How to Play the Piano? Starter Guide
Playing piano may be one of the most wished-for skills in the world. Kids everywhere ask for keyboards each holiday and birthday season. Parents who want their kids to get a musical education usually sign them up for piano lessons. Even adults, seniors et al., who wish to learn a new skill, take up a hobby or find ways to express themselves at different stages in life look no further than the piano.
Attaining a piano-like instrument (or keyboard) of some sort has never been easier, and with myriad resources, free and paid, to start learning online with nothing more than a basic internet connection and a smartphone, learning the piano has never been more accessible.
Benefits of Learning to Play the Piano
The piano in many ways could be considered the premier, perfect musical instrument. At around 370 years old, the modern pianoforte has been adopted in some form by nearly every nation, musical system, and used in every musical technology on Earth.
One of the first known pianos, housed at the Accademia D'Arte in Florence, Italy
From the keyed system of the piano, and its predecessors, the harpsichord, organ, and clavichord, we derive things like the piano roll (used in digital composing and MIDI programming), the MIDI keyboard itself, and nearly every system of teaching music theory outside of perhapssolfeggio(sight-singing).
When it comes to expanding your knowledge of music theory, boosting your musical IQ, and breaking down creative barriers, the piano may just be the perfect place to start.
Both piano and guitar are “chorded” instruments. They are “polyphonic”, meaning capable of naturally producing more than one note at a time. Piano and guitar arepolyphonicas opposed tomonophonic, which means single note. Monophonic instruments include brass and woodwinds, some synthesizers, andthe human voice.
Other instruments that are polyphonic are stringed instruments like violin, viola, cello, and bass. However, using conventional methods, these instruments can only produce two-note “double stops” as opposed to full triads; three, four, and five-note chords.
Most importantly, the piano is linear, meaning the notes on the piano are arranged in a fixed order from lowest to highest. This sets it apart from other chorded instruments such as guitar (where notes and patterns overlap) as it makes identifying and visualizing chords, scales, and patterns much more intuitive. Therefore, the piano is most often used toteach music theory, compose, and create.
Having a solid foundation on the piano will without a shadow of a doubt boost your musical abilities elsewhere, even when it comes to playing other instruments. Drummers who go to school for jazz performance will often take piano classes, to better learn the language of their collaborators. Electronic producer Deadmau5 was quoted inMasterclasssaying he wished he could play piano better instead of having to hand program his musical ideas as MIDI notes inside of a DAW. Theoretically, learning to map abstract musical concepts to the piano keyboard will make your musical education and ear training that much easier.
The Musical Alphabet
Music, just like spoken language, has its own unique alphabet, called the musical alphabet. Learning the musical alphabet is the first step in understanding the universal language of music. The musical alphabet uses characters from the standard English alphabet with a few additions such as # (sharp) and ♭ (flat). The flat sign is sometimes written digitally using the lowercase letter “B” (b).
Here is the alphabet start to finish:
C - C#/D♭ - D - D#/E♭ - E - F - F#/G♭ - G - G#/A♭ - A - A#/B♭ - B
The musical alphabet is made up of 12 notes labeled with the letters A through G, but begins with the letter “C”. This is because the major musical key associated with “C” contains no sharp or flat notes, in other words, it is made up of all the white keys on the piano. We treat this as “home base” when organizing musical ideas.
Sharp and Flat Notes
Sharps (#) and flats (♭) are the notes in-between the notes. If we start on a white key and move up to a black key, the note is labeled as “sharp”. If we start on a white key and instead move down to a black key, the note is called “flat”. Sharp and flat notes are called “accidentals”.
But why do some notes have two names? Although these notes may sound the same, they can be “spelled” differently depending on the context or key of the song or piece you’re performing. We call these double notes "enharmonic". For example, you’ll notice that the black key between “F” and “G” can be labeled as “F#” or “G♭”.
