How to play the piano by Emily Peterson

How To Play The Piano

The Basics

Special thanks to all the piano teachers I’ve had over the years. They all helped shape the pianist I am today.

Table of contents Sitting at the Piano Hand Positioning Note Reading Sharps and Flats Note Timing Time Signature Notes of the Cleffs Picking a Song Learning the song Making it Sound Good

Sitting at the piano The first step to playing the piano is correctly positioning yourself on the bench. Sit with your knees just under the keys and your belly button at middle C. Typically middle C is right below the brand of the piano.

How to Play the Piano - Sitting at the Piano

Hand Positioning The shape of your hands are very important to being able to move up and down the piano ealily. To make this shape, make a bubble with your hands by putting your fingertips together and applying a little pressure. Now take your hands apart and place your hands on the keys. Place both thumbs on middle C and the rest of your fingers on the four keys above and below middle C. This is called Middle C Position, its the basic position for beginning piano.

How to Play the Piano - Hand Postioning

How to Play the Piano - Hand Positioning

Note Reading Starting at middle C and going up the notes are C, D, E, F, G, A, B, and continue throughout the length of the piano. Starting at middle C and going down the notes reverse and are C, B, A, G, F, E, D. Once you end back on C that is called an octive. Octives can be found starting at any note and finding the next same note one octive higher or lower.

How to Play the Piano - Note Reading

Cleffs On the piano there are 2 cleffs. They both start at Middle C. . There will always be a symbol at the beginning of each line in your music for each cleff. This is the symbol for the Trebble Cleff. Typically you will play all these notes with your right hand, but as you advance that changes. The Trebbel Cleff refers to all of the notes to the right of middle C. This is the symbol for the Base Cleff. Typically you will play all these notes with your left hand, but as you advance that changes. The Base Cleff refers to all of the notes to the left of middle C.

Combining the staffs together is called the Grand Staff. This is what your music will always look like

Sharps and Flats These are the black keys on the piano.

How to Play the Piano - Sharps and Flats

Sharps Sharps go UP a half step up. The symbol for a sharp is #. For example, when trying to find an F# find the F in the correct ovtave and play the black key directly ABOVE it.

Pictured above are all the possible F#’s you can play. The pink key is the basic F and the blue key is an F#

How to Play the Piano - Sharps and Flats

Flats Flats go a half step DOWN. To find a B Flat you will find a B note and play the black key directly BELOW it. The symbol for a Flat looks like a lowercase b thats been flattened out a little bit.

Pictured above are all the possible B Flats you can play. The pink key is the basic B and the blue key is an B Flat

How to Play the Piano - Sharps and Flats

Note Timing This is a whole note. Typically it gets 4 beats.

This is a half note. It will always get half the amount of beats as a whole note. Typically it gets 2 beats, but that can change depending on your time signature. 2 half notes equals one whole note.

This is a quarter note. Typically it will get 1 beat. There are 4 quarter notes in a whole note, and 2 quarter notes in a half note.

How to Play the Piano - Note Timing

This is an eighth note. Typically it will get a half a beat. There are 2 eighth notes in one beat. 2 eighth notes in a quarter note, 4 eighth notes in a half note, and 8 eighth notes in a whole note. They can be single or combined together in groups of 2 or 4.

This is a 16th note. Typically it will get a fourth of a beat, or there are 4 in one beat. To tell the difference between this note and an 8th note there will always be a double bar on a 16th note.

How to Play the Piano - Note Timing

Time Signature This always occurs at the very beginning of the music. It tells you how many beats per measure and what note gets one count. The top number tells you how many beats per measure. The bottom note tells you what note gets one beat.

How to Play the Piano - Time Singature

4 4 3 4 6 8 2 2

this tells us there are 4 beats per measure this tells us that the quarter note gets one beat

this tells us there are 3 beats per measure this tells us that the quarter note gets one beat

this tells us there are 6 beats per measure this tells us that the eighth note gets one beat

this tells us there are 2 peats per measure this tells us that the half note gets one beat

How to Play the Piano - Time Signature

Picking a Song to Learn Picking songs is super fun! I always look up songs on YouTube and find cool people or composers. My go to website for sheet music is MusicNotes.com. Or you can look songs up online and see if any sheet music pops up! Make sure you pick music that is appropriate for you level of skill. It would be really hard to learn a song that you dont know how to play.

How to Play the Piano - Picking a Song

Tips for Learning a Song After years of practice and teachers I have figured out that the easiest and quickest way to learn a song is learn each hand seperatly. Then slowly bring them together using a METRONOME. A metronome just keeps a steady beat for you so your song has a steady rhythm. Slowly speed up each measure and line of your song until you've got the whole thing learned!

How to Play the Piano - Picking a Song

Making the Song Sound Good Once you've learned the song well, its time to make it sound good and keep your audiences attention thoughout. Making the song good come by using the DYNAMICS given in you sheet music. These refer to the intensity of the sound played, whether it be soft, loud, and the beat being slowed down. This has always been my favorite part of playing the piano! You get to make the song YOUR OWN.

p mp mf mf f 20

This symbol means you should play soft. Play with a low intensity of sound This symbol means you should play meduim soft. Play with a meduim low intensity of sound. This symbol means you should play soft. Play with a low intensity of sound This symbol means you should play normal. Play with a normal intensity of sound This symbol means you should play loud. Play with a high intensity of sound How to Play the Piano - Sounding Good

Other Dynamic Symbols This symbol under the note means that ONLY this note should be played extra loud. It is called an accent This symbol is called a Fermata. It will appear above a note and means to hold it for the duration of the count and more. Hold it as long as you'd like. This symbol is called a crescendo. It means gradually grow your sound from soft to loud This symbol is called a decrescendo. It means gradually grow your sound from loud to soft.

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This symbol is called a retardando. It means gradually slow down that measure and then pick up your speed again. How to Play the Piano - Sounding Good