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By: Ikedi Ani-okoye.

Introduction to pianos

So you want to buy a piano. What a great musical adventure you have before you. Starting out on the journey, however, can be overwhelming, what with so many types and brands of pianos to choose from. That's why I've provided this primer on piano types and brands for you, so that you can quickly and easily find the right piano for you and get on with enjoying a lifetime of making beautiful music together.

Types of piano

The two primary types of grand pianos are Concert Grand pianos, the largest of grands reaching 9' and over, and Baby Grand pianos, any grand piano that is smaller than 6' tall. Different sizes of grand piano differ in the potential volume of sound it is able to produce, the tonal quality of its lower register (the bass notes), and the overall sound quality.

Also known as vertical pianos, upright pianos have an average of 5,000-6,000 moving parts. They typically cost less and take up less space than grand pianos, and are more commonly owned by amateur and hobbyist piano players.

Playing piano by ear

The secrets to playing piano by ear really do exist, and methods have been proven to work. As a Pianist myself I know how difficult it can be to start to learn the piano, and how time consuming learning certain things can be. It took me around 6-7 years of playing and having lessons to get to a good standard playing songs of grades 5-8. However I have only been able to progress my tallent further when I learnt the methods to playing Piano by ear. -------- Mark Sherris --------

Problems with playing the Piano

The idea of creating one's own music seems to be a foreign notion to most piano students. They believe it is beyond their ability. And with this belief they limit themselves. In fact, I think music may be the only area where students are not encouraged to be creative. Not only that, but the majority of piano teachers want you to learn how to note read before you learn how to play chords - that is, if they teach you chords at all.

CONCLUSION

Private instruction as a rule skips over time consuming aspects of musicianship, most notably, ear training. The ability to hear and recognize sounds is an invaluable skill for the pianist. Its importance is often minimized because many teachers have an undeveloped "ear." Ear training can be included with online courses.