Learning to Play Piano

If you are like me, you often think how great it would be if you knew how to play the piano but you don’t actually think it’s something you could pick up. I thought that way for a long time, but then I came across some unbelievably simple lessons which have proven me wrong. I haven’t stopped practicing the piano since I found this resource!

Right from my very first lesson, the way I viewed the piano changed. I realized suddenly that the keys on the piano make a pattern and that pattern allows the keys to be separated into sections. When you break the piano down in such a manner it suddenly doesn’t seem so daunting or confusing. I never realized that the keys could be looked at individually rather than as a collective group.

I began with the lessons that were in the material I had. After each section, I had to try out the concepts I had found out about. I had to try to play the notes, write the notes, clap the rhythms, or play lines of melody. In awhile, I began to test myself. I went back over the lessons and tried each concept. I did this several times, always getting better and better.

I always thought learning the piano was a slow process because that is how children are often taught, but I discovered that moving at my own pace I could advance quite rapidly. That satisfied me enough to make room in my daily life for regular practice sessions. I found wiggle room in my work and home schedule to make this happen.

There came a time when I wanted to play music that was easy for me – music that I recognized rather than what I was writing out in my exercises. So, I went to the music store and bought two books. I chose an Easy Piano Book and a Fake Book, just as the lessons had suggested.

I went through the Easy Piano Book, learning to sight read without too much difficulty. That was when I began playing songs I had heard all my life. This particular Easy Piano Book was based on Broadway musicals. I knew most of the songs already, so it was great to be able to play them.

My Fake Book on the other hand was filled with modern tunes that I heard a lot on the radio, and I found it more difficult to master these songs. I had to look up new chords before attempting each song because I didn’t know them all yet, so it was a new challenge to learn from the Fake Book.

Yet, I was able to catch on quicker than I would have ever imagined and I started to actually play songs my friends and I loved to sing along with on the radio. It turned into something enjoyable for all of us as I played and they sang along these songs we all loved.

Now that I know the basics of the piano I am a much happier person. I set out to learn something new and I accomplished it much faster than I imagined it would be possible. I will never be a professional performer and I am definitely not an expert on the piano, but I am a very content player who has taught herself something quite remarkable.