(… and above all, remember that learning to play piano today is quite possible on your own, as there are a number of good training packages available in bookstores or online …)

1.  If you are really not interested in the piano, do yourself and everyone else a favor.  Don’t bother trying.  Maybe you reason that it would be advantageous to play the piano, but your heart is not in it.  In that case, you could listen to lots of piano music and see if you develop an interest.  Do not start trying to play until you are happy at the thought of learning.

2.  Play what you like.  In earlier times, and sometimes even now, the learning process required large amounts of time learning traditional piano music before being allowed to choose.  It will be far more inspiring for you if you derive pleasure from the learning experience, so try and find simple versions of your favorite songs. This way, you can still have fun while learning.

3.  Dive right in.  Do not wait for the sun to turn purple or even to learn all the scales. Begin playing as soon as possible.  The more you play, the more you will learn.  The more you learn, the more you will play.  This can only be good for bettering your skills.

4.  Play on the best piano you have available.  Although don’t be too put off if all you can find is an electric keyboard.  It’s definitely an advantage if you get to use a Clavinova, as it has all of the 88 keys.  Others may argue that an upright piano is even better.  But obviously, if you are able to practice on a grand piano, by all means go for it!.

5.  If the piano is on your premises, try not to annoy others who live with you.  The sound will invariably echo through the walls.  In most households, this is unavoidable.  Although, try to make sure that you ask permission before you begin to practice, as those who need some quiet time, or need to study will find the noise very distracting.  Maybe they have had a hard day and just need a little peace. If you choose to disregard their opinion, the tension between house-mates may hamper your practice.

6.  Set up your own reasonable discipline.  Do not be harsh with yourself.  There are times where it is simply not practical to continue playing. Try not to force yourself to continue, as you may come to dislike each session.  Allow yourself a little leeway.  At the same time, keep up the practice as much as you reasonably can.  Only constant practice can aid you to develop your senses and coordination, in order to eventually achieve mastery.

7.  Start yourself a journal in order to monitor progress.  If anything is new to you, or confusing, take 5 minutes to check the internet or reference manual .  Use a blank booklet, or open a document on the PC, typing each new achievement or lessons learned.  You can also write in the notebook what has worked for you and what has seemed to make things harder.  Record accomplishments while fresh on the mind, as you may soon forget.

As a beginning piano player, you have all the time in the world to learn new things abut your instrument.  Each time you find something that makes your life easier; remember it so that you can use it again.  This ensures that you advance each lesson, without being stuck on a plateau.

p.s. If you are considering piano lessons for a child, check out the article Tips for Teaching Piano to Children.

“Fake Books” are available in music stores, or can be ordered from the internet.  Another version of the same idea is when you stumble upon a simplified song notation.  A Fake Book, or the like, has only two things to guide you. First, you will get a melody line in the treble clef.  This will usually only show one note at a time – no chords – and it will be a simplified version of the song.

The second thing you will get with this simple music is a letter above the staff.  Having a letter above the staff shows which chord to play within the bass clef, and (if you have the skill) to add to the treble clef.  There will be a letter above the staff each time the chord changes.

By learning the chords, you are preparing yourself nicely to be able to use a Fake Book with ease.  Straight chords can be used, or simply invert them.  You can play them as running chords where you play each note separately in succession.  Any rhythm can be chosen for the bass clef.

The Fake Book may require that you put your creative skills to work.  It’s up to you and your knowledge of the song to figure out which notes have been left out.  In that regard you are in charge of inventing the music.  You can usually find Fake Books that are fairly current, with music you have heard recently on the radio.

As you know, if you desire to create your own musical song, or instrumental masterpiece, learning to improvise can help you greatly.  It does sound difficult to learn the theory of improvisation, but it’s okay to begin with the knowledge you already possess.  Your main skill set should be the mastery of chords and scales.

Perhaps to make things easier to begin with, choose a C scale, for the main reason that it uses white keys only.  Now all you have to do is choose the chords  within the scale.  For the C major scale, common chords to use are F major and G major.  The benefit of using these is the lack of sharps or flats.

Make up a chord progression.  A nice order would be C-F-G-C.  Practice playing these chords with your left hand.  Usually the chords are played lower than middle C, however this is not set in concrete.  They can be played wherever seems right to you.  They can be played inverted, or as simple triads.  In any sequence that flows right.  Then keep practicing until it becomes second nature.

When you are comfortable with your chord progression, you can begin to improvise a melody.  Just play with your right hand, one note at a time to make a melody line.  It may not seem like music at first, but if you keep trying you will eventually come up with an interesting melody line.

Also, try improvising with a melody you’re already fond of.  For example, if you wanted to play Jingle Bells, but you do not have the music at hand.  You can quickly pick out the melody.  Then, you can choose chords to go with the melody based on the key, or scale, the melody is in.  So as you can see, even though you may not have the sheet music, there are ways you can still play the music without.

Learning to play the piano is easy, even for a beginner. One possible starting point is the no-obligation course at Learning To Play Piano Today. Check them out today, and enjoy your new found skill.