Most parents have this question for music teachers “what instrument should my child learn to play”? There are several instruments out there, and wind instruments in particular are quite popular and commonly taught in schools.
However, if you really want your child to develop a deeper understanding of music, I would say learn to play the piano.
If you want to study music at any University, you MUST have performance skills on the piano. You cannot sip that part. And that applies for any music studies – vocal, winds, strings, composition, arranging and so on.
The piano is considered very important to music studies. And here are the reasons.
Best Visual Tool
First of all, the piano is the best visual tool out there. Its layout is the most logical of all instruments. There are a lot of teachers who don’t really play the piano (its not their primary instrument) but they use the piano keyboard to teach several aspects of music theory.
If you start with the basic understanding that every adjacent key is musically one semitone (or 1/2 tone mathematically speaking) apart, it’s very easy to see how scales and chords are constructed.
Now guitar players may argue that it’s also one-semitone from one fret to another, but the strings on a guitar are not laid out in the same continuous, logical manner and occasionally, alternate tunings are used, which further confuses beginners. Same goes for instruments such as saxophone, where the keys seem to be laid out illogically (to a beginner).
On a piano, any major chord is constructed in exactly the same way (root, major 3rd perfect 5th) and you can actually build a major chord on the piano starting on any note and see the relationship between the notes.
The same goes for any type of chord and it’s easy to see how inversions work that provide different voicings using the same notes. Additionally, if you know that for instance all major scales are constructed using the same pattern, you can play a major scale flawlessly the first time you try.
A music teacher could show a beginner how to play a major chord starting anywhere on the keyboard within minutes. Please note, I am not saying the teacher will be able to teach you to play the piano in minutes.
So there is no doubt that the piano is the best visual tool out there.
“If you have achieved proficiency in piano, it’s kind of a foundation we use for music. It helps me visualize chords and see how the notes lead to the next,” says a music education major.
Versatile Instrument
The piano is melodic, harmonic, percussive, staccato and legato. You can do a solo act, band or classical orchestra. It can be used to play music and compose music in various genres of music.
Even musicians whose primary instrument is different find the piano inspiring to write music as it gives a wide range to hear and play harmony and melody simultaneously.
You Acquire Several Transferrable Skills
Secondly, learning the piano provides a student with so many transferrable skills that if one decides to play a different instrument, it won’t take much longer. One would most certainly have a good grasp on theory, reading rhythms and well developed fingers. So it does make the transition much easier.
Great Brain Exercise
For playing the piano, one needs to be able to read multiple rhythms simultaneously. This strain-on-the-brain and hand-eye-brain co-ordination is the absolute best brain exercise.
Several studies reveal that playing music is superb brain exercise as it calls on the highest-level reasoning skills. Some even say it can delay or keep off memory issues in later life, though I would not like to make that claim.
Closing Thoughts
Unfortunately, the reality is that number of young people learning to play the piano as their primary instrument is diminishing. Young people just aren’t taking up the piano anymore, at least not in the numbers they traditionally have.
Read: The mighty piano is still alive and tinkling.
Another problem is the availability of good piano teachers (even their number seems to be diminishing). I really hope this happens to be a temporary trend.
So if you really ask me what instrument your child should play, I would definitely recommend learning to play the piano.
Looking for a good beginner digital piano, here are some options.
KeytarHQ editorial team includes musicians who write and review products for pianists, keyboardists, guitarists & other musicians. KeytarHQ is the best online resource for information on keyboards, pianos, synths, keytars, guitars and music gear for musicians of all abilities, ages and interests.
Leave a Reply