Acoustic pianos vary widely in style, size, and cost. A new piano suitable for a beginner typically will cost between $2,000 and $5,000 US. If that kind of expense is not in your budget, you might consider buying a used piano. An electronic keyboard is an acceptable substitute and may be your only option if you live in a dorm room or small apartment where an acoustic piano just won’t fit. Look for one with a full-sized keyboard. They also typically have a headphone jack so you can play without disturbing roommates or neighbors. A beginner full-sized (88 keys) electric piano can run you somewhere around $300 to $400, whereas midrange beginner models are around $600 and up.
If you find a used piano that you’re interested in, simply let the owner know that you want a professional to inspect the piano before you buy it. If they refuse to allow you to do this, don’t buy the piano. They may be trying to hide a serious problem from you. Some music stores sell used pianos that have already been inspected by store staff. However, it’s still a good idea to have an independent technician look over it before you buy it.
If you bought an electronic keyboard instead of an acoustic piano, you might consider buying a stand for it so you can play it at the same height as you would an acoustic piano. Stands are also adjustable and typically can be folded up and stored out of the way when you’re not playing, if space is at a premium.
If a tuning isn’t included in your purchase, expect to pay around $100 US. Look for a Registered Piano Technician (RPT) in your area who has experience tuning pianos that are similar to yours in age and style. The Piano Technicians Guild has a global locator search available online that you can use to find an RPT in your area. You can also search for technicians that have experience in particular services, which may be helpful if you’ve bought a used piano that is damaged in some way and needs repair.
Many electronic keyboards come with a built-in metronome.
Make sure your bench is close enough that you can place your fingers on the keys with your elbows bent. If you need to extend your arms to reach the keys, the bench is too far away from the piano. You should be able to sit with both of your feet flat on the floor and also reach the pedals when necessary (although you likely won’t use the pedals when you’re just starting out). If you can’t reach the pedals without straining your legs, scoot the bench forward until you can. If your piano bench won’t adjust high enough for you to sit with proper posture, use a pillow or cushion to sit up higher.
Holding a small stress ball as you play can help guide your finger placement when you’re just getting started. Make a habit of checking your finger placement regularly and adjusting as necessary until it becomes natural.
Press the Middle C key with your thumb to play the note. In piano fingering notation, your thumb is frequently labeled with a 1. Then play the white key next to it, D, with your index or 2 finger. Your middle or 3 finger plays E, while your ring or 4 finger falls on the F key. Your pinky or 5 finger plays G. These are the first 5 notes of the C Major scale.
Start with the metronome at a relatively slow tempo and practice the scale until you can play it smoothly, moving your hand through the notes and hitting them in order without making any mistakes or looking down at the keyboard. Then, speed the metronome up a little and try again. Two of the common ways of playing the scale is Similar motion and Contrary motion. To play in similar motion, put your hands at the lower half of the piano/keyboard, an octave apart from each other, and play in the same direction to the right, and when you reach an certain octave, play back to your starting point To play Contrary motion in C major, put both of your thumbs on the middle C and play the left hand going left and the right hand playing to the right and when you reach 1 or 2 octaves, play in reverse back the starting point. This exercise may seem boring, but if you master these fundamentals you’ll find it much easier to play more complicated pieces later on. Scales help build muscle memory in your fingers and also give you greater spatial awareness, so you’ll be able to find and play notes without looking down at the keyboard.
You can find scale diagrams online or use a smartphone app. Most scales make use of black keys as well as white keys, so practicing other scales will give you a greater familiarity with all the keys on the keyboard.
As with your right hand, start with your metronome at a relatively slow tempo and gradually speed up. If you’re right-hand dominant, expect the left hand to progress much more slowly than your right hand did. Just have patience and don’t try to rush it.
Notes in a different octave have the same pitch, they are simply higher or lower than each other. For example, you could continue playing the C Major scale from one end of the piano to the other, starting with the lowest C on the keyboard and ending on the highest C on the keyboard. You can do the same thing with any other scale.
