How To Play Piano for Beginners, Lesson 1 || The Piano Keyboard

Summary

This video script introduces a series of piano lessons for absolute beginners, aiming to teach piano and sheet music reading from scratch. It emphasizes the importance of reading music for becoming a flexible and capable musician. The first lesson focuses on familiarizing students with the keyboard layout, finger numbering, and a game to reinforce note recognition and finger dexterity. The instructor provides a downloadable keyboard diagram and suggests regular, short practice sessions for effective learning and to prevent finger injuries.

Takeaways

• 🎼 The series is designed for absolute beginners and will cover around thirty lessons throughout the year, focusing on piano playing and sheet music reading from scratch.
• 👀 The lessons are aimed at those who can play the piano a bit but struggle with reading music, providing a formal background for their skills.
• 📚 Learning to read music is emphasized as an immensely useful skill that enhances flexibility and capability as a pianist and musician.
• 🔢 The first lesson introduces the keyboard layout, explaining the positioning of notes from the bottom to the top and the concept of higher and lower notes.
• 🎹 The piano's 88 notes follow a simple repeating pattern, with white notes named from A to G, positioned relative to groups of black notes.
• 🔤 A downloadable PDF with a keyboard diagram is provided to help learners memorize the names of the white notes.
• 🎮 An interactive game with five levels is introduced to help memorize note names and finger numbering, starting with single notes and progressing to playing runs of notes.
• 👆 Finger numbering is taught, where the thumb is '1' and the little finger is '5', with a focus on using all fingers in sequence during practice.
• 🔄 The importance of practicing regularly but in short, frequent sessions is stressed to enhance learning and prevent finger injuries.
• 🔄 The process of learning note names and fingerings is described as essential groundwork that will simplify more complex tasks in the future.
• 🔗 Additional piano tutorials on topics like improvisation are available for beginners to explore beyond the basics of note names.

Q & A

What is the purpose of the piano lessons series mentioned in the transcript?

The purpose of the piano lessons series is to help absolute beginners learn to play the piano and read sheet music from scratch, as well as to provide a formal background for those who already play a bit but have shaky skills in reading music.

How many lessons are planned for the series throughout 2017?

There are around thirty lessons planned for the series throughout 2017.

Why is being able to read music considered useful according to the script?

Being able to read music is considered immensely useful because it makes a pianist and musician more flexible and capable once they get the hang of it, despite the initial effort required.

What is the focus of the very first lesson in the series?

The focus of the very first lesson is learning the layout of the keyboard and understanding finger numbering.

What is the significance of the white notes on the piano keyboard in terms of naming?

The white notes are significant because they are named after the letters from A to G, and they follow a simple repeating pattern which is crucial for beginners to learn.

How are the black notes related to the white notes in terms of positioning on the keyboard?

The black notes are related to the white notes in that groups of two or three black notes help identify the white notes named A, F, and C, respectively.

What is the recommended approach to learning the names of the white notes according to the script?

The recommended approach is to use a diagram of the keyboard with the white notes labeled, and to practice by playing games that reinforce the note names and finger numbering.

What is the numbering system used for fingers when playing the piano?

The numbering system for fingers when playing the piano is 1 for the thumb, and then 2, 3, 4, 5 for the remaining fingers, moving outward from the thumb to the little finger.

What are the five levels of the game mentioned in the script and what do they involve?

The five levels of the game involve: 1) playing four notes with a chosen letter name using any finger on the right hand, 2) repeating level one with the left hand, 3) playing notes with fingers in order, starting with the thumb, while naming the finger and note, 4) playing two notes simultaneously with one finger from each hand, and 5) playing runs of notes up and down the keyboard with consecutive fingers.

What is the golden rule for piano practice as suggested in the script?

The golden rule for piano practice is that 'little and often is best,' meaning shorter, more frequent practice sessions are more effective than longer, less frequent ones.

What is the advice given for piano practice to reduce the risk of finger injury?

The advice given is to have regular short practice sessions and to practice a little each time one walks past the piano to gradually build up the necessary muscles for playing without risking injury.