Why do you want to start playing the piano? To make music, of course. While everyone starts with a slightly different idea in mind, few would assume they could master it in a short time. Playing the piano is something everyone can do, but to truly master it takes a lifetime. 

Knowing that, how can you start with the right frame of mind? What have other piano players discovered that they wish they had learned from the start? 

Get to know the keyboard

Remember the first time you sat down at a computer and plucked one finger at a time to spell a word? That QWERTY keyboard was a bit strange as you tried to figure out proper finger placement. A piano keyboard is similar. On average, pianos have 88 keys. It’s a series of white and black keys, each with different sounds. Where do you start? How about finger placement? There’s a lot to take in as a newbie, so take it slow and learn proper placement. It’ll help you expand your piano skills faster. 

Playing is a lot harder than it looks

From the first time you touch a piano, it’s fairly easy to pluck out an easy song. But as you progress, you’ll quickly realize how difficult the process is. Piano playing is about connecting your brain to each hand, which are each working independently of one another. You’ll also keep an eye on the music in front of you, taking in the notes written on the page. That’s difficult at first. It’s hard getting everything to work together. While you’ll pick it up quickly, realize that it does take time. 

There are always ways to play your favorite tunes

Do you have a song you’re dying to play? Did you start piano lessons to work up to one particular song? The good news is you can play it now. Music comes in all shapes and sizes, and comes in a variety of different playing levels. If you have a goal, share it with your piano instructor. They can help you work up to it quickly. That may be just the motivation you need to continue. 

Practice, practice, practice

This isn’t something that has to be complicated. If you’re worried about becoming too regimented with your practice, look for other ways. Practice is designed to be fun, not a chore. Don’t settle on one method, look for a method that works best for your lifestyle. 

Making the right choice in pianos

Too often, people look for the least expensive way to start playing the piano. They accept a free piano from a friend. Or invest in an inexpensive keyboard at their favorite big box store. To play beautiful music and have fun doing so, you need to ensure you have the right tools for the job. You wouldn’t start soccer practice with a flat ball? You shouldn’t begin piano practice with a piano not fit for practice. 

To love the music you’re creating, it’s necessary to start with the right tool. That’s where we can help. Give us a call today. 

Think back to your childhood. What songs take you back?

Or how about your high school prom? Is there music that quickly makes you reminisce about that time in your life? 

Or a song played at your wedding? A favorite band you have every song downloaded to your phone? 

Or even played an instrument from the time you were little, enjoying the process of creating music? 

There’s a reason for that. Music stimulates natural chemicals inside each of us. It triggers endorphins and impacts our mood. Ever been in a lousy mood, listened to a few of your favorite songs, and felt your feeling lift? That’s music in all its power. 

While we’ve long since realized music is perfect for relaxation, entertainment, and even distraction, we’re only just starting to realize its power for so much more. Music therapy is a growing modality that can help with all kinds of issues, including developmental, rehabilitative, preventative, wellness care, and mental healing. 

There are many ways to use music in therapy. For some, the mere act of listening can have amazing calming effects. 

Increasingly, we’re also finding being involved in music can take wellness to an entirely different level. The act of playing can stimulate many different triggers, help you find peace and wellness from within. 

Head to your favorite music site – Pandora, Spotify, or Sirius. Now look at playlists meant for calming or relaxing moments. Chances are you’ll find a variety of piano solos and acoustic numbers there to help you calm. 

Piano is soothing to the soul. Listening to it can bring a sense of well-being just by listening to it. Now get in the act, touch the keys, and play. It increases heightened awareness, and brings relaxation to an entirely different level. 

One study found in dementia, music can improve mood, behavior, and in some cases, cognitive function, which can persist for hours and days after the music stops.

Another found that Music Therapy has been proven to bring patients suffering from the effects of dementia to a better place emotionally and cognitively.

Some patients who have severe dementia may show little cognitive function in many areas of life, yet still have the ability to create music. 

No matter where you are today, if you’ve ever had a desire to start playing the piano, it can be one of the best decisions you’ll make for a more stress-free, happier life. 

Do you imagine yourself playing the piano in front of friends? Starting a band? Being in a rock band?

Yet when you sit down to play, the only thing you get is frustration. You’ve been practicing for months! When will you be able to play the way you imagine?

Before we give you some tips to overcome your frustration, it’s important to note that every piano player goes through frustration from time to time. The important thing to remember is never to give up. 

