Learning to Play the Piano by Sadee.Blackner

Learning to Play the Piano

for Beginners By: Sadee Blackner

Table of Context Page 2-3: The Basics; learning the names of the notes Page 4: A Quick Practice 1 Page 5-7: The Basic; the staffs

Page 8-9: A Quick Practice 2&3 Page 10-11: Types of notes and time signatures

Page 12-13: A Quick Practice 4&5 Page 16-20: Answer Pages to the practices Page 21: Sources

by; Sadee Blackner

The Basics: Learning the names of the white keys on a piano

How to find each note on a piano: C: When looking at a piano you will see white keys and black keys. In order to find C look for a grouping of 2 black keys. The white key just to the left of the first black key in the grouping is C.

After you find C the next white key to the right is always D. After D the next white key to the right is E, then F, then G. Here is when some people get a little confused because after G the next key is A, to help you remember at A comes after G, just think about the keyboard being a 7 letter alaphet that restarts after G.

Learning to play the piano for beginners

The Basics: Learning the names of the black keys on a piano It is important to know that black keys are also known as sharp and flat keys.

How to tell what the black keys names are: Sharps (#): When working with sharps and naming them, name the white key to the left and then add a # to it. You will notice that E and B don’t have black keys right by them to the right, and so there are no black keys that are named E# or B#.

Flats (b): When working with flats and naming them, you will name the white key to the right of the black key then add a b to it. You will notice that C and F don’t have black keys right by them to the left, and so there are no black keys that are named Cb or F.b.

by; Sadee Blackner

A Quick Practice 1 Label all the C keys on the piano below

Now label all the other white keys on the piano below

Label all the # (sharp) keys on the piano below

Label all the b (flat) keys on the piano below

Learning to play the piano for beginners

The Basics: Learning to read the notes on a staff There are two different staffs used when playing the piano. The treble clef and bass clef. In order to learn how to recognize notes on a staff, it is important to know what both clefs look like. This is what the Treble Clef looks like. When you see a treble clef, you will normally play those notes with your right hand.

This is what the Bass Clef looks like. When you see a bass clef, you will normally play those notes with your left hand.

How the clefs look on the staffs

The staff in music is made up of 5 lines. (Shown by the red arrows)

by; Sadee Blackner

The Basics: Learning to read the notes on a treble clef staff There are sayings to help remember and learn the notes when written on a staff. The sayings for treble clef are....

F To help remember the names of the notes placed on the treble clef spaces remember the word FACE.

F D B G E To help remember the names of the notes placed on the treble clef lines, the acroynm is Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge

Learning to play the piano for beginners

The Basics: Learning to read the notes on a bass clef staff There are sayings to help remember and learn the notes when written on a staff. The sayings for bass clef are....

G E C A To help remember the names of the notes placed on the bass clef spaces, the acroynm is All Cows Eat Grass

A F D B G To help remember the names of the notes placed on the bass clef lines, the acroynm is Great Big Dogs Fight Animals

by; Sadee Blackner

A Quick Practice 2 Label the names of the spaces

Label the names of the lines

Learning to play the piano for beginners

A Quick Practice 3 Label the names of the spaces

Label the names of the lines

by; Sadee Blackner

The Basics: Learning the different note lengths and how they look This is called a whole note. A whole note is equal to four beats in 4/4 time.

This is called a half note. A half note last for 2 counts or twice as long as a quarter note.

This is called a quarter note. A quarter note is played for one fourth the duration of a whole note.

These are both called eighth notes. As a bigginner you will most likely see the bared eighth notes. An eighth note is played for one eighth the duration of a whole note.

Learning the different rest lengths and how they look This is called a whole rest, like the whole not you rest (don’t play notes) for 4 beats in 4/4 time. (to remember this think about how it looks like a hole) This is called a half rest, like the half note you will rest (don’t play notes) for 2 counts. (to remember this, it looks like a hat) This is called a quarter rest, like the quarter note you will rest (don’t play notes) for 1 count.

