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How To Avoid Finger And Arm Pains When Playing Piano – Part 1

// December 9th, 2011 // No Comments » // music

If you have ever worked a PC or scribed by hand for an extended period, you’ll know how simple it can be to begin developing cramps and tenderness in your arms, hands and fingers.

Many folks are surprised to find that this is due to incorrect postures and methods that are employed while doing these activities, rather than simply doing the activity itself.

Piano playing is not different from this. If you think about it, it involves sitting at a desk (of sorts) and doing the same actions over and over for extended periods of time.

To get to the bottom of this, we have assembled a guide to answering all of your piano aches and pains – aside from sustained practice that is!

Where do the problems start?

Most issues start from the moment you sit down. When you are on a piano, posture is everything!

If you sit at a piano and it doesn’t feel natural of comfy, then probabilities are that there is an issue with your posture. I can not tell you which posture is ‘right ‘ as this is as individual as the person themselves.

Many players know this can happen from the moment they start their first piano practice and learning piano notes!

How Am I Able To Find The Best Posture?

What you ought to be doing is trying out one or two different positions. Does it feel natural? Can you feel any strain in your arms, hands or neck? Most critically, could you sit that way for half and hour to an hour and still be comfy?

If you answered no to any of those questions, you’ll want to move around some more and see whether anything changes.

Don’t forget that all sorts of factors can affect your comfort, including the height of your seat, your distance from the piano and even the height of your music sheets, so take care to try adjusting everything!

Also ensure that you hands are parallel with your arms and that your fingers drop down to the keys. If your hands are at different angles from your arms, you can develop wrist pain when practicing for extended periods of time.

In the subsequent article, we will be taking a look at some exercises to cope with any issues you could be currently experiencing and the way to avoid pain in the future.

Dr. Anthony Fernando is the creator of the well-liked piano software “Piano Is Fun which helps children and adult students learn to read piano notes. Visit his site to find out more about learning piano notes

What is the best way to Learn The Piano? Part 3

// November 25th, 2011 // 1 Comment » // music

In the previous articles, we’ve looked at books, DVD’s and learning on your own, so this time we will be taking a look at :

Learning from a Teacher

This is the second traditional way people learn to play the piano.

A piano instructor is a great way to learn how to play, they can appraise your ability level and what you want to learn and then go about teaching you ways to achieve that.

One thing to bear in mind is that even with a teacher, you will not become an expert overnight or in a few weeks.

Just like every other methodology, you will need practice, determination and motivation to keep playing and improving. Its something that takes years to perfect.

While teachers are definitely a great option, there remain a couple of drawbacks. They are not available all of the time. You will find that like everybody else, they work a certain set of hours. This may not match up well with your availability or when you like to learn and play.

The other disadvantage is that teachers cost money. You’ll need to pay for each lesson as long as you keep going, so its a continuing investment to your learning.

So Which Is The Best Way?

There isn’t any ‘right ‘ way of learning how to play the piano. You have to take a look at yourself and think about how you like to learn new things.

Consider the last time you had to learn something? Did you read instructions or books, watch or ask somebody else about it or simply have a go at it yourself?

Myself, I started by hiring a teacher to learn the basics, I wanted to make sure I got the basics right and work my way up from there. I then started with learn piano software later on to help me learn the tracks I wanted.

Nevertheless this is only how I worked and I tried a couple of approaches before I figured out what was best for me. You may find that you learn better by reading on your own and experimenting and practicing in your own time.

Whatever methodology you select, ensure you weigh up your options and choose thoroughly, and if its not working for you, don’t be frightened to try one of the other choices!

Happy playing!

Doctor. Anthony Fernando is the creator of the favored piano software “Piano Is Fun which helps kids and adult beginners learn how to read piano notes. Visit his website for detailed information about learn piano software.

