I studied piano when I was younger, but it’s been a very long time since I’ve had any practice. I have an Alesis 61 keyboard that I bought a couple years ago, I’ve had the intention to start practicing again but I’ve been putting it off until now. I am inspired to pick it up again. I want to play chord-driven songs like those by Adele, Ed Sheeran and other similar artists. I appreciate classical music, but I am not as interested in playing it; however, I’m sure I’ll pick up a song or two along the way.
In my early studies we learned songs without having knowledge of all the hand placements We spent most of our time with Middle C, learning nursing rhymes ad simple songs. I also went to a Catholic school, so we learned a lot of Christian songs in the beginning. I think there is a better approach to learning piano. When starting out, I think it’s a good idea to practice each hand placement for all seven hand positions-notes A-G. Right now I am most familiar with the placements for C and F because they are so easily recognizable. I can identify the others buts I need to train my hands to be placed at any given time. As practice I will call out a note and try as quickly as possible to find the correct hand placement, I plan on doing this for as long as I need to in order for it to become second nature
Piano is a method of art therapy for me. Even though I am not as proficient as I would like to be at the moment, I gain so much inspiration from playing scales and chords. Many times when I have writer’s block, I can play a little bit and it will improve my writing. It also relieves stress and gives me another outlet to learn from. I think art therapy is important because it gives people the tools for improving emotional quality and reducing anxiety. I would encourage anyone with a creative mind to pick up an instrument, write a story, rehearse a play or do something else that will inspire you to learn and develop.