Some
Real Facts about Piano Music
Lessons
Is
Finding the Right Teacher for
Keyboard All You Need to
Know?
Piano music
lessons are a common childhood
activity, sometimes pursued by
the child out of musical
interest, sometimes imposed on
the child by well-meaning
parents.
There are
several reasons why parents might
want their children to learn how
to the play the
piano—it’s an admirable
skill, it develops coordination
and musicality, and supposedly
music instruction from a young
age increases your child’s
intelligence à la the
Suzuki method. And naturally,
parents only want the best for
their children.
However,
unfortunately in many cases music
instructions can represent a
clash between the interests of
the parents and the desires of
the child. It’s a sticky
situation because on one hand,
the parents might be forcing
their child into something he or
she doesn’t want and
possibly enforcing it
vicariously, but on the other
hand the child might be rejecting
lessons out of immaturity and
laziness. Indeed, many adults
remark that they wish they had
followed through with their piano
lessons as a child.
But an
issue of contention: do piano
music lessons really teach you
how to play? Intuitively, the
answer is yes; lessons help you
learn the proper fingerings, the
scales, the rhythms, how to play
with dynamics, and how to sight
read and follow time signatures,
assuming this was your first
foray into music.
But the
fact that the repertoire is often
restricted to the classical
period and that your
“playing” is simply a
well-practiced regurgitation of
timeless pieces might make you
think otherwise. Maybe it depends
on your definition of what it
means to “play.” Is
playing simply being able to play
songs on an instrument, or is it
knowing an instrument well enough
to improvise?
If
it’s the latter, then you
won’t necessarily learn how
to play from piano instruction.
That kind of ability takes
experience and considerable
talent.
This
isn’t to say that piano
music lessons are a waste of
time. There’s nothing
inherently good or bad about
them. They can be fun, they can
impart a lot of important musical
knowledge and you might encounter
pieces that you enjoy immensely.
A
Refreshing History of Keyboard
Music
The
keyboard is one of the most
versatile of musical categories,
from the harpsichords of the past
to the modern pianos and organs
of today. Keyboard music can be
used for pop, classical and jazz.
The instruments have evolved over
the years, dictating the kinds of
sounds that permeate the music.
Masters of the art of composition
such as Bach and Scarlatti are
still influential
today.
The piano
can be very lyrical in the hands
of Chopin and Debussy, with
almost abstract melodies. In the
case of Fugue in G Minor by Bach,
the organ can be dramatic. There
is no greater sound than a church
organ filling the building with
cascading sound. Jazz too is
superb when played by expert
musicians such as pianists Oscar
Peterson, Art Tatum, Dave Brubeck
and Thelonius Monk. Keyboard
music is ideal for jazz
improvisation.
Scott
Joplin made ragtime popular with
his tunes played on the piano and
boogie-woogie ushered in the age
of rock and roll. The finest
piano player from that era was
Jerry Lee Lewis. There wasn't
much he couldn't do with a piano;
he played it with almost every
part of his anatomy! As rock
music developed, many groups
favored the Hammond organ, famous
for its big, fat sound. Other
organs sound thin in
comparison.
Technology
has had a big impact on the
sound, especially the invention
of the synthesizer. This hybrid
piano a.k.a. keyboard music is
able to electronically mimic a
full orchestra or any instrument
within it. Early users, such as
Jean Michel Jarre and Rick
Wakeman led the way for the dance
and ambient music we hear
today.
Musical
fusion has been made possible by
modern instruments adapting old
ideas. The French jazz pianist
Jacques Loussier is well known
for interpretating the work of
Bach. Organist Keith Emerson
liked to give the classics the
rock treatment. He reworked
Bach's Brandenburg Concertos as
part of the band, The Nice into
an album called Five Bridges.
Then, as part of Emerson, Lake
and Palmer, he reinvented
Pictures at an Exhibition by the
Russian composer,
Mussorgsky.
Instruments
will continue to change as
technology develops but keyboard
music from the past will always
be an influence. Different genres
go in and out of fashion. In pop
music, the keyboard based bands
from the 1980s such as Duran
Duran dominated that decade and
now guitar bands are the tour de
force. What comes around, goes
around.
Now,
back to learning to read sheet
music and playing your musical
instrument politely named the
piano. You’ll encounter
pieces that you hate and
can’t avoid and you’ll
likely endure hours of tedious
practice.
It’s
really up to the student—the
important thing is whether you
enjoy them and how you apply them
to your growth as a musician. In
most cases of learning,
instruction is essential but so
is motivation. Take all these
things into consideration before
you or your child dive into
learning to play piano through
lessons or by ear.
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More
Piano
Clues
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Buying
Piano Keyboards and
Learning to
Play
-
No
matter if you learn to
read sheet music, play
by ear or just want to
bang out some special
effects, the piano
keyboards you choose
make a real difference
in your learning ability
.
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The
Many Faces of Piano
Music
- It's no big secret
that piano music has
evolved tremendously
over the years to become
what it is today. Take a
journey into the past,
present and future of
sound.
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