5 Vital Tips For Piano Lessons

// November 7th, 2011 // 22 Comments » // music

Music is a very important part of our lives. It does lots more than merely please our ears “it's an integral component of human development.
Several years ago, there was an experiment done by scientists at the Varsity of California at Irvine in 1993. (revealed in the journal Nature) They had students hear Mozart Sonata for two Pianos in D Major, a relaxation tape or silence. Immediately after these sessions, the students took a spatial reasoning test (the power to put together puzzles) and the students ‘ scores improved significantly after listening to the Music. The rationale is perhaps because music and spatial capabilities share the same pathways in the brain.

Another experiment was done later on by researchers at Appalachian State Varsity and the researchers were successful as well in connecting music to boosting “brain power”.

They gave preschool youngsters (ages 3-4 yrs. Old) coaching for 8 months. Children were separated into 4 groups: Keyboard lessons, Singing lessons, Computer lessons and No lessons. After 8 months of this treatment, the youngsters were tested on their capability to put together puzzles (spatial-temporal reasoning) and to recognize shapes (spatial-recognition reasoning) and the results were astonishing! They found that only those kids who had taken the keyboard lessons had improvement in the spatial-temporal test. (The children didn't, however show any change with the spatial-recognition.)

Another interesting observation I've made is the linkage between the Medical profession and the Music profession “a big majority of M.D.’s are Classically trained musicians! I've encountered many and have asked them all the same query “how do you make the linkage between the medical and the musical “and the reply I've had is they are both really complicated and require a rare focus and mathematical mind-set in many different directions immediately. It’s done by many years of intensive training in either and/or both fields, which by the same token – enhance one another. So to them “the likeness in brain function and focus is clear and invaluable to both the medical and the musical. It's going to be engaging to witness the results of further study in that matter. Now, there isn't any decisive explanation scientifically of the linkage between Medical and Musical.

Now “for the 5 Tips for Piano Lessons!

1) Interest:
Appraise the interest of your child. Is this something that they truly like “or is it your dream? The kid should show genuine interest in music and a keyboard for their learning experience to be a pleasing and successful one. If they're not interested “ask yourself why you even pursued it? Is it because you have got an inner wish for it? It Is never too late to begin! Sign yourself up for Piano lessons if that's the case. I've have scholars of each age “some played when they were kids then give up. As they were given older, regretted giving up and promised to one day pick it up again. Then there are others who always had the desire though not the chance and now find themselves retired with lots of time on their hands. They have really become Piano experts! I give you these beautiful examples to give you hope and a poke “psssst! It’s never too late! The coed must be really interested.
2) Instrument:
It’s fine to start Piano lessons on an electronic keyboard. As time goes on, the scholar will know in which direction they would love to take the Piano lessons. If it's just for personal enjoyment, it’s fine to remain with a keyboard.
If it is for classical Piano training “then the student should be switched over to an acoustic Piano. In my experience as a Piano teacher, I've spotted that a Spinet Piano (the ones with a low back) unless it is given as a gift, should not be purchased. It would be preferable to purchase an “Upright” which is a Baby Grand Piano, but instead of the strings being vertical they are horizontal. The reason being, the action on the keys is far better technically for the student’s hand, and it sound significantly better to the ear.
3) Teacher:
Ask around and get feedback from others about their teachers. Discover the teacher’s background. Where did they get the education from, how long have they been teaching, where do they teach from, what are the surroundings like? Ask current students how patient the teacher is and how will they feel in the lesson. You must get a rather good idea about the teacher by how current students are progressing. Does the teacher’s personality blend with your kids. Remember, this is a choice! At school the children have to adjust to the teacher that has been assigned to. Them, and that is a great thing. They learn how to get along with differing types of characters, but Piano is an extra-curricular activity and may be a nice one that they look forward to.
4) Schedule:
Kids can be simply overpowered by too much in their schedule. As adults “we’ve experienced overload for ourselves and it Is so counterproductive! It’s advisable to limit activities for the kids not to be pulled in too many directions.
Once activities have been selected, I've found with my kids and students that by writing down a daily schedule, everything gets done and there are no excuses for omitting to practice.
5) Dedication:
Once a schedule is in place , practicing piano will become part of daily routine. After a while, the student will not be so “worried” about time, but will need to hit goals set by the teacher. The scholar will need dedication for the craft to go from mechanical to musical. Give them encouragement to listen to a large range of styles and genre’s in order for them to develop their own taste for music. At an early stage, determination can be fixed in a student by taking part in Recitals, Talent Shows and Worship Services. It takes diligence and dedication “also sacrifices to make piano a pretty craft.

