Learning how to play the piano can be an extremely rewarding experience and can help you better appreciate all forms of music. This guide is designed to teach you the basics of how to play the piano.

 

Introduction

The Piano is one of the most widely used instruments in western music because of its versatility and the fact that it can be used in so many different musical contexts. Besides being used as a solo instrument, the piano can be used as an accompaniment to other instruments, a tool for composition and practice, and as an aid in learning the basics of musical notation. Even if you are already proficient at another instrument, learning how to play the piano can help broaden your musical knowledge and increase your enjoyment of all of your musical endeavors. The steps in this guide are designed to help you learn the basics of playing the piano.

 

Buying A Piano

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If you don't already own a piano (or have access to one), you will need to purchase one. See Mahalo's guide to Pianos for helpful links and resources on buying a piano. Because a high quality grand piano can often cost thousands of dollars, you may want to instead consider buying an Electronic Keyboard, a Midi Keyboard Controller or even an inexpensive Upright piano. While they may not give you the best "Sound", they are good for the beginning student in that they are relatively inexpensive, easy to use, and (in the case of the keyboards) even portable. Some local retailers may even offer rental pianos for students who can't afford to buy a piano, but who still want to practice on the real thing. Whatever type of piano you choose to learn on, make sure that it is in good working condition and that all of the notes play true. Here are a few additional resources for how to buy a piano or keyboard:

WikiHow: How to Buy a Piano

Piano World: A Guide to Piano Buying

Serve.com: Should I Rent or Buy a Piano?

OnlyPiano.com: Buying a Piano: The Big Issues

Lesson 1: Piano Basics

Before we begin to play, you should start to become familiar with some of the basic parts of the piano that you will be using and the terms that we use to describe them. For now, don't worry about the mechanical aspects of the piano (i.e. the strings, hammers and soundboard) that physically produce the sound.

Parts

 

Keyboard: On a normal piano, the keyboard refers to the horizontal row of keys that the player uses in order to produce sound. A full-sized keyboard typically has 88 keys (52 white notes and 36 black notes) consisting of seven octaves plus a minor third. The keyboard is usually protected by a closable lid that folds down over the keyboard when the piano is not being used.

Keys: Keys are the individual units that a player must press down on in order to play a note. They are lined up horizontally along the keyboard and consist of both white and black keys. Up until the 1950's, the white piano keys were generally made from ivory (thus the saying "Tickling the Ivories") and the black keys from ebony. Due to the protections surrounding the endangered species that produce ivory, most keys these days are made from plastic.

Pedals: Most full-sized pianos have three pedals at their base that are used in order to alter the action, sustain, and tonal quality of the notes that are played. (From left to right) The Soft Pedal (or Una Corda) shifts the action on the keyboard slightly to the right, softening the tonal quality of the note. The Sostenuto (or middle pedal) sustains only those notes that have been hit while the pedal is pressed down. The Sustain Pedal is the most commonly used pedal and serves to sustain all of the strings on the piano by removing the dampers that inhibit vibration. The sustain pedal is often used to help pianists achieve a legato.

Music Rack: Used to hold your sheet music, instruction manual, or any other type of learning tool. You may want to print out certain parts of this guide so that you can refer to them while you practice.

Piano Bench: Pretty self-explanatory. You sit on it while you play the piano.

 

Terms

Pitch:The term pitch usually refers to how high or low a note sounds. This is determined by the frequency of the soundwave that is produced when the note is struck. Notes with a higher frequency produce a higher sound, while lower frequency notes have a lower sound. The piano keyboard is set up with the lowest sounding note on the far left hand side. As you move right, each key has a slightly higher pitch than the one before, with the highest note at the far right of the keyboard.

 

Octave: In music, the term octave refers to the interval of twelve keys between two notes with the same musical value. Notes that are one octave apart generally sound the same to the human ear, even though they have different overall frequencies. There are seven octaves on a normal piano keyboard, meaning that each of the 7 note values (A - G) can be found in seven different places on the keyboard.