Practicing and Piano Techniques

Friday, December 22, 2006

There is no progress in piano self-learning if your do not understand the mechanics to play while training. If you have thought that it can be achieved by memorizing the complicated 88 keys on the keyword and the corresponding fingering system, you will probably feel scared to know that a piano has more than 5,000 different moving parts.

Playing the piano properly requires concentration in about 18 tons of pressure, which the average string requires approximately 160 pounds of tension to make vibration for the moving parts.

In addition, most pianos have two or three steel pedals. The right pedal raises all the piano dampers at a time to allow the notes to play even if the keys have been released. The left pedal moves the piano hammers closer to the strings. While the middle pedal, if exists, sustains notes depressed while you are holding the pedal down.

After getting the basics of the C-Major Scale, fingers numbers, and notes position, you will get the opportunity to learn more about piano technique once you begin with sharps and flats, steps, and half-steps.

Counting notes and rhythm is the way to play music adequately. Any technique will always start by sitting at the piano in a comfortable position that lets you balance your arms and hands.

Go ahead and try it, but without playing a note. Tension is your worst enemy when it comes to playing the piano and during practicing this will be the major problem to tackle, therefore, invest time in finding the right technique to approach your piano, feeling free to move naturally.

Notes are counted four to four. This is expressed in the sheet music as 4/4 and should be your point of reference while learning to play. However, this is not a fixed number. 4/4 means that the music will have four beats per measure, but you will also find music requiring only 3/4, this is three beats per measure, and so on.

At the piano, place your fingers naturally curved on the keys and play with the tips of your fingers and begin playing slowly paying attention to all, your posture, the keys, your fingers, etc. After a short time, you will do this automatically beginning to play more naturally.