Easy Piano Lessons

There are 88 keys on the piano keyboard. Most pianists use about 1/3 of this number most of the time. Why?

Well, if you’re playing sheet music, the answer lies in how the composer used the piano. If you’re creating your own music, the answer lies in experimenting with the possibilities.

Now, most of my own music is played near the middle of the keyboard. It’s not planned that way but this is the area of the piano I naturally gravitate towards when sitting down to play. Of course, I do and have used most notes available on the piano and it would be a shame not to. But I allow the music to tell me where it wants to go. If I sit down with a predetermined agenda to play high notes, then I am not listening to my intuition.

Although I have to admit that in Lesson 5: “Winter Scene” I wanted to create a crisp wintry sound so I started further up the keyboard with the left hand and played higher register notes in my right. But most times, I will let my intuition guide me and 9 times out of 10 begin at the middle of the keyboard.

There is nothing wrong or uncreative about this at all. In fact, it doesn’t really matter where you begin because once started, the heart and mind work together as one bringing you the ideal music. It is the only true music that could come out of you because you listen to what your heart wants to play. If you play a few bass notes to begin with fine. Want to start at the high end of the piano, OK.

The key here is authenticity. Some compositions and improvisations sound contrived because they were – that is they were thought up. There really is nothing wrong per se with this approach – as long as you let the music guide you. For example, you may decide you want to do as I did and create a certain mood piece. However, once you get the general idea for the music, let it guide you to where it wants to go – that is, listen, listen, listen for what is coming next. This approach never fails and will most always yield good results.

Edward Weiss is a pianist/composer and webmaster of Quiescence Music’s online piano lessons. He has been helping students learn how to play piano in the New Age style for over 14 years and works with students in private, in groups, and now over the internet. Visit www.quiescencemusic.com now and get a FREE piano lesson!

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Most students new to piano playing really want to know what to do with the left hand. They think the left hand holds the secret to great improvisations and music. While it’s true that the left hand has usually been the captain of the piano ship when it comes to setting arrangements, the right can also join in.

Look, the right hand is where most of us create our melodies. It’s considered easier than the workhorse part the left has to do with creating arpeggios, ostinatos and the like. But, we can also use the right hand to create arpeggios and ostinato patterns.

For example, in the Lesson “April Rain,” the right hand plays closed position seventh chords as arpeggios while the right plays bass notes as melody. This is not a new technique by far but it’s not usually used in New Age piano playing.

And like any other technique, it takes a while before you feel comfortable enough to play a left-hand melody using bass notes. The piano is such a versatile instrument because unlike many other instruments, the notes are all laid out for you. You can switch hands, criss-cross hands, and do many other things with a piano keyboard that you just can’t do with something like a saxophone or even a guitar!

Edward Weiss is a pianist/composer and webmaster of Quiescence Music’s online piano lessons. He has been helping students learn how to play piano in the New Age style for over 14 years and works with students in private, in groups, and now over the internet. Visit www.quiescencemusic.com now and get a FREE piano lesson!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Edward_Weiss
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