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What should a beginner piano player know?

Beginner players should know how to play scales, triads, arpeggios and how to read both treble and bass clef.

Basic piano players need to know how to find the notes on the music staff and know how to read their rhythmic value. Eighth notes, quarter notes, half notes, whole notes, dotted notes, etc.

They should also know about the different terminology used in music notation. Terms such as Rallentando (slowing down), Ad Libitum (play freely), Animato (animated), Più Mosso (more quickly) or Senza Tempo (no tempo or no strict tempo) are a few examples.

Dynamics is another aspect of music that a beginner student should know. The softest you can play a note is called Pianissimo and it is usually abbreviated with a double P (pp). A soft sound is called Piano (p), a not so soft volume or Mezzo-piano (mp). Mezzo-forte (mf), Forte (f) or loud, and finally very loud or Fortissimo (ff) are three levels of loudness for any note or passage.

Learning with a piano instructor can give you the confidence that at the beginner’s level, you will know all of the above and more. Visit Superprof and find a list of piano instructors in Pittsburgh.

Why is practicing piano so hard?

Practicing piano is hard because most of the time both hands are playing independently from each other and coordinating both hands and playing independently is hard.

Sometimes the right hand plays loud while the left hand plays soft, and vice versa. Sometimes the left and right hand are doing completely different rhythms that do not match at all.

Another challenge about learning piano is that the position of the notes for the left hand and the position of the notes for the right hand are written differently using different clefs for each hand. This is also a challenge at the beginning.

Learning with a teacher is the best option since a teacher can see your progress and address your individual challenges. The teacher will tailor the lesson to fit you. If you are looking for piano lessons in Pittsburgh, visit Superprof and find the teacher that fits your personality best!

What are the benefits of learning to play Piano

Music is an extraordinary discipline. The practice of learning to play the piano, learning music and learning how to read music have incredible benefits for your brain and body. Conditions such as Dyslexia or difficulties with a person’s motor skills can be profoundly helped by learning to play an instrument.

In 2007 a study informed of the success of the practice of learning piano in post-stroke patients as a form of rehabilitation and how learning an instrument can be another form of Motor Rehabilitation for patients with disabilities due to genetics or disease.

In 2015 a study showed an improvement in adult life as they engaged in a consistent practice of an instrument. 15 adults who were learning to play the piano were recruited via community music groups and private instrumental teachers. Analysis of transcripts of semi-structured interviews identified adults’ prior experiences in music, their motivations to learn instruments and learning goals, learning strategies they employ, the benefits that they attribute to their engagement in musical activities, and challenges faced. The study suggests that music was a cultural practice which helped with fostering health and life satisfaction.

Finally, regardless of your age and your condition, people who learn to play the piano and to read two staffs of music at once (piano is written most of the time in two staffs) benefit enormously because the practice of playing and reading music creates different routes and connections between the two brain hemispheres. The result is the ability to solve problems more efficiently and creatively in academic and social settings.