Getting Started With The Piano

Getting started with the piano is fairly easy.  The piano is one of the most beautiful instruments.  If a person knows how to play the piano, they can easily learn any other instrument.  The piano is a string instrument.  As with all instruments, getting started with the piano takes a financial and time investment.

There are some things you should consider if you or your child is going to start playing the piano.  So there are a few questions that need to be asked.  What is driving you to play the piano?  Do you have the patience to play?  Are you willing to practice 30-45 minutes at least 5 days a week?

To start with the piano I recommend a digital piano with weighted keys to start with.  This will cost a few hundred dollars but is sufficient before investing in a more expensive piano.

 

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Selecting A Piano

Going to a music store can help you select a piano.  Unlike other instruments, you can get a quality digital piano on-line.  Often at a much better price than at the music store.  There are popular brands like Yamaha, Casio, KORG, etc sold on-line.  You just want to make sure the piano has weighted keys so that it feels like an actual piano when playing.

Kids can start to play the piano as early as 3 years old.  Many teachers will offer lessons starting at 4 years old.  My son started at the age of 5 and was able to concentrate long enough to practice for 20-25 minutes a day, 5 days a week.

 

Self Taught vs. Classically Taught

Many people question if they need lessons.  I do recommend that you do invest in weekly lessons, especially for children.  If you are playing for your own enjoyment and as a hobby, then you probably can get away with watching videos on-line.  The difference is that when you are trained by a classical teacher, you learn the correct format, positions, methods and proper ways to play musical pieces.  Like with anything, practice becomes habit, so if you learn incorrectly, it is difficult to correct later.

A piano teacher will cost between $25-$60 per lesson and most lessons are for 30 minutes.  During the lesson you learn musical pieces, fingering format and technique.  I would recommend selecting a teacher that allows you to record the lesson or difficult pieces of the lesson for your child to watch over as needed.

I have often recorded my sons music teachers playing the musical piece, so that they could watch and practice throughout the week.  This really helps with visual learners.  Again this is a commitment, so make sure you pick a time and day of the week for lessons that you can stick with long term.

You could also elect to get lessons virtually or watch pre-recorded on-line videos.  This may work for high school or older people, but smaller kids really need hands on teaching.  Nevertheless, if you decide to watch on-line videos, many people have self-taught themselves this way.

 

Supplies Needed For The Piano

There several things that you need to play the piano.  This will also require some investment.  Also, the longer one plays, the better quality supplies/accessories are needed.  I will explain a few things that are needed.

• Piano Bench – get a good bench with storage to hold supplies
• Headphones –  you can practice and listen on your own
• Piano Pedal – needed for digital pianos – some piano packages come with the pedal
• Tablet Stand – this stand holds tablets for virtual lessons.  The pianist can watch on-line videos and use metronomes apps.  I like this stand to record performances as well.

 

• Mini Portable Bluetooth Wireless Speaker – needed for playing virtually with bands/orchestras or if taking virtual lessons.  Perfect for hearing different music pieces while playing.

 

• Starting Books – most teachers start with books that teach the basic essentials and theory.  You can find plenty of videos for on-line help with the content in these books.
• Metronome Tuner – used to make sure instrument is in tune and to set the rhythm of the piece of the music.  For travel, a portable tuner is great.  There are also plenty of apps for metronome tuners for tablets for in home use.
• Keyboard Note Stickers – very helpful for beginners to learn the keys

 

 

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Good luck and reach out to me if you have any questions.

 

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