In a previous article I have discussed the best methods for teaching children to play the piano. It discusses a number of electronic products that can be downloaded or purchased from the Internet. On the whole, they are designed to teach and develop keyboard skills in an entertaining and amusing way.

With children the question “Why do you want to learn the piano?” doesn’t arise - it’s because your parents want you to. For adults, the situation is very much more complex. It could be for any number of reasons. A long-held yearning to produce music, to (ultimately) make money as a musician, to help you understand and enjoy music more, to join a band or orchestra, to assist your children - the list goes on.

The piano, that common instrument of school music programs, appears to be the ultimate expression of the stringed musical instrument, which date back to the lyre and the harp. Pianos (a shortening of the compound term “piano-forte”) work by striking wires with felted (or leather headed) hammers, with a redaction mechanism that pulls the hammerhead away from the wire before it can dampen out the sound. Because the force of the hammer strike is generally proportional to the stroke on the key, this allows a piano to play a note softly (piano) or loudly (forte), leading to its name.