Piano Lessons for Beginners

Beginning piano students can become focused on reading the notes and finding the right keys on the piano and miss the point of playing - to bring their personal sensitivity to bear on the music. Hearing each note in the mind before it is played and thinking about how to touch each key is important to playing thoughtfully and creatively. Music is a language and as such it always tells a story or paints a picture.

Painting is a great analogy for children in piano as it is something that can easily relate to. In children’s music the first place kids can look to get an idea of what this picture will look like is the title of the piece. The title could be for example about the “Morning,” “Moonlight,” a “Triumphant March,” or a “Dance.”

Young students with limited experience learn by imitation and need to hear the pieces played. Parents sometimes think their child isn’t learning to read the notes if the teacher has to play the music for their child. And often children who are able to read music well will not attempt to play new pieces of music at home if they don’t know how it is supposed to sound. Over time, as students gain experience and begin to recognize melody in the music notes, they feel more confident interpreting the music on their own.

Listening to many examples over time allows children to develop their musical ear and artistic abilities. Putting too much emphasis on note reading, or not enough, creates an imbalance between note reading and artistic interpretation. For the beginning piano student these need to go hand-in-hand over time to develop the whole musician.

If you are beginning piano lessons and would like make sure you get off on the right foot, then this article might be one of the most important that you read before you get started.

Did you know that children as young as five or six can begin to learn to play the piano? It’s true, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy.

The first mistake beginner pianists make is that they think it IS easy.

When you try to learn piano (or any musical instrument) with this mindset, you’re always going to struggle to stay committed.

So, when you start learning the piano, make sure you relax, and set aside ample time each day or week to give yourself the chance to learn at an enjoyable pace.

You do not have to already know how to read music in order to take piano lessons. Most beginner piano courses will show you how to start from scratch, even if you’ve never played a note before and wouldn’t know a Clef from an Octave.

This brings us onto piano lessons themselves, where beginners make their second mistake…

As a beginner, the second biggest mistake you can make is to try and learn one song without absorbing the theory or techniques behind it.

Sure, if you’re not interested in becoming a really good pianist then this won’t matter to you, but in order to truly reach any skill level you desire, you will need to build up from a solid ground.

In other words, you wouldn’t climb a ladder that is placed in sinking sand, as it would soon come crashing down when you try to climb it.

To find beginner piano lessons that best suit your learning style and budget, you should consider all of your options available.

Software makes life easier for the beginner pianist

Software is now available online that teaches you everything you need to know from the ground up, and is a great deal cheaper than private piano tutors.

These courses are becoming increasingly popular as they do not disrupt people’s busy daily schedules like having to travel out to a local teacher, and fit into their teaching timetable.

The other benefit of these online piano lessons is that you don’t need to be rushed and you only need to be connected to the internet to download the programs, not to use them (because they are software you run on your PC or Mac).

If you do not have a keyboard or a piano, and want to buy one, you may find one that has a learning system built in, so that you can practice learning to play familiar songs.

This is a great way to add to the lessons themselves for added fun and variety, but not particularly effective on their own.

Ultimately, piano software such as the software that I have tested in this in depth piano lessons review holds the most benefits for those beginning piano lessons and with busy lifestyles.

However, take caution as some online piano courses and software are pretty useless for the aspiring pianist. You’ll need to check that the lessons are created by someone with credibility and experience.

Furthermore, do not buy beginner piano lessons online unless they feature in depth learning material in a variety of styles and formats, such as video, audio and text.

If you’re interested in learning how to play the piano and you’re a beginner listen up. What I’m about to share with you will have you playing the piano in no time at all.

First off, forget about note reading. Forget about sheet music and trying to play Bach or Beethoven. While all of these have their place in piano lessons for beginners, it’s not what I’m going to teach you. I promised you a new approach and that’s exactly what this article will deliver.

Take a look at my free piano lesson “Reflections in Water,” (available by clicking below.) The first thing you probably will notice is the title followed by what this lesson will teach you to do - namely using open position chords in the Key of C major to create a calm, relaxed atmosphere.

Notice anything here? This piano lesson actually looks like an art lesson doesn’t it! It’s completely different as it takes you step by step through the process of actually creating your own music.

After you notice the title and the description of the lesson, you may also notice a small paragraph of text to the left that reads “materials used.” Again, like an art lesson, you see exactly what you’ll be using to create with. At the beginning of most art lessons, the author introduces you to the materials and techniques you’ll be using to complete a finished painting. That’s exactly what I do with piano instruction.

And my students love it. It gets them playing piano almost right away. Plus, it allows them to create music with modern sounding chords instead of the usual boring triads.

Note reading is not required for this approach. Just a little knowledge of chords. For the lesson “Reflections in Water,” you’ll see 4 chords and the keyboard diagrams they are laid out on. Once you get the feel for the open position chord, you’ll love it and want to play the piano with enthusiasm. Why? Because it’s fun! And it’s easy.

And if that wasn’t enough to get you motivated, there are also audio samples that let you hear how another pianist plays it.

Piano lessons for beginners do not have to be the same old boring thing most of us have come to know. They can actually be fun AND creative!