Looking at the Piano

Before you jump head first into playing the piano, it’s important to get a better feel of how it works. First off you have to take a look at all the various forms of pianos that are out there. Upright pianos have a certain appeal that offers vertical options that are large, heavy, and even tall. They can be around 36″ to 51″ high. Now, if you’re looking for a shorter version like Spinets, these are 36″ to 39″. Studio vertical pianos are 44″ and higher.

If you get the chance to play a grand piano, the sound and overall quality is much better. We consider these horizontal pianos that are around 5′ to 9′ in length. Keep in mind the strings are horizontal as well. What about vertical pianos? Well there strings are vertical.

When it’s time to play you will see a music rack right in front of you. It might be a fold down option or some actually slide into a slot, but you will find one or the other. Just sit down on the bench that the piano comes with and set your music in the rack. Just remember to sit at a comfortable distance so you can reach both ends of the piano during your play.

Underneath the piano is a set of pedals that will help you either sustain a sound or cut it off short. This is something that beginners don’t have to deal with, and only the veteran piano players should worry about throughout a session.

Above all else you have to understand the keyboard. After all, this is where your music will come from those white and black keys running left to right. However, they don’t alternate every key, which is something most people mistakenly believe.

Seriously take a look at them. There is a consistent pattern where there are 7 white keys and 5 black keys. An interval can be performed at the beginning of one set and ending on the beginning of the next set. This is the musical distance between 2 sounds that are better known as an octave.

If you hit each note from left to right you will see that the setup order is from lowest to highest. In order to reach a full step you have to go up or down two half steps. It sounds difficult now, but after a little practice you will notice that it comes very easy.

We also recommend trying a few other intervals so you can hear different sounds. Just glance at the amount of half or full steps you are taking. Choosing a key and playing the next key up in the same position is basically how it works. Over time you will gain plenty of abilities to play octaves without an issue. No pun intended, but this is one of the keys to playing the piano.

If you can get a better understanding for the piano in the beginning, it will be much easier to learn how to make music. In a short amount of time you will see yourself being able to play simple songs. All it takes is a little effort and drive on your part to make it all happen.