A notable instrument indeed (Pianos, Keyboards & Synths in general)

Member Name: Orangeb

Product:	Pianos, Keyboards & Synths in general
Date:	03/02/02 (365 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great fun, satisfying

Disadvantages: None, unless you don't like practising!

Just as with any other instrument, if you learn and practise the piano it is an extremely rewarding experience.
The piano is a fantastic instrument, I think one of the best things about it is that you can play more than one note at a time, unlike many instruments. This allows you to bang out tunes to their full potential without needing an accompaniment.

I have been playing the piano for six years and I have enjoyed it from my very first lesson. Obviously the more you learn and the higher the standard you reach, the more interesting the pieces become and the more flexibility you have to play what you want to. For example, recently I have been buying lots of sheet music as I discovered about six months ago that I can actually play a lot of it and if I can't, I just improvise.

I would strongly recommend finding a teacher if you are intending to take up the piano, I don't know whether there are teach yourself books, I'm sure there are but I have found having a teacher really useful as you pick up techniques and also there is someone to advise you and find suitable material for you to play. Piano lessons in my experience, cost around six or seven pounds for a half hour lesson but all teachers vary their rates. Also, some teachers increase their charges as you progress, a friend of mine is grade 8 and I think her lessons are now about ten pounds for a half hour lesson.

If you decide to go through the grades, the most acknowledged exam board (particularly if you are considering becoming professional) is the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM). They require you to play three pieces from their books (one for each grade), an "A" piece, a "B" piece and a "C" piece. The A pieces are the oldest, usually by composers living from the 17th to the 19th century. The B pieces are slightly more modern, usually by composers living from the 19th to the 20th century and the C pieces are the most m
odern, and often quite quirky by 20th century composers, most of whom are still alive.
There are three pieces for each section printed in the books but there are also other options specified in the front of the book which you have to hunt down for yourself.

As well as performing three pieces, you will be required to do scales, arpeggios and broken chords for the examiner. On top of this you will need to do sight reading and also aural tests where the examiner will play pieces and ask you questions about them such as how many beats in a bar etc and also ask you to echo what they are playing by laa-ing (oh the dreaded "la" - when I was first asked to sing back to my teacher I was soon corrected - going "de de de" is not accepted!).

The exams have recently been categorised by ABRSM into three levels: Foundation (grades 1-3), Intermediate (grades 4-5) and Higher (grades 6-8). The length of each exam increases as obviously the better you become, the longer the pieces are. Foundation exams last about 12 minutes on average, Intermediate last between 15 and 20 minutes and Higher exams are 20+ minutes, grade 8 is about 30 minutes.

Taking ABRSM exams is highly regarded by many people as this is the most academic and reputable board, there are also other boards which focus more upon the pieces than the boring bits (scales etc.) which could be more suitable for some people.

When you start playing the piano, you will begin by learning how to control your fingers. You will start by keeping your hands in a fixed position and play pieces involving only the notes you can reach without changing your position. As you improve, your hands will move further up and down the piano. At about grade 3, well for me at least, I was taught how to use the pedal which I found extremely hard at first as I think it's difficult enough to coordinate eight fingers and two thumbs. Soon though it just becomes natural to add in a foot at the
same time!

The pieces become a lot more interesting around grades 4 and 5. By this standard, your skills will have improved substantially and this is when I started experimenting with sheet music. Once you can start playing music you can enjoy as well as the exam pieces and pieces composed for the piano life becomes much more interesting! This is when I really started enjoying playing the piano and I now play much more for leisure. When you have perfected a piece you recognise, there is so much satisfaction. It is always really rewarding when you complete a piece but if it's something you know there is that extra burst of satisfaction!

Playing the piano is great fun and can be enjoyed at any standard. The more you practise, the more you will improve and the range of pieces you can play will broaden. The real satisfaction comes when you finish a piece and can play it almost perfectly and then when you remember when you started it and how challenging you found it. Even if you find it a challenge, with the required practice you will always get it sorted.

I would recommend playing the piano to anyone, if you have the enthusiasm and put in the practice, it could be one of the most rewarding things you ever do.

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