Learning the harp - how to take the first steps
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10 principles to learn to play the piano successfully
Foto von : cottonbro (Pexels)
Do you want to start playing the piano, but don't really know where to begin and what to look out for? Then I have a few valuable tips for you. The following 10 principles should be followed if you want to learn to play the piano successfully:
Table of Contents
- 1. What inspires you?
- 2. Piano or Digital Piano?
- 3. Allow yourself a period of six months
- 4. Put your practice times firmly in your calendar
- 5. Choose the right offer for you
- 6. To learn piano, always practice holistically
- 7. Distinguish between practicing and playing
- 8. Leave your lonely (piano) island
- 9. Record yourself
- 10. Never compare yourself to others - only to yourself
1. What inspires you?
Before you start learning to play the piano, I recommend the following: Become aware of what exactly inspires you. Do you like classical pianists like Beethoven or Bach? Or do you prefer film music? Maybe you also like newer classical music. This includes in particular the pianists Ludovico Einaudi and Yiruma. Many also like pop and rock music. There are some great songs to discover there as well. Perhaps the beautiful rock ballads with piano accompaniment inspire you to sit down at the piano yourself.
The best thing to do is to think about it. What exactly is the music that drives you to want to learn to play the piano? This will give you an initial answer as to which direction you would like to go in and what your future piano music should sound like.
This is so important, because the way you learn to play the piano will already set the tone.
2. Piano or Digital Piano?
What is the big difference between the two? The sound of the acoustic piano is of course unsurpassed, provided it is well tuned. Such an acoustic piano is priced in the middle and higher range.
But there is another option: the digital piano. This has the advantage that you can play at any time with headphones. Especially beginners appreciate this very much, because in the beginning they do not like to be listened to while practicing the piano. Your neighbors will also be grateful if you put on your headphones during nighttime practice sessions instead of blasting the whole house with sound. With a digital piano, you can also adjust the volume and maybe even try out other sounds.
Many piano students also tend to use digital pianos because of their living situation. It's easier to transport and you can also set it up and take it down flexibly if you need space spontaneously. With most digital piano models, you can also export your data. So you play a piece and the software in the digital piano converts what you played into data.
You can then save them or print them out as sheet music. You see, with the digital piano you have many more technical possibilities and of course also a good sound, but it simply lacks that warm and beautiful piano sound that only the acoustic piano has. If you want to learn more about piano types and the differences between piano, electric piano and keyboard, you can find more information in the linked article.
3. Allow yourself a period of six months
I always recommend the following to a beginner on the piano: Give yourself six months first. Six months has proven to be a good period of time to find out if playing the piano is really something for you. After this time you will know if you want to continue practicing and integrating it into your life or not. If you are still unsure at the beginning, many music dealers also offer the possibility to rent an instrument for six months instead of buying it right away.
This way you stay flexible and don't have to invest a lot of money right away. That investment is especially annoying if you realize after six months that playing the piano is not for you. Therefore, here's my recommendation: Rent an instrument in the mid-range (so not the cheapest, otherwise you will have less fun playing) first and test the piano playing in peace.
4. Put your practice times firmly in your calendar
When you have your instrument at home and start learning to play the piano, put your practice times on your calendar right from the start and keep to your practice times. Also make sure that you schedule regular and short practice sequences. It is better to practice regularly, but for a shorter period of time than, for example, only one long session per week.
The brain learns more effectively the more often you practice. As a rule, four to five times a week for half an hour each time is sufficient to make real progress. Longer practice times are of course also possible. Just make sure that you take a short break more often.
5. Choose the right offer for you
There are, of course, many ways to learn piano, such as a local piano teacher or a music school. There are also apps, books or sheet music. At Zapiano®, we offer interactive piano lessons. There you get the instructions in video lessons very detailed in a step-by-step guide.
At the same time, you are part of a community and can ask your questions at any time if something is unclear while practicing. We also offer you personal support by allowing you to upload a video of your piano playing once a month. We will then take a look at it and you will receive personal feedback from us.
6. To learn piano, always practice holistically
Here I have another tip for you: No matter which method you choose, the important thing is: Always learn to play the piano holistically. If you sit down at the piano and practice holistically, then that means, for example, that you also understand the musical connections of the things you press with your fingers on the piano keys. And that you also hear what is played with your ears. Ideally, even before you strike a key, you already have a rough idea in your inner ear of what it will sound like.
At the same time, you also integrate note reading. And with all this, you also feel what you are playing and acquire a good practice technique. All of this is necessary to be able to play the piano successfully and sustainably. And that's what you learn, for example, here at Zapiano®.
7. Distinguish between practicing and playing
When you sit down at the piano, always distinguish between practicing and playing. This may not sound like a big difference at first, but it is. I'll be happy to explain why. At the very beginning, it will probably be just "practicing," since you haven't learned to play anything yet and are just getting started. At this early stage, it may feel like a dry spell at first. But that's normal. Everybody has that. It won't take that long, either, and you'll be able to play your first piece of your own.
Eventually you can enjoy your sense of achievement and sit down at the piano again and again with joy. Your repertoire of pieces that you can play correctly will then also grow over time.
When you get to this stage of learning, you should start to make a distinction between "practicing" and "playing." When practicing, you will always stop and correct your mistakes. Playing, on the other hand, you just keep going even when you make mistakes, as if nothing were wrong. By the way, that's what professionals do when they perform in a concert.
Practicing is important, but overall make sure you don't neglect "playing" with all your ambition. The constant practicing brings you step by step forward and you make progress. Playing, on the other hand, shows you what you can already do and gives you leisure and joy in playing the piano—and the motivation to keep learning—even if you might be stuck practicing. It's just a little trick to keep you motivated.
8. Leave your lonely (piano) island
At Zapiano® we offer you a real community. There you can exchange ideas with like-minded people who are at exactly the same point as you and have the same questions. Many also need a bit of motivation or would simply like to exchange ideas with others. It is important to meet like-minded people, especially when it comes to learning to play the piano, so that we don't just sit lonely in front of our instrument. And of course, the best and easiest way to exchange ideas is via the Internet.
9. Record yourself
Another tip: Make a recording of yourself from time to time. It sounds simple, but it will give you a lot of feedback without having to have a piano teacher look at it. That way you can see how your playing sounds from the outside. It may be hard to listen to yourself at first. But over time you'll get used to it and you'll also get an ear for what sounds really good already and what doesn't yet.
You can also listen to things that inspire you, such as your favorite pianist. Of course, you will hear a big difference between your playing and the playing of the professional. But it can also be very motivating and encourage you to continue on your musical path.
10. Never compare yourself to others - only to yourself
This is very important. Why? Especially nowadays in the world of social media, most people only show their best success stories. You can see how wonderfully someone can play the piano in no time. But don't let that fool you. There is a lot of fibbing on the Internet. Be aware of this and compare yourself only with yourself and not with others. But how can you do that?
So let's say you make a recording of yourself today and record yourself again three months later with the same piece. Then you can compare these two recordings and you will notice that there is a big difference, as long as you have practiced well. You can then really enjoy this sense of achievement. That motivates you immensely.
Start learning the piano with a free trial lesson
I hope that my tips could help you and that the way to learn to play the piano is a bit clearer for you now. If you would like to try Zapiano®, you are welcome to do so at any time in a free trial lesson. We hope you enjoy trying it out.
For more interesting topics about the piano, check out our category: Playing the Piano. If you are looking for piano teachers, you can always use the mukken Musician Search for free. Give it a try.
Originally published on January 30, 2023, updated on February 3, 2023
Main topic: Billie Eilish and the tragic
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