If you are keen on improving your piano playing skills then you have come to the right place. We’ve compiled some of the best tools and information, which will help you learn how to play the piano with much ease. Within a number of weeks, you will be able to see your skills improve drastically. On top of that, if you choose to stay committed and follow our introduction to the letter, you have the foundations required to become a good piano player.
With that said, what is the main key to becoming a good piano player? Proper instructions and regular practice will do the magic. As a learner, you have the power to practice on a regular basis. However, before you begin practising, it’s important to build a solid foundation. You can achieve this by first understanding the basics I.e, white keys and black keys, sharps and flats and how to read notes.
The White Keys, and Black Keys
A piano consists of a set of keys, which are either black or white in colour. Upon further observation, you will notice that the black and white keys are grouped into groups of twos and threes. The white notes play notes A-G.
Black Keys: Sharps and Flats
The black keys on any keyboard play the pitches halfway between the keyboard’s white keys on both sides. Black keys are divided into two categories based on the sound that they produce; sharps and flats. The sharps are located on the right side of white keys, while the flats are located to the left. The main difference between the sharps and the flats is that the sharps produce a higher sound in comparison to the flats.
Reading Notes: The Staff and Treble Clef
Music is noted using the staff. The staff consists of 5 horizontal lines, in which the musical notes will lie. The lines, as well as spaces found between them, represent different pitches. When the staff is blank, you will not be able to play any musical notes.
Therefore, we use clefs to inform us which notes correspond to which spaces or lines. The most common clef is the G clef, which is also known as the treble clef. The treble clef tends to spiral around the second line from the bottom.
How to Read Notes: The Bass Clef, Piano Finger Numbers and the C Major Scale
When exercising scales, it’s important to always use the right fingering. Using the right fingering will give you a solid foundation for developing a great piano technique. On some piano sheets, you will see the instructions telling you which fingers to use usually noted by the numbers 1-5 (1-thumb, 2-index finger, 3-middle finger, 4-ring finger, 5-little finger)
The bass clef is quite different from the treble clef. It’s characterised by two dots, one below the second line and the other dot right above the second line. The two dots tells us that the line is F.
The C major scale is widely termed as the most popular key signature. It’s made up of the following notes, C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C. A bigger percentage of western music is based on the C major scale.
Conclusion
Becoming a great piano player comes down to the foundation that you will lay at the beginning of your journey. Your understanding of the basics including piano fingering and how to read musical notes will determine whether you become a great piano player or not. Therefore, you should ensure that you acquit yourself with all the basics first before embarking on your Practicals.
