How To Master The Piano From The Comfort Of Your Home

Amidst the global act of practicing social distancing in an effort to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, many of us are stuck at home with nothing to do. By giving up on commuting and socializing with friends and acquaintances, people around the world are left inside their homes with a lot of spare time on their hands. Although some of us have managed to make the best of this situation, many more are still clueless as to how to use this time productively and effectively. 
Learning a new skill or picking up a new hobby during these stressful times is a good way of keeping yourself busy and utilizing your newfound time in a productive manner. An excellent option in this regard is learning how to play the piano or digital keyboard at home. 
If you always dreamed of being a talented musician growing up but never found the time to actually pick up an instrument, now might be the best time to do so. Alternatively, if you did learn how to play the keys in school, but slowly drifted away from the practice, it might be a good idea to break out the piano from your closet and revisit your childhood. 

Why You Should Learn How To Play The Piano 

There are a lot of benefits to learning how to play the keys. For one, it gives you something to do in these hard times and keeps you busy. Additionally, it offers a way for you to remain productive without leaving the safety of your home. Learning how to play the piano increases your motor control while learning music theory, and the ability to identify different notes, chords, etcetera improves your listening and memory retention abilities. 
Using both of your hands to play the keys at the same time increases your co-ordination skills as well as your planning abilities. And on top of all of that, the amount of self-discipline and focus required for the activity improves your level of alertness and your attention span as well. You can use all of these skills in your personal and professional life. 

How to Master the Piano From the Comfort of Your Home 

The traditionally tried and tested method for learning how to play the piano from the comfort of your own home is to hire a piano tutor to come to your home and give you personalized lessons. However, in these circumstances, it is almost impossible – and downright extremely inadvisable – to do so. Not only does this put you and others at risk of infection, but it is also no longer the best value for money option of learning how to play the piano. There are a lot of more cost-effective options you can use for this purpose in the modern digital age. 

What’s Changed? 

The widespread availability of high-speed internet in the modern digital age has completely redefined how we prefer to do many traditional tasks. This, of course, includes learning how to play the piano. There are many ways you can use the internet to learn how to play the keys from the comfort of your home. Let’s take a look at some of the most popular ones: 

Youtube 

This giant online video sharing platform has brought a vast pool of knowledge straight to our fingertips. You can find highly informative and educational videos on this platform about just any subject under the sun, including how to play the piano. With the plethora of talented musicians who regularly upload video tutorials on piano playing on the platform, you are guaranteed to find a channel that makes the activity fun and effective for you. 
The biggest advantage of going this route is that it is completely free. You can watch all of the video tutorials on this platform without paying a single buck. Well, except for some channels which offer a few basic tutorials for free on Youtube but ask for a subscription fee to get access to their advanced lessons. 
The downside of choosing this route, however, is that these are one-way lectures. Have you ever had a teacher that never had the answers to your questions in college? Well, this is a similar experience. The simple logistics of the platform simply do not allow these musicians to listen to you play and give you feedback, or give instant answers to your questions in real-time. You have to inadvertently give up this option when you use this method. 

Online Tutors 

The next best thing to a tutor physically present in your house is one that is virtually present. Through an online video call with a piano tutor, you can enjoy all of the benefits of an at-home tutor. Your piano lessons are highly interactive, and the tutor can evaluate your performance and share their tips on how you can improve it. 
Unfortunately, this option carries over the same drawbacks that are present with at-home tutors. Firstly, this option is expensive – maybe not as expensive as hiring an at-home tutor, but still close. You may not have to pay for your tutor’s commute to your house, but you still have to pay them for their time. 
The other drawback is that you have to set a fixed time in your schedule for your online lessons. Your tutor has to be available at the same time that you are, and you need to find a mutually acceptable time for your lessons beforehand. Unlike watching YouTube videos, you just cannot take your online piano lesson whenever you want. 

Mobile Learning Apps 

Mobile learning apps offer a great alternative to watching YouTube tutorials or hiring an online tutor for your piano lessons. A  good mobile app grants you the advantages of both these options without any of their associated drawbacks. Take Skoove, for example. 
Skoove is an online service and a mobile app that teaches you how to play the piano in a very effective and interactive way. There is a wide selection of lessons on the platform, all categorized by different skill levels. From basic lessons for complete beginners to advanced ones that teach complicated techniques, you can use the app to practice your piano skills whenever you want. 
The highlight of this service, however, is something you do not even see. The complex Artificial Intelligence at the backend is the one thing that sets Skoove apart from the other services. It listens to you playing the piano, analyzes your performance, and gives you valuable feedback and tips on how to improve it. And it does all this in real-time, just like a human tutor. You essentially have a piano tutor in your pocket everywhere you go! 

Conclusion 

Mastering the piano from the comfort of your home has never been easier than it is now, thanks to the internet. There are multiple options for you to do this, spanning a range of different budgets and requirements. However, using a mobile app for this purpose is one of the most budget-friendly and convenient options that are available out there.