Cost

The cost of a keyboard is significantly less than a traditional piano.  There are many types of keyboards to choose from as well as a wide range of prices.  My recommendation is to choose a keyboard that you can easily afford.  Keep in mind that there are keyboards on the market for less than $150 dollars; however, it may not have all the features that you need such as AC Adapter, foot pedal, auxiliary output, ect.  These features aren’t necessary for playing keyboard around the house for fun, but they are important if you ever want to potentially play the keyboard at weddings or other special events.

You can find keyboards for less than $50 dollars at many local stores; however, for someone who is serious about learning how to play the keyboard this isn’t the best solution.  Most of these keyboards are cheaply made and they wear out or break quickly.  They also have less keys than a traditional piano.  So in my opinion, it would be wise to spend a little more money and invest in a quality keyboard.

Increased Portability

A keyboard is a lot smaller than a traditional piano.  A keyboard can easily be stored under a bed when not in use or left up in a small space in your house.  Because they are much smaller, they are also portable.  You can easily transport a keyboard in a car, truck, or SUV so that you can play the keyboard at events or other places.  However, you still need to use caution when transporting a keyboard to prevent it from being damaged.

A case would be ideal for transporting a keyboard around on a regular basis.  You can find a wide variety of cases ranging from nylon to hard cases.  When finding a keyboard case, it is important to find one that is going to properly protect your keyboard.  You will want to make sure that your keyboard sits in the care properly and doesn’t move around.  If it moves around too much, it will defeat the purpose of having a case.

Weighted vs Non Weighted Keys

Not all keyboards are created equally, some keyboards are made with light weight plastic keys while others are made with heavier keys.  Keyboards with heavier keys are similar to a real piano.  Weighted keyboards cost a bit more, but they are easier to play and help avoid problems with your hands and wrists.  This is important if you want to avoid carpel tunnel syndrome.

Sustain pedal

A sustain pedal for a keyboard is similar to the pedals that you see on a traditional piano.  The foot pedal is used to sustain a note or chords.  However, not all keyboards have this input, so when you are purchasing a keyboard you will need to ensure that it has a pedal input.  If it doesn’t have a pedal input then  you won’t be able to use a sustain pedal on your keyboard.

So how can we help you learn how to play the keyboard?

So what do you need to look for when looking to purchase a used piano?

• Hidden damage from being moved multiple times
• Is it out of tune?
• Has the piano had proper maintenance?  If so, can the owner provide the maintenance history?
• Does it make buzzing sounds when it is being played?
• Does it have external damage such as worn keys, broken keys, or any other significant damage to the exterior of the piano?
• Do the pedals stick when they are pushed?

Hire a Professional Piano Technician to Perform an Inspection Prior to Purchasing a Used Piano

Hire a Professional Mover

Don’t Forget to Purchase Additional Insurance For Your Piano

So how can we help you learn how to play piano?

Learning classical piano can be a worthwhile investment as this type of music is seen in many popular styles and settings.  Some examples are:

A symphony is a collection of musical compositions that are composed using the sonata principle.   The piano was added to orchestra during the Late Romantic Orchestra Era.  Beethoven was a major influence for forming the orchestra during the early 19^th century and his music is still played today.

Classical music is often used for in school band classes.  So if your child plays in a band you will probably hear songs from famous classical musicians.  Keep in mind, school bands don’t teach classical piano instruction and would require an independent instructor.

If you have been to a wedding recently, the songs that you hear when the bridal party walks down the aisle you often hear songs such as “Canon in D Major”, “Ode to Joy”, “The Wedding March”, “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring”, and the famous “Bridal Chorus (Here Comes The Bride)”.   These are songs that you could learn how to play on the piano with advanced classical piano lessons.  However, as a beginner you should focus on easy classical piano songs such as “Satie’s Gymnopedie No. 1” or “Etudes”.

Playing classical piano songs requires more patience as they often contain more technical details and complexity if you are playing with a band or orchestra.  However, you can certainly play these songs as a solo and they are still very beautiful.  Don’t get discouraged if you can’t play the songs right away, keep practicing!

So how can we help you learn how to play piano?

The first thing that an instructor will teach you will be the chord progressions that create the blues sound.  A blues sound is made using the 12-bar lyric framework, which is a progression of 12 bars in a 4/4 time signature.  The chords are labeled using Roman numbers which tells you the degree of progression that the chord is played in.  Some examples of blues piano chords are: I, IV, I7, C, F, C7, G.

