Naperville Piano Lessons
The piano is an amazing instrument. It is played with the fingertips of all 10 fingers. It requires you to be ambidextrous and willing to put in solid practice after your lessons in order to progress. The instrument itself consists of 88 keys as a standard full size keyboard and generally three pedals to be used for legato or staccato playing. When you push down a key, a hammer hits the respective metal string inside the piano which makes it resonate. If you keep holding that key down, the felt stays off of that same string, and it will resonate for a long time. It is worth your time to take piano lessons, which will make learning other instruments much easier.
A misguided notion is that piano lessons are difficult. If your teacher asks you to do too many things at once, this is the case. But what many do not realize is the value of single handed piano practice, or practicing one hand at a time. This concept is significant, because many beginners often quit their lessons the frustration of trying to read both hands at once too soon into the process. This concept appears in Chuan Chang's Fundamentals of Piano Practice 2nd Ed and I could not agree with it more.
In your first lesson, you should learn where the middle C note is located on the piano, and on both the treble and bass clef. Another topic you should cover is the major scale. If you already know how to read music from a previous instrument, you are in luck because that will allow you to focus mostly on your technique and musicality and you will progress quickly as a result. Finally, when you go home and practice the piano after your lessons, take a break every 10-20 minutes or any time that your arms or hands feel tight. If you forget to relax, you will get into poor habits and could in extreme cases severely injure yourself.
-Naperville Lessons, August 2010