The Best Piano Learning

Archive for the ‘Piano’ Category

By Paul Tobey
As a professional concert pianist I often have people ask me, "I'm in my 50's is it too late to learn piano?" Well, there is no simple answer to this question since everyone's capacity to learn and everyone's passion to learn is different.

But, based on my experience it is never too late. However, it is absolutely imperative that you Start Learning Now! Why? Because, a very wise man once told me, if you're not learning you're dying. You see, life is all about learning. It's what gives us reason to live. Can you think of anything better about life than the new experiences, relationships and wisdom that comes from learning? So, if you have any passion at all for learning to play piano music then I highly recommend that you start right away.

The most important question you should be asking yourself is; "How can I learn faster and retain more information?"

Do you know what most people don't understand about the learning process? It's not how much information can you cram into your head at one time but, how much information you can actually retain that causes you to learn faster and more efficiently. What happens is; people inevitably try to tackle all at once the incredible amount of work that it takes to play the piano. Not only is that impossible to do, but it's not much fun either. And, that's why most people give up after only trying for a short period of time.

Let's talk about the way most people were taught to learn. Think back for a moment to when you were in school. Do you remember cramming for an exam? Most people certainly remember the anxiety associated with it. You cram as much information as you can into your head in a very short period of time, hoping to get a good grade on your exam. So, what would happen 2 weeks after taking the exam if you had to take it again? How much would you remember? Not much at all I'm sure! That's why learning this way is so painful because you're never able to show consistent long term retention.

Now, imagine for a moment that you applied this technique of learning to the piano. You cram for 2 weeks as much information as you can get into your brain about a piece of piano music. Then, you stop practicing for 2 weeks. Then, you go back and try to play what you learned. How much do you think you could get right? Based on my experience, "Almost Nothing!"

In my line of work I am responsible for not only remembering a minimum of 1.5 hours of piano music for every concert I perform but, I have to perform it flawlessly. Is this possible? Yes it is! But, not by learning the way most people learn. You see, there is a formula that works best for learning to play piano music and it's the same formula that works for learning anything worthwhile. And, here it is....

10-24-7

What does this mean? Well, 10 stands for the amount of energy you put into learning what it is you're learning. How many things can you learn at once? One! So get rid of that big pile of music sitting on the piano because that just represents stress! You can't possibly learn all that anyway. So, just learn one thing at a time and do it at a level 10 which is; giving 100% of your energy until you can play it without thinking.

Then, do the same thing again in 24 hours. At a level 10 (100% of your energy), learn the same single thing you just learned the day before. Then, in 7 days do it again and I promise you that your retention rate for that one thing you learned will go up by 85%. Is this possible? Yes! That's how I'm able to perform as many concerts as I do and never take a sheet of music with me on stage. I learn one thing at a time. But, once I learn it, I don't forget it...ever!

There's a term we use for this type of learning and it's called "accelerated learning techniques" or "advanced learning techniques." It's what I teach in my seminars because it's what works best for me and for the hundreds of people I've taught it to. So, if you want to learn piano music, even if it's for the first time, follow my example. Use the 10-24-7 approach, you won't regret it.

By Kevin Sinclair
Is your passion listening to piano music? Would you like to be able to play just like your idols? Are you thinking of taking lessons but you are not sure where to start? It could even be that you have had some lessons but you have given up as it has taken longer than you thought to learn. Lots of other people may well be in your shoes at this moment and only need a push in the right direction.

The Various Ways to Learn the Piano

Before you do anything else, it is essential to know that there are two ways of playing a piano. These are:

1. Chords
2. Note reading

It is a good idea to know what you want to do when playing the piano. If you are happy enough playing music other people have written, all you have to do is learn how to read the notes. However, on the other hand, if you are more creative and you would like to write your own inspiring music, an understanding of chords is a must.

If you want to learn to play the piano fairly fast, it may be a wise choice to take a chord based approach. If you learn the chords on the piano, you can learn the sounds they make and, therefore, make your own music. You can always learn note reading afterward if you choose.

The Pros and Cons of Learning from a Teacher

Finding a qualified and reliable instructor is the key to having successful lessons while learning to play the piano. You could learn at home or at the instructor?s studio. There are advantages to both, so it all depends on where you would feel most comfortable. A lot of people try to find an instructor that is local to where they live.

When you are looking for an instructor, you will need to have a goal in mind. It could be that you want to play for fun and want to learn how to play from music sheets. However, if you want to be more creative, it may be a good idea to look for instructors that will give you chord based lessons.

If you hire a piano instructor expecting to make your own music and they teach you nothing but reading notes, you will obviously not be able to reach your goal. Make sure that you know exactly what you will be achieving. Otherwise, you could be wasting a lot of money on something that you, basically, do not want. Also, it can be a huge waste of money to learn something that you could learn online for a cheaper price, and it is just as effective.

Learning Online

As mentioned earlier, learning online is a lot cheaper than piano lessons and it is just as good. It can be a great benefit to learn online as you can do it in your own time and at your own pace without someone breathing down your neck. It can also help to save time, too, so the benefits are quite good when learning online.

The only real disadvantage with learning online is that a person may not have enough motivation to learn properly. Also, with an instructor, if there is something that does not make sense, they can get help. When you are learning online, it may not make much sense and there is no instructor there to ask for help.

You can also learn how to play the piano with piano learning DVDs and computer software designed to help.

General Guidelines to Learning the Piano

Overall playing the piano should be something that is fun and it should certainly not reduce you to tears all of the time. If you take your time learning and have regular practice you will eventually achieve what you want. You should not give up if it is something that you have wanted to do for a long time. There may be times that you get frustrated, but just keep going and you will be able to play the piano just as good as anyone else can, and even write your own music in time.