Note: This is a guest article (not by Duane)

You can learn piano online and this practice has many advantages. You can learn at our own pace and practice piano at the same time. You do not have to drive back and forth to your piano lessons if you do it this way. There are a lot of choices today to help you get started.

You can learn piano online in a short time. In the next lines we will talk about the different levels, types of guides, speed of learning and much more.

You can go online and search for the different teaching programs available. There are many courses available in ebooks, games, virtual teachers, videos and more. You also need to decide if you need beginner, intermediate or advanced piano lessons. You can either learn to read notes or play by ear. The type of guitar lessons that you will take will depend on the type of music you will play. You can choose between improvisation and music theory.

You can use the internet to find blogs and forums that will allow you to learn piano online and give you the advice you need. The company that you choose to learn piano online needs to offer you great customer support and good guides. You will also need to take into account that you will have other expenses such as books, piano light, keyboard, etc. The price of the guide to learn piano online does not matter a lot if you will get a great experience. Now that you have chosen your guide to learn piano you need to set a schedule and commit to it. You will need to dedicate a lot of time and consistency in this effort. If you get the right program to learn piano online you will be able to have fun and achieve great results.

If you take free introductory lessons you will assess what a company has to offer you. This way you will be able to check out the course before spending any money. You will get better results with a high quality guide to learn piano online. One of the best things about online learning is that you can choose how fast you learn. You can even learn to play piano in a week. You do not have to use a teacher, all you need is to play again the videos if you have missed out something in the past.

You have learned that you can learn piano online. But there are many things you need to consider before you can learn piano online. First you need to know the type of music you want to play and the level you need to improve. The company behind the course is really important. You need to check out their reputation. You can learn piano online at your own pace. This is one of the best things about this type of learning experience. You do not have to worry about that you have missed this or that lesson because you will see videos and everything using the Internet. You also need to take into account the additional expenses such as books and keyboards.

For a HUGE variety of ways to learn piano online, please go to PlayPianoCatalog.com

Is it Really Possible to Learn Piano Fast?

Yes! If you want to learn to play for your own enjoyment and you have no interest in learning the music theory required to sight read, then it’s more than possible to learn piano fast. What you do need before you start however is some sensitivity for pitch and rhythm so that you can identify the intervals between notes and the speed at which you should play. Can you sing? Can you clap along with a song on the radio? If so, then you should be able to play the piano with some help from an online course or a home-study course on DVD.

When learning to the play the piano you traditionally start with learning how to read music first, but think back to when you learned how to read, couldn’t you already use your instrument? Your voice? Of course you could. Piano teachers want you to sight read because it will allow them to teach you how to play from manuscript music, but if you can play by ear, you possibly have no need for the manuscript. This means that learning how to play by ear will allow you to teach yourself rather than have a tutor if you have the dedication to not only learning the skill, but also mastering it.

Listen to a piece of music, any piece of music. Hum along the melody line. Capture the right tone for the first note of the music. This is the note from which all the rest of the tune will come so you need to spend time getting this perfect. Of course you can play it in a completely different key to the original by starting on a different note and just following the line of the music up and down the keyboard keeping the intervals between notes the same as the music that you’re trying to copy, but it won’t sound the same unless it’s in the same key, so take the time to locate the right note to start on.

Next you should work through the music one note at a time, tone by tone, working out the right intervals between each of the notes. If you have some idea of basic scale progression and can hum up and down scales you’ll find this easier so this is something when you can practice when you’re not at your piano. If you are at the keyboard, press any key and practice singing up and down the octave. Check if you have each note right by pressing the next tone before moving up/down the scale.

Once you’ve mastered the melody line, listen to the music again and play alongside it - this way you’ll learn the rhythm of the composition. You’ll know when there are intended rests and when notes are held. This is all part of the information supplied on a piece of manuscript but by practice you can train your ear to hear those slight pauses or learn when to play extended notes.

With the melody and tune in place, now listen to the original again and in the same way that you learned the melody, it’s time to pick up on the harmony. Try to shut out the familiar melody line, and work on identifying the harmony. This may be more difficult to isolate but once you can recognize it you’ll find it easier to work on. A knowledge of chords goes a long way toward helping develop your ear, so learn all you can about chords from a source such as www.chordpiano.com

Learning to play piano by ear is a process of fine-tuning your ear to hear not only the dominant melody, but also the subtlety of harmony. As with sight reading, playing the piano by ear is something that comes over time with practice. So for the purpose of simply enjoying yourself at the piano, it is possible to learn piano fast.
To get started in a hurry, go to How to Play Chord Piano - A 10-Day Course!

To those who love music, there are many reasons to play any type of instrument. The wide variety afforded us to choose from is what makes music infinitely enjoyable. Choosing any instrument to study is certainly a worthwhile endeavor.

One instrument in particular highlights all that is wonderful and beautiful about music. It’s richness of sound and the expanse of musical notes it provides one to play make it a timeless creative tool. That instrument is the piano. Embarking on a study of this 88 key delight can provide one with a lifetime of joyful experiences.

The piano is exquisite in both its complexity and simplicity. The musical note combinations composers write for it, and players play on it, are endless. However, the piano’s mechanism is basic. When you press a key on a piano, you cause a felt covered hammer to strike steel strings. The strings vibrate and the vibrations transmit via a bridge to a sounding board. This board couples the acoustic energy to the air, and we hear it all as sound.

