Best way to learn to play piano?

What's the best way to learn to play piano? We have a yamaha keyboard, and it's the same size as a regular piano with 88 keys, etc. My wife knows a few tunes, but I've been afraid to try to learn anything because I can't read music, etc. Is there an easy...

way for an amatuer to start learning to play the piano? Thanks.

If you can't get a teacher, and teaching yourself with beginner books isn't really an option for some reason, you should get a keyboard. One of the keyboards that have a bunch of songs pre-loaded into it and it lights up the keys to teach you how to play. I used to have one. I learned how to play Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata and Bach's Minuet that way, haha. It's pretty easy; just follow the blinking red lights!!! lol

get one of those cheap keyboards, they walk you through a lot of conventional tunes by their keys lighting up, I learned "the entertainer" through that, and I can't read music worth anything, except guitar tabs......

The first thing about making your own music is that you need to forget everything you ever learned.......and try different stuff, now I just play for the fun of it, and just strike different key combinations with the left hand striking 3 or 4 keys(atleast skipping one key between each finger) at a time.........works like a charm, all my friends ask me what I was playing, it sounds good and seems like you know what you're doing.....LOL......the key is to remember what keys will throw off your rhythym and the only way to find that out is to listen while you play and then later on it'll be instinct to skip those keys........so many good musicians didn't know how to read music, the key was listening......

I have a friend who can play ANY song on the piano, yes EVEN RAP, and he swears he has never even looked at a music sheet in his life, but he listens and plays, might take him a couple of tries but he'll get it right on the dot, even if your humming a song he'll play the tune back to you..........scary, YES, but if you can master listening to music, making your own is even easier........

hope this helps.......season's best

Learning piano is fairly easy... it's having the patience to learn it that is hard. I suggest getting a basic music fundamentals book that teaches music theory and piano. When I was first learning (and when I need to brush up) I use flash cards for key signatures and such.

Basically, there are two sets of people who play the piano, those who have a "good ear" and those who do not.

I fall into the latter camp. I love music, but don't have the good ear needed to naturally know the notes. So I learned to read music and now can play anything --- from a book.

However, I suck at improvisation on the piano. I can improvise in my head pretty good, but translating that to any musical instrument.... it hurts :-)

In any event, all my friends who are musicians practice for several hours per day. And when I was learning the piano, I had to do at least 1 hour per day 5 days per week to get any good at it.

Its not like driving, or riding a bicycle. At least not to those of us with a tin ear :-)

I learned how to play piano by ear and I think that is the easiest way for me. But I play all of my instruments by ear all 14 of them.

I have two cousins who can play piano by ear. Both can play nearly any pop song or movie theme you could name. The older one did have enough musical training that he can read music a bit though writing down music he composes or arranges is very difficult and time comsuming for him. His younger brother had no training and doesn't even know about accidentals. One day he was learning a piece by ear and I told him to play a F# instead of an F. He was puzzled. I told him to play the note a half step higher and he played F an octave higher. Few people have the sort of musical ear where they can play anyting without studying or knowing any music theory.

Of course the tricky part of playing piano is playing two parts, one with each hand. There is a coordination issue. I agree with those who say to learn some music theory. Sometimes you can play songs with the melody in your right hand and block chords in the left. Of course this isn't the best way to play but it will get you by. Learning Alberti bass will make the pices sound more piano like so that is a good next step.

For adults keeping it interesting is a challenge. You probably aren't going to enjoy learning or performing nursery rhymes like a child would. The beginning when you won't be able to play much you will just need to keep going because eventually you will be able to play some impressive sounding songs.

If you want to be a serious pianist, you should definitely get a teacher. If you can't afford it, or don't have the time or just don't want the responsibility, get a beginning piano book - there's lots out there. They teach you how to read, and basic technique. Once you can read, you can try moving on to something at a preliminary or grade 1 level. In Canada, there's a standard series - the Celebration Series, but I don't know about any other countries.

I bought a book called "play piano on a flash!" its allright 4 piano players

Learning piano is easy, and if you can play piano, you can play other instrements(spell?) easily. I dont know how to answer your question, even though Im good at piano!

The best way to learn piano is to find someone who has been playing it their whole life.

well you could ask yor wife 2 help u. or just ask me! oxo

You should go to have piano lessons, because it's easy lol. Try it, if you still don't understand...maybe... FM me.

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-Try your best-
Goodluck ~reona1997

Take piano lessons.

Learn how to sight-read.
Playing by ear is extremley annoying, especially if you don't want to be sitting at piano all day.
Learn how to read notes because they are very useful.
To be a musician, you don't have to "hear" everything, or whatever these people who can't write songs say.
That's good for them, let's hear them play a song.
Anyways, it takes a lot of patience to play the piano,
so get some easy starter books.
If you have a local piano dealer in town, they usually sell music.
Get flashcards because they help out when beginning.
Go on the internet because they have some really good free music, though I can't think of any off the top of my head. There are many easy ways to get to learn the notes on the piano. The highest note is a "C" (looking at the piano) the lowest is an "A".
The musical alphabet is A,B,C,D,E,F,G. It does not go higher.
What's great about the piano is that it just starts at the lowest key "A" ( on the white keys )
A, B,C,D,E,F,G and to the whold piano, Middle C is also important. whe you get to the third set of three black keys, there is the middle C, where beginning songs are played. It's to the left of the 4th set of two black keys.
The best way though, is to geta teacher, usually someone older because they are the ones who know what their doing. My teacher is about 25$ per half hour. That's usually the standard, but they get you further more quickly.
Best Wishes, and Do Your Best.