KEYBOARD LESSONS: Tips and Tricks to Keyboard Mastery

Introduction

"Just love what you are doing

and try to play more."

This quote from the famous Chinese musician, Lang Lang, is his advice to new pianists on how they can become a better piano player. It might seem like a cliché, but after years of hard work, experience, and observation, it all comes down to one mantra: love what you do and never stop playing.

Generic and run-of-the-mill lessons can be real roadblocks to your musical progress in achieving keyboard mastery. This book is the perfect resource if you are:

Looking for tips and tricks to become a master pianist

Want to learn everything the experts know

Want to play like a professional keyboardist and create enviable music

The good news is that it’s very achievable. However, there are no shortcuts to mastering the keyboard; you need to put in the work and time, going through all the learning phases one by one. The process becomes easier when you have access to in-depth techniques and strategies, especially to avoid blunders and expedite the learning process.

If you are learning how to play the keyboard on your own, the right tips and tricks can elevate your skills. You won’t have a mentor or teacher who listens to you play, pinpoints your mistakes, and guides you to improve. So, certain hacks can be incredibly beneficial, making the learning process more convenient. They can help you avoid and identify the mistakes that beginners usually make. Overall, the right tips and tricks will make the learning process more fun, interesting, and easier. We will discuss these issues in this book.

Here’s a short breakdown of each chapter and what you can expect:

Chapter 1: We will discuss the most important aspect of learning to play the piano: the challenges you will face. Every beginner deals with certain issues that are very common. When mastering a new skill, the devil is in the details, so even minute mistakes can hamper your progress and growth. If a player doesn’t have a mentor, it can be harder to pinpoint these issues and weaknesses. We will detail the most common junctures where beginner players struggle and offer solutions to these problems. Once these hurdles are overcome, you will discover incredible comfort, fun, and linearity in your learning process.

Chapter 2: The spotlight is on how to perfect your preparation phase. The standard preparations when learning the keyboard are to buy the keyboard, sit properly, and be positive. However, somebody who already suffers from bad posture will find it very hard to sit straight for hours while practicing. Similarly, it’s easy to have a positive attitude on the first day of learning. But what about day 50, when you still can’t get a chord? How do you tackle the negativity, pressure, and frustration? How do you regain focus and optimism back? This chapter covers these issues.

Chapter 3: We delve into buying and using the right tools properly. More importantly, it’s about choosing the right aids and resources. Tons of options are available on the market. Nowadays, there are no limitations to resources, so there are plenty of methods to help you choose the right keyboard according to your physical and financial limitations. With all the different online resources available, which ones would go well with your personality and learning style? These things matter, and they are the prime focus of this chapter.

Chapter 4: This one involves the technical aspects of a keyboard or piano, but we make it fun and easy to understand. Knowing the basic technical details about these instruments is important. This chapter shares tips and tricks to help you overcome troublesome situations when no expert is available. Moreover, you’ll save a lot of time and money if you learn to fix your common keyboard problems at home in less than 5 minutes. A musician should know their instrument.

Chapter 5: We help you understand music notations, which can be very troublesome when on your journey toward mastering the keyboard. This chapter teaches you how to read sheet music and become proficient at it. It is no secret that, as a beginner, reading sheet music can be tough. It’s like learning how to read a non-native language. However, like any language, you eventually become fluent with hard work and practice, but it can be frustrating. However, certain tips and tricks can make the music reading process easier and more efficient.

Chapters 6 and 7: Here, we will provide you with plenty of tips and tricks for playing chords and scales. These are essential skills that every pianist must learn. Chords and scales are the backbone of music, and nearly every song contains them. Even though the real secret is practice, applying certain techniques can help you decode the otherwise dense world of chords and scales. While there are no shortcuts to learning them, the tips and tricks provided can make it easier to comprehend and replicate the ways that professionals play.

Chapter 8: You will learn the best habits and routines to facilitate practicing and improving your piano playing abilities. This includes things beyond music, such as managing your health and taking care of your physical, mental, and emotional needs. Establishing good habits prevents you from operating with negative side effects or overtaxing yourself when trying to learn how to play the keyboard.

Chapter 9: We will discuss performing for an audience and playing in public. Anyone wanting to establish a professional music career will need to undergo these steps. There are many aspects to becoming a well-regarded performer, including gaining experience and finding paying gigs. Starting out in the industry isn’t always easy, but the information presented here can go a long way toward getting your foot in the door.

Chapter 10: A list of the do’s and don’t when it comes to playing the piano. This is like a cheat sheet you can keep in your pocket (or on your mobile phone). It contains a list of things you should and shouldn’t do when learning the keyboard. You can take screenshots and go through them every few days to remember what and what not to do. Are you wondering why you need to keep going through them over and over? Sometimes, a particular behavioral practice is an obstacle between you and growth. If you have been practicing in a specific style for a long time, you forget to stop. Going through the list of do’s and don’ts can remind you to stop certain practices and adopt others. Consider it a good revision guide before you start your practice session.

Chapter 11: We give you a comprehensive look at what it takes to become a professional pianist. It is a reminder that learning always takes time, so you shouldn’t put unnecessary pressure on yourself. This chapter comprises a few thousand words to show you how much time it takes to become a master of the keyboard. Indeed, this timeline might not apply to everybody, but it offers a relevant overview of the learning curve for most people. It lists data, statistics, research, and evidence. So, don’t overlook the positive and criticize yourself unnecessarily. Unrealistic expectations can lead to a lot of unnecessary negative emotions hindering your progress.

Chapter 12: Anything else you need to know is in this chapter. It contains words of wisdom and guidance to help you on your way to becoming a great pianist. Many musicians who had come before you imparted their expertise and experiences, giving you a leg up on your journey. Nothing can substitute the knowledge obtained by actually playing, practicing, failing, and succeeding on your own, but there is plenty of wonderful advice you can take into account while you are working on your keyboard skills. So, without further ado, let’s get started with the tips and tricks to becoming a keyboard master.

Chapter 1

The Most Common Challenges

in Learning the Keyboard

Every beginner faces challenges while mastering the keyboard. Despite knowing the basics and understanding the principles of keyboards, they can’t progress because they might lack one or more skills. They might have difficulty using both hands simultaneously and keep forgetting finger placement. Some pianists can’t help playing too fast or too slow, while others have issues controlling the pressure, making their keyboard sound too loud or too soft. There can be many pitfalls to deal with when achieving keyboard mastery.

Once you know the common issues when playing the keyboard, overcoming them becomes significantly easier and can improve the speed at which you learn. Therefore, it’s important to go through the following list of challenges and see which ones relate to you and how you can overcome them.

Finding Time and Motivation to Practice

Ironically, one of the most common challenges for beginners is insufficient time or motivation to keep practicing. It is especially true for pianists with full-time jobs or busy personal lives. If you are trying to master an instrument as a hobby or a part-time profession, allocating time for keyboard practice sessions can be difficult. When you eventually