How to learn to play the piano
How I did it: I started plicking ang plockins around the keys of the piano in my house when I was about 4. My mom taught me a little, and I learned how to sight read and play some simple songs. I started taking formal lessons in 5th or 6th grade, I can't remember. The lessons were half an hour long once a week. It's been a little more than 6 years since I have started taking lessons, and I can play many pieces with ease. I apparently have a "musical ear," or a rare ability to remember sequences of notes. This made it very difficult to learn to sight read. But now I sight read with ease; I can sit down and play a song in nearly any key that I've never heard before. I'm still learning, but compared to many people, I think I'm pretty good! I LOVE the piano. Out of every hobby I've had, Piano is what I've stuck with the longest.
Lessons & tips: - Playing the piano should be FUN! If you're not having fun, don't do it.
- A piano teacher helps a LOT. It's so much harder to learn yourself.
- Use piano lesson books that help you learn different keys and teach you primary chords. You learn so much more that way, not only about the piano, but about music. It's a lot harder to learn and memorize random piano pieces. I used Alfred books.
- Don't give up! If you play just a little bit a week, it won't feel like you're advancing much, but after a while, you'll see how amazingly far you've come.
Resources: - Piano teacher
- Alfred's basic Piano Library. http://www.alfred.com/alfredweb/front/General.aspx?pageid=250 I used the lesson and recital books.
