Have you always dreamed of learning how to play piano, but do you have a slight hitch… That you don’t own a piano?! We completely understand. It is a huge investment to make, and you could end up making this investment and then discover that playing the piano isn’t quite for you… This would be super annoying, right?!
Well, that is what we are here to rectify. Here, we have some suggestions on how to improve your piano skills, or even how to learn basic piano skills – all without actually having a piano in your home.
An important thing to remember before we get started is that you will not be at the same level of piano playing, compared to if you had a piano or keyboard. However, this is not disputing our tactics to help you work out if piano playing is a hobby that you should consider taking up.
1. Invest In A Keyboard
If having a full-sized piano in your home is not particularly feasible or doable for you at this precise moment in time, then you should consider purchasing a keyboard instead.
This would be especially important to consider if you are super keen to learn how to play the piano and you want to make sure that you keep up with it. After all, we’d say that having a keyboard staring at you will be enough temptation to drag you back into piano playing!
It is important to note that you can purchase some keyboards that are of the same size as an actual piano – and some keyboards will even have 88 keys. This is exactly the same as a standard piano. Keyboards will often have pedals too, or they will at least have inputs that you can use for pedals much later on.
Some people prefer learning on a keyboard due to the fact that it is much lighter and you will not have to end up messing about with tuning. And unlike a piano, a keyboard will have a range of different sound options available – this will cater to how adventurous or creative you are feeling when you play on your keyboard.
There is of course a wide range of keyboards on the market, but one of the best recommended is the Yamaha P71. This is because this specific keyboard has 88 keys and all of the keys are weighted. This is an important feature because weighted keys will actually give you a much better feel for how real piano keys will feel.
2. Download Apps For Your Smartphone Or Tablet Device
This suggestion certainly moves with the times! There are a variety of apps that are available for smartphone or tablet device downloads and these apps will let you play on your very own digital piano.
This suggestion is not as good as using a keyboard, but it is a great alternative to help you work out if you want to take up playing the piano as a serious hobby.
You should also find that by downloading an app on your smartphone or tablet device, you will be equipped with instructions and/or tutorials that will help you along the way. Downloading a piano app is a great way to help you really master the piano by understanding all the basic patterns and also remembering the positions of the piano keys.
It is important to remember that the size of an app piano is limited to the screen, so the key size will be very inaccurate. That, and you are also not pushing anything down so you will not get the authentic keyboard experience. This is why apps should only be used in a limited fashion just for you to work out if you really want to take up playing the piano as a serious hobby.
3. Using Piano Mats
Using piano mats is a pretty cost-effective way to learn how to play the piano without actually owning a piano. This is pretty self-explanatory – piano mats are mats that have piano keys on them. Who would’ve seen this coming?!
These mats can really allow you to see the dimensions of the keys and using a piano mat can really help you to develop your finger coordination. This is ultimately the most difficult part of learning how to play the piano.
Here’s the thing, you will not really get a feel for the way that the keys press down – and also you will not really get a feel for the responsiveness of touch. After all, you are just using a piano mat. However, purchasing a piano mat is a super portable way of helping you learn how to play the piano.
4. Try Using A QWERTY Piano
So, you might be wondering about what exactly a QWERTY piano is. Well, this is just another term for a computer keyboard piano. This is where certain letters on your keyboard are set up similarly to the way that piano keys are set out.
It is important to note that the range of the QWERTY keyboard is very limited, so for the majority of people, the QWERTY keyboard would be much more useful for inputting notes into a notation program. This would be a great way to help you work out a melody, and this would also be a great way to help you memorize piano keys too.
5. Try Out Some Finger Exercises
If none of the above options are for you – then we have a pretty positive note to end on. There is still something that you can do to help you learn how to play the piano. That ‘something’ is finger exercises.
We spoke about the importance of finger coordination in piano playing, and this is the case especially in the early levels of piano playing. This will work especially well for you if you have some kind of visual touch to your fingers, but this is not absolutely necessary. Here’s the thing, this should not be your principal source of practice – however, this is something that you can do at any time no matter where you are!