Guide to Pianos and Keyboard Instruments Education and Training

Become a professional at playing pianos and keyboard instruments

By Andrea Townsley, Owner, Keystone Writing Services

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Get keyboard instrument information on reading music

The most basic way of remembering the grand staff is with a couple of simple mnemonics. The spaces on the treble clef, going up, equate to the notes F, A, C and E, so remembering 'FACE' can help you determine which notes are which. The spaces on the bass clef are 'ACEG,' which can be remembered as 'All Cows Eat Grass.' The main thing to remember is that middle C is always dead center in between the bass and treble clefs. In addition to specific notes, you'll need to learn about counts, rests and special notes.

I recommend: Reference the chart at Piano-lessons-info.com for info about notes and counts. ReadSheetMusic.info has a great explanation of dotted notes and ties.

Enroll in professional pianos and keyboard instruments lessons

Private piano or keyboard lessons are the best way to learn basic and intermediate techniques. Or, you could start out with group lessons since they tend to be a bit cheaper but cover the same material (although you don't get that one-on-one attention that you get with private lessons). If your goal is to teach one day, taking lessons is a good way to see how classroom dynamics work, and you can figure out how you would like to structure your own class.

I recommend: Find a teacher in your area using Piano World or the Learning Guide Network.

Check out online lessons that explain how to use piano keyboards

Taking online lessons is a good way to supplement your training. If you can't afford to take professional lessons right now, you can learn quite a bit through lessons on the Internet, although you will have nobody to tell you what you're doing right or wrong. Still, it's a good place to start if you can't take lessons in-person, or if you want to take the extra time to reinforce what you learn in class.

I recommend: Take advantage of the free online lessons at Piano Tricks and Free On-Line Piano Lessons. Test your keyboarding skills at Musictheory.net.

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  If you love playing the piano but would rather not perform or teach, consider taking a course in piano tuning. The demand for this profession is high, as any time a piano is moved, has been sitting too long or has gotten a lot of use, it must be tuned to keep the notes in the right pitch. For example, pianos for sale in showrooms must be tuned periodically, as well as after they are moved to customers' homes.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Get traditional pianos for sale online

For many projects, nothing will substitute for a full piano, with its extensive setup and authentic acoustic sound. Get full scale pianos for furnishing music rooms and for the height of fashion in a musical performance.

I recommend: For diverse piano styles, try the Walter Piano Company. Walter in Indiana sells grand pianos, console pianos or studio models. For the truly discriminating piano buyer buying directly from piano manufacturers, there's Steinway & Sons, a top piano maker, offering a sales and showroom online.

Get musical keyboard organs and harpsichords

For other projects, buyers may be able to use a 'side' key instrument, like an organ or a harpsichord. These types of instruments are popular in churches and other performance halls.

I recommend: Buyers can find a variety of organs with sounds from classic to contemporary in the online showcase of Lowrey, an organ maker "bringing people together with music." Sign up in Lowrey's guest book to get continuing information about the company and products. Get harpsichords and more keys at Musicians Buy Online.

Get electronic keyboard musical instruments

If you're looking for a digital musical experience, electronic keyboards have all of the bells and whistles to amaze an audience, from hundreds of key tones to supplemental beats and 'auto play' functions. The keyboard music instruments available these days bring music to a whole new level, and these items are popular where musicians want to explore the boundaries of sound.

I recommend: zZounds Music, LLC. has a full catalog of keyboards and accessories. Get professional Korg models and other top brands as well as sampling keyboards, midi controllers, compact keys and other styles of keyboard instruments. Browse more keyboard models by price at Musician's Friend Inc.

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Look for keyboards and instruments that match your sound needs. When you buy keyboard instrument models, consider range (how many octaves will you need?) sound levels (acoustic or electric) and quality (will you be able to showcase talents and do quality performance with an off brand or discount model?). These considerations will help you make informed buys for pianos and keyboard instruments.

Guide to Pianos and Keyboard Instruments Key Terms

Learn the lingo of pianos and keyboard instruments

By Andrea Townsley, Owner, Keystone Writing Services

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Octave

An octave is separated by eight white keys on the piano keyboard. An octave starts and ends with the same note, each at a different pitch.

I recommend: Piano Finders explains how to properly identify the different keys, such as middle C vs. C3, which are exactly one octave apart.

Scales

Scales are the basis for playing all pianos and keyboard instruments. They consist of a series of notes that sound 'right' together. There are several types of scales, including the major scale and a variety of minor scales. Scales are great tools for practicing dexterity and keyboard skills.

I recommend: Learn the structure of the different types of scales at Free Online Piano Lessons.

Sharps and flats

Sharps and flats are the black keys on a keyboard, each representing a half step up (sharp) or down (flat) from a white key. There are five total black keys per octave, and some can be both sharps and flats. For example, C sharp can also be D flat. Sharps and flats also come into play when reading key signatures on sheet music, as they set the tone for the entire piece.

I recommend: Capistrano Elementary School has a thorough explanation of sharps, flats and key signatures.

Pedals

There are several types of pedals used with pianos and keyboards. The most commonly used pedal is known as the damper or sustain pedal, and allows notes to keep sounding after taking your hands off the keys. Most pianos have these pedals built in, and professional keyboards allow for plugging in electronic pedals.

I recommend: know-your-keyboard-piano.com provides an explanation for the different kinds of pedals.

Timbre

Timbre can be defined as the quality of a certain musical instrument, a quality that helps the human ear distinguish it from others. For example, most people will recognize a piano for a piano when they hear notes being played. Keyboard instruments, however, can be more difficult to distinguish, as they can be programmed to imitate different sounds.

I recommend: Find out more about timbre from Indiana University.

Synthesizer

Called a 'synth' for short, synthesizers use preprogrammed tracks to provide beats and background melodies for music. They connect with a keyboard for user convenience and can imitate a wide variety of sounds.

I recommend: Gigasonic.com and innovativesynthesis.com both offer information on different types of synthesizers.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Look for piano and keyboard instruments that suit your living conditions

As you sort through keyboard instrument information, determine which instruments best suit your needs. There are full-sized keyboards with multiple options for sound, smaller keyboards, full-size pianos, mid-size pianos and even upright pianos.

I recommend: J&R Electronics prides itself in its selection of high-quality musical instruments. It offers a wide selection including smaller, 49-key digital pianos. A440 Pianos offers a selection of pianos you can purchase online. Its piano choices include grand and baby grand pianos, as well as upright pianos and digital channels.

Learn to play on piano keyboards that offer special music options

Sometimes a musical keyboard comes with recordings built into it. When you purchase this type of keyboard, it comes with music that correlates with the music programs inside the keyboard, so you can learn to play along easily.

I recommend: MusicansNews.com highlights the CTK-481 Full-Size 61-Note Music Keyboard, which comes with a song book and approximately 100 pre-recorded songs for beginning musicians to follow along with. Yamaha-Keyboard-Guide.com offers a detailed review of the Yamaha PSR 290. This keyboard offers almost 700 sounds, and it boasts of an integrated music education with seven-step lessons and 100 pre-recorded songs built into the keyboard.

Bypass piano manufacturers to save costs by purchasing used instruments locally

Save costs when you buy keyboard instrument equipment by scanning through local newspapers and looking at fliers hanging around town. Check out your local music store for special deals on used instruments.

I recommend: Amadeus Piano offers free pianos to customers wanting their services in restoration. It takes pride in its low prices. Family Music offers used pianos at reduced prices. It also offers free lessons for beginners when they purchase a piano.