Get To Know The Piano Keyboard And Be A Better Pianist

By Lynn Lopez

So you're very interested in learning how to play the piano keyboard, but you find all those black and white keys and three pedals pretty intimidating? Don't worry; they're no cause for alarm. All you need to get started is to familiarize yourself first with all the parts of a piano keyboard.

The piano keyboard is made up of a total of 88 keys: 36 black keys and 52 white keys. The pitch of the notes ascend as you work your way up to the rightmost portion of the keyboard, indicating that your music's octaves are rising. The white keys are the natural notes, which aren't sharpened or flattened. Sharps and flats are sounded by pressing the black keys. For example, the black key immediately to the right of C is called the C sharp (C#). This C sharp key is the D flat key of a natural D. Simply put, a black key positioned at the right of a white key is the sharp, and the black key on the left is its flat.

That's a short sample of how you can figure out the flats, sharps, and naturals of a piano keyboard. If you want to broaden your skill and knowledge in playing the piano keyboard, you have to be familiar with notes, scales, and chords. Having a piano or an electronic piano keyboard would also allow you to practice what you learn right away. In this case, you can either take piano lessons.

But if you don't have the time or think you cannot afford the services of a private piano instructor, it would be best if you study on your own with the help of many online piano courses out there (yes, studying piano online is becoming a very popular option these days). Not only will online study help you go at your own pace, you also have a wealth of online videos available to you which will help you learn to play the piano keyboard.

You might wonder if you really will get to use all the keys on a piano keyboard--and the answer is yes, you actually will once you've become proficient in playing the piano. If you want to be able to play piano with fewer keys, consider getting an electronic keyboard instead. This doesn't have as many keys and it will make it easier for you to focus on playing your music. Electronic keyboards will, however, limit your ability to practice playing music in numerous octaves. - 18762

About the Author:

Find out how to play the piano by ear and you will improve motor skills, increase you musical ability and impress your friends and family. Start today living a dream, and learn how to play the piano online it will help you gain a whole new sense of self.