WriteMore! | Learn with Steem: A tutorial on how to learn to play a piano | by janeo42

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This post is an entry for the contest WriteMore!

Introduction

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Learning piano is the same as learning so many things in life, you need commitments and dedication to it. You need to work hard at learning the required things to gain mastery in piano.

There are 88 keys to memorize and a lot of tension in the process of learning, which would affect your mental and physical work levels. But all would be worth it, because at the end of the day, get to start making beautiful sounds that are memorable and remarkable.

When learning there are only need 2 things: a piano, and a willingness to learn. Other important things like a music sheet would not be needed now.

The guide below will give you a learning process that would help you acquire, familiarize, and practice piano like a pro.

Learning How to Play the Piano

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These are 10 steps that will help you on your journey to learning how to play a piano.

1. Get A piano or keyboard

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This should be something obvious. Without having a piano at your beck'n'call it will be difficult to effectively learn how to play a piano.

A good option is having to a music school or instrumental place where pianos can be learnt. But not having a piano at your side even after going to a school can prove to be detrimental, as it can make you loose the momentum you gain as you learn in the music school.

2. Familiarize with the Piano/Keyboard

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Now that you have your piano, you try to become familiar with it. Check if the piano is in tune, if it's not, look for someone (usually an experienced professional) to help you put it in then.

You also learn about the keys in the piano and their names. This is usually done by going through the manual that came along with the piano. But if there's no manual, you can simply go and get one.

Learn what a proper hand posture is. Doing this would help you get different sounds, note them and their difference.

By familiarizing yourself with the piano and how to go about it, you start to form good habits that would help you in your journey towards learning piano and making great sounds.

3. Learn How to Position your Arms and Hands Properly

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To become a good pianist, you have to first position your hand and arms properly. To do this you make you hands and arms maintain the right-hand position. This forms a "C Position" - a natural cupped shape that is formed - as you letf hang to your side.

Doing this would give you better leverage as you can read a selection of notes from the bass and treble clefs, and you can also play simple piano chords with your left hand.

It also helps to prevent injuries that are related to repetitive stress.

4. Learn Your Notes

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Piano leaning is like English learning. In English, the first thing you need to learn is the alphabet, while in Piano, it is the notes. You have to continually practice it to get it put in your memory.

The easiest way to start is to learn Do-Re-Mi tune. Because each represents a note and it starts with note C and ends with note C.

Tune	Note
Do	C
Re	D
Mi	E
Fa	F
So	G
La	A
Ti	B
Do	C

By learning the notes you would familiarize yourself with the notes' pitch and how to press different keys on the piano.

5. Know Your Sharps and Flats

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There are black keys that are found on the piano, they can either play sharps (#) or flats (b) and they come in twos or in threes.

When you see a sharp or # sign it means that you should you should play the next higher key and if you see a flat or b sign it means you should play the next lower key.

6. Have a Goal for Practice

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Before you start learning piano there must be a goal in mind. Two things you should have is what you want to end up playing and the time you want it to take to learn.

You can also think about the materials that would be in use whether it be online or from a book bought.

You should also think about what you will play in seven days, fourteen days, thirty days, etc. And how long you will have to practice each day.

Having all these in mind would give you a concrete goal to achieve when learning piano.

7. Begin Practicing Immediately

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If you truly want to learn piano, then you have to start practicing immediately.

Since you have a goal in mind, then it is only right your practice sticks to your goals daily. Then you also begin to practice chords and scales as they are the building blocks of your piano learning.

Begin also to learn the major keys. This will help you play sounds that you can easily identify with your ear. It will also help you identify patterns as they are essential in every song.

8. Practice to Strengthen Your Fingers

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You have gotten everything necessary to successfully learn piano. Now you need your fingers to do the work.

When you start learning piano, fingering (learning how to use your fingers) is key. It helps you fingers to know how to press the piano to produce good sounds without making silly mistakes. It allows you to know where your fingers are supposed to go and how they are to react.

You can begin with the use of the pentascale technique. A pentascale is a scale with Penta (five) notes. You can begin with the C Major pentascale.

This is a technique where you start by placing your thumb on the Middle C note, then your index finger on the D note, middle finger on the E note, ring finger on the F note, and the pinky finger on the G note.

9. Practice on Your Timing

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You have to know the length of time that each note has to be pressed, because each note has length of time to be pressed by way of counting.

The three notes count that are often used are:

• Whole notes (which has a 4 beat count),
• Half notes (with a 2 beat count), and
• Quarter notes (with a 1 beat count).

10. Learn with Others

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By now you would have learned so much in playing a piano. You can create a sound and do some important stuff.

Now it is time to change your style and practice with someone else. This person is someone with experience and can also be a professional in the music business.

You can go ahead and get a music instructor. Doing so would help improve your learning as you wouldn't be limited to the same old routines you are accustomed to, you begin to learn news things and in depth.

Conclusion

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By learning how to play a piano, you are essentially learning a skill that is beneficial in life. You can use it to perform at different occasions, you can even start a musical career.

It is also noteworthy from studies that learning how to play piano helps to boost language skills especially in children.

It is also a well known fact that the brains of pianists have a different and impressive brain capacity.