Music is notated on a staff with 5 lines and 4 spaces. Each line and space represents a note. If you see a note head on that line or space, you play the note represented. On the treble clef (notes played by your right hand) the 5 lines from bottom to top are E, G, B, D, and F. You can remember these with the mnemonic “Every Good Boy Does Fine. " The 4 spaces from bottom to top are F, A, C, and E, which spell the word “FACE. " The bass clef notates lower notes that you’ll play with your left hand. The 5 lines from bottom to top are G, B, D, F, and A. You can remember these with the mnemonic “Good Boys Do Fine Always. " The 4 spaces on the bass clef from bottom to top are A, C, E, and G. You can remember these with the mnemonic “All Cows Eat Grass. "
For example, since you already know the C Major scale, try to pick out the “Do Re Mi” song from the movie “The Sound of Music. " This song is actually designed to teach the C Major scale to the children in the movie, and the notes of the melody are fairly easy to find for yourself, even if you don’t have a well-developed ear.
Since you’re familiar with the C Major scale, try a C Major chord. Place your thumb on Middle C as though you were getting ready to play the scale. Your middle finger should be on the E key and your pinky finger on the G key. Press all three of those keys at the same time to play the C Major chord. There’s a free online chord chart available at https://www. onlinepianist. com/piano-chords. You can also download one of the smartphone apps that has chord charts for piano. Most of these apps are free if you’re okay with the app displaying ads occasionally (or you can pay a small amount to get the ad-free version).
To get the most benefit out of the exercises, daily practice is recommended. Set aside 5 or 10 minutes of your total practice time just to do Hanon exercises.
Try to find beginner sheet music that includes the name of the note inside the note symbol. This will help you start to read the music more easily. You can find sheet music like this in beginner’s books and on some websites and smartphone apps. You can buy collections of sheet music arranged for different levels, either online or at your favorite music or book store. You can also download and print sheet music off the internet. Websites such as Musicnotes allow you to download sheet music and make it available on all of your devices. If you have a tablet, you can display your music on your tablet instead of printing it out (just make sure you turn off sleep mode). Keep in mind that because composition and arrangement copyrights are strictly controlled, you will seldom be able to download sheet music for free legally – particularly if you’re looking for newer or more popular music.
If you can practice at the same time every day, eventually practicing piano will just become another thing you do every day, similar to brushing your teeth or taking a shower. At that point, you won’t think about it in terms of whether you want to do it or feel like doing it – you’ll just do it.
You may also be able to find websites with music theory exercises that can help improve your skills at reading music. If you check music theory books out of the library, complete the exercises in a separate notebook or make photocopies of the exercise pages – don’t write in the book.
It’s a good idea to interview several piano teachers before you settle on one, especially if you’re looking at private lessons. You’ll be spending a lot of time with this person, so you want to make sure you like them. Some piano teachers specialize in particular methods of instruction, while others focus on teaching particular types of students. For example, teachers use different techniques with adult students than with children. Additionally, there are some teachers who are focused on training students who want to become concert pianists, while there are others who are willing to teach less serious students.
Most piano apps are free to download. However, your usage may be limited unless you buy a subscription. For example, the app Yousician limits you to 20 minutes a day unless you upgrade to premium. Some apps, such as Mussila Music School, are geared more towards younger children.
The damper pedal is played with your right foot and produces a fuller resonance than you could produce without the pedal. When the pedal is lifted, the notes you play will have a flatter sound. The soft pedal is played with your left foot and creates a muted and less vibrant sound when depressed. The sostenuto pedal in the middle is used to sustain selected notes, particularly lower bass notes, to create a drone as you play. The note held by the sostenuto pedal will be held until the sostenuto pedal is released. You can also use the damper pedal or soft pedal without affecting the note held by the sostenuto pedal.
