How to play the Piano
Now there are many different ways of learning how to play a particular song. You can buy the sheet music if you are familiar with sheet reading, play it along the chords (downloaded from the bottom of the lessons on this website), or just follow a video, i.e., play “by eye”.
In this text I want to give you some basics about chords and music theory in order to allow you to play just by knowing the chords, which in the long run is the way to go if you want to easily increase your repertoire.
Step 1
Begin learning some basic piano chords to get you started. You’ll find a list here of common chords that are easy to play.
Step 2
Improve your knowledge of chords. Move up from basics to knowing how to make chords. Move out from playing major and minor chords into playing more kinds.
Step 3
Learn what the chord titles mean. Read understanding chord titles. You don’t have to learn them all now. Just get a basic understanding of the differences.
Do you want to learn to play gospel? Learn about the chord types you need to be able to play on the gospel chords page.
Step 4
Learn some tips and techniques for learning how to play chords.
When learning piano chords, most people start out playing block chords. After that, you want to spread the notes out or include the melody. Learn some ways of doing just that.
You can also visit the chord piano lessons page. It goes step by step through learning about chords and then playing them.
Step 5
When learning about chords, you may also want to learn some chord theory. It will help you to understand why things are done the way they are. It will also help you to play chords faster in the end.
Step 6
If you want to learn jazz, learn about jazz chords. Jazz chords are much more advanced than rock or gospel. That’s why learning chord theory comes first.
In the future I will add all the useful information here aiming to create a document that comprises the whole process. Of course, there are many books etc. out there that are more comprehensive, be sure to check them out!