I am sure that many of you would be passionate about music and might be having some of the music instrument to enjoy this pleasant joy given to us. There are different sort of music instruments that people usually owe such as guitar, trumpet, drum, woodwinds, strings or piano. Out of these pianos is the one that is not easy to play and also to maintain in comparison to the other ones mentioned.

 

So if you have a badly stained piano and you want to care for it then it doesn’t require any professional cleaner or polisher but all you need is a regular soft buff with a lint free cloth. Any sprays or harsh chemicals will damage the surface of the delicate keys and shall also make the instrument look older and worn than what actually it is.

 

For cleaning the ivory keys you should not:

1. Immerse in water

2. Scrub with a brush or even a scouring pad

3. Use any type of chemicals or even washing up liquid can damage the previous surface

4. Spray with furniture polish

5. Use air-freshener anywhere near the keys or piano

 

Ivory should be gently wiped with a soft clean cloth and for stubborn marks or fingerprints you should first wash your hands and thereafter you can use a mild non-colored toothpaste on a damp cloth but ensure that you gently rub and never scrub. Rinse with fresh milk with another lint free cloth and buff well.

 

You should leave the piano open on sunny days so that the keys stay bleached and don’t turn yellow. Keys that are badly discolored or stained should be scraped and recovered by any professional piano cleaner.

 

For cleaning plastic keys you should not:

1. Use chemicals

2. Leave the piano open for long period of time as this shall cause discoloration of the keys

3. Use furniture polish as this could be very harsh

 

Dust regularly and wipe occasionally with a soft solution of warm water and vinegar on clean chamois leather. Then buff well for added shine. If you want to clean the casework that usually gets very dusty you can use a vacuum cleaner attachment to get rid of any cobwebs or dust. It can take some time but it will surely be worth and remember not to use any water or liquid to clean the casework. For stains and marks you can consult a professional piano cleaner or tuner.

Whether you already play piano or are about to learn, you want to play well. Maybe you want to impress your family. Or perhaps you want to be able to impress your friends. Maybe you simply want to play well for your own enjoyment. There are many things you can do to ensure that you don't fall into any bad habits while perfecting your playing. This article will offer some piano playing tips that will help you develop your skills.

 

Tip #1: One Hand At A Time

 

When learning to play a new piece, begin by playing with only one hand. Learn the hand movements and play the piece with each hand separately. If you are right-handed, this exercise will strengthen your left hand. Once you know how to play the piece with each hand separately, you may be surprised how easy it is to play it with both hands.

 

2. Learn to play the piece before using the foot pedals. Just like you learn piano pieces one hand at a time, you will want to learn to use your hands and feet separately. Once you've mastered using both hands on the piece, you can practice just using your feet while counting beats. Once you've memorized the foot portion of the musical piece, you can put the hands and feet together. Many people struggle with using the foot pedals for piano because they're not used to activities that coordinate their feet with their hands. If you plan on playing the organ some day it is vital that you learn to practice the feet and hands separately while you learn piano pieces.

 

3. Visualize yourself pressing the piano keys as you listen to music or as you recall playing the music in the past. Visualization has been shown to improve concentration and to work as a form of practice. Visualization is also a very important part of memorizing musical scores. You can't completely learn piano pieces by visualization, but you can definitely improve on the effectiveness of your practice sessions.

 

4. Have a balanced practice plan. You do not want to spend all of your time practicing warm ups and chord combination exercises. Likewise, you do not want to spend all of your time to learn piano by playing a single piece of music. You need to be disciplined enough to dedicate time to your warm ups and time to your pieces during each practice session. While repetition is important, rest and variety are also important to keep your mind fresh. Keeping a balanced routine now will increase your rate of learning new pieces after you've been playing for about two years.

 

5. Change your practice routine every three to six weeks. While it is important to have a consistently balanced practice routine, that doesn't mean you have to practice the same stuff in the same way forever. Change to a different warm up plan once in a while and you'll learn piano in a more holistic way mentally. Throw in different chord scales into your warm ups as you learn piano. Learn a different style or piece now and then. You may think if you like one style of piano piece better than others the best way to learn piano is to concentrate on that style. It is true that you should spend the most time on the style you like the best, but learning as many styles as possible will actually increase your versatility within the style you like best. You may even find yourself mixing in some things to create a whole new style of music that is your own as you learn piano.

 

You can get a more in-depth knowledge about the piano in general and the digital piano in particular by going to www.the-piano-site.com - The Complete Online Resource For Pianos And Piano Music.

Tip 1

 

Set a goal

 

Have a goal every time you sit down to practice playing scales and arpeggios over and over 'will not' improve your playing. A goal would be to master a chosen piece within a certain amount of time by practicing it for 15 minutes EVERY DAY. Then when it has been perfected, transposing it into another key.

 

Tip 2

 

Accompany a friend

 

Try to accompany a friend or play in a band. Playing with other people is THE BEST WAY to improve your rhythm. You have to really concentrate very hard to stay in time and this action alone will improve your rhythm, sight reading and musical ear like no other. It is also a lot of fun and breaks down the boredom of practicing alone.

 

Tip 3

 

Ignore mistakes

 

Don't worry about making mistakes. If all we did was worry about making mistakes, we would never get anywhere. We would live in constant fear!

 

When you are learning a new piece of music for example. If you were to know in advance that you where going to make 25 mistakes before you could play the piece perfectly, would you worry about making these mistakes?... NO! You would want to make these 25 mistakes as quickly as possible... wouldn't you? What I am trying to say is each mistake you make brings you closer to your goal.

 

As long as your ear can recognize the mistakes, you can correct them and move on.

 

Tip 4

 

Learn How To Play Chords First

 

If you can learn the basic chords first before tackling classical pieces, you will be a long way ahead. Most popular music is based around simple chords and if you can master these, you will be able to play a lot of famous tunes and have great fun doing this.

