I was one of those people who always dreamed of playing the piano but never thought I could. At least I was until I came across some short, simple lessons on the basics of piano playing. I decided to give it a try, and I have been practicing ever since.
The first lesson that really opened my eyes to how accessible the piano actually is was a simple explanation of how the piano keys make a very important pattern. It turns out those white and black keys are separated into sections which makes it much easier to learn how to play them correctly. I never really thought about the piano in this manner before.
I began with the lessons that were in the material I had. After each section, I had to try out the concepts I had found out about. I had to try to play the notes, write the notes, clap the rhythms, or play lines of melody. In awhile, I began to test myself. I went back over the lessons and tried each concept. I did this several times, always getting better and better.
What struck me immediately was how quickly I was actually improving. It’s true that many children are taught in a very slow, methodic manner, but I found it quite rewarding to see and hear my own progress happening so quickly. After all, I was making time for my self-taught lessons between a busy work schedule and active home life. I didn’t have time for slow!
Eventually, I wanted to play music beyond what I was learning through these lessons. I wanted to play something recognizable and familiar. That is when I headed to the store and purchased exactly what was suggested in my lessons: one Easy Piano Book and one Fake Book.
I recognized many of the songs in my Easy Piano Book because they were familiar Broadway musical songs, and I was completely ecstatic to hear myself playing them rather easily. I had to start with sight reading from the Easy Book, but to my astonishment I found that rather easy to catch onto.
It was when I opened the Fake Book that I really had a challenge before me. I didn’t know all of the chords used so would have to look the new ones up before I started a song, and since they were modern pop songs it was more difficult to get them down.
Yet, I was able to catch on quicker than I would have ever imagined and I started to actually play songs my friends and I loved to sing along with on the radio. It turned into something enjoyable for all of us as I played and they sang along these songs we all loved.
I am by no means a piano expert today, but I do play quite happily on a regular basis. I never really wanted to turn myself into a star or know all there is to know about piano basics. I simply wanted to learn to play the piano to brighten my own world a little bit. I am quite surprised that I was able to do it so quickly, and all on my own!
