How To Learn Piano Without Reading Sheet Music? – 7 steps

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Practice and study are two fundamental parts of learning the piano and any instrument. The theoretical and practical part of the study is defined by the method used. There is a formal method taught in most music schools and universities, where the theoretical part has as much weight as the practical part, and there is an informal method, or self-learning, where practice usually plays a more leading role.

Each method has advantages and disadvantages, and their times vary according to the demands and abilities of the student. While not all people have the ability, willingness, or interest to develop outstanding skills in music, most can learn and develop basic skills to make and enjoy music.

Analyzing these factors can be very useful when choosing a formal or informal study method. Studying piano formally, in an academy, music school, or with a private teacher is the fastest and most direct path. Its disadvantage is that it often does not consider the interest and times of the student, clinging to a strict method.

On the other hand, studying piano your way is usually a slower process but much more flexible. It allows you to customize how you study and choose the contents that most stimulate you, incorporating them through practice without dealing with the theoretical part, which can sometimes be less stimulating for the student. This article will review some tips for learning piano without opting for traditional methods.

How To Learn Piano Without Reading Sheet Music? -7 steps

The best way to learn piano without reading music is by training your ears and developing musical judgment. Through the repetition and incorporation of what you are playing, you can advance in learning without knowing how to read or theoretically identify what piece or musical mode you are playing.

1. Identify The Chords
   Chords are the key to musical understanding. A sequence of chords forms every song or musical structure. Each chord includes two or more individual notes that offer different musical textures depending on their combination. You don’t need to remember each note that makes up each chord, but rather that you learn the positions of that chord on the piano keyboard, incorporate its sound, and associate its name. This way, when you need to play a C chord, your hands will automatically know where to place themselves.
2. Play Songs You Like
   The more familiar you are with the music you play, the easier it will be for you to understand and play it on the piano. If you are taking your first steps in music, try to play simple melodies that allow you to advance quickly and motivate you to continue with the next more difficult song. Repetition, perseverance, and patience will make you progress faster in learning. Enjoying what you play and learn is the best way to stay connected to the music, as it will make the experience much more stimulating.
3. Use The Web Information
   Today the information about any discipline you are interested in learning is at your fingertips and free on the web. If you take the time to search the right sites, you can find a large number of tutorials, lessons, and videos on any subject you are interested in developing on the piano. This will be one of your main tools, so invest time finding useful content.
4. Take Notes
   Generating a record of your learning is an excellent way to reinforce learning. It is not necessary to write every new thing you learn but focus on those that can serve as a reference to remember something specific, such as chord positions, scales, or circles of fifths. Whatever makes it easy for you to access the lessons you’re learning quickly.
5. Record Yourself Playing
   Using your mobile phone or any device to record yourself while playing will greatly help. Recording yourself can generate a record of your progress and more easily detect which points you should improve or put more emphasis on. At first, it may not be pleasant to listen to you, and you will notice many mistakes, but as you progress through the experience, you will notice progress, motivating you to continue.
6. Use a Metronome
   By incorporating a metronome into your lessons, you will develop the sense of timing necessary to hold the beat properly. The metronome is not only a reference to the BPM (beats per minute), but it can also act as a percussive accompaniment which will put you in context when rehearsing a song or piece. You can find many options of metronomes at a good price in the market, download some apps to your mobile phone, or even play a song you are listening to following its beat. The important thing is that you incorporate tempo into your playing, which will give you many benefits, especially when playing with other musicians.
7. Trust In Your Abilities
   Learning to play the piano is an activity in which you will have to invest time and energy; most of the time, it will be a slow process. Because of this, it is normal that, at certain times, you feel frustrated, that you are not moving forward, or that you have reached a limit. That is often false; it is just your brain trying to convince you to do a more stimulating activity. The truth is that as you progress and notice certain improvements, you will feel stimulated and motivated to keep going. But the first step necessary for this to happen is not to give up.
   The ability to master almost anything you want to learn is within you. Give your brain time to incorporate knowledge and your hands to acquire the flexibility and precision necessary to play the piano. Start playing slow and build up the speed and intensity as you feel it naturally. Do not rush. The attention that people can give to daily activity is limited, so use that attention time to focus on the practice and then allow yourself to rest to come back when you feel motivated again.

How Long Does it Take to Learn Piano?

Learning to play the piano can take an average of six months to a year to reach a beginner level, two to four years to reach an intermediate level, and six to ten years to reach an advanced level. From there, you can always continue to perfect yourself on the piano.

Progress in learning and mastering the piano is directly linked to the time you invest in studying it and your learning capacity. The more hours per week, the faster you will incorporate this new knowledge. Beyond this, it is important that learning is constant and slow. Mastering musical instruments is a long-term path with no shortcuts, so keeping motivation plays a key role.

If you divide the number of weekly hours into daily lessons, it will be more fluid and easier to progress than if you studied the same number of hours but only two or three days a week. Short time intervals help you focus better and stay motivated for longer. The key is to take one small step each day toward your goal.

In the same way, the schedules of each person are different. Obligations and availability sometimes keep the study in second place, so the hours you invest in learning must be properly used. You can plan your study time to get the most out of it. On the other hand, not all people advance at the same speed. While some quickly incorporate and memorize the exercises, others may take a little longer.

