So you’ve been noodling around on the piano for a while, but you just can’t seem to play any songs to any degree of recognition. You spend hours practicing the same passages over and over, only to sit down the next day and they feel completely foreign! You’re not alone, you just need a few trade secrets.
Look for Patterns
Scales aren’t a time-waster in between you and the music. They’re a musical super highway and they’re hiding in nearly every song! Spend a few minutes a day practicing scales and you’ll start to see (and play!) them everywhere. But don’t stop there… music isn’t a collection of notes, it’s a collection of chunks and you would be surprised to find out just how often those chunks repeat. Do you feel like you’ve heard this part before? You probably have!
Memorize Chords
Nearly every song, even classical pieces, is made up of chords. Know how to name them, play them, and see them in sheet music and the whole world opens up to you! Start with every chord in the key of C, then the key of G, then D and keep going! You’ll start to notice that many chords overlap and your learning gets faster and faster. Once you start seeing music in chords, your piano playing goes into overdrive.
Chords in C: C Dm* Em F G Am Bdim
Chords in G: G Am Bm C D Em F#dim
*the lowercase m denotes minor chords
Don’t Forget the Rhythm!
The biggest barrier between playing the notes and playing music is rhythm. Study the note tree and practice tapping, patting, and playing scales or chords at different levels of the tree. Try tapping along to your favorite songs anywhere you are! Once you can not only see the rhythm, but feel it in your hands – that’s when your piano playing all comes together.
Click HERE for an article about the basics of rhythm.
But Don’t Just Take It From a Blog Post…
Stop in to Highland Music Studio for an intro lesson (CLICK HERE for 50% off!) and let our teachers help you break down your barriers one by one. Not an Atlanta local? Click HERE to learn about our sister program, The Piano Accelerator, and improve your piano playing from anywhere!
What are you waiting for? Speed up your learning now!