Before you jump head first into playing the piano, it’s important to get a better feel of how it works. First off you have to take a look at all the various forms of pianos that are out there. Upright pianos have a certain appeal that offers vertical options that are large, heavy, and even tall. They can be around 36 to 51 high. Now, if you’re looking for a shorter version like Spinets, these are 36 to 39. Studio vertical pianos are 44 and higher.

If you have the opportunity to play on a grand piano, you will usually get a better sound and a more responsive touch. Grand pianos are the more horizontal pianos, ranging from 5 to 9 feet in length. In a grand piano, the strings are horizontal. In a vertical piano, the strings are, well, vertical.

When it’s time to play you will see a music rack right in front of you. It might be a fold down option or some actually slide into a slot, but you will find one or the other. Just sit down on the bench that the piano comes with and set your music in the rack. Just remember to sit at a comfortable distance so you can reach both ends of the piano during your play.

Underneath the piano is a set of pedals that will help you either sustain a sound or cut it off short. This is something that beginners don’t have to deal with, and only the veteran piano players should worry about throughout a session.

The most important part though is the keyboard. You see a variety of white and black keys which run from left to right. Just remember they don’t necessarily alternate white and black throughout the entire keyboard.

If you look closely, you will see that the black and white keys form a pattern that repeats from one end of the keyboard to the other. The pattern consists of 7 white keys and 5 black keys in a particular order. From the beginning of one such set of keys and ending on the beginning of the next set, an interval is formed. Intervals are just the musical distances between two sounds. This particular interval is called an octave.

The keys are also setup in order from lowest to highest (left to right). Each one of these keys whether black or white is a half step higher in pitch. If you’re looking for a full step then you have to go up or down two half steps. Don’t worry, it may sound difficult but with a little practice you will be able to learn the intervals easily.

Try other intervals to hear their sounds. Always pay attention to how many half or full steps you are taking. Do the same intervals at several different places along the keyboard. Try octaves. You can do this by picking out a key and playing the next key up that is in the same position in the next pattern group. Soon, you will be playing octaves with ease. This is very important to all kinds of piano playing.

If you can get a better understanding for the piano in the beginning, it will be much easier to learn how to make music. In a short amount of time you will see yourself being able to play simple songs. All it takes is a little effort and drive on your part to make it all happen.