If you want to improve, keep going. Whether you want piano to be a hobby or a career, there will always be periods of frustration, where you don’t seem to have the skills you want. 

The process is different for everybody. But when you find a way to step around your frustration, keep that in mind as you continue to improve your piano skills. 

Find your motivation – with every hobby you start, it’s important to find your why before you begin. Why do you want to play the piano? When you focus on that, it will help pull you out of moments when you question why you’re doing what you do. You can tell yourself that in your darkest moments. 

Do it anyway – don’t feel like playing? Do it anyway. Instead of working on a frustrating piece, play music you’ve learned and enjoy. That’s why instructors usually have several different tactics during each lesson. You may start with the basics, work on new music, and finish with a favorite song. It gives you a wide variety of things to work on over your playing time. 

Learn the language of music – there’s more to music than playing your favorite songs. Dive deep into piano to discover new things. Understand chords. Read classical music. Listen to several different genres. The more you expand into the art of music, the more you’ll appreciate all it has to offer. 

Get better equipment – if you’ve started on a hand-me-down keyboard, maybe it’s time to upgrade to an acoustic piano. When you have better equipment to practice on, it can sometimes make all the difference in how you play. This is especially true if you have a “toy” keyboard or one that doesn’t have the characteristics of an acoustic piano. Upgrade to one with weighted keys, a full 88 key range, and dynamic sound, and you may find your love for playing the piano all over again. 

If you’re frustrated with playing the piano, maybe it’s time to do something different. Stop by today, and we can show you our entire line of pianos. Whether you’re just starting out, or are considering piano as a career, we’ll help you discover the perfect piano to suit your needs. 

A lot of people talk about learning to play the piano, but not everyone follows through on their desires. 

When Ryan Gosling was to showcase his piano playing talents in the movie La La Land, he spent three months practicing two hours a day to perfect his skill. 

While few of us can hope to learn at that speed – we have busy lives too – there is something about his actions that we can all learn from. 

• Set a goal and stick with it.
• Choose the type of music you wish to learn. 
• Pay attention to fundamentals and proper technique.
• Learn common patterns such as chords and scales.
• Remain dedicated. It’s the best way to learn. 

The best place to start is to see yourself playing the piano. Would you be sitting at home with a small acoustic piano? Would you be sitting in a grand hall at a grand piano, playing for an audience? 

This can give you the motivation you need to keep moving forward. It can also set the stage for where to invest your time and money. Choose the right piano for your needs. If you want to play on a grand piano in front of an audience, why not invest in one as you learn? 

It’s equally important to play what you love. While learning the basics is important, there are many ways to incorporate different genres of music into your daily learning patterns. Music comes in a variety of skill sets, genres, and ability levels. Work with an instructor who can help select the right training materials for you. 

Remaining dedicated is also the best way to achieve your goals. Schedule your practice and stick with it. Make piano a part of your life, and you’re more likely to continue with your goals. 

Finally, bring more music into your life. When was the last time you took in a concert, listened to a symphony, or attended group lessons? There are many ways to incorporate piano playing into your life. Get creative. You never know where it might lead. 

For our kids, we tend to keep their days a little more rigid. School. Afterschool activities. Homework time. Practice time. Family time. Their days are carefully chunked into a variety of things to keep them moving throughout the day. 

But for adults, it can be a bit more challenging. We have to get the kids to school and their activities. We have to get to work. But the days can quickly spiral out of control with a phone call or a sudden emergency. 

Your mom calls and needs a little help. 

Your furnace stops working – it’s cold in the house!

And suddenly, all your plans for extra activities go by the wayside. 

That’s how many adults stop playing the piano, even though they have the best intentions. They skip a day of practice, planning to catch up tomorrow. One day goes by, then two. And before you know it, you haven’t played in weeks. 

That’s normal!

Every piano player has experienced that from time to time. 

The key is in recognizing it and doing something about it. 

Start with your why – why did you take up the piano in the first place? Did you want to play a favorite song? Did you use it for relaxing at the end of a hectic day? Use that to recharge yourself and get started again. 

Create a new plan – why did you stop? Was something not working with your playing schedule? Too often, we try and place activities at a time that doesn’t make sense. Maybe we’re tired at the end of the day. Maybe that’s the timeframe when friends and family call with questions and problems. Re-evaluate your piano practicing schedule and see if there is a better time you can play. 

