| Are you ready to finally learn how to play piano | | | | Many piano players can read and follow piano |
| despite years of lessons? If you're like many | | | | sheet music, but far fewer can sit down and start |
| students of the piano, all your lessons and all your | | | | playing along spontaneously with any song they |
| practicing have only gotten you so far. Maybe | | | | hear - and have it sound pleasing to the ear. Of |
| you've found that you've hit a wall in your piano | | | | course, if you don't yet know how to read piano |
| playing ability, beyond which you just can't seem | | | | sheet music, then you may also want to begin |
| to get. The following are some helpful tips for | | | | studying that skill as well. But not at the expense |
| taking your piano playing to next level. * Learn | | | | of learning the fundamentals of music, which is |
| pattern recognition: Every song ever written | | | | not in writing but in listening. In musical terms, this |
| follows a pattern, a structure of sections and | | | | is called "ear-training". Learn to recognize the |
| chord progressions. You need only listen to a | | | | sounds of harmonic and melodic intervals and |
| handful of songs by The Beatles to hear what we | | | | you're more than halfway to playing them. * |
| mean. To expand your repertoire and build | | | | Expose yourself: No, we're not suggesting you run |
| versatility in your ability to pick up nearly any | | | | naked down the street. What we're suggesting is |
| song you hear quickly and easily, learn the | | | | that you spend time surrounded by musicians of |
| patterns with which all songs are composed. * | | | | exceptional quality, professionals and amateurs |
| Play by the numbers: Every song is written in a | | | | alike in whose presence you can hear what it |
| particular key - one of but 12, to be precise - and | | | | sounds like to play how you want to play. The |
| every key has it's scales, series' of notes in | | | | body's muscles have memory far superior to |
| specific intervals, any of which will sound natural | | | | than our brain's conscious recall ability. By simply |
| and pleasing to the ear when played in it's | | | | immersing yourself in an environment where your |
| respective key. Every scale in every key has its | | | | ear is exposed to the sort of piano playing you |
| 1-chord, its 2-chord, etc. Instead of straining | | | | aspire to, your body has a far easier time |
| yourself to memorize how to play various piano | | | | reproducing those sounds on the piano yourself. |
| chords by rote, learn instead the keys that | | | | Most importantly in your piano playing adventure |
| chords are played in and the scales they're built | | | | is to remember to give it a little attention every |
| upon. Then you can quickly and easily figure out | | | | day. You don't have to practice for hours and |
| how to play any chord in any key on the spot, | | | | hours a day to get good at the piano. You need |
| whether you've memorized that specific chord or | | | | only devote a small amount of time daily to keep |
| not. * Listen: This tip is about learning to play by | | | | the skills you're learning present in your mind and |
| ear. The secret to learning to play by ear is | | | | body. Even just 15 minutes a day keeps your |
| simple - just learn the aforementioned 12 musical | | | | piano playing ability in tune. |
| keys. By doing so, you can easily transpose any | | | | Yoke Wong is the founder of PlayPianoTips.com, a |
| song you hear into any key you like. Learning to | | | | leading piano instructional company that helps |
| transpose, then, will take you to the next level of | | | | piano players improve on their playing through |
| playing piano, which is knowing how to improvise. | | | | home study DVD courses. |