How To Become Great At The Piano: It's Not That Hard

Are you ready to become great at the piano?

The piano is one of the most popular instruments to learn, especially for younger learners. Maybe it is something that they wished to learn or their parents decided that it would be beneficial for them. But once you're in piano lessons it must be your goal to become great at playing the piano, right? After all, if you're going to put time, effort and money into an activity it would be very nice if you accomplished and excelled at it.

Is the piano a good choice for me?

One of the best reasons to choose the piano is, it is a good instrument to help you learn to read and understand music. If you wish to learn another instrument later you didn't waste your time. It will make your experience learning another instrument even easier, and you will find that you are able to pick it up at a more rapid pace.

If you are looking to start your child's music education, the piano may be their only choice if they are very young. The piano is easy for little hands and minds to learn.

Find piano lessons that will offer you a great piano education.

Not all piano lessons are the same. Some people who have never had any musical training might just be looking for the best deal they can find. Not always, but generally, qualified piano teachers will have competitive rates. Some people who offer piano lessons really cheap do not have the musical experience or knowledge to give you or your child a well rounded music education.

Piano lessons should always include music theory. If you do not have music theory included in your piano lessons you will soon find that you do not understand everything that is going on. Music theory will help you grow and truly understand music. You will be able to understand what the composer intended to be played and how it should be played: emotion, tone, tempo, dynamics. You will even be able to write your own music if you wish to do so.

Technique is also going to play a crucial role in becoming great at the piano. Even though you may not enjoy it, playing you scales, chords etc. and practicing them and developing good technique is going to help you become great at the piano. You will find by working on your technique, your speed and precision improves.

You knew this was coming..... PRACTICE

Practicing on a consistent basis and stretching yourself will be a big part of your success learning to play the piano. With the best piano lessons you would still find yourself lacking if you don't practice. After all, practice makes perfect.

Modern Isn't Always Best: Why Learn To Play Classical Music On The Piano

What is the best style of music to learn when learning to play the piano?

If your goal is to become very good at the piano than there is only one answer to this question.... Classical Music! Although we love to listen to our favorite bands on the radio or on our ipods, if your goal is to truly become an advanced pianist the only way is to study classical piano music.

Why will learning classical piano music make me better than learning modern pop music?

There are many reasons that classical piano music is the way to go. We'll start with skill level. Classical music is by far harder than current music. You see your chord progressions with a fairly easy melody line. Now if you look at classical piano music you will see that it is extremely more complex. If you choose a piece of piano music from the Baroque period you can even notice that there are multiple melodies going on at the same time. Classical music was all about composing intricate pieces of music to keep audiences entertained. Their living situating depended on it. Soooooo..... if you wish to develope a high skill level with the piano, classical music will get you there, if you stick to pop music you will never achieve an advanced skill level.

Also with classical music being the basis of your piano lessons, you will develope amazing technique skills with the piano. Since classical music has so much going on as far as tempo, dynamics, not to mention the music itself, it's no wonder your technique will be excelling so quickly!

Does that mean that I should only learn to play classical music on the piano?

Absolutely not! Exposing yourself to different styles and genres of music is great for your skills as well. You will learn different techniques learning rock, blues, jazz, pop etc., you would hate to miss out on any of that. But your main focus should be on classical music and the other music should be supplemental to your classical studies.

Learning modern music is also fun and switches things up a little for students. And one of the most important things is that you enjoy yourself while learning.

What about if I'm starting my child in piano lessons at an early age, is classical music over to advanced for my child?

When you are first leaning to play the piano, no matter what age you are, there are method books that teach simplified versions of classical pieces. If your child is very young, like a preschooler, than they would be learning classical music at a slower pace. They will have music at a specific skill level longer than an older child. Just like a teenager or an adult might prefer a more accelerated style of leaning since they can retain more information at one period of time. Younger children might need a few lessons to really understand and retain a certain concept. But yes, classical studies are wonderful no matter what age you begin your journey to learning the piano.

It is also not uncommon for younger children learning to play the piano to prefer playing and learning classical music. Thinking that modern music is too boring and classical music gives them fun patterns and challenging pieces of music for them to learn. If you are thinking about starting your child in piano lessons at an early age, I would completely recommend a classical piano education, if you want to see them excel at the piano.

Learning To Play The Piano Benefits Your Child's Future

As your child goes through different stages of life you wonder which activities would be most beneficial for them, and which activities they would most enjoy. If you're looking for an activity that will help your child's development AND something that they will enjoy, you might want to consider enrolling your child in piano lessons.

When is the right time to begin my child in piano lessons?

Starting your child in piano lessons at an early age has many benefits:

Increased fine motor skills
Increased attention span and focus
Learning to follow instructions
Increased self-confidence
Creativity

Having your preschooler take piano lessons they will be enjoying the above mentioned benefits from taking piano lessons. As well as beginning their music education early in life, they will be at a more advanced level than peers who started later in life. Playing the piano will be like reading to them, it is something they just know and understand.

If you did not start your child in piano lessons at an early age it is still worth pursuing, no matter the age. Even adults who wish to learn to play the piano can learn to play the piano. Not only can they become talented pianists, but still enjoy many benefits of learning to play an instrument. Learning to play the piano as an older beginner you will wish to take accelerated lessons, because the older the student the more information they are able to process and retain at one period of time.

Learning to love piano lessons

To truly become great at playing the piano there must be regular practicing. Usually when kids first start taking piano lessons it is easy for them to want to practice. You will see them excelling and think how easy it is. When they start advancing they will most likely reach points where they don't wish to practice. Sometimes learning new techniques can be difficult and it is hard to want to push through it. You shouldn't let your child give up. Once they master that technique that is frustrating to them, they will lose their frustration and enjoy our once again. You will also notice a big jump in their ability and skill level.

Piano teachers are here to help, don't feel pressure

When you find a good piano teacher, they want you or your child to succeed! They don't look down on you and understand how difficult learning something new can be and know that sometimes it can take weeks or months to master a knew technique or piece of music. Never feel frustrated with yourself, just keep trying and when you do master that piece of music or technique you will be extremely happy that you did not give up!

Teens who play the piano may suffer from....

As we all know, being a teenager is not always as easy as it appears in the movies. Having your teenager take piano lessons can give them a wonderful outlet that helps them feel more confident about themselves. When you feel yourself excelling at something, you can't help but feel good about yourself. Playing the piano is also a wonderful outlet for self expression and stress relief. Music in general is a very calming pastime, but learning to play music on the piano can be very consuming and the daily stresses seem to disappear.

Learning to play the piano is something for children (and adults) of all ages!

It's never too early, or too late to begin a wonderful piano education! Start enjoying the benefits of learning to play the piano today that you will enjoy for a lifetime!