Introduction To Piano - Basic Information

Okay, so this is basically a more elaborate version of the article I submitted to my Hubpage. It's got information for those of you who are totally new to pianos and have not got any idea what is what. Got to start somewhere! :)

Introduction

Piano is one of the most popular instruments in the world, and there are already millions of pianists. Despite the popular belief that piano is the easiest instrument to learn, this is not entirely true. Depending on the individual, his/her commitment and efforts, combined with the motivation to learn, learning to play piano can take from a month to several years.

Basic Facts

Every piano has a number of black and white keys. This number may vary, depending on the make and model of the piano. There are 81-key versions as well as 61-key ones, but these smaller ones are usually musical keyboards, the tech-versions of the classic pianos. The standard piano has 88 keys, 52 naturals, and 36 accidentals.

• The black keys are called accidentals, or "sharps" (♯), and "flats" (♭).
• The white keys are called naturals, and they are all within the "key" of C.

Beginners, there are many keys and it may seem confusing, but check this out:


Octaves - Depending on the size of the piano, there is a given number of octaves. It means "8" or "8 notes". You have the same notes in every octave, but the difference is the pitch. there are 7 natural notes and 5 accidentals in one octave;
These are (C)C♯(D)D♯(E)(F)F♯(G)A♭*(A)B♭(B). Notes in parenthesis are naturals. 

*the "A♭" is called "A flat". The (♯) symbol means sharp. e.g. D♯= D sharp. 

However, there is one detail on that. As the accidentals either go up or down by a semitone, a note can be expressed in two ways, depending whether it has gone up or down.

Allow me to demonstrate! 

c d e f g a b  -  

(D♯) can be expressed as (E♭).

(A♯) can be expressed as (B♭). 

Basically, black key to the left of the white, it's a flat (♭). A black key to the right, it's a sharp (♯).

Makes sense? Great! Moving on...

The Pedals

The pedal on the right is the sustaining or the damper pedal. It sustains the notes which are played before it is pressed down, but doesn't sustain the notes which are played afterwards. Basically, it is as if you had a third hand holding the notes down, while you play with your other two hands.

The middle pedal is called the "sostenuto" pedal, also known as the muffler pedal. The sostenuto pedal allows certain notes to be sustained while other notes on the keyboard are unaffected. It is used by hitting the desired notes, then depressing the pedal. The selected notes will resonate until the pedal is released. This way, sustained notes can be heard alongside notes played with a staccato effect.

The left pedal is called "una corda", better known as soft pedal. In upright pianos, and some grand's, it moves the resting hammers closer to the strings, decreasing the distance they travel, and thus their striking force. In most grand's, the soft pedal shifts the entire action sideways, causing the treble hammers to hit only two of their three strings. The lower strings are shifted to another part of the hammer felt. The shifting type of soft pedal is called the una corda pedal.

Chords

Chords are basically sets of notes that are played together, and are heard as if sounding simultaneously. The most common chords are triads, or 3 notes played together. Also, the 2-note versions can be called chords.

Melody

The simple explanation of melody is what will normally be played by the right hand, simultaneously with the chords of the left hand. This is basically the simplest way to explain "playing piano".

• Left hand - Chords
• Right hand - Melody

Now, this part of melody can be a little tricky to do simultaneously with the chords of the left hand, but what you can do to start with is this:


Play the chord and depress the sustaining / damper pedal. Now while the chord is still sounding, play a melody. Then play another chord and a new melody. Gradually, you will learn how to play faster and without having to hold the sustaining pedal down every time you're going to play a melody.

Practice, Learn and Enjoy!

I've Lost My Motivation to Learn Piano - Tips

Losing motivation is never a good thing. Especially when it happens because learning to play a musical instrument is giving you tough time.


When the phenomena of vanishing motivation occurs, the best thing to do, in my opinion, is to go on YouTube and look up someone who represents your category of musical instrument. The musician has to be exceptional, otherwise this won't work. Now, listen carefully to what s/he plays, and think about this: "Did this person lose his/her motivation? Did s/he give up learning the instrument?" The answer for question a) is quite commonly "Yes." but you don't have to worry about that. If you did like I told you to do above, the answer for b) should be a clear "No."


Now, this may seem like a load of utter manure, but there is a reason why you should do it.


What I am trying to help you do, is to see what you will be able to do if you carry on practicing and playing. I've gone through it. Many times, actually. Even nowadays I may experience a sudden feeling of worthlessness and question the reason I am doing what I do. However, when I see someone way more advanced than me doing magic on an instrument, I realize that it all depends on the effort I put into the music myself. It's something in which you cannot lose anything. Consider the time an investment.


Children


The same thing applies to children, but it is more crucial than with older people. Let them watch some truly amazing video, and they will want to learn how to play the piano or the cello like "that crazy man/woman in the video". This can be used whenever they feel like they're not learning anything. Another little trick you could use is to make them learn any "epic" song, or just a part of it. This will re-orientate their interest back to music and not think too much about the difficulty of the learning process.


Conclusion


Seeing someone else who has worked hard to achieve success is a great motivator. It helps you to see what you can achieve as well, if you are willing to put the effort and time into it. The typical rule-of-thumb "10,000" hours before mastering a skill should be considered here. That would be approximately 15 years if you practiced 2 hours EVERY SINGLE day. However, you should not take this negatively. The 15 years is an estimation for mastering the skill. This doesn't mean that you wouldn't be able to create awesome music before that. I learned to play well after 3 years. After 8 consecutive years of playing, I can play, compose and improvise whatever I like, really.

Keep it up!

"How to Improvise Music" Part I - Kiwi Tutorial

What I have tried to overcome in the recent years is the problem a MAJORITYof all musicians have; the inability to read written music. Naturally, this is a bastard to deal with, but I was very fortunate, in terms of musical skills as I learned to play by ear at a young age. Later, this developed into a strange melodic improvisational skill.


From time to time, I get troubled but quite advanced musicians, who can perfectly read sheet music, asking me the same question…

How do you improvise? How can I learn to do it too?

The way I create music is totally dependent on my imagination. Even though I cannot imagine the total ensemble of sounds in my mind yet, I am able to get the beginning note and continue from that.
For piano, the way I would explain it this way: You have scales, and specific chords that sound nice together. Now, once the base is established and you can hear the tempo you set, you start creating a melody staying within the given scale. The harmony created becomes music. Do not think about the notes, just play.


The most important part of it is not to stress and worry what will sound nice and what won’t. Let yourself drift into another reality, carried by the sounds that your mind is subconsciously making. If that is not possible for you, then I recommend listening to music such as the soundtracks of the Final Fantasies. There is no need to stress, even though the level of music those soundtracks represent is quite advanced. The idea is to hear the changes in volume, pace, strength and other distinctive characteristics.


• Be relaxed… focus on the music.
• Don’t think about the notes… “c, d, f#, g, a…” No, just let it flow!
• Use the same chords at first, but later introduce changes. E.g. Instead of playing a C major, just try out C minor. Even slight changes matter.


If you cannot relax enough to hear how the tempo and “colour” of music changes, I strongly recommend to listen to artists like Yanni. He's one of my personal favorites! Relaxation exercises also help… as well as yoga. :)