Playing the Piano

Playing the piano is one of my favorite things to do in my spare time. I love to sit down and learn a new arrangement, or try to figure out how to play a song I've heard without any music. The piano can be such an enjoyable instrument, and can be used greatly in the ministry. Though it takes time, the sky is the limit when it comes to progressing in your proficiency of the piano; you can always learn more and become more accomplished. One of my favorite piano teachers used to say, "Playing the piano is like taking a musical journey. It is full of excitement, and you learn so much along the way."

The first thing you must learn in order to play the piano is how to sit correctly at the piano. When you sit down, your knees should come right to the wooden ledge under the keyboard. Sitting straight and shoulders back, extend your arms with your hands in fists. Can you touch the engraving on the wooden panel above the keys? If you can with your arms fully extended, you are sitting the perfect distance away from the piano.

The next thing you must learn is the pattern of sound each key of the keyboard is a part of. Reach down and play the key furthest to your left. Notice how deep and low it sounds? Now go ahead and hit the last key on the opposite end of the keyboard. Wow, what a difference! That key was high and loud, quite opposite from the first key you played. This time, I want you to play that low key and each key to the right of it until you reach the high key. The sound changed from low to high very gradually. When you mix the high sounds and low sounds together with some tones in-between, and set them to rhythm, you have the striking sound of harmonious music.

After learning the pattern of sound on the keyboard, you need to learn the pattern of the individual keys. There are eighty-eight keys on the keyboard, some smaller and dark and some light and larger. Right now, we will only focus on the light larger keys. Each one of these keys has a letter name, which follow the alphabet from A through G. The light key farthest to the left is an A, and the one to the right of it is a B, the next one is a C, and so on. When you reach the eighth key, you start at A again. This eight key pattern of letter names, repeats over and over as you continue up the keyboard. Did you notice how each A is exactly eight keys apart from the next A, as is each of the other letters? Observe how each A looks just like