Visit Mikes music websites for Beginners Piano Lessons. If you need a used keyboard, try his Used Pianos and Keyboards website
Being ready to learn to play the piano obviously means having a piano keyboard of some sort, so for the purpose of this article we will assume you have access to a piano, organ or keyboard. Before you start to play the piano properly, you need to learn a few basics, just a bit of theory, nothing too difficult, in fact very easy to pick up, but extremely essential.
What are the basics?
The basics are in fact very simple and include
The Staff
Notes Names On A Keyboard And Note Names On The Staff
Note Values
Bars And Bar Lines
The Treble Clef
Time Signatures
If you learn these basics first, you have a better chance of succeeding with your piano playing. They are important because every time you play a piece of music whether as a learner or a professional player you will use every thing that is on the above list. Every time you pick up a piece of music, you will see the staff and on that, you will see musical notes and also a treble clef. You will see bars and bar lines, which are part of the staff and you will see a time signature, which will tell you how many beats there are in each bar. All these things interact with each other and that's why it's important to learn these first.
How long will I take to learn the basics?
Surprisingly it won't take very long at all to learn the basics. They are very easy to learn. In fact, you could learn all these basics in one day, but, would you remember them. My pupils generally have the whole thing done, memorized in about a month, and once you have learned it, you've got it for life. The best way to approach learning these items is to commit yourself to about half an hour per day. This gives you a chance to learn and memorize what you need. To be on the safe side, give yourself between one and three months to completely learn and memorize the basics listed above. When you do actually start to play your first piece of music you can start with confidence and you can concentrate on different aspects of learning music such as left hand chords, different timing values and learning music phrases, which is what learning to read music is all about.
So before diving in head first in to a complex piano learning course, learn the basics.
- Related Videos
- Related Articles
- Ask / Related Q&A
- Sheet Music: Its Purpose And Uses
- The Evolution And Future Of Digital Sheet Music
- Learn How to Read Sheet Music
- Use Sheet Music To Play Your Instrument
- Guitar lesson: The E F G of Learning To Play Guitar Sheet Music
- Christmas Sheet Music – How to Re-harmonize Jingle Bells
- Christmas Sheet Music - a Family Tradition
- Guitar Tablature Or Sheet Music?




Electric Guitar Amps Have Come A Long Way
By: Jeffrey Veal | 16/11/2009An electric guitar amp is what really brings the electric guitar to life. All major manufacturers produce quality electric guitar amps for any style of guitarist.
Acoustic Guitar Amps Will Enhance Your Acoustic Guitar
By: Jeffrey Veal | 16/11/2009An acoustic guitar amp is the perfect addition to the acoustic guitar. All major manufacturers now carry a line of acoustic guitar amps to suit your playing needs.
Fast And Easy Video Guitar Lessons
By: Bryon Zirker | 16/11/2009The guitar fret board fingers need to be able to move as fast as the right hand is...
Learn To Play Electric Guitar Power Chords Quickly
By: Bryon Zirker | 16/11/2009The student must try to locate a guitar learning system that will work well to transform the student into one of the...
Learn To Play Acoustic Guitar Strumming Patterns Fast
By: Bryon Zirker | 16/11/2009The student should be able to practice and master new material quickly...
Great Upcoming Rock Bands - Rey Fresco Song Feedback
By: Rythm Spirit | 16/11/2009Some new upcoming rock bands are turning up the heat! Interesting insight on a new sound-wave on a cool band named Rey Fresco, surely of the new upcoming rock bands. The tune is called On The Radio. For an abundance of new upcoming rock bands, the original idea of what the radio is, has been long gone! On The Radio, is sure to become a classic tune. Ok, I may be biased by my own fascination for the beginning days of the radio. If you are older,...
How to Easily Restring a Guitar
By: Ty Cohen | 16/11/2009Ever hear of an athlete who doesn’t know how to replace his shoelaces? To keep the sound of your guitar sharp and clean, you should change the strings at least once every three months. If you have the right tools and the right string, the following steps will have you restringing your instrument like a pro.
The best way to promote your music Online for Free
By: Ty Cohen | 16/11/2009If your band is seeking to make a break into the competitive world of the recording industry, getting your name out into the public eye can often be very difficult. Recording studios rarely sign contracts with unknown bands because the music industry operates on popularity.
Piano Chords A Chord Book And Forty Eight Popular Chords For Beginners
By: Mike Shaw | 22/09/2008 | MusicI am sure you have heard of Piano Chords. Well, that can be a little misleading because when you play chords, normally with you left hand, you would play chords on an electronic keyboard or electric organ rather than a piano.
Musical Notes - What Is A Semiquaver?
By: Mike Shaw | 26/08/2008 | MusicA "semiquaver" can be found as a written musical note in sheet music. This musical note is used in all types of sheet music for all musical instruments.
Musical Notes - What Is A Quaver?
By: Mike Shaw | 25/08/2008 | MusicThe quaver is written as a black-coloured oval shape with a stem on the right or left side depending on where on the staff it is written. At the end of the stem, there is a tail.
Ten Years Of Great Music From The Swedish Group ABBA
By: Mike Shaw | 11/08/2008 | MusicBetween 1972 and 1982 ABBA became a worldwide success with their unique sound and style. Although the band members had worked as solo artist with some degree of success in Sweden, its wasn't until they formed the group ABBA that they gained worldwide recognition.
Musical Notes - What Is A Minim?
By: Mike Shaw | 11/08/2008 | MusicA "minim" is a musical note that is widely used in piano sheet music. In fact, it's used in all sheet music for all musical instruments.
The Rolling Stones Debut Album
By: Mike Shaw | 10/08/2008 | MusicThe first Rolling Stones Album titled "The Rolling Stones" was released in the UK in 1964. The US version of this album was released a few months later with a different title; it was called "England's Newest Hit Makers".
What On Earth Is A Crotchet?
By: Mike Shaw | 08/08/2008 | MusicA "crotchet" is a musical note that can be seen in sheet music for all musical instruments. It can be found in all music from beginners to advanced.