Why Begin Piano Before Another Instrument?

Many parents are aware of the potential benefits that are available to children who have lessons on a musical instrument. Among these benefits are:

• Improved language skills
• Enhanced attention and concentration
• Better coordination
• Augmented social skills
• The greater ability to understand and enjoy music

Those are the kinds of benefits that most parents would be happy for their child to experience. However, it’s not always easy to know where to start.

Piano frequently is the musical instrument of choice when children are just beginning lessons. This isn’t an arbitrary choice. In fact, there are numerous reasons why it absolutely makes sense to start your child’s musical journey with piano lessons.

Why Piano Is an Excellent Choice as a First Instrument

Perhaps you took piano lessons when you were a child. You may have memories of hours spent in practice, and these may have been happy for you.

Or, maybe you’ve never played a musical instrument. This may mean that the concept is one that is foreign to you.

Either way, you’ve heard other parents talking about how piano lessons have been wonderful for their children, which leads you to wonder exactly what it is that makes the piano a better place to start than other instruments.

Here are a few of the reasons.

1. Piano Is Easy to Play

This doesn’t mean that your child will be able to play a Mozart sonata after her first lesson, but she will be able to press piano keys to produce pleasing sounds. The buzzing, squeaking and other bothersome noises that are associated with learning other instruments are absent while learning the piano.

Another thing that makes the piano easier to play than other instruments is that the student does not have to tune it before each lesson or practice session. Related to this is the idea that the piano does not require the student to create an accurate pitch. Each key is already tuned to the right pitch, and there are no opportunities to hit pitches that are between notes.

2. The Piano Enables the Student to Learn the Complete Musical Language

Four key concepts form the foundation of all music lessons. These are:

• The pitch, or hitting the right note
• Rhythm, or understanding the beat
• Tempo, or the piece’s rhythmic pace
• Dynamics and expression, which refer to how softly or loudly the piece is played

What sets the piano apart from other instruments is that the pitch encompasses the piano’s full course. Look at it this way: Western music is written in three clefs that are known as treble, bass and C. Piano music is composed using both the treble and bass clefs. When combined, these are called the “grand staff.” Once a student understands the grand staff, it is much easier to become familiar with C-clefs. Accordingly, if the student learns to read music on the piano, they will be able to read music on all other instruments.

The language of music further requires a melody and a bass accompaniment. Unlike other instruments, the piano plays both components at the same time. This helps the student to become familiarized with the concepts of tempo and rhythm.

Because pianists must play both the melody and the bass, they have a keen understanding of how the rhythmic patterns and the overarching melody interact and blend.

3. Piano Can Be Played as a Solo Instrument or Part of an Ensemble

This is one of the best reasons for starting music lessons on the piano instead of another instrument. The piano is extremely versatile. It sounds great as a solo instrument, but it actually can be a critical component of a band or other ensemble.

Other instruments usually are relegated to only playing the melody or bass lines. Playing one or the other of these parts can become really tedious. In fact, some instruments play only occasional notes in certain pieces.

On the other hand, the piano usually makes its presence known throughout a piece. It is immensely satisfying to be able to play as many as ten notes at a time as well as to be able to play both the melody and the accompaniment.

Of course, pianos also can play just the bass or just the melody. With so much versatility, it is not surprising that pianists quickly learn so much about music.

4. The Piano Is Less Awkward to Play

Piano teachers do insist on good posture, and it is essential for students to learn the proper way to hold their arms and hands, but this typically is not very awkward.

With other instruments, it can be a different story. Many instruments, such as wind and brass instruments, require that the musician assume an awkward position of the arms and hands. Additionally, while the guitar is a popular choice for young learners, it definitely has a painful learning curve. Until the student develops callouses on their fingers, strumming on those guitar strings means dealing with a lot of discomfort.

5. Students Can Play Songs Right Away

With some instruments, it is necessary to learn and drill various techniques before it is possible to play even the simplest tune. However, the piano is not like that.

Many students learn to pick out at least one short melody during their first lesson. Kids love being able to play a song so quickly, especially when it is a well-known and beloved tune. In fact, it’s not unusual for kids to learn several songs within the first few weeks of lessons. This makes practice fun, and they are likely to want their friends and family to gather around to hear them play.

6. Piano Provides the Basis for Music Theory

In many ways, the piano is a sensible, linear instrument. The keys are predictably and reliably laid out. Each one can easily be seen as they are played. Because it is possible to imagine the keys, this can create an important foundation for music theory.

When looking at the keyboard, the high notes are on the right, and the low notes are on the left. Thanks to having both black and white keys, it is easy for the student to learn about flats and sharps. Moreover, the piano’s layout makes understanding how chords are built much simpler because the student can see the spacing between the notes on the keyboard.

7. Ideal for Developing a Dynamic Range

When the piano was still being developed, it was designed so that it could play both very softly and quite loudly. Accordingly, the piano can blend in with other instruments or vocal accompaniment, but it also is loud enough to be a dramatic solo instrument. Through learning to play the piano, students have a chance to explore the differences between loud and soft sounds and how these sounds can affect the overall feeling of a piece.

8. Learning Piano Makes Playing Other Instruments Easier

Some students fall in love with the piano and don’t have an interest in playing anything else. Other students are intrigued by instruments like the flute, clarinet, guitar or trombone. Gaining a foundation in piano makes it much easier to one day start playing additional instruments. Thanks to the piano student’s ability to read music, to play the melody and the chords and their keen understanding of rhythm, they have a tremendous advantage when they want to pick up a new instrument.

What Instrument Should Your Child Learn?

Piano generally is considered an excellent place to start when a child wants to learn to play a musical instrument. Not only is it less physically awkward to play the piano but also the student has a much earlier opportunity to start playing songs.

At Prodigies, we believe that music belongs in every child’s life. That’s why we like to bring music lessons into their homes with our videos and other educational programs. Kids can enjoy all sorts of benefits throughout their lifetime from the study of music, so we recommend starting as soon as possible.

Prodigies Music offers fun, percussive instruments so that kids can play along with their lessons. This introduction to the fundamentals of making music is a memorable experience for the whole family. Start browsing today to choose the program that’s right for your family.