Playing the Piano

Learning to play an instrument can be very rewarding and satisfying. The only real problem is what musical instrument to learn as there are so many available.

Learning an instrument is a fun personal challenge. The ultimate satisfaction is mastering a piece of music is the accomplishment of finishing, in some peoples eyes. The joy and satisfaction of being able to play a piece proficiently and thoughtful helps create the feeling of accomplishment.

But where to start with learning to play the piano. Actually playing the piano can be quite easy. The tone of the note only comes from pressing a key on a string. Most pianos contain 88 keys, separated between black and white. Piano keys are generally made by Ebony and Ivory, and the harder the player presses the key the louder the sound. The volume can also be controlled by two pedals found on most pianos. The right hand piano pedal is called the sustain pedal. When pressed simultaneously with a note, the sound created resonates and remains when the finger is removed from the key. This happens because inside the piano the dampers on the strings are removed when the pedal is pressed down thus meaning that the string will continue to resonate resulting in the sound continuing.

The sustain pedal can also be used to help create feeling and atmosphere. Often the pedal is used in quiet parts of the piece to help create this atmosphere, so please don't think that the sustain pedal is only used when playing loudly. Use of the sustain pedal is a skill that all pianists will gain through regular practice. Over use of the pedal will effect the performance considerably.

The other pedal is sometimes used but more often than not, as much as the right pedal. This other pedal is used to help control the volume, helping to create a much quieter sound. For this to happen with the use of the pedal, when it is pressed down, the hammers inside the piano that strike the strings only strike one of the 2 or 3 strings inside the piano. The theory is, 1 string resonating is going to be quieter than 2 or 3 strings resonating. This said, pianists shouldn't use the left pedal for soft playing and the right pedal for loud playing. You can still play quietly with the right pedal and loudly with the left pedal. For the ability of controlling volume you can not get better than your fingers which strike the note in the first place.

Learning to play the piano at home can be beneficial, however it, like any other self teaching method, will require an amount of perseverance. There are many resources available on the internet for those people who want to learn how to play the piano. I would suggest the below link as a good enough place to start. The main reason being is that this is written by a classically trained pianist and provides more than one suggested resource for learning the piano online. The resources also give other good pianist techniques such as improvisation, chords, sight reading, playing by ear etc. These are skills that all musicians should aim to perfect as well as their own instrument.

Chris Gilmour, a classically trained conservatoire pianist and teacher who recommends http://www.pianoplayingtips.info

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Essential Jazz Guitar Scales

Learning jazz guitar can be intimidating and overwhelming for a beginning student. Unlike styles like rock, blues, and classical, jazz guitar demands that a musician master a wide variety of skills, including jazz guitar scales.

If you are absolutely fresh on jazz guitar, the first thing you've got to wrap your fingers around is the major scale and its modes. It's the reference against which all other scales are defined. Learn them in position as well as up and down single strings. It's also cool to practice them in one, two, and three octaves.

Once you've got those under your fingers and in your ears, it's time to start learning the melodic minor scale on guitar. The difference between a melodic minor scale and a major scale is only one note, the flat third. The melodic minor scale also has some really cool sounding modes, like lydian dominant which works over a 7#11 chord.

It's also important to learn your pentatonic scales. Most guitarists coming from a rock, blues, or country background are already familiar with the minor and major pentatonic scales, and if you aren't you have to check them out. The blues scale is also useful.

A common trap that students of jazz guitar fall into is only practicing scales up and down. Of course, it's important and is the first step to mastering jazz guitar scales. But if you're at a point where it's comfortable to play ascending and descending scales and you feel comfortable with the notes, the next step is to start practicing intervals and sequences. Also, try to vary the rhythm in your scale practice.

Learning jazz guitar scales is an essential part of mastering jazz guitar.

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