HOW TO PLAY THE PIANO

The Piano is possibly the number one choice when an individual is thinking about playing a musical instrument. I do think the piano is an excellent choice to start with. One of the benefits of learning to play the piano is that it will develop the player’s understanding of music theory from the basic to the highest level.

Today I will guide you in this basic lesson, “How to play the Piano – Part 1”. In this lesson you will learn to identify the letter name for each white key on the keyboard and know them for the rest of your life. If you read my first article on “Musical Thoughts that will help you become a Musician”, you will know that one of the key things to have when learning music is patience.

Now Let us begin!

The first important point is, knowing your instrument. As silly as it sounds this information will clarify a number of issues in learning the keys on the piano. By observation you should realize that the keys on the piano are made up of black and white keys. The section of the Piano with black and white keys is called the keyboard. So when I use the term keyboard I am referring to the keys.

The black keys on the keyboard are called sharp or flat and the white keys are called natural keys. {Today we will focus on the natural keys (white keys)}.

In order for you to know the letter name for each key on the keyboard, you need to know the letters of the Musical Alphabet. They are A, B, C, D, E, F and G. Yes! The first seven letters of the English Alphabet is what we call the Musical Alphabet.

Finding the Letter names of the Keyboard

Finding the letter names of the keyboard is easier than one thinks. The activity below should help you remember them for the rest of your life. This activity will give students a clear guide in finding the letter name for each white key on the keyboard.

Activity - The following steps will do a great job in helping you find the letter for each key on the keyboard.

Step 1 – To the immediate left of every set of two black keys the white key is               

              ‘C’.

Step 2 – To the immediate left of every set of three black keys the white key is  

             ‘F’.

 ILLUSTRATION 1

 

These illustrations below should give a clearer understanding as to how we can find F and C on the keyboard.

Now that you know how to locate the letters C and F on the keyboard it is now time to find A, B, D, E and G. Use the diagram below to help you.

I hope you enjoy this lesson. Some of the content on this blog was taken from one of my books that I that I have written for beginners who want to play the piano. This book will be on http://www.amazon.com/ soon.
Look out for a follow up lesson and remember to practice!

Please remember to submitt your comments.

Copyright 2011 by Carlinton Singh (http://musiclessoncentre.blogspot.com/)