Q&A for How to Teach Yourself to Play the Piano

Learning the basics is quite simple if you have a good resource, however, becoming proficient usually requires a teacher whether online or in person.

It is generally not considered an easy skill to master, but becoming a proficient player in a year or so is doable if you have a good teacher and practice regularly.

The best way is to get a good teacher with whom you get along and to create a method that works for the student.

It generally takes longer than it would for a child, but it depends on the frequency of lessons and how much one practices.

The three pedals from left to right are the una corda or soft pedal, which as its name suggests makes the instrument softer, the sostenuto, which sustains only the notes that are being pressed when the pedal is depressed, and the third pedal (and most commonly used) is the damper or sustain pedal, which raises all the dampers off of the strings so that they keep resonating after one releases the key or keys.

I'm not sure if they are downloadable but Suzuki, Hal Leonard, Alfred's, and Bastien all have beginner books for both children and adults (except in the case of Suzuki which is geared more towards children).

"Piano Adventures" is a recommended series that can be helpful for beginners learning to play the piano.

Know your notes. Whether this is sheet music or by ear, you have to know what you're doing to play. Start with simple songs with three or four notes. Practice! This is the most important thing if you want to get anywhere.

Absolutely! Just because you have small hands doesn’t mean you can’t play. It might be a bit more challenging, but it's possible. Your hands will actually get more flexible as you progress in your learning and you'll probably be able to reach farther than you can now.

Close your eyes and compare the original's and your-version's music. Listen for mistakes, especially pitch and tone variations.

Consider finding a piano teacher to guide you, or if that's not feasible, explore instructional videos on YouTube. Many learners also use apps like "Synthesia" for self-teaching.

One pedal makes the notes sustained, meaning the notes keep ringing until you lift the pedal again. Another of the pedals makes all the notes quieter. Your piano may or may not have a second pedal.

Because most pianos are pitched to the key of C, memorizing scale names won't be the hardest thing you've done. The note that you start with should be the name of the scale. Example: Concert Bb scale starts on a Bb.

The right pedal is the damper pedal. This pedal takes the felt dampers away from the strings (in regular pianos) so the sound continues for a longer period of time. The middle pedal is the sostenuto pedal. It allows you to control each key separately. And the left pedal is the soft pedal. It's basically its name: it makes the keys softer, or quieter. It limits how loud each key is.

Start by learning how to play with one hand at a time, then use both hands.

The A Minor scale is a series of notes from A to G, without any sharps or flats, and it is the relative minor of the C Major scale.

Find a song, practice both hands individually, and then put them together, slowly and in pieces at first. Then speed it up and put it together.

The purpose is the left hand in piano is to give the piece more meaning and emotion by providing half of the music to your song. If you only played with one hand, then your song would sound much emptier. The main hand (which is usually the right hand) plays the melody and the other hand focuses on the harmony.

The C# key is the black key immediately to the right of the C key, which is located just to the left of the two black keys.

A minor chord is a chord with a root base, a minor third, and a perfect fifth. You can make a chord minor by lowering the third by a half step.

Learning the piano takes time and dedication. If your goal is to play this specific song, consider finding a piano teacher who can guide you through the process and help you with the advanced techniques required.

Probably not. If you can't afford a real piano, try looking into a cheap keyboard. You want to start with something smaller, just in case you decide you don't want to play.

Try Hoffman Academy (hoffmanadademy.com), a site that offer free piano lessons. Many subscription sites also offer free 30-day trials.

You can use an app called "Piano Maestro," which is easy to use and makes learning piano fun and engaging.

Practice! Just go at your normal pace, then slowly go faster as you get better.

A chord with "o" at the end indicates a diminished 7th chord, which can also be represented by "dim" (e.g., Bdim or B°).

You can still learn to play using your 49-key keyboard. Focus on pieces that fit within its range, and consider using different octaves to accommodate songs that require a full-sized keyboard.

You can find an excellent online learning book called "Learn Piano Online" by Jan Durrant. Just search for these terms together to locate the page. The book covers key topics such as music symbols and notes, piano chords, music intervals, and rhythm basics.

If you prefer self-study, consider buying a "method book" like Accelerated Piano Adventures by Nancy and Randall Faber, which is great for older beginners. Once you're more confident, transition to a repertoire series such as Keith Snell's Piano Repertoire. Additionally, a book on music theory and technique will be helpful.

You can definitely play simple songs by using one hand for the melody and the other for basic chords. It's important to learn the basic I, IV, and V chords for each key. While you can play by ear, some knowledge of music theory is needed, and expanding your skills will require more theory. To play pieces by great composers, you'll likely need to read music as well.