Learn To Play The Piano
Good Points To Keep In Mind

Basic Things Needed

When you set out to learn to play the piano there are a few things that need to be in place. Of course, you need a piano or a good keyboard to practice on. Though you can do a lot of things on your own to teach yourself, you may want to consider private lessons with a good teacher. Music books, notebooks, and supplemental items, like recording equipment, are also worth considering.

Major Points

Major points that apply to all styles of piano and all levels of difficulty would be: keyboard exercises, ear training exercises, and sight reading. Sight reading can be of detailed music, as in the classical school, or simple melodies in the right hand and chord symbols for the left hand, as in lead sheets and fake charts. It is also a good idea to get a grip on Piano Theory.

Method Books

There are numerous method books out there and some of them are very good. It's important to know that every piano method book will grade its difficulty levels differently. So, level five in one course may be easier than level three in another course. Also, even the best method books to learn to play the piano will not replace a live teacher. You will be able to do some things on your own with books, CDs, and videos. Still, proper body position and subtle hand positions needed to create the proper sounds are much more difficult to attain without a teacher. Not to mention getting over any stumbling blocks, particular to you, the student.

Practice Time Management

It's a very good idea to manage your practice time accordingly. You may want to consider keeping a practice record book and making sure that you do something for each category everyday. One idea is to divide your time equally between the different aspects of practice. For example, in a 1/2 hour session you could spend 10 minutes on keyboard exercises, 10 minutes on ear training and sight reading, and 10 minutes on songs/pieces. Another idea is to rotate which practice aspect dominates your practice schedule. For example, this week spend 20 minutes on songs/pieces, and 5 minutes each on the other two aspects, totaling a 1/2 hour session. Next week, spend 15 minutes on keyboard exercises, 10 minutes on pieces, and 5 minutes on ear training and sight reading skills.

In any case, time management of your practice and systematic daily work is a very good idea. Music is such a vast world. When you set out to learn to play the piano, the journey will be more fun if you plan and do what works for you. Getting results is what it's all about.

If you haven't read it yet the Learn To Play Piano page offers good points about learning that can be applied to all learning.

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