Thursday, 17.07.2008
Piano

With all the sophisticated and simplifying software and method books that are available for the prospective piano student, one could ask: 'Why take piano classes?' Answer: anyone can understand that a private teacher brings a more personal approach to learning the piano, but the reasons for having a private teacher, even if you've got teaching software, or a good method book, go deeper.

As a student, you benefit hugely from the total awareness on the teacher's part of the student's personality. A teacher can design his or her repertoire and approach technique in a way that suits your physical and emotional needs. This is something that computer piano/theory software cannot do. For developing technique, software is very inadequate.

Software programmes and self-teach books cover basic issues for you - such as holding the hand in a rounded form when approaching the piano, how to sit correctly at the piano, and even more technical problems you may have in reading music. These resources cannot, however, take into account each student's different physiology. It takes the careful eye and ear of a good teacher to make sure that you're relaxed and concentrated when trying to deal with a scale or arpeggio configuration (you'll figure those out later!).

Experience is irreplaceable in any field. One of the hardest things for students to recognise is that there are often many ways to accomplish a difficult passage in a piece of music. They'll rarely have the knowledge or experience to choose the best fingerings for themselves. Even a well-edited score may give fingerings which simply will not work for you. Your teacher will help you identify repertoire and challenge you to improve your abilities by choosing just the right piece for your interest and level of ability. It is also difficult to continually motivate yourself to practice when you hit challenges that seem beyond your capabilities. Here again, an experienced teacher will have faced these issues themselves many times and can help you work through the problems.

Music is not merely the playing of notes on the page, but the ability to understand and interpret those notes. If you have ever heard a player with competent technique, but no real understanding of the emotional significance of music, you'll know that music is about more, much more, than the notes on the page. A good private teacher can help you not only learn to correctly play the notes, but understand the emotional language of the piece in a way that will make your playing more enjoyable for you and more compelling for listeners. This is one of the reasons that many professional pianists take lessons themselves occasionally and one of the best reasons to take lessons even after you have learned to play proficiently. All musicians need someone to share and help us refine musical ideas. Your private teacher may be the best person to do that with because they know you and your musical abilities better than anyone.

If you, or maybe your child or friend, plan to learn to play the piano, you should consider a few things prior to starting lessons so as to assure that your time and money are not wasted. First and foremost, consider carefully whether you've got the time and commitment necessary for lessons. To make progress at a reasonable rate, you'll need to commit at least an hour a day to practice. In addition, you have to allow for travel time to and from the studio of the teacher and time for studio events like concerts and recitals, if and when they come up. Experts strongly advise that students make time to attend concerts, recitals, master classes and so forth. These events are not only enjoyable in and of themselves but give you the opportunity to focus on enjoying music while you are learning to play it. If you're a very busy person with something going on virtually every evening of the week, you need to ask yourself if you have the time for piano. Or what you are willing to give up to learn a skill that can give you pleasure for the rest of your life…?

Some people think trying to read music is hard and difficult. Don't expect to fly through all the lessons and understand! Music is written on horizontal lines called staves. The higher the line, the higher the note. As with anything new, it'll appear complicated and complex but as you look at examples and read the explanations, it will make sense.

Classical music is composed by some of the most brilliant minds in the world. Everyone knows that classical music is some of the most difficult music to perform, requiring great speed and accuracy.

Names like Bach, Chopin, Beethoven, Wagner and Gershwin have endured as part of popular culture. Take the case of Gershwin, the more modern of the afore-mentioned. George Gershwin was born on September 26, 1898 in Brooklyn, New York.

Although George is the better known of the family, his brother Ira was also a successful lyricist. It was to indulge Ira's interest in music that George's parents bought the family's first piano. Ira was going to study the piano when the instrument was brought into the family home, but it was George who took the immediate interest in it and immediately began to successfully play by ear. His parents got him some piano lessons and George began to study seriously at the young age of 12.

George became one of America's first and most enduringly famous composer. His compositions are still used today as tool of music teachers everywhere as examples of the American entrance to the hallowed musical world of Stravinsky, Chopin, Beethoven and Mozart. And it all started with a few piano lessons…

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