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What is the best way to Learn The Piano? Part 1

// October 27th, 2011 // No Comments » // music

If you’ve ever attempted learning an instrument before you’ll realize there are a whole heap of different things to learn and it isn’t just as easy as learning the right actions.

Piano is no different, there’s a number of things you must learn, whether its the simple way to read music, learn piano notes, picking up the rhythm or style of a song or getting the speed and timing right.

There’s numerous different ways in which you can master the piano, so we’ll be looking at the varied approaches you can take as well as their advantages and drawbacks.

Learning From A Book

Learning from a book is seen by some as the ‘traditional way ‘ of learning how to play any instrument. I have heard of a number of people who had to sit in front of their piano and read their lessons and learn how to play the set pieces time after time.

There are advantages and disadvantages to this approach.

The benefits are that once you get a book, you own it. You don’t have to pay weekly installments or regular costs.

You can also use the book at any time, its never unavailable so you are free to just pick it up and start practicing whenever you are ready or it suits your timetable. No set times, it could be early in the morning or late in the night.

Sounds good right? But there are restrictions to the book.

Books contain a specific amount of info. You might come across an issue that isn’t covered by the book. Or you might want to learn some music that isn’t in the book. In this example, you are going to need to go to somewhere or somebody else to discover what you want to understand.

Also a book does not inspire you to keep going, can’t tell if you what a song should sound like or if you’re playing a selected piece correctly.

So you’ve got to take those factors into consideration.

In the next article, we’ll be looking at the advantages of DVD’s and teaching yourself.

Until then, keep at it and don’t forget to practice!

Dr. Anthony Fernando is the creator of the well-liked piano software “Piano Is Fun which helps kids and adult beginners learn to read piano notes. Visit his website to learn piano notes quickly and easily.

Is Learning The Piano Right For Me? Part 2

// September 16th, 2011 // No Comments » // music

In the last article, we looked at how money and time can affect whether learning the piano is right for you. In this article, we will be looking at the physical factors that will influence your choice.

Some questions you should be asking in regards your practice space are:

Do You Have The Room?

Not everybody has the space for a piano. While some homes have a spare room or at a minimum a room which has sufficient space to accommodate a piano, this doesn’t actually mean yours does.

Just think for a moment where you would put a piano if you were to buy one today. Could you think about the best place to put it? You can always put it in a garage, or store it at a pal’s house. Remember though this will mean you will have to be more motivated to learn as you will have to travel, just to reach the piano.

An alternative choice that was discussed in the previous article is a keyboard or digital piano. These are far easier to find a place to play as a you can just put them on a table or bench. Also, storage isn’t a problem as they easily fit into most cabinets or shelves when not in use.

Will Anyone Mind You Practicing?

The one thing about pianos is they have little noise control. There’s no general ‘volume ‘ knob to make them quieter and every time you press a key, the piano will emit a strong, solid note which will ring out.

Playing lightly is quite difficult and will hamper the usefulness of your practice. You will notice that you spend longer taking care that you aren’t pressing the keys too hard, rather than taking the time to learn piano notes and make sure you are hitting the right ones.

Whether or not you have the room for a piano, you’ll want to go to lengths to make certain that people don’t object. Other people in your house will be able to hear you practice and this may be detrimental to them, particularly if the room is next to a bedroom.

Also consider your neighbors. If you live in a condo, townhouse or share a wall with another house, you might want to buy a digital piano and some headphones to keep the peace with your neighbours.

In the next article we will be looking at how other people and you could be the limiting factor on your own piano success.

Dr. Anthony Fernando is the creator of the popular piano software – Piano Is Fun which helps youngsters and adult beginners learn how to read piano notes. Visit his website to learn piano notes efficiently