How to Play On the Piano

There is almost nobody on this planet who hasn’t heard of a piano. As a musical instrument, the piano is considered one of the most versatile and popular among all existing instruments till date. Piano has the capacity of playing notes both in bass and treble clefs. Right from classical to rock genre of music, you will find piano music leaving its mark. Knowing how to learn the instrument is not difficult at all. However if you wish to master its technicalities, you shall have to resort to practicing it more often. So, what’s the wait for? Let us dive into the intricacies of learning to play the piano. The step by step guide given below is applicable only for beginners.

1. A piano’s keyboard is what you should get yourself familiar with. The keyboard of a piano has 88 keys in it and includes about seven octaves. You can start off with the middle C. However, if you haven’t yet memorized the notes, you can always keep a keyboard note chart with you. There are similar 12 notes which repeat themselves over and over again in the keyboard. You can become familiar with it after having played on them for some period of time.
2. You shall have to learn the basic music notation. If you are feeling uncomfortable about reading the notes on the music staff, you can resort to the reference chart. Focusing your attention on the note rhythms is also equally important. The basic rhythms are the whole, half, eighth and sixteenth notes. It will take time for you to get familiar with the process of breaking them down to form rhythm structure. So do not get nervous about it and feel free to refer the music reading cheat sheet in the meantime.
3. Now you will have to start playing chords. Chords are the simplest way to make yourself accompany others while singing. The theory says that the more chords you are familiar with, the more songs you can play on the piano. Remember that the shapes of the chords remain same on the piano but the names change according to the change in note while starting the shape. Memorizing a wide chord vocabulary is only possible by constant practice and playing them on the piano.
4. You can also play scales which will help you in knowing the origin of the notes along with strengthening your fingers. It is advised to begin with major and minor scales in every key. After having known the pattern of the notes, you can play in any key by just changing the starting note.
5. In between practicing the scales and chords, it is recommended to try playing simple piano music. Try and play the notes and chords that you have learnt. This will help you make the necessary corrections of your mistakes. Also try playing a simple song which contains the particular chord which you have learnt about. You play the chords with your left hand and melody with your right hand.
6. It is always advised not to let go of your reference charts until you have mastered the art of playing the piano.

Watch a video instruction on how to play on the piano

See also

How to Play Piano Chords

How to Read Piano Tabs

How to Read Piano Sheet Music

How to Read Chords