Michael Noble, PhD
Professional Pianist
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Co-authored Articles (29)
How to
Read Music
Western written music is a language that has been developing for thousands of years, and even the music we read today has been around for over 300 years. Music notation is the representation of sound with symbols, from b...
How to
Count Music
While there are many musicians who can learn music by ear, most beginners should learn how to read music. Understanding how to count music is also important to dancers and can contribute to the enjoyment of a casual list...
How to
Tune a Piano
A piano is a delicate instrument that should be tuned at least once a year, preferably twice. At $100 or more per tuning, this cost can add up pretty quickly. If you're tempted to tune your piano yourself, keep in mind t...
How to
Play the Piano
The piano is a classic, versatile instrument that anyone can learn how to play. You don't have to be a particular age or gender to play the piano, nor do you need any musical background – all you need is patience, dete...
How to
Play the Keyboard
Whether you dream of playing professionally, or you’d just like to impress your friends and family at home, learning to play the keyboard can be a rewarding endeavor. Before you become the next Mozart, you’ll need to...
How to
Learn to Play the Piano
Mastering the piano takes even talented musicians many years of study, but you can learn the basics of playing this instrument in a relatively short period of time. Once you have these under your belt, you'll have to pra...
Piano Hand Placement: Proper Finger Position, Exercises & More
How to place your fingers to improve technique & customize fingeringsProper finger position is crucial for learning piano, even when you're just starting out and playing simple songs or practicing scales. Start by sittin...
How to
Remember Piano Notes
The piano is a beautiful and versatile instrument that can be a lot of fun to learn. It may seem a little intimidating at first because of the number of keys, but anyone can learn the notes to play. One of the main ways ...
How to
Get Perfect Pitch
Train your ears to identify and reproduce notes at willPerfect pitch, or absolute pitch, is the ability to identify a note/frequency without needing to observe a reference note. “Pitch” is an auditory quality trigger...
How to
Use a Metronome
How metronomes work & the best ways to practice with them A metronome is a musical tool so musicians know what the ideal tempo should be and also helps practice rhythm. A metronome provides a steady rhythmic sound which ...
How to
Learn Keyboard Notes
Learning the notes on a keyboard is an essential step towards learning how to play the piano, organ, or MIDI controller. While the shape and order of the notes on a keyboard are always the same, it can take some time to ...
Sight Reading Made Simple: Best Performance & Practice Strategies
Become a more confident sight reader with this handy checklistSight reading is the ability to look at new music and play it (mostly) correctly without practicing it ahead of time. It’s a valuable skill for a musician t...
How to
Play a Casio Keyboard (Beginners)
Casios are a great starter keyboard for beginners, and lighter models can be ideal for transportation. Using your Casio is fairly easy, though you may need to consult your manual to use more complicated features, like pr...
How to
Play "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" on the Keyboard Without Reading Sheet Music
Have you always wanted to play "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" on the piano? This song is so easy to learn, no sheet music is required. Once you find the basic notes on your piano, you can learn the simple pattern you ne...
How to
Play Boogie Woogie Piano
Boogie-woogie piano is a style of music that is extremely rhythmical and focuses on dance. It was first developed in the late 1800’s in rural African American communities in the Southern United States. Boogie-woogie pi...
How to
Teach Yourself to Play the Piano
The piano is a unique and interesting instrument, and also is fun to play. While you may think that it is impossible to become a proficient and consistent player without years and years of expensive piano lessons, that i...
How to
Read Piano Chords
If you understand how to read piano chords, you can sit down and play nearly any song with a basic chord chart – you don't even have to learn a lot of music theory or know how to read sheet music. Chord notations can b...
How to
Learn Music
Learning music is a great way to develop a fun and relaxing hobby that also stimulates your mind. Whether you’re interested in learning music theory or playing an instrument, music is actually easier to learn than you ...
Easy Ways to Clean Yellow Piano Keys
The piano is a beautiful instrument, but it can become a bit of eyesore when the keys start looking yellow. Before giving your instrument some much-needed TLC, take a closer look at what type of keys you have. Typically,...
How to
Practice Sight Reading Piano Music
If you want to improve your piano playing skills, you must learn how to sight read sheet music. Sight reading is the act of playing a new song by just reading the music. Before you can start sight reading, you'll need to...