Calendar it – whether you take lessons from a teacher is up to you. Whether you work with someone, or choose to do it on your own, if it’s on your calendar, you’re more likely to do it. You block out the time, and you have it facing you each day. Keep things simple. This gives you a visual cue to stay on track. 

Motivate – give yourself a reason to start up again. What song have you really wanted to play? Find music that challenges you to play it, yet isn’t so difficult it’ll take you months to get there. 

You can also find a community that helps you stay on target. The great thing about the online world is you can find all kinds of resources to help you stay on track. Whether you’re playing with a local group, or simply have a forum to stay in touch with other pianists, it’s a great way for you to stay on track playing the piano throughout the year. 

The American population is aging. The number of Americans over 65 will more than double in the coming years, reaching 80 million by 2040. The age group over 85 will quadruple during this same time period. 

Do you fall into this category? 

No matter what your age, you’re probably looking for ways to hold onto your youth as long as possible. This isn’t just from a cosmetic standpoint. It’s also about your health. 

Want your memory to be as sharp as a tack as you age? Consider playing the piano. 

Playing piano enhances your memory

Playing the piano builds a variety of skills, including improving your memory, particularly your verbal memory. Why? Because of the focus you put on creating beautiful music. Piano requires a variety of skills to play it well. You have to coordinate your left hand with your right, with the ability to follow along and ready music. It focuses on creating good habits like perseverance and diligence. It also sharpens your creativity. 

Playing piano makes you a better listener

You can’t play the piano well without listening skills. That’s because you have to listen carefully to the sound to ensure you’re playing well. Are you in pitch? How about tonal quality? Does it sound good to others listening in? It also focuses you in on how you’re playing, forcing out other noises that may be happening around you. 

Playing piano enhances language skills

And you thought only learning a new language would sharpen your language skills. In some ways, playing the piano teaches you similar tactics. You have to learn how to read music. You have to listen to hear how the music sounds. You have to translate it from visual cues ( the music) and increase output through your fingers. 

So what’s your reason for playing piano? Whether it’s for pure enjoyment, or to give yourself a new skill, you’re going to love all of the benefits a piano brings to your life. 

When you start a new project, it’s fun and exciting. You’re ready to take on the world, and see your goal through to fruition. 

Then comes a time when frustration sets in. You can’t play the way you’d like. You can’t seem to move up in skill level. 

Maybe you should give up? 

The good news is you’re not alone. Every piano player has felt this from time to time. What makes you a great piano player is pushing through. Here’s how. 

Return to music you love

People often give up when they aren’t having fun playing the piano. And the reason this often happens is that you’re playing music you don’t like. Talk to your piano teacher. While it’s important to work through various genres, it’s equally important to enjoy what you play. If you’re having trouble, move back towards the music you love. That’s the whole point of learning to play anyway, isn’t it?

Set your mind up for mastery

Sometimes pushing yourself out of your comfort zone is a tempting endeavor. This is to give you a reason to improve your technique and expand your repertoire. You can give yourself challenges in many ways, by stepping into new genres, or by upgrading the difficultness of the music. 

Set milestones

Is there a song you’ve been itching to play? Why not set it as a goal? Your teacher should be able to find interesting ways to keep you on track. Maybe you wish to surprise everyone for a holiday concert. Or learn a new song by a special event. Set milestones to ensure you’re on track to play it perfectly by the big day. 

Give yourself rewards

Remember star charts when you were little? There’s no reason those concepts have to end just because you grew up. Give yourself a goal to strive for, then reward yourself as you meet them. You can start with simple rewards like new sheet music, or a trip to the symphony. Work towards larger goals – how about that baby grand you’ve had your eye on? 

Even if you’ve made playing the piano top priority, sometimes to push through you need a little extra motivation. 

What do you do to stay motivated? 

Staying in place has helped many find new hobbies. A playing the piano is leading the list. 

That’s because unlike binge-watching television, or spending hours on video games, there are scientifically proven benefits to playing the piano. 

Stress relief 

Staying in place is difficult at best. We’re not used to staying home every second of every day. And while we love our family members, sometimes we need a break. Studies show that playing the piano can help in all kinds of ways, including reducing your stress, improving your mental health, and lowering anxiety and depression. 

Concentration 

Have you ever had brain fog? Or felt like you couldn’t concentrate on the task at hand? Playing the piano may help you. Playing the piano requires you to use split concentration methods as you focus on each hand playing differently, while working the pedals and reading the music at the same time. The more you improve this skill, the easier you’ll find it is to concentrate. 

