How to learn to play the piano on your own The piano is an unique instrument that is very fun to play. You might think it's "impossible" to become a great pianist without having studied for years, but it is not. Get some knowledge regarding the musical notes and chords and with some free time you can learn how to play it. Step 1: Find yourself a piano (or a keyboard in case you can not afford a piano). Make sure it is correctly tuned (if it hasn't been played for years you should have it tuned by a professional). Step 2: Get some basic knowledge. There are seven musical notes (Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, Si) and a piano has 88 keys: the white ones are called naturals because they make a natural sound when played, and the black ones are called sharps. There are seven natural keys and five sharp keys per octave and they can be used to play chords. The most common chords are the major and the minor ones. Step 3: Get to it. You have several options at this point: - Hiring a teacher. This is the most expensive option, but it is also the most efficient one. A good teacher has the experience of having helped some other beginners and what is more he'll help you to avoid bad habits that it would have take you a long time to correct. - Books: There are lots of books that can help you to learn and they're available both in music shops and bookstores. These books will guide you in the process of learning how to read music, playing basic scales, chord progression and easy songs. - Keyboards for learners: These special keyboards help you to find the keys you should play and the order in which you should do it to play such or such song. - DVD's or videos: This option is very useful since you learn by listening and watching. - Play by ear: This might be the most difficult method, but it can help you if you find problems in learning musical notes and you have a good ear. It consists of playing the notes once and again until you can replicate a melody.