It’s Friday and, for a lot of us, it’s payday as well, but there’s another reason to celebrate 29 March, too. This being the 88th day of the year, it’s also Piano Day 2019 (we’ll let you join the dots), which means that, for 24 hours, synthetic ivory tinklers and their instrument of choice are in the spotlight.
Events to mark the occasion are taking place all around the world; you can find out what’s happening near you (and not so near you) on the Piano Day website. The day is the brainchild of German musician Nils Frahm - who, perhaps not coincidentally, launched a new Kontakt piano instrument with Native Instruments earlier this week - and he’ll be playing in New York this evening.
“Why does the world need a Piano Day?” asks Frahm. “For many reasons. But mostly, because it doesn’t hurt to celebrate the piano and everything around it: performers, composers, piano builders, tuners, movers and most important, the listener.”
Other notable events include a 12-hour Pianothon at the Shoreditch Treehouse, and performances by Rival Consoles and Midori Hirano at the Erased Tapes Sound Gallery in East London.
Of course, there’s a good chance you might not be able to make it along to an official Piano Day event, but you can still have some keys-related fun. Perhaps the best thing you can so is simply to sit down and play - whether that be on a real piano, a digital model or via a MIDI keyboard.
If you’re lacking in chops, check out these beginner-friendly piano lessons:
How to sit correctly at the piano
Before you start playing, you need to be in the right position
How to position your right hand when you're playing the keyboard
Wanna learn how to play the keyboard properly? Let's start at the very beginning…
Learn the white keys on the piano
Get to know the 'natural' notes on your piano or keyboard
Learn the black keys on the piano
Get acquainted with the world of flats and sharps right here
How to recognise the notes on a keyboard
If you can handle the first few letters of the alphabet, you're equipped to get your head around the piano…
How to play a C major scale on a keyboard
For your first tentative steps into keyboard mastery, you'll want to stick to just the white notes…
How to play major and minor chords on a keyboard
Once you've got a grip on scales, it's time to start stacking notes on top of each other. Now we're really getting compositional!
How to develop finger independence on a keyboard
With two hands and ten fingers to consider, learning to play keyboards requires a great deal of dexterity. This exercise will help you develop yours.
Alternatively, how about a round-up of the 6 best piano learning apps?
