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Archive for October, 2009

Why Learn To Play The Piano?

October 22nd, 2009

With so many choices for your leisure time, why choose playing the piano?

You can play sports, watch movies and television, learn crafts or cooking. The list is endless!

So why piano?

Creativity.

Music is one of the most creative of all human endeavors. The pursuit of creativity is a great release from hum-drum, repetitive-nature jobs that so many of us perform day in and day out.

Making music.

Making music transcends our daily activity and fills a void in our lives.

Relaxation.

You may not be a savage beast, but music can soothe your soul and making music can be absolutely therapeutic in relieving stress and tension.

Appreciation of culture and human achievement.

Was Mozart divinely inspired? Well, his music certainly sounds like it. Gain appreciation of Beethoven, Chopin, and many other famous composers. Learn about the history of music and how different cultures make music.

Maintain sharp mental capacity.

As we get older, this is even more important. Studies show that children learn better when they study piano, and older adults have keen minds when they play a musical instrument. And it’s more fun than bingo.

Why piano instead of another instrument?

You could choose guitar or something else, but the piano is an easily approachable instrument. It’s not difficult to hold or produce a sound from the piano. Contrast this to the violin where your first several lessons will be about holding the instrument and you will work for years to develop a beautiful tone.

It’s easy to get hold of a piano, they are reasonably inexpensive, and you can even buy an inexpensive electric keyboard to get started on.

Be a participant, not a spectator.

Watching someone else do something is too easy, whether in sports or anything else. The same goes for music.

Often we wonder why anyone needs to play music. After all, you can just turn on the radio or pop in a CD, right? But that music is not coming from you. And if it’s not live, it’s dead. Your brain isn’t engaged in making it, you just vegetate while listening.

Plus, you can interact with your friends and family on a much deeper level.

Recorded music has its place, of course. But your music is the most important kind.

There are many reasons to play the piano. If you’ve yearned to sit down in front of a piano and play a tune, go for it!

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How to Reduce Your Practice Time in Half Using These Simple Piano Tips

October 4th, 2009

There are a few piano tips that when used in practice will help you learn the piano faster. If you use these piano tips you will find that your rate of progress soars because you will have less effort to put into your practice. These tips will save you a lot of time and energy when you are practicing the piano so that you can get the most out of your piano lessons every time you sit down to practice the piano.

One of the most important piano tips you should be aware of is that your posture plays a large part in how your music is going to sound. You need to sit upright when you are playing the piano and have your arms and hands in the correct position. If you do not follow these simple rules you will end up getting uncomfortable and that will be the end of your practice lesson. Your practice should end when you have finished learning a concept and feel good about it. It should not be ended because of discomfort, and leaving a practice in this way may discourage you from going back to the piano. You want your time at the piano to be associated with good thoughts, not thoughts of discomfort.

You need to learn how to play the piano so that you do not have to look at the notes as you are looking at the sheet music. Once you have learned this you will have the ability to gain a lot of speed, much like typing. There are typing courses on the Internet that are taught in similar ways as online piano courses. These courses teach you how to play the piano without looking at the notes and help increase your speed.

You want to get set up in an area that is completely free of distractions. It is ideal if the piano is in a room with the door on it so that others can know when you are practicing and remember not to disturb you. If you cannot fully concentrate during your practice times it will take you at least twice as long to finish your practices and it can get very discouraging to say the least. Let others around you know that you need the time and that you will be available for them when you are finished. If you do it this way, you will find that you have cut your practice time in half.

Full concentration, playing without looking at your fingers and being comfortable are three piano tips that you can use to make your practice more enjoyable and less time-consuming. You will find your rate of progress increases by using these simple tips, and if you are following an online piano course you will find that you are making much more progress and that your lessons are much more enjoyable

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