Because the Western tuning system only allows space for 12 notes, you’ll notice there aren’t sharp notes following “B” or “E”.Therefore, “E#” would just be called “F”, while “B#” is just the note “C”. Allthe same-“C♭” is just “B” and “F♭” is just “E”. The only time “E#”, “F♭”, B#” or “C♭” appear is as a technicality when labeling some chords and scales.
Occasionally you may see a double flat (♭♭) ordouble sharp (x) sign in written music notation. These are uncommon, but don’t let them scare you.Once you’ve got the basics, you’ll be all set.
How to Play Piano Scales
Once we have a basic understanding of the layout of the keyboard, scales are the next step in beginning to learn piano. Scales form the foundational structure of music. Chords, harmonies, and melodies all come from scales.
The most important scale to learn is the basic “major” scale, or ‘Do Re Mi Fa Sol La Ti’. You’re probably already familiar with the general sound of this scale. To hear the major scale and others with the keyboard as a visual aid, refer to the Scale Analyzer on ToneGym.
Scales are constructed using a series of “steps”. Steps moving from one note to the next. The major scale is formed using both whole (W) and half (H) steps. A whole step is two piano keys apart, while a half step is just one.
The formula for the major scale is WWHWWWH
Try playing this scale on your keyboard and then record yourself in the tool above to check your work and share it with friends.
From here, you’ll want to familiarize yourself with other scales like the minor scale, Mixolydian mode, and pentatonic scale. All of these can be learned, visualized and analyzed with theScale Analyzer.Try learning the minor scale, then head back hereto the Piano Recorder to check your work. You'll get an infographic breakdown of how each scale is constructed, and related to other scales. It’s a fun way to spend some of your practice time, and will help you start connecting the dots between keyboarding and music theory/ear training in a flash.
Chords
Early on in your piano playing journey, it’s important to learn songs as a way of improving your technique and learning fundamentals. Nobody wants to learn a bunch of theory mumbo-jumbo and not be able to make music. Chords are the basis for playing songs, so learning some basic chord theory is a great place to start. Make sure you’re playing along on your MIDI keyboard, home piano, or use the online piano keyboard in the tool aboveto put these examples into practice.
Chords are formed by taking three or more notes and playing them at the same time. These notes can be sounded together, or separately (akaarpeggios).
Chords form the basis of a song's harmonyand will be the bulk of early learning when it comes to playing contemporary music on the piano.
There are many types of chords, but you can begin by learning just three.These three chord types are major, minor, and diminished.
First, try playing back these chords here: ToneGym Chord Player.
To understand the formula behind these chords, you’ll need to know three musical intervals: major third, minor third, and perfect fifth. Intervals are the space between musical notes. Each interval has a unique sound based on its distance from the starting note.
A major third is the space betweenfour keys on the piano. If you begin on the note “C” and ascend by four keys (black AND white), you’ll land on the note E.
A minor third is one half-step or piano key lower than a major third. If we begin on “C” and walk up three keys to “Eb”, we’ll hear a minor third.
A perfect fifth is the most stable sounding musical interval other than the perfect octave (same note, played one set of 12 keys apart).
Major chords are formed by placing a major third interval below a minor third interval. The space between the bottom and top notes is a perfect fifth.
To form a minor chord, we need simply move the middle note “E” down by one half step. This creates a minor third interval on the bottom, and a major third interval on top. The distance between the top and bottom notes is still a perfect fifth.
If we move the top note, the fifth, down by a semitone, the resulting chord is called a diminished chord. This chord is formed from two minor third intervals stacked on top of one another. The chord gets its name from the flat or diminished fifth interval that is now present between the bottom and top notes.
There is one last basic chord type, called augmented, which you can see above. As opposed to a diminished chord, anaugmented chordis made of two stacked major third intervals insteadof two minorthird intervals. The augmented chord does not appear in the chord types built from a standard major scale, so you can worry about this one later.
