From its looks, the piano is one of the simplest instruments. All it takes is to press the keys and wave your fingers through the keyboard, and it's done. Well, that is not true. Playing the piano can be hectic and more challenging than you think.
The key is to learn basic techniques that involve mastery and hand coordination. Learning the techniques is the most complex part of playing the piano. Otherwise, if you master everything, you should be an excellent pianist. Being a guru in piano seems hectic, and learning can be an uphill battle without the proper skills.
As you prepare for this venture, here are some tips to ensure you achieve your desired goals and have a smooth journey to being the best pianist.
1. What It Takes to Be the Best
If you have not noticed, all the greatest pianists have decades or years of experience, and most begin playing in their childhood or teenage years. Before you begin playing the keyboard, master certain traits of manly patience. The goal is to master every skill and technique to play even the most complex sounds. Expertise and experience will get you the audience and gigs. Before worrying about how long does it take to learn piano, have some patience and trust yourself to reach the ultimate goal regardless of how long it takes to learn, or you can infact search for teachers to teach “piano keyboard near me”, too.
Instead of putting a timeline on when to be a pro, put a timeline on mastering the basic functions, such as the sheet, keys' functions, and other basic activities. After that, practice frequently and repeat until you become the best.
2. Learn The Posture And Positions
Every pianist adopts certain postures when playing. These postures give you more control and room for maneuver. Only ignore posture and techniques if you are ready to suffer the consequences. Playing the piano can strain muscles and bones, eventually causing fatigue and back or wrist pain.
Since you will likely begin by learning the keys, learn how to position your hands and fingers on the keyboard. Finger placement and positioning are ideal for playing smoothly and navigating from one key to the next without pressing unnecessary keys. It is just like typing; you must learn to coordinate all your hands to avoid typos.
Next, focus on how to lean or position your back. Gently lean forward while keeping the spin straight to avoid any strains. Then, learn how to position your shoulders and wrists. Next, position your neck to avoid strain while having the perfect visuals of all the keys.
3. Master The Keys
Learning the keys can be hectic, especially when mastering basic and complex ones quickly. Still, you should learn and master all the 88 basic keys and the tones generated from each.
This class involves integrating theory with the practical aspects. Therefore, it should be easy to learn because you can play while mastering the roles and the sounds produced. While pressing the keys, enjoy and simulate the feel and effects of every key you press.
To improve your learning, you can download keyboard apps to help you learn the basic keys. With such keyboards, you can learn anywhere while commuting or in the park. Such dedication will help you learn fast and effectively.
4. Start Simple and Graduate
To start your keys, begin with the middle C. The middle C is the central and beginning point as you play towards the outer keys. Next, learn by playing with one hand at a time to learn positioning and designated keys.
Also, master how to coordinate your eyes with hand movement and the position of every key. Training every hand enables you to build finger lays and dexterity, enabling you to play complex sounds progressively.
5. Learn the Introductory Music Sheet
Being a good pianist requires that you play every music sheet presented. When someone presents the music sheet, be ready to play just as structured. Music sheet mastery should be the next procedure after learning the functions of every key on the piano.
You can get music sheets from various sources, mainly music schools. To improve your skills and learning speed, begin with the basic music sheets and gradually progress to the complex ones. After about a month or two, you should be an expert at playing the complex sheets without messing up many tones and keys.
Another way to master the sheets is to observe pianist live sessions. You can practice with the same sheet and then compare your turns with theirs. The comparison can help you know where you excelled or messed up. Remember, imitating the pros is one of the best ways to learn a keyboard.
6. Practice And Make Gentle Progress
Make it a priority to master everything you learn daily. Dedicate your day to learning something new and complex to avoid redundancy and take your time in classes. Remember, the classes should last a few months, then you can begin the professional practice and training.
This stage involves learning while practicing with others or imitating pros, so you should have a timeline for all the basics. To improve learning, you can practice in class and at home. Join other learning channels on YouTube to help you perfect certain skills further. These experiences will help you build the skills and experience to transition to the next level and become a pro.
Bottomline
Becoming a pro player requires certain skills you should master from day one. These traits include patience, consistency, dedication, and the willingness to learn fast.
After that, you should learn all the basics, like how to play the keys and music sheets. The next stage is to practice and learn through experience and imitating the pros.