What will you learn in our Piano lessons?

Hand Position

Proper hand position is very important to being able to play piano capably. The fingers should be curved, especially the final joint of every finger. A good hand position can often be felt by simply relaxing your hands at your sides and then bringing the hands up to the piano. Look for a slight C shape between the thumb and index fingers, and try to maintain this while playing. The wrist should remain level on top. Generally fingers should point strait ahead in conjunction with the keys. Each finger should be centered on each of the five notes to allow for greatest accurately. posture should be upright, and seat should be high enough that the elbows do not drop below the level of the keys. Shoulders should be low, and the wrist and elbows should be flexible.

Scales

Scales are very important, because it gives the aspiring pianist an opportunity to just work on legato, and evenness. Legato, (Italian for Tied Together), is an important concept for piano, and best practiced with the scale. The idea is that notes are smoothly connected from one to the next. At the moment the first note is released the next one is pressed down. This means there is no overlap between the sound of the first and second note, and but no gap in sound. The next consideration is how even the sound is. Even refers to volume level, and also rhythm. It can be quite challenging for the beginning pianist to keep every note the same volume level, especially the thumb since it is heavier and tends to make more sound. Rhythm is best practiced with a metronome, and steadily increased as everything becomes more comfortable.

Sight Reading

Sight reading is an important skill for any aspiring musician. To begin, students are taught about treble and bass clefs, (different ranges), and to identify notes that are on the lines, and notes that are in the spaces between the lines. To remember the notes on the lines, students learn phrases such as, “every good boy does fine” The first letter of each word are the notes on the lines of the treble clef from bottom to top. E, G, B, D, F. The notes that are in the spaces between the lines spell the word “Face”, F, A, C, E. As students become faster at identifying these notes based on these simple phrases, the phrases wear off and they simply recognize the note for what it is. In addition to identifying notes, sight reading includes understanding rhythm. Rhythm is differentiated in notation by notes filled in or empty, and with different stems and beams. These indicate different speeds of notes. Even the most accomplished musicians can often improve their sight reading. More advanced training involves pushing speed and looking ahead, and through creating progressive goals.

Music Theory

Music theory teaches us how recognize and identify patterns across all music. It is fascinating because it starts to bring together a clearer understanding, and patterns once complex become simple. Imagine a complicated math equation that actually has a very simple answer. Learning theory involves a mixture of ear training, (the ability to identify harmonies and melodies), as well as identifying and labeling these patterns on paper. Harmony is seen in notation vertically, and is often what might be described as the background in which a melody is set. Harmony consists of chords, (3 or more notes heard simultaneously), and can be Major, Minor, Diminished, and several others. These differences in sound are often described emotionally; happy, sad, or scary. The beginning of music theory training might involve identifying the difference between a couple of these chords. Ultimately, advanced theory students are able to write out the music they hear, and to analyze harmonies and melodies in musical scores. A full grasp on the structure of music can take years to develop.