The best reasons to play piano
There are so many great instruments to learn if you decide you want to play music. Although many different instruments may interest you, piano is one of the best choices you can make. Why piano? Let’s take a few minutes to discuss the benefits of being a piano player.
Versatility amongst genres and styles
Let’s face it, piano is used in virtually every western form of music, from classical to jazz to rock. Sometimes it is the only instrument. Sometimes, it is a featured one. In still others, a simple repeated trill or other piano ornamentation is all it takes to kick a song up a few notches.
Think of a favorite song of yours that features piano. Now picture that song in your mind without the piano part. How does it sound to you? With few exceptions, it probably takes away quite a bit from the piece.
With determination and application, you may just find yourself playing this rich and versatile instrument well into your old age.
Relatively easy to learn
Compared to other instruments, piano is easy to learn. It may look like a daunting instrument at first; it’s big and not very portable. But when you get right down to it, we are simply looking at a set of keys and some pedals. If you have two hands and two feet, you’re in business!
Standard musical notation is based off of the keys on a piano. This puts you at an advantage as a pianist, since most published music can be played on your keyboard without any transcribing or interpretation.
You don’t need to feel like you have to play like an expert the first time around. It’s simple to find “easy piano” books featuring popular songs and standards. Within a short period of time, sometimes even after only one or two lessons, you will be able to bang out a simple tune competently. How many other instruments can you say that about?
Learning piano is like learning math. You start with the very basic concepts (hand placement, keys, timing of notes) and from that point, you simply add new ones on to the basics. Thus, you never need run out of inspiration or newer, more complex songs to learn.
Become a songwriter
This is not something every piano player aspires to, but once you have the essentials of notation down, you may toy with the idea of writing a song. It’s easy to apply notation and work out chord progressions once you see how others have done it.
A good pianist is always in demand
When you have progressed to a certain point in your playing, you may find doors open to you as a professional or semi-professional player, both on stage and in the studio. This isn’t for everyone, but if it is something you aspire to, you have a better chance of landing a gig as a piano player than with many other instruments. It’s a good idea to train yourself in multiple genres if this is something you desire. It makes you both more versatile and more marketable.