How To Play The Piano:
Practicing, Playing and Performing
The piano is a superstar instrument with many talents. There are so many ways how to play the piano...The piano is like an orchestra, you could say that with ten fingers you can play ten different instruments!
Apart from being a remarkable solo instrument, it can be played in an orchestra as a part of the orchestra, with an orchestra as a soloist, and be used as an orchestra for accompaniment. The piano is also a tool for conductors and other musicians studying an orchestra score, as well as a workstation for composers writing music. Playing in ensembles makes the piano even more flexible; you can play duets, trios, quartets etc. Not forgetting the joy of playing four hand piano, piano duo, or six hands…
The piano is a solo instrument, an orchestra, provides accompaniment, a tool, a workstation, an ensemble instrument… It is no wonder the piano is often referred to as the “King of the instruments”. Continue reading about piano playing, practicing and performing:
How to Play the Piano: Styles
What styles of music can you play on the piano? Some common piano genres are:- Classical
- Jazz
- Blues
- Ragtime
- Boogie Woogie
- Rock
- Pop
- Gospel
- New Age
- Latin
All of these genres also contain several sub-styles for example “Classical piano” involves at least 4 different epochs and particulars of playing style; “Jazz Piano” includes traditional, be-bop and swing to name only a few styles, and so on.
How to Play the Piano: Ways to Play
You can learn how to play piano by ear, improvise, and play chord piano or you can read sheet music to learn pieces - there are so many ways…
How to Play Piano by Ear
What is the “right way” to play the piano? Can you
play piano by ear
, or do you have to learn to read notes to be able to play the piano? I still get these questions from time to time.There is no wrong way to play, and no, you do not have to read notes to play any instrument. It would be like asking if you could speak without reading from a book. Playing music is a form of language, if you like. It is different in different countries, regions and also is expressed differently from person to person. Expressing yourself with music through an instrument is one of the most wonderful means of expression we humans possess!
Playing the Piano with Notes
Most of the music in the world is actually never written with notes. And many musical traditions of the world are based on rote-learning, which is learning from a master by watching and doing- not by reading notation.But learning
how to read piano music
is also like learning to read written language. It is not necessary- but how limiting not being able to! Imagine all the amazing “stories” or compositions by other composers, from different epochs and in styles you would never have access to otherwise! Traditionally, mostly the so called Western “Classical” music has been written with notation. Today also jazz, blues and rock pieces can be found as sheet music, even though traditionally these styles are learned, taught and performed by ear and made personal by improvisation. This is good news, because if you can read music you can also get a “taste” of many different styles of music you might otherwise not be able to try out!
Chord Piano
Learning chord piano
is a great tool to quickly learn how to play the piano in a useful and fun way. The piano together with the guitar are the ultimate instruments for chord playing. It is easy to learn, hardly requires any note reading and sounds great!You can easily learn to play and accompany songs or to improvise and make up your own pieces, you will also deepen your understanding of one of the largest building blocks of music- harmony, and this will make it easier to also read music!
How to Memorize Piano Music
One of the joys of playing an instrument is to be able to share the music with family and friends. But unless you are great at improvising and playing by ear, it takes some preparation to be able to perform “Ad libitum”. Have a look at some great advice for
how to memorize and keep a short repertoire of piano songs
to share with your friends any time!
Overcoming Stage Fright
Stage fright can really spoil the pleasure of performing for an audience. There are ways to help manage stage fright. Read more about how to play the piano with less stage fright and more control:
How to overcome stage fright
Related Articles:
- 10 tips to teach yourself to play piano,
How to read piano notes
Teach yourself piano: 10 tips to stay motivated!
How To Play Piano By Ear
Piano Playing Questions and Comments
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Do more with your piano playing:
Learn how to write a song!...and after learning how to play the piano why not put your new found skills to the test and learn
how to write a song!
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