Friday, June 13, 2014

Getting The Most From Your Piano Lessons

By Ina Hunt


One of the best things you can do for yourself is to learn how to play a musical instrument. It helps to combat ageing and keeps your brain fit. It also helps to relieve stress and allows you to find a constructive way of relaxing. Moreover, playing music can become a way for you to earn money if you're good enough at it. Of course you have to start somewhere and one of the best stepping stones is to take piano lessons.

Investing in formal lessons from a teacher has several advantages. Naturally one of these is that you'll learn the correct techniques for playing. In addition, you will be taught how to read and understand musical notation and theory. This is a skill that you can take with you even when you take up a different instrument later on.

One of the most important things to remember is that becoming a skilled pianist takes time. At first you'll learn very simple, basic pieces and this may be frustrating. However, these pieces will lay the groundwork for the more difficult ones you'll be playing later on. Like with everything else in life, you need to start small and be patient. A tennis player can't expect to win Wimbledon the first time round and in the same way, you can't expect to play a full piano concerto after only a couple of weeks.

A great thing about learning to play music is that it also teaches you discipline. You can't just sit back and wait for the magic to happen; you need to work for it. This involves practicing and practicing, preferably every day. The more you practice, the sooner you'll see some progress.

Many aspiring pianists find that the most boring aspect of learning is having to practice scales and arpeggios. However, these shouldn't be neglected. They help you understand the different keys but they're also excellent as exercises for your fingers. If you can play scales well, you'll be able to play the more difficult parts of pieces by composers such as Mozart with ease.

Learning to master any instrument is not only about actual playing. You also need to learn the theoretical aspects of music, such as what different notes mean, how music is structured and what all those Italian terms mean. Your teacher should teach you some theory at least once every two or three classes.

Your choice of teacher is very important. This is the person who will help you unlock the secrets of music and there should be a good rapport between the two of you. A great teacher isn't necessarily the most accomplished pianist but instead is the one who will push you, support you and encourage you to become the best you can be.

Most great pianists will tell you that they got where they are not only because of their talent, hard work and discipline. They also persevered, even when things were difficult. If you keep it up and don't let any setbacks stop you, you may follow in their footsteps and become one of the greats yourself.




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