Chord Progressions
When we arrange two or more chords into a repeating sequence, this is called a chord progression. Chords are how we accompany a band or singer when playing songs. Usually, on the pianochords are played with the left hand (written in the bass clef), while melodies and embellishments are played using the right hand.
The piano is unique because it easily allows us to play both chords and melody at the same time.It’s one of the only instruments that allow us to accompany ourselves.
Chord progressions come from the chords built on each scale degree in the song’s key. These chords are labeled 1 through 7, usually using Roman numerals, like this:
When spelling out a chord progression, we use the numbers assigned to each chord. Uppercase numerals represent chords with a major tonality, while lowercase numerals represent chords with a minor tonality (including diminished chords).
The most basic chord progression in contemporary music is the ubiquitous I - IV - V (called “one, four, five”) progression. This three-chord progression is the foundation for countless popsongs and the entire genre of American Blues music. It comes from taking the firstchord in the key, the fourth chord in the key, and the fifth chord in the key, and repeating them in a set pattern.
In the key of C, the chords in this progression are “C”, “F” and “G”.Try programming this progression in the Chord Progression Generator.
Expanding on the I - IV - V progression, we can learn the I - V - vi - IV (one, five, six, four) progression. This common pop progression is famous for being turned into a smart bit of comedy by Aussie band Axis of Awesome. It can be used interchangeably in hundreds if not thousands of hit songs over the last century.
You’ll find this progression labeled, “Pop progression 2” in the Chord Progression Generator.
The most common progression in Jazz music is the ii - V - I progression (also included in the Chord Progression Generator)
There are plenty of progressions to explore, don’t stop here.
Get into the Habit of Practicing
Just like training your ears or learning to draw or paint, improvement only comes from consistent practice. Developing a practice habit of even just 15-20 minutes per day starting out will give you consistently better returns than neglecting your new skill for weeks on end, followed by the odd two-hour training session.
Try to bring variation to your practice regimen. Your brain craves new stimuli, and practicing the same old thing over and over again will make you feel discouraged. Set aside a few minutes to practice playing chords, scales and melodies or reading basic musical notation. Also, take some time for ear training andwork on your repertoire of songs.
Whether you’re aspiring to virtuoso status, or simply looking to master the piano as a utility in your music you’ve taken the right first step. Keep practicing and we can’t wait to see (and hear) the results.
FAQs
Virtual Piano Keyboard & Recorder: Play Piano Online? ›
Use your computer keyboard or click the piano keys to play the piano. The keyboard's top row of letters corresponds to the white keys, and the row of numbers corresponds to the black keys. You can play multiple notes simultaneously.
Can I play online piano? ›Use your computer keyboard or click the piano keys to play the piano. The keyboard's top row of letters corresponds to the white keys, and the row of numbers corresponds to the black keys. You can play multiple notes simultaneously.
Can I turn my keyboard into a piano? ›Yes, learning piano on a keyboard is possible. The layout of keys is identical on both instruments. The songs you learn to play on a piano will transfer directly to a keyboard, and vice versa, with little adjustment needed for small differences in the width of the keys or the amount of pressure needed to play them.
Can I learn piano with virtual piano? ›Virtual Piano is the easiest way to learn piano online. It enables you to play the piano instantly. Become an online pianist and create your own extraordinary music. Virtual Piano is the original online piano platform, played by more than 19 million people a year.
Is virtual piano app free? ›1. Magic Piano by Smule. Magic Piano by Smule is a free app for Android and iOS in which you can play all-time classics or compose your own music.
Is there a free piano keyboard app? ›Org Piano:Real Piano Keyboard is a free software for Android, belonging to the category 'Music'.
What is the best website to play piano? ›- 1) Pianote – Best Online Piano Course With Video/Lessons.
- 2) Simply Piano – Great All Around Piano Lessons.
- 3) Playground Sessions – Best Platform For Learning Your Favorite Songs.
