Learning to play the piano cannot be done quietly and the cost of a decent second hand upright piano can start from over one thousand pounds. Upright pianos, not to mention grand pianos or baby grands take up a considerable amount of space and cannot be easily moved. That was why I decided to learn to play piano online with a digital piano keyboard. I mean, have you ever tried to lift an upright piano? Now think about taking that same piano up several flights of stairs.
The keyboard that I bought wasn’t inexpensive but it wasn’t in the price range mentioned previously. It can be lifted easily, moved around the flat I live in and transported relatively easily by car. The main advantage for me, living in a flat with very thin walls, was that the sound played could be listened to through headphones and therefore I have no complaints from my neighbours.
The other advantage in my opinion over an upright piano is that the sound quality is excellent and it remains in tune. There are also many other sounds available if you purchase specific digital pianos.
Why Learn to Play Piano Online?
My hours of work vary from week to week. Rarely do I work the same hours from one day to the next and unless I change jobs it will be hard for me to get a piano teacher. Also, piano teachers may not really want to instruct a man who is now forty nine and at times doesn’t like to do as he is told! I like to play at my own speed and learn at my own pace. Sometimes that may be half and hour before work or most of the day on a day off.
Piano teachers charge approximately £30 per hour in the UK and I get the course on the piano playing app that I chose for £19.99 per month. I learn to play the piano online for at least one hour a day and the software doesn’t get upset when I swear at it!
I don’t doubt that there are many brilliant piano teachers around the world but I would rather save the expense and learn through a well structured online course how to play piano.
Practice The Right Way
When I decided to learn to play piano online I wanted to learn how to read music. This was something that I been very envious of for a long time. Seeing people in an orchestra pit looking at sheets of music and then playing the right notes just seemed so magical. Well there are many online courses to choose from should you wish to play the piano. Throughout the course and as you get to be a more proficient player so your sight reading ability also gets better.
As you get better so options become available for you. Maybe you will decide to get a piano teacher or maybe you won’t. You can now take accredited online music exams supported by a growing number of education organisations. It is not necessary to travel now. Music exams, thanks to technology, can now be taken at any time, any day of the year and from anywhere.
What I Am Getting From The Piano Playing App
If you have a digital piano keyboard, a Windows Computer or laptop, an Apple computer or IPad and of course a reasonable internet connection and cable to attach from your piano to your chosen computer that is all you will need.
I use a Windows laptop with the same cable I use with my printer and the sound now comes through the computer at whatever volume I choose.
Depending on the App chosen they include a variety songs with a choice of different categories these may include:
- Pop
- Rock
- Jazz
- Traditional
- Film and TV
- Classical
- Contemporary
The difficulty level of play is stated and It is possible to preview the song played before playing.
Personally, I have concentrated on the course and wish to complete all stages before learning songs. The course I am learning from has three levels Rookie, Intermediate and Advanced. I reached the playing level Intermediate after my first year. The lessons involve relatively short pieces but in each lesson you are learning more and more and they become a little more challenging.
As I am playing I am finding it very satisfying and hope to have reach the advanced level by the end of the year.
How I Am Taught To Play Piano Online
You will learn in structured manner from Beginner to Advanced level. You will be taught everything that there is to learn about playing individual notes and then progressing to chords and using both hands together. The apps will make sure that when playing a piece of given music that you play along correctly.
The music to follow is displayed on your computer screen and a line follows the music so that you can play along knowing which note should be played next. If the note is played correctly at the right time it turns green and when played incorrectly it will turn red. It can be a little frustrating when learing to see the notes you played on the piano turning the notes on the computer screen red instead of green. But remember that this is digital teacher and therefore the app has perfect timing!
The apps are designed to help you to improve though and if you are struggling to play at the correct speed then the speed of a piece may be slowed down to make it easier to learn and play correctly. You also have the ability to specify a certain part of the music you wish to slow down by however much you wish and it can then be played over and over again at whatever speed you wish.
You can also turn the sound of the notes played by the app on or off so that you can play along or are not with the app. When playing with my chosen app both hands may be heard to play along with or just the left or the right. This feature is very helpful to practice playing both hands or a specific hand at the correct speed.
Another great feature is music that accompanies the tune being learned which I find very useful but this too can be turned off if you choose. There is also a metronome that can be turned on or off with the app I chose to us
At the end of playing a piece of music you are given a score letting you know the standard that you reached. It is great to see the progress you make over time. And when you are given the perfect 100% score you now know that the target has been reached and you have the ability to play at a higher level and are ready for the next challenging piece of music in the course.
Piano Play Online. Make It Your “Go To”.
You can of certainly argue that there are many free tutorials on You Tube but these are not as interactive and do not have a specific structure of learning. I agree that you can learn new skills and songs which may be useful but you may be jumping from one instructor to another.
Whilst learning from a structured course online you certainly have the interaction between the app listening to you play. Yes the app won’t smile and pat you on the arm but the app certainly does recognise the progress you make. It is also available any time day or night and can be called upon at considerably less expense.