What is a measure? Measures are a segment of time within a piece of music that are defined by the number of beats. Each measure is seperated by things we call bars (represented noramlly by vertical line)

Learning to play the piano for beginners

The Basics: Time Signature and how to count rhythms There are lots of different time signatures, but because you are just learning to play the piano, we will only look at and learn a couple of them.

What a time signature looks like and how to read it Top number How many beats in every measure. So in this example there are 4 beats in every measure.

4 4

Bottom number How many quarter note beats are in a measure.

3 4

In this time signature you can have 3 quarter notes per measure (indicated by the top number)

When reading piano music, both treble clef (right hand) and bass clef (left hand) will have the same time signature.

What notes look like with the time signatures

4 4 1

3 4

2 34

bar When counting the ryhtms, the big numbers are the beats you will play, while the small numbers are the beats you hold that specific note out for. by; Sadee Blackner

Quick Practice 4 Counting simple rhymthms Write beats you play in black ink and the counts you hold in a red ink. Example below

4 4

Learning to play the piano for beginners

Quick Practice 5 Naming the notes on the staffs

Hint: For the notes that are above or below the staff, first find the notes you do know, then use the knowledge you have learned in the note name order to figure out what the notes are. (to check your answers use the answer keys in the back)

by; Sadee Blackner

How to place your hands on the keyboard for begginer piano songs.

To place your hands on the piano or keyboard, first find the C keys, once you have identified the C keys, look for the C key that is towards the center of the piano and place your right thumb on that C and then line up your other fingers. (your pinky should land on G) To place your left hand, find the C key just left of the C key your right hand is on, and place your left thumb on it. It’s important to note that you will have to move your hands while playing the piano, but having a starting position helps you locate the keys you will be using.

Learning to play the piano for beginners

Now lets practice reading notes, rhythms, and playing those on the piano

MaryHad Had A Lamb Mary aLittle Little Lamb Traditional

Moderato 3

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F Ma ?c

Piano

& œ

lit

had

? ww

lit

tle

lamb,

lit

&œ ?

& œ

tle

lamb,

tle

lamb.

1 5

fleece

? ww

1 2

had

was

white

lit

www.makingmusicfun.net

tle

lamb,

its

snow.

2008

Hint: Take time to write the note names just below each note before trying to play the song on the piano.

by; Sadee Blackner

Answer Page 1 Label all the C keys on the piano below

Now label all the other white keys on the piano below

C D E

F G A

C D E

F G A

B C

D E

Label all the # (sharp) keys on the piano below C#

Label all the b (flat) keys on the piano below Db

Learning to play the piano for beginners

Answer Page 2 Label the names of the spaces

E C A F

Label the names of the lines

Fudge Deserves Boy Good Every

by; Sadee Blackner

Answer Page 3 Label the names of the spaces

Grass Eat Cows All

Label the names of the lines

Animals Fight Dogs Big Great

Learning to play the piano for beginners

Answer Page 4 Write beats you play in black ink and the counts you hold in a red ink. Example below

4 4

rest

4 4 1

by; Sadee Blackner

rest

Answer Page 5

A B

G A

D E

F G

Learning to play the piano for beginners

rest

rest rest rest

Thanks to “Mary Had a Little Lamb - Free Beginner Piano Sheet Music.” MakingMusicFun.net, https://makingmusicfun.net/htm/f_printit_free_printable_sheet_music/ mary_had_a_little_lamb_piano.php. “Mary Had a Little Lamb - Free Beginner Piano Sheet Music.” MakingMusicFun.net, https://makingmusicfun.net/htm/f_ printit_free_printable_sheet_music/mary_had_a_little_lamb_piano.php.

Photo by <a href=”https://unsplash.com/@ lorenzospoleti?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText”>Lorenzo Spoleti</a> on <a href=”https:// unsplash.com/s/photos/piano?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText”>Unsplash</a>

by; Sadee Blackner