Setting goals for each week or each month is a good way to monitor your progress and keep your motivation high. Along the way, there will always be bumps or moments in which you lose your routine; the important thing is that you have the necessary perseverance to resume what you have already started.

Is it Easier to Learn Piano by Yourself?

Studying the piano independently can be good if you have perseverance and can easily organize. If, on the other hand, it is easier for you to have someone tell you where you should go in your learning, it is best that you study with teachers or enroll in an academy.

Both studying piano in a self-taught way and doing it in a traditional way are valid and effective options. However, not all people are predisposed in the same way to the same situations. While for some, traditional way can be the fastest and most effective way to advance, it may be too demanding, tedious, or structured for others.

One method is not better than the other, they are simply different ways of approaching the same objective, so it is important to analyze which method can work best for you. Learning to play the piano independently has pros and cons compared to doing it traditionally. Here we review some of them:

Pros:

• Flexible Schedules
  You can schedule your study hours in the way that is most convenient for you. One of the things that can cause problems when studying at a music school or with a private teacher is that you are the one who must adapt to their schedules. In the case of studying on your own, you have complete freedom to use the time as it suits you and advance or postpone the lessons if necessary.
• Choose Your Lessons
  You can go directly to the topics that you are most interested in learning or the most useful for you, which can affect your motivation in a positive way. Unlike in formal education, in this case, you can approach the musical genres that interest you and avoid those that you are not interested in learning, which will optimize your study hours.
• Low Budget
  Another advantage of studying piano on your own is that the cost is relatively low. While to have access to teacher piano lessons, you will have to pay large amounts of money, to learn on your own, you only need a device with internet access. On the web, you will find unlimited information available at all times in the form of courses, channels, tutorials, and videos for free. Because of this, the web is the main tool for anyone looking to learn piano on their own.

Cons:

• Greater Commitment
  One of the keys to advancing in self-teaching is to maintain rhythm and perseverance. You can easily fall into laziness by not having anyone in charge of telling you what you have to practice or how long you should do it. Because of this, to learn on your own properly, it is a requirement to have a high level of self-demand. Success or failure depends exclusively on your level of commitment to the activity.
• Higher Difficulty
  It is a fact that learning on your own is more difficult because there will not be someone in charge of selecting the topics that you will have to address. You will have to take care of that. At the same time, sometimes it will happen that you don’t fully understand something, and there won’t be someone to explain it to you in detail either, so you should broaden your search to find the answers you are looking for.This will force you to invest time in finding the right content and require more attention, adding difficulty to the learning task. In this case, this type of inconvenience can negatively influence your motivation and affect your performance in the long term.

Is There an Ideal Hand Size to Play Piano?

If we had to designate an ideal size for the hands of someone who aspires to be a pianist, we could establish that 8.5” long is a good measure of hands to play the piano. Although playing piano is an activity anyone can do regardless of the size of their hands, those with long fingers will have an advantage.

A well-known expression attributes having “pianist’s fingers” to those who have long fingers. Having long fingers will make it easier to reach the different notes, especially those that are further apart, and at the same time, your arms will have to travel less to go from the white to the black keys. However, although it may be an advantage, it is not decisive since a hand with long fingers, but at the same time very stiff, will need time to get used to playing the piano correctly.

The flexibility and the ability of the muscles in your hands to incorporate new movements are qualities that will help you master the piano technique, regardless of the length of your fingers. So, in the long run, the time you spend practicing and getting your hands used to moving around the piano will be more decisive than any other physical aptitude.

If someone has small hands or fingers shorter than average, sometimes that person will have to make a more significant effort to execute specific exercises or play certain chords. But it should not be a reason to stop playing the piano. The piano is an instrument linked to various musical styles, which is why there are many ways to play it and many techniques to learn. If having small hands is an obstacle to learning some of these techniques, many others could be mastered and do not require the player to have extensive hands or a wide range of fingers.

Developing to the maximum the aspects in which you have the most facility will help to compensate those in which you have already found a limit. There will always be a way to exploit your virtues and reach your full potential. As a positive point, beyond any limitations you may have, the human body and mind have an extensive capacity to acquire knowledge and skills. Therefore, you will often be surprised by the results you can achieve through practice and perseverance, even exceeding your expectations.

Conclusion

The piano is one of the most versatile instruments and, at the same time, one of the simplest when entering the world of music. Unlike other instruments, anyone can get sound out of it, even without prior knowledge. The layout of the keys and its way of sounding make the listener quickly familiar with it and feel the desire to continue playing.

Whether your goal is to learn to play the piano to one day be a professional musician or to simply play some of your favorite songs in the comfort of your home, practice and study will be the way to achieve the goal. Music theory and the ability to read sheet music can be very useful and make things easier for you in many situations. However, depending on your goal in music, it may be essential, or it may not be necessary.

Many people have dedicated their lives to understanding and interpreting music without mastering the theoretical part that traditional training provides, prioritizing their intuition and creativity. Therefore, not knowing how to read music should not be an obstacle if you intend to become a musician. The tools you incorporate will be useful at some point, but none are more important in music than your ability to create and perform. I hope this article is very useful for you. Thanks for your time!