The next thing that you will learn would be blues scale pianos.  The blues scale is a scale of notes that use the blues notes, which are notes that are played in a lower pitch than if they were played in regular a regular pitch.  It also uses flat notes, generally, in the third, fifth, and seventh degree.   The scales are often based upon individual keys rather than chords.

When you start learning how to play blues piano, you will realize that you will find that this music style allows you to be put in the spotlight.  Like in the blues piano bar, the pianist was the only musician in the room, which put him in the spotlight.   The blues also allow you to be able to express your emotion into the songs that you are playing and/or singing.  Ray Charles, is a perfect example, of a blues pianist who could belt out a solo in a few minutes.

The cool thing about playing blues songs, you aren’t limited to a certain genre of music.  You can play any country, rock n roll, jazz, and many more.  The pianist at the blues piano bar played songs like “It’s Five O’ Clock Somewhere”, “Brown Eyed Girl”, “3AM”, and many others.

Start learning blue piano lessons today!
 

So how can we help you learn how to play piano?

What can you expect to learn during your first piano lesson?  One can expect to learn the basics about a piano, music theory, and timing.  Piano basics would include but not be limited to the internal and external components, posture, notes, reading sheet music, and rhythm.  Don’t be surprised if you don’t actually learn how to play a song on the piano during the first lesson.  Knowing the basics is important in order to successfully learn how to play the piano.  Be patient, you will be playing notes, chords, and songs in no time.

If your instructor did show you how to play any notes or chords on the piano, then you will want to practice them at home while it is fresh in your mind.   Practicing is an important part of beginner piano instruction.  You should devote at least 30 minutes a day to practice what you have learned.  This will help you learn where the keys are on the piano which will help you later when you start learning advanced piano lessons.  You might start off playing slowly, don’t become frustrated, you will slowly learn how to play in the correct timing as you advance with your piano instruction.  It will become easier to play piano with each practice session.

Just remember that major piano players, such as Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven, were once where you are at now, a beginner.  However, with practice and persistence they improved their skills and went on to become famous piano players.  So whether you want to play piano for fun, entertainment, or with a band, you will need to continue to practice so that you can further your skills and move on to advanced piano instruction.

So how can we help you learn how to play piano?

The first thing you will have to decide is if you want to learn how to play piano on a traditional piano or a keyboard?  A traditional piano can be quite expensive to purchase, but do not let cost keep you from wanting to learn.  A keyboard is a great alterative and can be purchased for a fraction of the cost.  The main difference that you will find between a piano and keyboard is the weight of the keys and a pedal.  A pedal is used to sustain notes or chords.  A pedal can be purchased separately with some keyboards.

The next step to learning how to play the piano would be to determine how you want to learn?  Do you want to learn with a private instructor, from a friend, dvds, computer software, or by ear?  Each method has its advantages and disadvantages, and you will need to weigh your options and decide which option is best suited for your learning style.  If you start with one method and it doesn’t work, don’t throw in the towel and give up your goal to learn how to play the piano.  Instead, try another learning style.

So now that you have figured out whether you are going to learn piano on a piano or keyboard and how you want to start learning, you will need to learn some piano basics before jumping into playing.  A piano consists of 88 keys and some keyboards may have less.  Each key makes up a note and several notes that are played together make up a chord.  Check out the learn to play easy piano article for more information about the piano keys!

Learning piano is not only fun but it will provide endless entertainment, enhance creativity, and enhance your motor skills.  So don’t be afraid to learn how to play piano.  And you will soon be on your way to playing songs that you love on the piano.

So how can we help you learn how to play piano?

Jazz piano is a very unique style of music.  This style of music enables a musician can quickly improvise the chords that they are playing.  And it allows the musician to develop their own unique playing style as well as different variations of the same song that you are playing.

Jazz piano chords and voicing is another added advantage to learning jazz piano.  The neat thing about using jazz piano chords and voicing is the capability of being able to transform chords making them either lighter or heavier depending on the type of music that you are playing.  For example, the C7 key is a popular jazz chord and it is referred to as the seventh.  Another form of the seventh chord is the seventh major chord and is shown as Cmaj7 in sheet music or chord charts.  Thus, the jazz chord voicings give the musician the ability to substitute chords freely and easily, adding to the flexibility of jazz piano.

