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Top 5 Ways To Develop Your Piano Rhythm

by Tania Gleaves on March 5, 2010

top 10 ways to improve your sight reading1 Top 5 Ways To Develop Your Piano Rhythm

Trouble finding your rhythm? Want to know the top 5 ways to develop your piano rhythm?

2 Top 5 Ways To Develop Your Piano Rhythm

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Learn the basic rhythms.

As one of the top 5 ways to develop your piano rhythm, learning the basic beats found in any kind of music will help. The more rhythms that you listen to in fact, the easier they are to identify and emulate. We have for example, the standard four-beat rhythm that counts out to four beats per measure. Pretty common. Then we have the three-beat rhythm that counts out to three beats per measure. Again, pretty common. We also have the two-beat rhythm which is half the four-beat rhythm, but as you delve deeper into the world of piano, you’ll discover some rather interesting (albeit, a little tricky) beats to play. The five beat rhythm is an example. This pattern counts out five beats per measure, commonly found in non-European music.

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Practice rhythms with your hands (clapping, clapping on lap, tapping foot).

Speaking of tricky rhythms, we find that clapping our hands or just tapping our feet is an effective method in developing rhythm — especially when the music that we play gets a little complicated. Bear in mind that music doesn’t have to be foreign to be complicated. Sometimes, music can be so “full” of “stuff” (notes, flags, sharps, and other twists and turns), we can get lost in trying to play it. Taking a few moments to clap out a rhythm however, helps us associate notes with a unique time signature — a time signature that could at any moment, change right in the middle of a song!

Count out loud if you have to.

This strategy follows the hand clapping and foot tapping strategy above, except that counting aloud helps strengthen the concept of rhythm in our minds. When we repeat 1 -2 -3 -4 over and over, that pattern sticks and flows from our fingers. It’s best to count aloud while looking at the music you’re playing. The relationship between the notes you see and the beats that they represent will become clearer as a result.

Use a metronome.

Metronomes are pretty much standard staples when it comes to playing music. You would be hard pressed in fact, to stay on beat without one! A metronome is programmed to produce a steady beat for a prolonged period of time, so they make perfect tools for strengthening adherence to certain beats.
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Play the piano in your mind while doing something else.

Just for fun, you could use the sounds in your environment as a basis for a new rhythm. Imagine the sounds created in the office environment. A person typing… someone walking down the hall… a printer grinding out 20 sheets of music… you get the point. Pick any one of these songs and then play your imaginary piano to the rhythm of the sound that you’re hearing. Even if the rhythm speeds up or slows down, the goal in this little exercise is to keep playing the music on time, no matter how much the beat sways.

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Children’s Piano Music Lessons

by Tania Gleaves on February 26, 2010

piano lessons for beginners Childrens Piano Music Lessons

Want your kids to learn how to play the piano? Looking for affordable and accesible piano music lessons the whole family can enjoy?

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If you’ve ever seen a baby respond to a song, you know that children were born to love music. Even from inside the womb, infants can hear rhythms and melodies. Its no wonder that many children love music.

Piano music lessons give children of all ages a wonderful opportunity to explore music. Giving a child the gift of musical sensitivity and talent is one of the best things about starting lessons at a young age.

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Piano music lessons connect children with the joy and happiness that music can bring. They stimulate a child’s mind and imagination. The joy of playing the piano can last a lifetime.

Introducing a child to the piano can also help build up their self-esteem. When a child undertakes piano lessons they are learning to master an instrument that seems huge to them. This can build confidence.

In a child’s life, there is very little they have direct control over. However, when they sit down at the piano and begin to play a song or exercise, they are in control. They can hear their progress and take pride in the music they are creating.

Learning to play provides a great sense of accomplishment for children. This is a feeling and confidence that they can apply to other parts of their lives. As they grow in age and in skill level, the piano grows with them. It provides a constant friendly challenge to grow as a musician and a person.

Piano music lessons are also a way to help children build skill in a calm, non-competitive activity. So much emphasis is placed these days on childhood sports, which can just as easily break a child’s self esteem as build it up.

Piano playing is not without its challenges, but it is a gentler and more useful approach to helping your child develop. There are a large number of children who take piano music lessons, so your child will definitely be able to associate and identify with a peer group.

Taking piano lessons also helps a child grow in responsibility. They can help a child transition from being dependent on their parents, to being a more mature person.

You may have to remind your child occasionally that it is time to practice, but what they do during that practice is their responsibility. They are going to be in charge of how they practice and what they accomplish in each session. It is a great way to foster independence and grow self-esteem.

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Prepare For Online Free Piano Lessons

February 22, 2010

Online free piano lessons are the perfect choice for those who may feel intimidated by sheet music. In the comfort of your own home, you can learn to read notation without feeling (too) embarrassed or incurring the costs of an expensive tutor. But before you set out to download every song from the web, let [...]

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You Can Learn to Play Piano Online!

February 20, 2010

The Internet has transformed many parts of our daily lives, and now it is helping make piano lessons even easier! Playing the piano online is the way to go for adults and children alike.
Maybe you’ve dreamed of learning the piano, but never got the chance as a child or young adult. [...]

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Basic Piano Lessons – Hmmm…Where Do We Begin?

February 16, 2010

What is the big dilemma?
There are more opportunities to learn basic piano lessons than ever before. And on one hand, this is a wonderful achievement since it increases the expose to a truly great medium. On the other hand, it can make finding appropriate lessons a bit more difficult than [...]

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Top 10 Things To Look For In Online Piano Lessons

February 15, 2010

1. Basic notation. When looking for online piano lessons, one of the top 10 things to look for in online piano lessons is the very basics at the least. While you may think that learning the names of notes and where they exist on a keyboard will suffice, quality piano lessons [...]

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Top 4 Reasons to Learn to Play Piano

February 5, 2010

The Piano Has Its Own Unique Sound
One of top 4 reasons to learn to play piano is the unique sound it makes. No other instrument comes close to the type and quality of music generated by the piano, which consequently, is a good thing. High quality music requires that its instruments sound [...]

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The Play Piano Roadmap – Your Journey From Beginner To Advanced

January 31, 2010

Whether you already play piano or want to learn, I’m glad you stumbled across this page. It means there’s one more person out there looking for a better way to add music to his or her life, or perhaps to improve on an already established skill set.
Either way, welcome. The good [...]

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Piano Music – A Guide To Finding A Perfect Fit

January 30, 2010

Finding piano music isn’t difficult at all. The problem with finding it however is finding appropriate pieces to play. The music that you want to play should reflect your current skills so that you don’t feel overwhelmed or unchallenged. Good music should not only encourage growth in your playing ability, but [...]

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Appropriate Piano Lessons for Adults

January 27, 2010

Adult Pianists Have Special Capabilities And Needs
Piano lessons for adults teach at a pace that is more suitable for the grown student. When learning how to play the piano however, you might be tempted to start with piano lessons for children. After all, they should seem simple enough for anyone to [...]

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