How to Learn Piano on a Budget

J132/Magazine Writing                                                                          Word Count: 638

How to Article

27 September 2010

How to Learn Piano on a Budget

By Alexandra Slavas

Requirements:

• Piano or Keyboard
• Internet Access
• Source of Music (radio, CD player or MP3 player)
• Sticky Notes, Pen
• Motivation

Whether you aspire to become a professional musician or just aim to impress your friends during social events, it is always comforting to know you have some talent tucked under your belt.  The piano is one of the most sought after instruments to learn and there are many routes to achieve this goal.  One option is to take lessons from a credible source, though the current condition of the economy has emptied the “extra money” jar for most people.  In turn, the alternative is the most accessible—Do it yourself.

The jumbled weave of black and white keys might leave you gazing at the piano in disarray, but a few repetitive exercises will help enhance your organization and recognition of the keys.  Most importantly, you must learn how to associate the different keys with the sound, or pitch, they make.  You can do this by repeatedly playing the white keys in ascending and descending order (don’t worry about the black keys for now.) Get into the habit of assigning one key per finger. This trains your fingers to operate individually, which becomes crucial when you start learning songs.  Once you familiarize yourself with the sounds, you can then begin learning the names of the notes they are associated with.  Each white key is named after a letter of the alphabet.  In order to know which keys are attributed to which letter, you can access credible websites or refer to YouTube videos.  Matt Netto, a piano teacher at Tracy High School, recommends learners to “find an adult beginner book with good diagrams and explanations of both technique, repertoire and music literacy.” He also says to “combine that with the more reputable instructional videos on YouTube.” You can also refer to the illustration below.

You can now notate your piano or keyboard accordingly.  As you can see the keys are notated with seven letters, “C” through “B.” This pattern repeats itself in both directions.  The graphic starts with the letter “C,” because this is the midpoint of the piano, or “middle C.” Many songs are played in this area.  The “C” is notated again at the end to signify that the pattern repeats.

Technicality aside, you must have a motivation to practice.  Whether it’s an emotional outlet or if you are accountable to an audience, that motivation needs to manifest itself in one form or another.  Perhaps you can hold mini-recitals and invite your friends once a month to give you something to build up to, or give yourself positive reinforcement after done practicing, which can be anything from a piece of dessert to a trip to the mall. 

After you feel comfortable with both the physical proximity of the keys (note names), and the aural (sound) qualities of each note, you are ready to begin playing tunes.  This is where a music device comes in handy.  Skim through your music and find songs that have an easy melody to follow, preferably songs you can sing along to.  Once you have the melody in your head, sing it aloud slowly, and try to find the keys that match the pitch of your voice.  You can even start with tunes like “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.” Once you’ve got it down, be sure to write down the notes used to play the song.  So the beginning of “Twinkle Twinkle” would look like this: C, C, G, G, A, A, G. 

Now that you are on your way to understanding the basics of piano, realize that your greatest goals in life are not always confined by your wallet!