How to get better at the piano?

Question

Hi all,

Im 16. I love listening and playing music. Well, if you could call it that. I can figure out the notes on the grand staff well enough, just.. not very fast.. and playing with more than two hands.. forget about it! But I can't afford lessons around here.. so, what sort of things can I do to improve my piano abilities/music reading speed?

Thanks

Answer 1

Try going through some method books, being very sure that you are reading the correct notes and rhythms (practice slowly!). If you want to have lessons, try contacting the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) at www.mtna.org, as they have programs in each state through which teachers volunteer their time to teach interested children (16 should count) who cannot afford lessons. Give it a try! If that doesn't work, you can try finding a teacher and offering to pay him/her in services -- such as housework or administrative work such as bookkeeping. Good luck!

Answer 2

CREATIVE PIANO LESSONS FOR THE ABSOLUTE BEGINNER

So, you've been thinking about taking piano lessons. And you're a beginner. You probably think you'll begin your piano lessons studies with note-reading and triads. And you'd be right!

Most piano teachers begin their students out on some obscure method book that drags out the teaching process. This makes your piano teacher rich and you a much poorer piano player.

You may be thinking there's a better way to learn piano. And you'd be right again! Listen to this. What if there was a method… a way to play piano right away using a modern sounding chord? And what if you could use this chord to create your OWN music instead of playing Kum ba ya 40-50 times for practice.

You're in for a treat because this kind of piano instruction exists and can be found right on the internet. I'm talking about something called the Open Position Piano Chord and with it, you can quickly and easily create your own unique music. Not in months or years. Not even in weeks. I'm talking about hours!

But how you ask?

The answer is easy. The Open Position Piano Chord uses both hands right away to create a modern sound. Once you master this chord position (takes about 10 minutes or less) you'll be well on your way to playing contemporary styles. The best part about this chord structure though is how easy it is to create with.

Because both hands are used immediately, you have the opportunity to play with the tones under your fingers. The lowly triad, while still used in much western music, is not so friendly in this regard.

With the triad, you get 3 tones to play around with and while you can create some music with this, it's just not what today's sound is all about.

The Open Position Chord however gives you a modern seventh chord to play with right away. Used in Jazz, New Age, and Contemporary styles, the seventh chord is the foundation of most of today's music!

Look, if you want to get really creative at the piano, try the Open Position Piano Chord and you'll see how your piano lessons will become that much easier!

Answer 3

Look up, Guy Houston, the Piano Guy.. He has some really interesting ways to play and practice.. I've played guitar over 35 yrs. all styles and found his approach for piano to be very easy to learn. I wished I had his materials for keyboards when I was younger. Regarding not affording lessons. If you live in Ca.. you can take classes at a community college for free if your still in HS.. Berklee School of Music in Boston has some great piano programs too. I have the Mark Levine Jazz Piano book that might be over your head with theory,but it's another great book.. Good luck

Answer 4

Practice with different pieces, different styles. Use a sight-reading book to read notes faster, and play the piece through using a metronome and don't lose the beat, even if you play wrongly. Scales can help you to read key signatures faster and also improves the note-playing speed.

Answer 5

It's simply a matter of practice practice practice. You can have lesson after lesson but unless you practice you won't get far.

It is important though to have some tuition otherwise you may fall into bad habits. Maybe you could have one lesson a month just to keep you on the straight and narrow as it were.

Answer 6

Try practicing every day and just try really hard to learn things about it without lessons. You could get a really cheap music book somewhere.

Answer 7

Practice!!!!!

Answer 8

to be honest i dunno a whole lot about piano! i play the bass guitar...but if i wanna get faster i play scales...i dun about piano and scales, but they have some just practice that over and over again!
try stretching your fingers, dont click them tho! arthritus!!
your fingers might be ble to move about easier if you loosen the muscles!

Answer 9

Go online and look at different educational literature. And PRACTICE!!!!!

Answer 10

practice i guess