It’s an easy hobby to take up

Did you know that piano is one of the easiest instruments to play? Intuitively, we all can pluck a few notes and pick out a song from the moment we come in contact with it. From the beginning, teachers have you playing simple songs, and you can move up to your favorites fairly quickly. 

It improves your health

There are many studies showing all the ways playing the piano improves your health. It improves hand-eye coordination. It helps sharpen fine motor skills. It lowers stress, which in turn can help you control blood pressure. It’s good for your arm and hand muscles, giving you added strength. Therapies are being developed to help patients with everything from autism to dementia. 

It creates a more beautiful world

Listening to music makes you more aware of your world. You start to notice things you ignored before. 

If you’re looking for new things to add to your day, to bring peace and tranquility to these challenging times, playing the piano may be the perfect answer for you. 

Life is anything but normal right now. And while parents are juggling everything from working at home to monitoring finances, learning to cope in new ways, kids are also facing their own fears head on. 

Over 29 countries have now officially shuttered school doors with many more expected soon. It’s impacting more than 3.5 million K-12 students across the US, closing in on a half billion worldwide. 

While some are meeting regularly with teachers via online meeting platforms, the majority are saying goodbye to learning for weeks – months – into the future. In addition to losing the normality of their days, they have the added stress of not being able to play in a normal way. Sports teams have canceled. Cities and states are quickly moving to a stay in place advisory. 

That builds fear and frustration in kids, which in turn hurts the family dynamics. What’s a parent to do? 

There’s no better time to rethink the activity you and your child pick up. There’s no better time for playing the piano. 

Playing the piano is a solo activity. It’s something you can do all on your own, whenever you choose. It relaxes you, takes your mind off your worries, and soothes the soul. 

Playing the piano is also a family activity. It can provide lovely background music while other family members bake or read. 

If you have a piano tucked away in a corner, or a digital keyboard stuck under the bed, now may be the perfect time to pull it out and start learning something new. Encourage your kids to do so too. 

Be patient. Sometimes you won’t feel like playing or practicing. Now is the time to be gentle with yourself, and do what feels right for today. 

Develop a new skill. Have you considered music in your lives before? Prior to Covid-19, we all led busy, active lives. We flew from one activity to the next. Things are now slowing down. Be conscious about what is meaningful in your lives, and choosing activities that can be there, always.  

Have fun. Luckily, we have the internet filled with everything you need to make playing the piano a success. Download games to learn notes and music theory. Download music to play your favorite pop tunes. Tune in to various music sites to listen to piano playing in action. 

It might just motivate you – or your kids – into a new way of life. 

Did you know there’s a proper way to sit? 

Sitting the wrong way can cause a variety of health problems, including heart disease, circulation disorders, strained neck, bad back, muscle degeneration … the list goes on and on. 

We’re just now starting to realize the impact sitting for long periods of time has on our physical body. But science is also discovering that it can impact other things too, such as your ability to play the piano. 

Slouching is bad. When you slouch at the piano, your shoulders are curved, your back is rounded, your head tilts down. It isn’t a pretty sight. 

Now compare that to someone who sits up straight. They’re engaged. They are fun to watch. And they play better too. 

Remember the old adage: sit up straight? You may have heard that in school or even with your first piano instructors. Turns out that isn’t true. There’s more to it than sitting up straight. It’s about good posture first and foremost. 

If you “sit up straight”, you tend to puff out your chest, which also puts your back at risk. 

Instead, focus on sitting so your tailbone is properly aligned. Imagine a tail sweeping out and away from your body. Sit properly to ensure it’s comfortable. 

It’s not just about sitting. Your hand placement should also be placed in proper position. If they aren’t, your arms and hands will start to hurt, especially if you practice hours each day. This strain can lead to a variety of health problems. 

Good hand placement doesn’t just make you better at playing, it also impacts your tonal quality. The person who is hunched over can’t get the same power into the notes that someone sitting upright and fully extended. 

For proper hand placement, sit far enough away from the keyboard so the fingertips rest on the keys without effort. The feet should reach the pedals without stretching. Your fingers should naturally curve in toward your body, with your knuckles slightly curved away. The wrist should be relaxed. Your arm should never tense.

While this might feel unnatural at first, with practice, you’ll feel better, and play better too.