- 4) Flowkey – Beginners To Intermediate.
- 5) Skoove – Beginners.
- 6) Rocket Piano.
- 7) Piano Marvel.
Simply Piano– very popular and gives a solid foundation
Simply piano is available for both iOS and Android devices as an app that contains everything you need to learn piano.It works by using the microphone to listen to the notes that you are playing or by connecting to the device via a MIDI cable.
What Is A. Self-Playing Piano? A self-playing piano is a standard acoustic piano that plays itself. Wirelessly operated from an iPad or other mobile device, you simply choose your song, hit play and sit back and enjoy as the piano comes alive!
Is there an online keyboard? ›The online piano keyboard simulates a real piano keyboard with 7 1/4 octaves of 88 keys (only five octaves for mobile devices), a sustain pedal, ABC or DoReMe letter notes representation, a Metronome, zoom-in, and a full-screen mode.
Is a digital piano just a keyboard? ›
A digital piano is designed to emulate an acoustic piano's sound and feel. Most incorporate a few digital effects and PC connectivity. Keyboards produce a much wider variety of sounds and house an arranger feature. The main function of many keyboards is to act as a MIDI controller for PC software.
Can I play piano on my phone? ›My Piano Phone is a full piano learning, playing and music creation studio app right inside your phone or tablet. You can play piano through the phone's touch screen anywhere you go. Simple design features, intuitive, easy to use, it's easy to learn, play piano and record your favorite songs.
How much is a Virtual Piano fee? ›Average cost of live online piano lessons
A casual comparison of several websites shows an average cost of roughly $30 to $40 per hour for live online piano lessons. The price can go lower or considerably higher for some online piano teachers.
Learn at Your Speed
Online learning allows you to learn more in less time. For one thing, when you take piano lessons online you don't have to spend time driving to your teacher's home or studio. More importantly, you can go through lessons as fast as you want.
Is Simply Piano Really Free? Simply Piano does have one free course (“Piano Basics”), and after you've completed it, you will be prompted to pay for a subscription before you can access more advanced material. Furthermore, before you purchase the paid version of the app, you can experiment with a free seven day trial.
Is Simply Piano fully free? ›As for subscription options, Simply Piano offers a 7-day free trial so you can try it before you buy it. After that, it is $149.99 per year, $89.99 for six months, or $59.99 for three months.
Is Dream Piano free? ›Dream Piano is a great piano music game awaiting to be played! It's a music game for FREE, contains rich type of songs.
How to get Simply Piano free? ›Get a free trial | Simply Piano 101. You can start your free 7-day trial by downloading the app from the App Store/Play Store and then subscribing to our annual plan inside the app. Important: Be sure to select the subscription option that includes a trial badge, as some of our shorter options do not include a trial.
Is synthesia piano free? ›The game is completely free as-well! They have a really great learning process for beginners. You can practice your song note by note, and once your confident enough you can play them all together!
Is there an app like Simply Piano? ›2 – Vivace
Vivace is a good alternative to Simply Piano in that it centers piano learning around deciphering sheet music. The app is only available on Google Play. Indeed, this piano software focuses on teaching you the essential notions to be able to read a score in an efficient and fluid way.
Is Flowkey completely free? ›
You can download the flowkey app for free and immediately gain free access to selected songs and course content. For full access to all songs and course content, you will need to purchase a flowkey Premium subscription. You can access flowkey Premium content on all your devices.
Is Virtual Piano legit? ›Yes, Virtual Piano is completely safe for children. We aim to create and maintain a safe environment for all users. We enforce a code of conduct through our House Rules and any users who violate this will be blocked from our channels.
Can seniors learn to play piano? ›Yes, you can learn to play piano after age 60! While some things may become more difficult as we age, like taking up basketball or bodybuilding, playing piano is not one of them.
