern of a piano keyboard, the next thing I will teach you is how to find the Middle C. The middle C is the most important notes on the Piano. It’s easy to find the middle C, just follow my lead I will show you.
Take a look at the black keys of your piano. What did you see? Patterns of black keys across the keyboard. The black keys alternate between a grouping of two black keys and three black keys.
So, to find the middle C, look at the grouping of the two black keys, and play the white key below the lowest black key. Don’t be confused, just get a piano and follow the steps as explained here. It’s easier than you think. Take the Middle C note seriously; it will aid you in learning the piano.
Naming the Notes
The middle C note is not the only note on the octaves. There are other notes with each letter tag. Focusing on the white keys, starting from the Middle C, the notes are in the following order; D,E,F,G,A,B. Learn these notes; they are the foundational knowledge you need to master your piano.
Number Your Fingers
Let me tell you something – playing the piano is calculative and strategic. So, it’s essential to play with the proper fingerings. Otherwise, you may not be able to get a positive result.
The best way to place your fingers correctly on the piano is to number them. Sounds strange, right? Well, there are a lot of things you will learn in a piano for beginners’ class. So, here’s how to number your finger. Use #1 for thumbs and #5 for your pinky fingers; this goes for both hands.
Playing Scales
Once you know how to identify octaves, middle c notes, and number your fingers; the next step is to start playing scales. Interestingly, practicing scales help to build your confidence and musicality as a pianist.
You can start by playing C major scale. It’s the combination of eight notes from C to the C in the octave above. However, you will need to learn and practice some special finger techniques to enable you to use your five fingers to play an eight-note sequence smoothly.
Piano for Beginners – Common Misconceptions People Have About Learning Piano
There are several misconceptions out there about the piano for beginners’ classes. Sadly, these misconceptions have given the wrong impression about the piano to aspiring pianists. Here are some of the myths about piano you should know;
Misconception 1 – Only Gifted Musicians Can Play Piano Without Stress
This is the most popular misconception about the piano for beginners. It breaks my heart that this untrue assertion has discouraged several people with potentials from learning piano.
I remember reading someone’s post on Facebook some years back. She wrote, “I have decided to give up on piano. I am a normal person, not a gifted musician. It’s obvious that I’m wasting my time.” I felt terrible when I read the Facebook feed, and I knew several other people gave up just like that.
Let me shock you with this – the greatest pianists you admire aren’t talented musicians. They were able to discover the approach that works best for them and follow up with it. And over the years, they honed their skills and became experts.
Trust me; you don’t need any unique ability to enjoy playing the piano. All you need is passion, consistency, and practice. If you can keep to this, you can become a piano pro in no time.
Misconception 2 – It Takes Several Years to Learn Piano For Beginners
Really? Where are people getting this information from? It’s false. If you have a passion for learning the instrument, you can become a pro within two months.
Of course, if you opt for a traditional learning method, it may take you about a decade to learn the piano. But if you are learning through other methods like online learning or a chord-based approach, you will make real progress within two months.
Modern methods of learning piano build a practical foundation for students. Piano instructors achieve this by streamlining knowledge and help beginners focus on songs that they love. With this approach, you could make reasonable progress in no time.
Let me remind you again that there’s no magic in learning piano for beginners. All you need to succeed is consistent practice and self-motivation.
Misconception 3 – Anybody Who Can’t Read Sheet Music Can’t Play Piano
Oh no, not again! This misconception is common among piano instructors and some students.
Let me debunk this straight before it confuses another person. You don’t need to learn how to read sheet music before learning to play the piano. If you don’t have any advance piano goals, there’s no need to bother yourself with sight-reading.
In a nutshell, you can learn the piano without knowledge of sheet reading is your focus is any of the following;
- You just want to sit down, play, and enjoy your popular tunes
- Love to be part of your church’s worship team
- You want to entertain guests at community events or family gathering
If the above-mentioned piano goals resonate with yours, I think chord-based learning is a perfect method for you. After all, the piano for beginners’ lessons should be friendly to a novice. Otherwise, they tend to lose interest quickly.
Frequently Asked Questions About Piano For Beginners
It’s normal for people to ask a series of questions whenever they want to start a piano lesson. So, in this session, I’m going to provide answers to some of the common questions beginners ask about the piano.
How Many Notes Do I Need To Memorize Throughout My Piano Lessons?
Beginners usually ask this question whenever they feel intimidated by the keyboard. Come to think of it, who won’t feel intimidated when sitting before an 88 keys piano, and you expected to learn every note.
The truth is, you need to memorize every note on a piano keyboard. But it’s not as difficult as it seems. In case you forget, those 88 keys on your piano are a sequence of the same 12 notes repeating themselves. You see, memorizing piano notes is easy, just understand the different pitch, the rest is history.
The first thing you should learn when trying to memorize piano notes is the 12 notes sequence that every set of 12 keys represent. With this, you will unconsciously memorize the entire 88 keys without stress.
Are Piano Black Keys Important?
Every beginner is always confused about the black keys on the piano keyboard. The keys aren’t a big deal; they are placed and colored differently to make it easier to identify the patterns on the keyboards.
Just imagine all the keys on your piano are white, it would be tough to find your way around the keyboard. And if this happens, learning the piano will be super-difficult. Again, the black keys symbolize flats and sharps. I know you are a bit confused at the moment, take a deep breath, go through what I have been explaining, you will get it. Sounds good, right?
What Does Piano Chords Mean?
There’s no way you can be better at playing the piano if you don’t understand piano chords. Most chords consist of three notes.
However, if you attend a traditional piano lesson, your instructor will possibly teach you how to play chords by looking at your music sheet. And you are expected to figure out the chords as they appear. Trust me; this approach is tedious and complicated.
However, if you use a more modern approach, you can learn how to play chords easily. It involves a simple formula that doesn’t require pressure or interpretation of a music sheet.
What’s the Right Age to Start Learning Piano?
There’s no age limit, anybody who’s above the age of 10 can enroll for a piano for beginners’ class. Even if you are in your 50s, you can still learn to play the piano. All that’s required is commitment and passion for the instrument.
What’s the easiest Song to Learn on the Piano?
The first question most piano beginners ask when they are familiar with the keyboard is “what’s the easiest song to learn on the piano”? To be sincere, it’s a bit difficult to give you the exact song you can quickly learn on the piano. But any song that has the following feature should be easy to play on piano;
- Songs with a basic rhythm pattern
- The song’s tempo should not be too fast or too slow (moderate)
- The song should have a limited number of chords to play
- Lastly, the piano student should be familiar with the song.
Based on the criteria mentioned above, here are some of the sweet and easy songs to learn in a piano for beginner’s class.
- “Take Me Home, Country Roads” – John Denver
- Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
- Happy Birthday to You
- “Imagine” – John Lennon
- “The Heart Asks Pleasure First” – Michael Nyman
- “Someone Like You” – Adele
- “No Woman, No Cry” – Bob Marley
Which is The Best Piano For Beginners?
There are several choices of piano available for beginners. You can decide to get an acoustic, portable, or digital piano. Get the instrument that you are comfortable with; that’s the first step in becoming a great pianist.
However, if you prefer a non-acoustic instrument, I recommend any of the following;
Conclusion
Piano for beginners’ lessons is easy if you put your mind to it. With several resources online, you can become a professional pianist in no time. But it would be best if you were committed and willing to go extra miles to learn.
Don’t allow anybody to give you the impression that the piano is tedious and complicated. Trust me, with the right instructional method; the piano is simple, fun, and easy to learn. All you need is the right tool, and you will be amazed at how incredible your piano skills will be.
