Piano Lessons for Kids: The Basic of Piano Learning

Piano invented around 1700, is a musical instrument which produces sounds as strings are struck by hammers, as soon as a pianist presses the keys. In this article, we will discuss the basics of piano lessons, keeping the young kids as the target students.

1. Identify the set of octave keys on the keyboard.

Piano lessons might look tedious in the beginning, with students being clueless from where to start. Well, the first job is to identify the octave sets on the keyboard.

The keys placed on the keyboard are symmetrical, with the notes repeating after the exact 12 keys. So, a traditional piano containing 88 cores in total reduces to just seven sets of octaves, starting from C, in sequence as follows: D, E, F, G, A, B.

2. Number your fingers

Generally, all the five fingers of a hand help us play the piano. So, numbering them will significantly contribute us to learn quickly and hit the right notes efficiently.

As per the general convention, the thumb is number one; the index finger is number two, the middle one is three, ring fingers are four, and the pinky ones are number five. 

3. Fingering Technique and finger tuck

As the notes repeat itself at every eight white keys, also known as the “natural” keys, starting and ending at C, mastering the eight-press fingering pattern will help in the smooth output of the notes.

The pattern is different for each hand, with fingers sequenced as 1,2,3,1,2,3,4,5, for the right hand. For the left one, the sequence will be 5,4,3,2,1,3,2,1. Notice how the trend in changed between the 3rd and 4th note for the right hand.

Here, finger tuck comes into play. Finger tuck is moving a finger under the remaining fingers to press the next note. In case of the right hand, the thumb moves to press the note after the middle one. Samee is the case for the left hand, except the finger, used while tucking, is not the same. 

4. Strengthen your hands

In the beginning, your entire focus should be strengthening your hands and increasing your fluidity.

Choose a side and start practising the fingering technique of that particular hand, as stated above, until your notes come smoothly audible. Move on to the next hand and practice until you hit the keys correctly.

After you have practised individually, use both the sides to play the notes simultaneous, which obviously will help to establish coordination. Once you master both of your hands, you a lot ahead in your piano lessons.

5. Playing a chord

In piano, the term “Chord” denotes multiple notes (three or more), played together. An example of a chord is the Major Triad, played with finger five on C, three on E and one on G. As a beginner, you should practice playing chords in both solid and broken form.

The “solid” form is the one where all the keys are pressed together. Broken is the one where the notes are played simultaneously.

6. Learning the Chord Inversion

Chord inversion is all about using the same chords and restacking them to create new music, also helping us make the chord jumps smooth. The number of inversions possible for a chord is precisely equal to the number of notes used in the chord.

For example, Major Triad would have three possible inversions to follow.

Now that you are equipped with all the essential information, you are all set to venture into the wonderful musical world of piano.

Always remember to practice somewhere between one hour to four hours a day to gain complete authority over your fingers, which will help you establish a base for yourself and give you a kick start in bringing down your dream to play the piano in reality.

Article by Aarif Habeeb