What is smart piano app? ›The Smart Pianist is a special app that provides a variety of music-related functionality when connected to a compatible instrument. In addition to selecting piano voices, you can use Smart Pianist to adjust parameters such as reverberation and other factors that affect the sound of the piano.
What is a good app to learn how do you play piano? ›- Flowkey – Foundations for All Ages.
- Playground Sessions – The Popular Music Lover's Pick.
- Pianoforall – All About Improvisation.
- Skoove – Quick Piano Foundations.
- Pianote – Most Teacher Interaction.
- Piano Marvel – A Comprehensive Method for Classical Music Lovers.
- Piano in 21 Days – The Anti-Traditional Method.
- My Piano.
- Magic Piano by Smule.
- Pianist HD.
- Perfect Piano.
- Flowkey.
- Piano Melody.
- Piano Lesson PianoMan.
- Real Piano.
A virtual piano is an application (software) designed to simulate playing a piano on a computer. The virtual piano is played using a keyboard and/or mouse and typically comes with many features found on a digital piano.
What is a ghost piano? ›The Piano Ghost is the ghost of the German composer Ludwig van Beethoven. Episode 4 Ghost: Requiem from the Dead - Elise. The Piano Ghost haunts a piano of the old school and curses people through the song Für Elise, stating that they will die if they hear the song four times.
What is a free virtual keyboard? ›This handy keyboard has keys large enough to be typed with the fingertips. Also Free Virtual Keyboard allows people with mobility impairments to type data by using a pointing device. Free Virtual Keyboard comes with 4 different virtual keyboards and supports all languages and keyboard layouts installed in the system.
Does Google have a virtual keyboard? ›Open the keyboard
At the bottom right, select the time. Accessibility. Under "Keyboard and text input," turn on On-screen keyboard.
How do I get a virtual keyboard on my phone? ›
- On your Android phone or tablet, open the Settings app. .
- Tap System. Languages and input.
- Tap Virtual keyboard. Manage keyboards.
- Turn on Gboard.
Digital pianos, as their name implies, are designed specifically to have the sound and feel of acoustic pianos — and sometimes to look like them as well. Digital keyboards, on the other hand, typically offer a wider range of sounds, but rarely have the feel or look of an acoustic piano.
Should I get a piano or digital piano? ›THE KEY DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ACOUSTIC AND DIGITAL
Digital pianos don't require tuning. Space: Acoustic pianos are larger than digital pianos and need much more space to get the optimum sound. Portability: digital pianos generally weigh less and can be moved around and transported with little hassle.
If they are interested in playing modern music at a variety of locations, then a keyboard might be the better choice. Alternatively, if they are likely to play more traditional piano music at venues that usually have a piano (such as at church) then piano lessons are probably the best option.
How can I play the piano without buying it? ›- Invest In A Keyboard. If having a full-sized piano in your home is not particularly feasible or doable for you at this precise moment in time, then you should consider purchasing a keyboard instead. ...
- Download Apps For Your Smartphone Or Tablet Device. ...
- Using Piano Mats. ...
- Try Using A QWERTY Piano. ...
- Try Out Some Finger Exercises.
The cost of self-playing system installation is $15,500 on compatible Blüthner grand piano and baby grand piano models (also select uprights). Whatever self-playing bundle you decide on will include an iPad with all the necessary apps.
Are digital pianos cheap? ›Some digital pianos offer both an authentic piano playing experience and lots of features for learning and music production, but they are a bit pricier and usually cost well over $500 (Yamaha DGX-670, Casio PX-360, Casio PX-S3100, etc.) Today we're going to talk about the second segment ($500) of entry-level keyboards.
What is portable digital piano? ›A digital piano is a type of electronic keyboard instrument designed to serve primarily as an alternative to the traditional acoustic piano, both in how it feels to play and in the sound it produces.
How long does it take the average person to learn piano? ›Most people who want to learn piano to play for their own enjoyment can get great results within three to five years of study and practice. Whatever level you're hoping to achieve, your progress depends on how diligently and effectively you practice.
