Why is the piano often thought of as the best first instrument to play?
Pianos make playing easy
To play a piano, you simply have to press a piano key. It doesn’t get any simpler than that. And because even small children can learn how to pick through notes and create songs they are familiar with, piano allows them to feel like they are creating music much earlier than other instruments.
Pianos sound good from the start
Chances are you’ve heard the sounds a brand new trumpet, flute or violin player make. Not very pleasing. In fact, it takes practice to make musical sounds at all, and may take very long periods of time for a student to learn the skills needed to have great tonal quality and produce a good, pleasing sound. With a piano, when you press a key a note comes out, and its always on key (providing the piano is properly tuned). You can’t miss creating the right sound when playing the piano; practice simply perfects the way the notes come together.
Pianos offer a great sense of pitch
The piano has the most complex pitch of any instrument, from the lowest to the highest of notes. Because of this, music is written in both treble and bass clef, which allows a person to learn to read both clefs with ease. If and when they choose, they can move to another instrument and learn to play it faster. A well tuned piano will always create the perfect sound when a note is played, which helps a player develop a keen sense of pitch from the beginning.
Pianos play both melody and accompaniment
The piano is one of few instruments that allow you to play both the melody and accompaniment. As an early beginner, a piano player can play simple melodies they can hear and recognize. As they advance, they can begin to add chords to change the tunes and make them more complex. This helps develop a high sense of music theory, teaching how music comes together in complex ways.
Pianos develop a stronger sense of music theory
The piano provides a straightforward approach to music. The low notes are on the left, the high notes on the right. The white keys are interlaced with the black keys making sharps and flats easy to learn. And when translating music to the keyboard, lines and spacing are easy to translate from music to instrument.
Piano makes a great foundation
Because the piano is such a versatile instrument, it can provide enjoyment throughout a person’s lifetime. If they choose to continue music into college, it’s a great foundation for providing skills that will transfer easily to other instruments, or even allow a student to do better in math or sciences. Some of the most successful medical school candidates are music majors; music theory has its benefits. For whatever reason a person chooses to move forward with music, if you are looking for the perfect instrument to begin with, look no further than a piano.
