Learn the finger names. Your thumb is finger 1 Your index finger is finger 2 Your middle finger is finger 3 Your ring finger is finger 4 Your pinky finger is finger 5
Start with your right hand. Place all of your fingers in the "middle c" hand position. This means finger 1 is on C, finger 2 is on D, finger 3 is E, finger 4 is on F and finger 5 is on G. To find this position quickly, just put your thumb on C and let the other fingers fall into place, one finger to one note.
Practice playing up and down this position. So you should play 1, then 2, then 3, then 4, then 5, and then back down (5,4,3,2,1). Remember to count out loud. Count 1 2 3 4 5 4 3 2 1 as you play that finger. Keep a steady pace. Play this very slowly and gradually speed up. Most keyboards come with a built in metronome, this will help you greatly. Set the speed to 80 BPM (beats per minute) to start with, then speed up until you can play 110 BPM. If the tempo is ever to fast, just slow it down. This exercise will get you used to moving your fingers around.
Learn a few chords. A good one to learn is the C chord. Every time you count 1, play and hold the C chord. This will get you used to playing with chords and you will need that to play in the future.
Learn some basic songs. Once you're used to moving around with chords, learn some easy keyboard songs. You could just buy a grade 1 music book that comes with songs because they are very easy. Take a trip down to your local music shop and speak to the people there about easy songs to learn. They will be willing to help you. They could also show you some tips on how to play faster. Remember to practice very slowly so you can speed it up and still be accurate.
Get your grade 1. If you have a keyboard tutor, speak to them about getting your grade 1 in keyboard. This will keep you motivated and you will have something to show for your hard work in the future. If you don't want the grade, skip this step. If you do, take another trip to your local music store and ask them about it.
Get into more advanced pieces. Once you master the easy stuff, master some more advanced songs. The best thing to do is get your grade 2. The grade 2 is very similar to grade 1 so it's not that hard.
Keep going until you reach grade 8. Now you have truly mastered the keyboard. You should be able to play pretty fast by now too. If you're not fussed about the grades, just keep learning until you can play very well. Do not aim to play fast when starting out, just aim to play well. Speed will come with time.
Comments
0 comment