The sound from the piano makes it one of the most popular musical instruments in the world. Along with its enduring sound, there are many other reasons everyone should learn to play music on the piano. Here are ten of them:

You Learn to Play Chords

Some instruments only allow you to play single notes. They do not allow you to play chords. Chords are a set of two or more different notes that sound simultaneously. The piano, like the guitar, allows for this chord playing. This means you can enrich a song with lush harmonies to accompany the melodic line.

You Learn to “Hear” Chords

Recognizing the sound of chords is an art in itself. Learning to recognize chord sounds is beneficial when it comes to learning improvisation down the road. Recognizing chord sounds will help you apply appropriate melody in a song as you improvise.

You Learn Variation

Studying piano will teach you basic melody and chords. As you develop your skills, you will learn to vary these elements in a song. You will do this on the fly as in the aforementioned improvisational playing. You will also learn to alter songs on paper with these variations. This is where you experiment with music writing. You will take a basic song and vary it according to your take on the piece.

You Learn Eye-Hand Coordination

Just watch someone closely at the piano. You will see the interplay of eyes and hands in synchronization as they play. Studying the piano will teach you to coordinate what you see on the keyboard with your motor skills.

You Learn Left-Hand, Right Hand Coordination

You will develop this coordination from the get-go. Even with simple songs this will occur. Your right hand will play single note melodies, while your left hand plays basic chords. You have to get these two working together properly so the song sounds pleasing.

You learn to Read Notes in the Lower and Higher Registers

You will become a better music reader when you learn the piano. You will learn to read notes written in the lower registers such as the bass clef. You will also learn their counterparts in the higher registers, like the treble. On top of that, you will learn to read these at the same time, a skill itself.

You Will Learn to See Music as a Complete Whole

Playing music on the piano lets you see the whole structure of a song. A trumpet player, for example, reads and plays the melodic line off the treble clef. That typically is the extent of the music before him or her. A piano player sees chords, melody, different clefs. Piano music has the whole of a song on paper, not just elements of it.

It’s a Great Accompaniment Instrument

This one’s straightforward. Every band can use a piano player. Look around and see how many piano players find employment with groups. They’re in demand.

It’s a Great Solo Instrument

The piano is an instrument that offers much when heard on its own. No doubt, other instruments sound good solo. However, the piano is just so much more. It produces a rich, full sound unique onto itself. This is because of its ability to play melody and harmony together; single notes and chords.

Encourages Audience Participation

A piano is plain old good for having a good time. It, like the guitar, is great for gathering people around. It promotes the combination of music playing with singing.

If you want to begin a study of music, consider the piano. You will enjoy its versatility and its ability to play any type of musical style. The above ten reasons are perfect ones for getting your ten fingers playing, today.

Duane Shinn is the author of a free newsletter on piano chords & chord progressions available at Piano Music

Are you a mother looking to get your child piano lessons? Maybe you took them as a child as well, but stopped as you got older. Or maybe you always wanted to learn the piano and never got the chance. The good news is that helping your child learn how to play the piano can actually help you learn the instrument as well.

The most important thing to do is to participate. Passively watching your child practice or just listening while you do the laundry isn’t going to teach you anything. Though you may enjoy hearing your little one gradually progress in skill, without participation you’ll be the frustrated non-musician that you’ve always been. It’s time to step up, sit down and practice right alongside your child.

When your child’s instructor is around, ask questions. Throw your mind into the lessons as though they were your own. If you don’t understand a particular exercise, ask the teacher to explain it again. Your child might need to hear it again too, but might be afraid to ask. Ask about different composers and pieces so that you understand the theories behind the music. The piano is a huge instrument, able to reproduce an unsurpassed variety of sounds, so ask investigative questions.

Practice alongside your child. By doing exercises on the piano together, you’ll bond over the newfound skill you’ve developed. You’ll strengthen the muscles in your hands and fire up unused synapses in your brain. When you’ve gained some skill and knowledge of a few pieces, play together. It’s a joy to be able to play a piano duet besides Heart and Soul.

By participating in your child’s instrumental development, you’ll know when they’re ready to be challenged. Consult with the teacher and discuss your child’s readiness. Hopefully you’ll be ready to be challenged as well. Don’t push yourself too hard, though. If you feel pain in your hands or wrists, see a doctor.

You’ll be gaining both technical skill and musical knowledge. You might find yourself exploring the classical section of your local bookstore with a new interest. If you only know Claire de Lune by Claude Debussy, you might suddenly be interest in the rest of the Suite Bergamasgue. Warm up your hands before attempting the Menuet at full speed to avoid injury.

Maybe you’ll hear jazz pianists in a new way once you’ve begun to understand what they’re playing. Or you’ll hear the Beatles Eleanor Rigby and notice the shifts between E Aeolian and E Dorian in the melody. When you start hearing music in a different light, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without playing the piano.

Remember that your child will probably learn the instrument much easier than you. The empty vessel of childhood is a blessing in this area, so don’t feel bad. Just learn to play for your own enjoyment. Find piano pieces that interest you and play them for your ears only. Of course, if you’re a bit of a showboat, you can always sit down at the bench at a party and impress your guests. Keep participating in your child’s learning and you’ll find yourself a new avenue of expression.