Why I love playing piano
By Scott Houston
First and foremost, the piano is physically and mechanically more simple to play than almost any other instrument. I love how accessible it is to people of all ages! When compared to the physical effects of the following instruments, piano offers a wonderful ease of use.
What hurts the most (about other instruments)
- guitar (hello painful fingers)
- brass instruments (lookin’ at you sore, red lips)
- flute (remembering every little girl in 7th grade passing out the 1st week of band)
- violin (excuse me, what’s that rash on your neck?)
- drum set (wait, what? all 4 limbs are doing something separate at the same time how fast?)
- Oboe/Bassoon (whoa! I get a sinus headache watching players push air through a double reed …)
The actual exercise of “creating sound” on a piano takes nothing more than the strength to push your finger down. That motion can be easily accomplished from age 5 – 100! Instead of needing to take a big breath, or purse your lips into some non-natural shape (yes, I know it’s called an embouchure), or get the rosin on your bow just right—the piano can sound pretty great just with the push of a finger. The only other “easy” motion I can think of is a drummer simply striking a drum, and I think we’ve all seen enough rock n’ roll shows to know their job is a little more demanding than that!
Piano, the Swiss army knife of instruments
If you’re looking to find a musical tool that can serve many different purposes and uses, it’s pretty hard to beat a piano—though guitar is a close second! You can’t make music without melody, harmony, and rhythm, and the piano can play all three with aplomb, not many others can! The piano’s ability to play a single note for melodic lines while simultaneously playing multiple notes (chords) to add harmony is pretty magical stuff! In addition to playing melody and harmony at the same time, the piano can also be played very rhythmically thanks to its hammers striking strings at different intensities. To add the cherry on top of the sundae, pianos also produce the biggest range out of all instruments. I can’t really think of a musical function that a piano could not satisfy and then some.
Piano, the social instrument
Because of their musical versatility, pianos are the quintessential accompaniment instrument. You can play just the chords and some rhythms and allow a singer to be in charge of the melody and steal the show! Or you can also play just the melody line to help yourself or someone else learn to sing said melody.
Whether playing a melody line and accompanying itself with the chords and rhythm, or leaving the “soloing” to the person singing along, pianos are perfectly comfortable in most any musical setting. A piano gets along and plays well with almost all styles of music: rock, jazz, classical, pop, country, gospel, you name it! (excepting of course heavy metal bands that are decidedly foreign territory for a piano… ha!) Whether playing a melody line and accompanying itself with the chords and rhythm, or leaving the “soloing” to the person singing along, pianos are perfectly comfortable in most any musical setting. A piano gets along and plays well with almost all styles of music: rock, jazz, classical, pop, country, gospel, you name it! (excepting of course heavy metal bands that are decidedly foreign territory for a piano… ha!)
Whether playing a melody line and accompanying itself with the chords and rhythm, or leaving the “soloing” to the person singing along, pianos are perfectly comfortable in most any musical setting. A piano gets along and plays well with almost all styles of music: rock, jazz, classical, pop, country, gospel, you name it! (excepting of course heavy metal bands that are decidedly foreign territory for a piano… ha!) Whether playing a melody line and accompanying itself with the chords and rhythm, or leaving the “soloing” to the person singing along, pianos are perfectly comfortable in most any musical setting. A piano gets along and plays well with almost all styles of music: rock, jazz, classical, pop, country, gospel, you name it! (excepting of course heavy metal bands that are decidedly foreign territory for a piano… ha!)
Piano, good for your health
There has been more research and science applied to studying the effect of playing piano on the human condition in the last 20 years than in the 200 years preceding. Not surprisingly, we are now finding, over and over, scientific proof that backs up what piano players have anecdotally surmised for years: playing piano is just plain healthy for your body (and admittedly non-scientifically, good for your soul too.)The list grows longer and longer, but so far, playing piano has been found to…
- reduce blood pressure
- increase the release of Growth Hormone which slows the aging process
- increase your immune response
- stave off dementia
- improve coordination
- provide relief of arthritic pain in fingers
- reduce stress
- improve mood
As someone who recently celebrated their 60th birthday, I couldn’t be more thrilled about the endless benefits to my mind, body, and soul that playing the piano continues to give me. If you’re interested in maybe learning to play piano but nervous you “missed the boat,” you’re not alone! Many of my students start their playing journey in the 60 and beyond age group and I cannot reassure them enough that it is NEVER too late to learn to play. Click the “free class” button below to check out how my courses are geared toward adult learning and feature absolutely no complicated sheet music!