Studying Piano Makes You More Versatile As A Musician

Music theory courses, whether in high school or college, utilize the piano to teach. Professors typically instruct with either a piano present or thru software that replicates the sounds a piano would make.

The piano's one-dimensionality as an instrument explains why the above is true. There is only one instance of each note, and the pattern of each octave is easily identifiable on the keyboard, unlike, for example, the guitar, which is a two-dimensional instrument that has several instances of most notes and many patterns of octaves. All that makes core concepts, such as rhythm, pitch characteristics, and notation, more easily demonstrated with a piano. 

Also, the range of notes is huge. With 88 keys and 7 octaves, the piano finds a home anywhere in the musical mix: bass, middle, or treble. This versatility lends itself to creative expression. And that's why, regardless of the genre, more composers and arrangers play the piano than any other instrument.

A Great Place to Start

Piano music is written on the grand staff, which includes both the treble and the bass clefs. An aspiring pianist, therefore, learns to read music on both staves simultaneously. Most other instruments play on only one staff by design, which theoretically makes the transition to reading and playing another instrument easier if you can play the piano.

And since both harmony and melody can be played simultaneously with each hand on the piano, the pianist who plays solo is able to create music that sounds fuller than almost any other instrumentalist who is also playing solo.

Finally, almost any tune you hear has a written piano arrangement for it. A host of websites sell licensed musical scores to consumers. And more often than not, if you search the web long enough, almost any piece of music can be found for free, especially if it's popular.

Turbocharged Songwriting

If your dream is to merge poetry and music, the piano is among the most popular instruments for songwriters because it's extremely chordal and your mouth is free to sing. Obtaining a recording of your new song is easily done with a smartphone. No overdubs needed.

And with piano skills, you can do almost anything musically thanks to modern technology like digital audio workstations (DAW). All you have to do is plug that synthesizer or digital piano into your computer. DAW software offers dozens, if not hundreds, of musical effects that can be added to your playing and recording. And thanks to extremely accurate sound sampling, you can even play the piano and have it sound like other instruments. Now that's versatility.

For more information, reach out to an instructor that offers piano lessons.