Five-Finger Positions and Chords

The Major keys can be thought of as four groups of similar finger positions based on the tonic triad. If the student learns the pattern of black and white keys for each group they will be a step ahead. The student can create a picture in his mind of the groups and learn the chords by the shape of the white and black key patterns. Then he can practice finding them on the piano with his eyes closed.

Group 1 - These keys have all the white keys in their tonic chords:

C Major
G Major
F Major

Group 2 - These keys have a black key under the middle finger and white keys on either side:

D Major
A Major
E Major

Group 3 - These keys have a white key under the middle finger and black keys on either side:

Db Major
Ab Major
Eb Major

Group 4 - All of these fingerings must be learned individually.

Gb Major
Bb Major
B Major

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When is a Child Ready for Piano Lessons

Not every young child will be ready to begin piano instruction. The maturity level of young children varies greatly. Girls generally are better coordinated and exhibit better dexterity than boys at an early age. Before rushing headlong into piano lessons, parents should ask themselves questions concerning their child's readiness level:

1. Does he show an interest in learning to play the piano? Perhaps he tries to pick out melodies on the piano, or perhaps he sings well. He may also just enjoy listening to music.

2. Is his attention span long enough to practice at least fifteen minutes at a time?

3. Does he have fairly good coordination of his small muscles? If a parent has taught him to draw letters, numbers, or to write his name, is he able to handle a pencil fairly well? A parent who has taught a child any of these things probably will be willing to help him practice.

4. Does he take instruction well from the person who will be helping him at home? This could be a parent or an older sister or brother.

5. Does the child receive a great deal of satisfaction from learning new things? Is he eager to learn?

If a significant number of these prerequisites are missing, it is recommended that piano lessons be started later when conditions are more conducive for learning. The readiness age will vary with each individual child.

For more information about how to learn piano, contact Barbara Ehrlich Piano Studio.

Teaching Songs

It's always preferable to teach songs without using the piano except to get the right pitch. After the song has been learned the piano teacher may sometimes play an accompaniment as the student sings, but this should be done sparingly, postponing adding the harmonic element in the song until it occurs in the regular course of piano instruction.

Some children don't sing well, and occasionally one is met who can't carry a tune. This does not necessarily mean that this child is not musical. The non-singing child should be urged to listen nevertheless. He should be encouraged to sing alone as much as possible. Often he will be helped by singing beside another child who has a good voice. Someties he will imitate the voice of another child better than the voice of his piano teacher. Sometimes he can sing in a lower pitch than other children,and sometimes he can be encouraged to sing the song in a key within his own voice range. Every effort should be made to help him discover the light, high head voice which is the natural way for children to sing.

The song ca be presented a phrase at a time, first scanning the words of the phrase, then playing the melody, and lastly asking the student to sing the phrase. Thus it is possible to teach the song by rote, phrase by phrase.

Children should always be led to feel the spirit of thesong, as bright, lively, sad, quiet, etc., rather than arbitrarily directed to sing slow, fast, loud, or soft. Tone quality should be appropriate to the spirit and mood of the song. This helps young piano students develop an ear for expressing music.

For more information about piano classes NJ, contact Barbara Ehrlich Piano Studio.

Piano Practice

A child during his or her early piano lessons must concentrate on every little motion and often with even the most intense effort finds it difficult to make the fingers behave as they should. A skilled pianist, on the other hand, may direct his thought to the interpretation of the music, or even to matters less directly connected to his performance, while his fingers play along almost of their own will, without thought.

The well-formed habit of practicing the piano regularly teaches our fingers to move and find keys without thinking or looking at our hands. Finger exercises and playing compositions must be repeated again and again to become fixed by the child's hands and in his mind.

Sight reading, for instance, is the result of habit and memory. The notes awaken associations and habit enables ready performance. How important is it, then, that the right impressions and habits be formed early.

Habits should be established in technique, sight reading, interpretation and all other activities in piano playing. Remember that a wrong action can become a habit as readily as a right action. It's best not to press the child forward too rapidly in his technical progress, because playing music which constantly keeps the student at his highest level of technique is likely to create a habit of tension or a habit of carelessness. Merely explaining a process won't assure correct performance by the student. It's important to see to it that the student performs the correct action again and again just as it should be performed, until you are certain not only of his understanding but also of his accurate fingering.

Coaching Piano Students

By following these three Principles to Learn Piano, piano students will soon experience a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment in their practice. Being satisfied, they will feel happy and encouraged in their pursuit of music and will want to learn more.

Readiness. Being tired, preoccupied or distracted are obstacles to a student being ready. Interest in playing is supremely important in motivating students. Teachers should encourage students toward piano playing, toward the music being studied, and all the other elements leading to success. Students need to feel successful. Today's success means tomorrow's readiness.

Satisfaction. Satisfaction strengthens; frustration weakens. Success means satisfaction, as does accomplishment as the result of creative practice. Each step forward brings its own feeling of accomplishment, with much praise and encouragement from the piano coach.

Finger Exercises. Drilling finger exercises is essential in fixing an idea in our mind, and in making fingering more accurate and rapid. But drills work only when a student is conscious of the need of them to achieve the music that the student desires. Scales, for example, should be drilled so that playing them becomes automatic, but only after the pianist has slowly built the scale and realizes that scale progressions are actually found in the music the student wants to play. The same is true of all the other elements of technique and theory. Finger exercises alone aren't enough - they must lead to satisfaction for the student.

For information about piano lessons NJ, contact Barbara Ehrlich Piano Studio.