Many parents like their child to learn an instrument; the piano is a popular choice. Children are easily inspired by the many artists that play the piano, so naturally it’s a good fit. So what are the benefits of playing the piano for children?

The main advantage of children learning the piano is undoubtedly coordination. The ability to play piano chords and certain notes together, and play music the way it’s meant to be is hugely beneficial for children. This is largely because hey have to use their fingers to put together different sequences, so that the music will flow.

Confidence. The ability to play an instrument that is as complex as the piano is a massive skill. It will most definitely give your child a sense of purpose and confidence, as they will feel good about themselves and will be used to performing in front of people.

Concentration is another huge asset that piano playing will give. Piano songs need to be played perfectly so there can’t be any mistakes, so your child will easily benefit from this.

Learning the piano from an early age is a skill for life. It could open up a wealth of opportunities for your child e.g. composing their own music and get into the music industry, some of the best musicians have progressed to a professional level and made it their profession.

On the other side there are also risks. If a child is not particularly enthusiastic after taking many lessons, then they will naturally want to stop learning. The cost of buying piano’s and taking lessons are not cheap, so a parent needs to monitor how the child feels when playing the piano.

Here’s a nice in depth tutorial from Tom Willett on piano chords. He’s using a basic keyboard for his demonstration. So check it out!

Learning piano chords is not at all hard. When you grasp the fundamentals, you will realise how silly it was to believe that it’s a irksome thing to study. Chords are merely combinations of two or more notes from a given scale.

There’s actually a formula that is true for all the 12 major scales. You do not even have to consult a chord chart to recognise it, you simply apply the approach pattern. Do you remember the C major scale? Once again the approach pattern is in the sequence: whole-whole-half-whole-whole-whole-half or if you feel its easier to count the keys (black and white included) 2-2-1-2-2-2-1. So for the C major scale, they are C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C.

It is now time to apply this knowledge from the chord. We shall concentrate on the triad which is the easiest and most frequently used piano chord. The word triad just means three, therefore for this type of chord you will be only be using three notes from the major scale. The major triad uses the first, third and fifth note of the major scale. The first being the root, the major third and the perfect fifth. So for the C major chord the notes or tones are C, E, and G. The chord can be written as CM or simply C. For F with the scale: F-G-A-Bb-C-D-Eb-F the F chord the notes are F-A-C.

Use the thumb for the first note, the middle finger for the third and the pinky for the fifth. It is even easier to memorise piano chords for the minor triads. Are you prepared? Just bring down the third note one half step or just one key on the board and it becomes a minor triad. Mino triad chords are then 1st, b3rd, and 5th note or tones of the major scale. This means the Cm chord is composed of C-Eb-G and Fm is F-Ab or G#-A.

Here’s an instructive video on learning basic piano chords. its something which you can perfect in your beginner piano lessons.