A painter can select and mix various hues to create an inspiring masterpiece, and a pianist can manipulate chords–the foundational units of almost any song–to create a sonorous piece of art that stirs up the soul, evokes nostalgia and even heals pain.
For pianists especially, understanding and using chords is essential. However, finding the right chord combination is not quite as simple as mixing red and blue to make purple.
Just imagine an intimate setting—a softly lit living room with your beautiful acoustic piano at its center. There’s a small group of people gathering around and asking you to play for them.
You’d be delighted. In fact, you thought they’d never ask! You lift your hands and begin to play a soft and lovely song.
Your friends are impressed as you expertly pump the pedals, softening a note here and sustaining a note there. Then you work yourself up into the higher notes, where it sounds like angels singing until….CLANG!
We have to go back to 18th century Italy to pinpoint the birth of the piano.
A harpsichord maker decided to put a spin on the popular instrument with the fortepiano. This instrument expanded the capabilities of the harpsichord.
The popularity of the fortepiano lasted throughout the years until its name was shortened to the piano.
In the 21st century, the instrument known as the piano has many forms.
Learning the piano is an exciting endeavor. How nice would it be to play your favorite songs? Imagine impressing your friends and family at a party, or just relaxing in the comfort of your home, filling your sanctuary with beautiful music.
Then the doubt kicks in:
It’s safe to assume that the more advanced pieces or song arrangements you want to play, the more difficulty involved and the longer it takes. Even so, by itself, that is not the main determining factor of how hard it is to learn the piano.
Do you remember the moment you rode your bike without training wheels for the first time? How about the moment you realized you could read or had learned to do some other skill? Those are perfect moments when there’s a joyful click in your heart as your body and mind sync up perfectly.
Think about one of those moments right now. If you allow it, that same amazing feeling will come back to you in all its glory! Try it right now, and then check yourself for anxiety. There’s probably not much there, is there?
That’s because learning new things is incredibly effective in reducing anxiety in the mind and body, especially if what you learn has to do with music.