The rhythm is a different in jazz piano verses traditional piano styles.Jazz is more of a swing rhythm, which means there are several different rhythm changes during a song. It would be wise for you to listen to some jazz music, so that you can listen to and get a feel for the genre.  But take notice of the rhythm of the music.

Learning jazz piano isn’t as hard as you may think.  Now let’s get started!

So how can we help you learn how to play piano?

The next thing a beginner needs to learn is the position of the middle C.The middle C is located in the center of the keyboard just left of the third set of two black keys, it is the 4th set of two black keys on a standard 88 key piano. The middle C is similar to the home keys on a keyboard and it is used as a starting point on the keyboard.

The next thing that a beginner should learn is the notes and their patterns on the piano.For example, the D key will always be to the right of the C key.It is helpful to memorize the pattern of the notes.In the beginning, only focus on the white keys.Then move on to the black keys after the student is familiar with the A-B-C-D-E-F-G keys.

Once the student has a grasp on the keys and their pattern, they can begin learning how to play easy piano songs such as Hot Cross Buns, Jingle Bells, Ode to Joy, Fur Elise, and Mary Had a Little Lamb.As you are learning how to play these songs, begin playing with the right hand only.As you become more comfortable playing the songs then feel free to beginning playing with your left hand.However, do not get frustrated by trying to play the piano with both hands at first.Instead, break the practice sessions into several 20 minute increments.

Once a student has a grasp of playing the piano, they could easily move to another instrument and pick up learning how to play it fairly easily.  For example, if you wanted to learn how to play the guitar, then would need to purchase software or DVD’s that teach guitar lessons for beginners or learning basic guitar.  Don’t take up learning too many new instruments at one time as it could result in a student losing interest or getting frustrated.

Have fun while learning how to play easy piano songs!

So how can we help you learn how to play piano?

If you have searched online for piano lesson software, you will realize that there is a wide variety of software out there.It is important that you choose a program that is reliable, reputable, and that provides some type of user support.Many sites even offer downloadable piano software, which will allow you to start the lessons immediately.

How much should you pay for software? I know everyone has a set budget on how much they should spend on piano lesson software.However, you need to look at the software as an investment rather than focusing only on the price.If you were to hire a piano instructor you would easily pay anywhere from 15 to 20 dollars for a thirty minute session or more depending on the instructor’s qualifications.Plus you will be required to purchase materials such as books or sheet music to use during your session.A good software program will include all the materials that you will need to get you started.

Another advantage that piano lesson software can offer is the ability to be able to easily review the course material.You can stop the program in order to go back and view a topic that you need more work on.This feature helped me learn how to begin playing the piano when I started.

The bottom line is that piano lesson software can be one of the most beneficial ways to learn piano. There are even games that will teach you to recognize notes being played or teach you to read music. If you are ready to get started with piano, now is the perfect time to find some good software to get you started.

So how can we help you learn how to play piano?

Private instruction is probably your first option until you find out how costly it can be.  A session can range from $20 dollars for a half hour session or more depending on the instructor.  This option isn’t feasible for most beginner piano players due to the cost alone.  The instructor also requires students to purchase piano books and other materials that are needed during the lesson.

There are many piano lesson books that offer piano lessons as well. Books are a great way to learn how to play the piano but they are best when combined with piano DVD’s or piano software.  The books can’t demonstrate exactly how to play a note and they can’t provide you an example of how a note should sound. However, piano lessons that are offered in books do help provide basic knowledge such as music theory, discussing rhythm, and proper playing techniques and habits.

As previously mentioned, piano DVD lessons are another great way to learn how to play.  The primary benefit of a DVD is the ability to see and hear the lesson, hear how a note or chord should sound, a demonstration of the lesson, and the ability to watch it multiple times.This would be a great addition to piano lesson books.

Piano software lessons are another great tool that can be combined with piano lesson books.  The piano software would allow you to learn how to perform different techniques and offer advice.  Piano software can be downloaded or comes on CD’s that are played using your computer.

It is easy to get frustrated when learning how to play the piano, so don’t let this become an issue.  If you start out using piano lesson books, then you should either get a piano DVD course, piano software, or both to help you keep an interest.  Piano books lessons are great but they do lack motivational techniques to help keep you interested in learning.

So how can we help you learn how to play piano?