Known as “The King of Instruments”, the piano is an exciting instrument to learn to play. It was invented by a man named Bartolomeo Cristofori in Florence, Italy around the year 1698. He was a craftsman who repaired harpsichords, and the early piano he invented was an attempt to improve on that instrument. He wanted to make a version of the harpsichord that was able to be played both softly and loudly, and he called his early piano the piano-forte, which means “softly and loudly” in Italian. These early pianos were a little different from modern pianos, and they were so expensive that only royalty and the very rich could afford them. It wasn’t until the 19th century that pianos came to resemble the instrument we know today and become more affordable so that more people could enjoy owning one. But why learn to play the piano? Besides being fun and entertaining, research shows that learning this instrument actually makes you smarter! Playing the piano exercises your brain and can make that tough math homework a breeze. So read on and get ready to impress your friends and family with your amazing new talent! What could be better than being able to make your own music?
Don’t assume that famous piano composers are stuffy, old and boring. That couldn’t be further from the truth! There lives were actually interesting and exciting and their music and talents are still, in some way, affecting your life today. From Mozart playing for royalty when he was just a young child, to Gershwin composing music in 20th Century America that was influenced by jazz and blues, learning about these famous composers and their amazing abilities can inspire you to do your best at learning the piano!
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Mozart composed his first piano solo at age five, and could actually write music before he could write words! This site is full of interesting facts on this composer, and also has samples of his music.
Johann Sebastian Bach: Bach is the best-known composer of the Baroque period. Learn all about his life (he had twenty children!) and listen to samples of his musical compositions on this site.
Ludwig van Beethoven: Did you know that as Beethoven went deaf as he got older but could still play the piano because he “heard” music by feeling its vibrations? Learn more fun facts about Beethoven here!
Frederic Francois Chopin: Chopin was known as “The Poet of the Piano” and he is one of the reasons the instrument is so popular today. Learn all about him here!
George Gershwin: Gershwin was an American composer who loved the piano too! This site has music clips, pictures, and a word search all dedicated to this famous pianist.
Tips on How to Have Fun with Lessons
Piano lessons and piano practice don’t have to be boring! If you are having fun learning a new skill, you’ll learn much faster! There are tons of simple ways to inject some fun and games into your piano lessons. So stop yawning! From finding music that you’ll want to play to personalizing your staff paper, check out these links and you’ll soon be looking forward to “tickling the ivories”!
Free Printable Staff Paper: Print different kinds of staff paper to use at your lessons.
Musical Graphics: Decorate your music paper with these cool musical graphics!
Play the Piano: An Interactive Musical Activity: Play the piano and you can actually see what the sound waves look like as you hit different keys using this fun program!
"Fun" and Piano Lessons: Yes, you can learn and have fun at the same time! Here’s how.
Tips on Improving Playing Abilities
It can be frustrating putting hard work into learning a new skill like playing the piano and not learning as quickly as you want to. But don’t give up! As the old saying goes, practice makes perfect! Learning the right way to practice can make you a piano pro in no time! Check out the tips and tricks below and you’ll definitely see an improvement!
Just for Kids--Tips: Tons of fun tips to improve your piano playing and get the most out of your practice time!
Piano Nanny: The more you practice your playing, the better you’ll get! Piano Nanny is a free online piano tutor that lets you practice whenever you want. Practice in your pajamas if you want!
Piano for Kids: Twelve tips just for kids that will have you playing your best in no time!
Piano Practice Chart: This printable chart will help keep you stick to a schedule of piano practice. Remember, practice makes perfect!
Check out these sites for fun games, activities, music and more!
Arts Alive: Compose your own music and answer quiz questions about famous composers on this site!
The Time Machine: Return the composers (Bach, Mozart and more) to the correct time period using a time machine in this fun game.
Piano Hangman: Play this classic game by guessing the correct piano term.
Piano Word Search: Have fun finding the hidden words while you learn about the piano.
Origami Piano: Print out this page to make your very own Origami Piano!
Play the Piano: Starring Pianomus Platypus: Listen to the note and hit the correct piano key in this virtual piano game.
Musical Sketch Pad: On this site you can “sketch” music onto the pad and then hear it played for you with different instruments, including a piano keyboard. Make your tune play faster or slower by clicking on the rabbit or the turtle to adjust the tempo.
Music Notes in Space Game: Blast music notes in outer space and learn the difference between whole notes, half notes and quarter notes in this cool game.
Music Racer: Name the correct piano notes as they appear. The faster you go, the better your score! Race against other players to get the high score!
Thumb Piano: Follow the instructions to create a miniature thumb piano!
BBC Orchestra: This site has tons of fun games to play related to music and pianos.
Fun Piano Facts: Interesting tidbits and trivia that will wow your friends and family.