 

The classical approach really limits you early on and I find that it discourages most beginners from continuing past their first year. If they were to learn the chord system first and then progress on to classical pieces, I am absolutely certain there would be far fewer students that give up.

 

Tip 5

 

The Right Mental Approach

 

Getting your mindset right is probably THE MOST IMPORTANT thing to do. Practicing because you have to and just going through the motions will not get you anywhere. This approach nearly always leads to boredom and eventually giving up.

 

The way to improve rapidly is to concentrate completely for every minute you set aside for practice and focus on improving one thing. This could be part of a piece, a new chord, a scale or anything you choose.

 

Seeing this progress gives you a sense of achievement and will keep you going through the session and the next.

 

Tip 6

 

Make Sure Your Mind Is Clear

 

If you have had a bad day, received some bad news, been in an argument etc. then you should not practice. You must get yourself in the right frame of mind in able to make the most out of your practice session.

 

Try going for a walk over the park - get some fresh air. Read a book, watch some TV - whatever it takes to get you in the right mood ready to practice and make some improvements to your playing.

 

If you still can't get yourself in the right mood then skip today's session and come back tomorrow focused.

 

Tip 7

 

Visualize

 

Many sports coaches teach the skill of visualization. Athletes are taught to see themselves running and winning an event. They see themselves from the starting gun step-by-step all the way to the finish line, breaking the tape, arms in the air and the crowd applauding their victory.

 

When the race 'for real' comes around, they are mentally prepared and more likely to run to the best of their ability.

 

It is no different to playing the piano...

 

Try visualizing yourself playing a piece of music that you have been practicing recently or are about to perform.

 

Picture the piece of music in your mind, the fingering for each note, your fingers pressing down the piano keys, the hand positions and chord shapes. Try to hear the piece.

 

You will be amazed at how quickly your playing improves when you can visualize a piece in as much detail as this.

 

Organs and Synthesizers

 

They're all played about the same way. On the piano, folks will often use the sustain pedal so that the note can be played, and then your fingers immediately leave the note and go onto another note. On the organ, you will need to keep your fingers on the key for as long as you want it to make a sound. Synthesizers may allow you to set this behaviour.

 

Chords

 

The cords illustrated below, on the bottom staff, are the most typical cords in the key of C, which is the simplest key to play in. The notes on the top staff are typical of what notes you might be playing at the same time as playing the cord.

 

 

I usually go about it the other way around. If I'm playing a C note in the melody, I will typically form a C cord with the left. If I'm playing a D with the right hand, I'll typically form a G cord with the left. There's no hard and fast rules, play what sounds good. (The small grids above the staff are for guitarists.)

 

Playing by Ear

 

The grand mystery to playing by ear is deciding which note to start out on. If you choose that note properly, the rest of the music is greatly simplified. It also helps if you play the music in the key of C (no sharps or flats). To choose the first note, hum the last note in the song as a C. Then hum the first note in the song, and match it to the piano. This is simplified, because the starting note will typically be one of the notes in the base cord of the last note. (see drawing below)

 

Fake Books

 

Another fun book to play from is called a fake book. They typically come with just the melodies of the songs, and perhaps recommendations for what cords sound good with a particular part of the melody. You make up your own accompaniment as you feel best. To the uninitiated, it sounds like full blown sheet music, but the pianist knows what's really going on.

 

Finding Music

 

The library is a great place to find music. Especially if you are learning to sight read. You can check out a book, play the songs in it a few times, and then go on to another book. This way, you always have a fresh challenge and don't get bored with the same old stuff.

 

Finding the Notes

 

To make learning sheet music easier, take a staff of music, cut it up into little pieces, and tape the pieces to the appropriate key on the piano, right up next to the body so they won't be in the way. Here's some notes if you want to try this at your place. You can tell where they go by looking at the staff at the top of this page.

 

Children and the Piano

 

So often, a parent will say, "Don't touch the piano", or "Quit making such awful noise on the piano", then the parent wonders why the children don't want to play the piano when formal lessons start. Children learn best by doing. Let them goof with the keys while you play. (It's less intrusive if you put them on the right side of you!) Or let them make horrible sounds by themselves, and if they accidentally play something that sounds good, be sure to acknowledge it, so it will be more likely to occur in the future. My son by the age of 8 was playing well both by reading music, and by ear, without ever having had a lesson. He just tinkered around. Not saying that there aren't some pretty unmusical things coming out of the piano, (even now), but overall the joy of listening to him play compensates for any bit of patience that was required.

 

Playing with Both Hands

 

(Nearly always) play with both hands, don't try to separate them.

 

Don't worry about skipping a note here or there in the harmony. If you don't get there in time,  just go on to the next one, or make up a harmony! Few listeners will be able to tell. After a while your left hand will develop a feel for where the notes might be expected to be. After a while, your right hand will be able to pick out the melody essentially by ear without having to pay so much attention to the notes on the page, thus allowing you to pay more attention to the left hands harmonies. These two trends will combine together to  make playing easier and easier. Doing a little bit of playing by ear, and a little bit of sight reading new music, will help to strengthen these trends.

 

Where to Put your fingers

 

For scales:

 

The orthodox technique, for example if you are going up the scale with  the right hand, would be to play the first three notes starting with your thumb, and then after playing the note under your middle finger to play the next note with your thumb again. (The thumb crosses under.) Going back down the scale, starting with the pinky on your right hand, you would play five notes, and then your middle finger would cross over the top of the  thumb to play the next lower note.

 

Playing with the left hand is a mirror image of what the right  hand does.

 

For regular music:

 

The same sort of arrangement applies, but it is also common to just pick up your hands and move them so that they span the next sequence of notes you are expecting to play.