What age is it easiest to learn piano? ›What is the best age to Learn TO play piano? The best age to start piano lessons is typically between the ages of 6 and 9-years-old. While older students may have an easier time learning to play, students as young as 6-years-old can also learn since the keys of the piano are easy to operate.
How long does it take for someone to learn how do you play the piano? ›
| Level | Duration | Practice Time |
|---|---|---|
| Beginner | 6-7 months | 0.5-1 hour daily |
| Intermediate | 1-2 years | 1-2 hours daily |
| Advanced | 5-8 years | 3-4 hours daily |
| Expert | 10-15 years | 5-8 hours daily |
The online piano keyboard simulates a real piano keyboard with 7 1/4 octaves of 88 keys (only five octaves for mobile devices), a sustain pedal, ABC or DoReMe letter notes representation, a Metronome, zoom-in, and a full-screen mode.
How does virtual piano work? ›A virtual piano is an application (software) designed to simulate playing a piano on a computer. The virtual piano is played using a keyboard and/or mouse and typically comes with many features found on a digital piano.
How do I use a virtual keyboard when my keyboard is not working? ›Click on the Windows icon in your taskbar and choose Settings. Choose the Ease of Access tile. Scroll down in the left-side panel, then click on Keyboard listed under the Interaction section. Click on the toggle under “Use the On-Screen Keyboard” to turn on the virtual keyboard in Windows 10.
Why is there no sound on my virtual piano? ›To fix it, go to Safari > Settings for This Website > Autoplay. Then, select 'Allow all Autoplay' and reload the page. The virtual piano should now play sounds correctly everytime you visit our website.
What are each piano key notes? ›Each key on a piano uses seven basic notes (C, D, E, F, G, A, B). These notes repeat themselves all over the keyboard. The white keys range from A to G, and the black keys are 'sharper' or 'flatter' in sound than the neighboring keys. As you can see, they have can have two different names!
What is a digital piano vs keyboard? ›A digital piano is designed to emulate an acoustic piano's sound and feel. Most incorporate a few digital effects and PC connectivity. Keyboards produce a much wider variety of sounds and house an arranger feature. The main function of many keyboards is to act as a MIDI controller for PC software.
What are the advantages of virtual piano? ›- Learning From a Comfortable Location.
- No Travel Needed.
- Online Lessons Are Productive.
- Saving You Valuable Time.
- You Have a Wider Selection of Styles.
What Is A. Self-Playing Piano? A self-playing piano is a standard acoustic piano that plays itself. Wirelessly operated from an iPad or other mobile device, you simply choose your song, hit play and sit back and enjoy as the piano comes alive!
What is the best free virtual piano software? ›- 1) Claustrophobic Piano By Christian Henson – Overall Best Free Piano VST.
- 2) Spindle – Orchestral Tools (Incredible Felt Piano)
- 3) Salamander Piano By Bigcat Instruments – Overall Best Free Piano VST (Windows And Mac)
- 4) KeyZone Classic – Windows & Mac.
- 5) The Grand DSK Piano – Windows & Mac.
How much is a virtual piano fee? ›
Average cost of live online piano lessons
A casual comparison of several websites shows an average cost of roughly $30 to $40 per hour for live online piano lessons. The price can go lower or considerably higher for some online piano teachers.
Play every single key and make sure it sounds. After that, use the pedal all the way to the right and make sure the sound sustains when you lift your finger from a key. Try holding the pedal down while you press 20-30 keys, one after the other, and see if any pitches "drop" from the sustained sound. They should not.
Do digital pianos have built in speakers? ›The sound quality of a digital piano is often better than a keyboard because they typically have built in speakers, but this also reduces the portability in comparison to the keyboard. Digital pianos also tend to have “weighted keys” which make them feel more like an acoustic piano when playing.