With Thanksgiving right around the corner here in the United States, I’ve got more than turkey on my mind. It’s traditional to take the time to be thankful for family, friends, good health, and so on… but you know what else I’ve been thinking about? Why I’m thankful for the piano.
I can think of so many reasons, but today I’d like to share just five: the top five reasons I’m so glad piano exists for you and me.
Reason 1: The Easiest Instrument?
This may be a little controversial, but I honestly believe that the piano is one of the easiest instruments to learn. Does that surprise you? I know a lot of people have been conditioned to think of learning piano as a long, stressful process: exactly the opposite of easy.
But it would be hard to find an instrument that’s simpler than piano. There are two main reasons for that…
Buttons are Just Buttons
Piano’s the only instrument that is essentially just a group of buttons. Press ‘em with your elbow. Press ‘em with your nose. Press with your fingers OR your toes… regardless, they’re buttons and they make the same sound every time when you press them.
You don’t need a special pick, bow, reeds, or mallets. You don’t need to blow anything, carry the instrument around, or tune up every time before you play. Heck, you don’t even need electricity if you’re playing an acoustic piano!
With a piano or keyboard, what you see is what you get. It’s refreshingly uncomplicated.
A Place for Everything and Everything in its Place
All the notes on your piano or keyboard are in musical order. True, they cycle through 12 different notes, but those notes are arranged in order from low to high, with the same musical distance between each note.
It doesn’t matter if they’re black or white, high or low: each key has the same relationship to the keys on either side of it. It’s an orderly system that most other instruments do NOT share. (In the video above, I use a ukulele and a trombone as examples.)
Reason 2: Unbeatable Sound
There’s just something about the way a piano sounds! Especially when the person playing knows what they’re doing. 😉
Whether it’s a peaceful instrument, some classic Billy Joel, high-energy church music, jazzy tunes at a piano bar, or just a random song on a public piano… I can’t get enough of that sound. And really, do you know anyone who doesn’t like hearing some piano now and then?
Reason 3: Versatility
Many people associate piano primarily with classical music. But you can play just about any genre of music on the piano. Personally, my favorite things to play are usually pop or rock, but I’ve also been enjoying jazz more and more lately.
No need to stop there: if you like gospel, R&B, cocktail, blues, ragtime, country… almost any other genre and there’s a place for piano there. Very few other instruments work so well across so many styles and genres!
Reason 4: Portability
A downside to clunky, heavy acoustic pianos was solved modern times by the invention of the keyboard. Keyboards transformed this instrument from one you could only play in set places, to something portable, packable, and tourable. Imagine how freeing that must have felt for the first musicians who got to bring their very own keyboards on the road!
And we all know someone who doesn’t play piano often but has a keyboard handily tucked away in their closet or under their bed. While I might wish that they played more often, I can’t deny that they are way more likely to play that version of the instrument than a big acoustic!
Reason 5: A Global Language
All around the world, even while you’re reading this, thousands or maybe even tens of thousands of people are playing their piano or keyboard. It’s the most popular instrument of modern ties, and being able to play can open doors in almost any setting.
When you play piano and you meet someone else who also plays, you have a link that crosses countries and cultures. You can share the genres you enjoy, teach each other new tips and tricks on your instruments, and maybe even jam together! How cool that a musical instrument can bring people together and forge connections anywhere.
Wrapping Up
Not only am I thankful for the piano, I’m thankful to teach it to thousands of students every year! Everyone has to start somewhere, and I do my best to make that as easy as possible with my free 5-day workbook. Start here and embrace your very own piano journey!