[travelingdp]

Thanks!

As far as piano goes, I play mostly just for the purpose of keeping my reading and theory skills strong. I don't really give piano lessons myself (considering I'm not truly a pianist), but I'm always willing to help out anyone interested in learning.

First thing: you will need access to a piano/keyboard. If you already own one, great! If not, maybe you have a friend/relative/etc. that has one you can use, or check with your school's music department and see if they might let use their practice rooms/pianos. If none of those options work, then I would suggest buying your own. I would recommend finding a weighted, 88-key keyboard because that would provide the greatest benefit for you over time. However, a 61-key keyboard should be fine for learning purposes in most cases. I would also suggest finding a keyboard with USB connectivity (for use with some software I will mention later).

As far as learning goes, there are many routes you could take.

1) Playing by ear - this requires very little musical knowledge/skill but can be very effective, and many people start off this way. Pick a song you like, find where the notes are on the piano, and pick at it until it sounds the way you like.

2) Playing by sight - this method is not too common, but is somewhat similar to playing by ear. Synthesia is a great cross-platform software that allows users to connect a USB keyboard and play along with MIDI files. It is pretty much StepMania, but with 10 fingers and 88 keys. Synthesia is free, but you can pay to unlock certain features that may help with the learning experience (primarily, displaying sheet music that you can read along with). Google search Synthesia and it will be the first result.

3) "Textbook" learning - this method is often seen as the "most drab" but will get you great results. Visit your local music store or search online for a beginning piano book. You can even find plenty of free piano resources online. Slowly go through them to make sure you nail the basics/fundamentals. It takes patience, but makes learning at more advanced levels so much easier. This method often goes hand-in-hand with taking piano lessons.

4) Taking piano lessons - pretty much the same as the textbook method but with somebody there to help guide you. Check your school's music department and see if any piano instructors or students would be willing to give you some piano lessons
(be prepared to pay for them, though).

Those are the main methods I'd recommend. I'd also recommend learning some music theory. This will help greatly with your reading skills. Teoria is a wonderful free resource for learning theory. I would recommend going through the lessons in the tutorial section as well as trying out some of the exercises. Google search Teoria and it will be the first result.

Hope this all helps! If you have any questions, feel free to ask!

-travelingdp-