Sunday, July 13, 2008

Tips For Beginning Keyboard Players To Live By

By Chris Channing


Out of all the instruments, few hold the sophistication that keyboards do. Today's keyboards originate from the piano, which has long been considered a great instrument to teach younger children to promote growth and maturity. Keyboards are following the same suit, although they are appealing to the modernist generation in an easier manner.


Having a good time is what playing the keyboard is all about. Being able to show off one's skills in front of others is always nice, too! The best way to start out is find a couple of songs that one thinks holds a special value to him or her, and learn how to play it. Buying sheet music online or through local music stores is always a fun adventure, and learning to play one's most loved songs is more than rewarding in the long run.


Something to keep in mind while learning musical notes is to try and train one's sense of hearing to hear musical notes. In doing so, keyboard players will be able to hear melodies and play them just by hearing them! This huge feat in musical skill will often take months to years to develop, but it's something to strive for nonetheless. In the meantime, learn how to play notes and keep the idea of playing by ear ready for when one's skill set improves.


Metronomes are highly recommended for musicians that haven't yet grasped the concepts of timing and rhythm. While many would love to skip this step by claiming they know how to keep time, most beginners in fact, do not. It's almost always required to obtain a metronome and some sheet music for practice. Practice makes perfect, and until one's own internal metronome is developed, be prepared to do lots of it!


Using both hands while playing is another skill the keyboard players need to pick up as soon as possible. It's good to use both hands even when it isn't necessary, so as to better grasp the concept of playing with both hands. In doing so, players will be able to play more complex scores and measures of music without mixing up their hands in the process. Again, practice makes perfect!


As a last word of advice, it is important to have more fun than anything. Often times when a keyboardist makes multiple mistakes, he or she can do so without the listeners actually being able to tell a difference. This fact helps keyboardists relax, since they know that striking every key precisely isn't vital to having a great show for an audience- since most of the time they won't even be able to tell the difference!


In Conclusion


All in all, beginning on the keyboard is a tough prospect. But learning a bit here and there over the years will essentially make an expert of anyone, given enough time. Being able to play stunning performances on a keyboard on command is a valuable skill to have, and plenty of musicians make their living based on keyboards alone. Whether a hobby or a way of life, starting on this lifelong relationship with music is quite beneficial to growth and stress release for years to come.

About the Author:

0 comments: