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Five reasons why you should learn and play the Piano! 1. Provides stress relief There are numerous studies that show that people who play the piano tend to experience less stress and loneliness. In fact, a 2013 article published in Frontiers In Psychology found that playing the piano can actually help treat depression in older adults. But playing the piano does more than just remove negative emotions. It replaces them with positive feelings, releasing serotonin and dopamine in the brain as you play — the same chemical neurotransmitters that are responsible for giving you the chills when you listen to music that excites you. Even playing for a few minutes a day can lower your blood pressure. It's so beneficial, in fact, that it's a widely used form of treatment for Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD).
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Hearing repetitive sounds engages the neocortical region of your brain, thereby reducing cortisol levels, which calms you down and reduces impulsive behaviors. In a study published in the International Journal of Music Education, students were sorted into groups where they either played the piano, created a sculpture, wrote calligraphy or simply sat in silence. Notably, the piano-playing group experienced much greater drops in cortisol levels than the sculpting and calligraphy groups.
Playing the piano requires full concentration, leaving no room for other thoughts, making it a great non-medicated alternative if you suffer from anxiety or have trouble sleeping due to overthinking. It's also an activity that provides ample opportunities to boost self-esteem: accomplishing a challenging task makes you feel good about yourself and helps create a positive outlook on life, while providing a healthy outlet for creative expression. |
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2. Improves concentration and dexterity As we said, playing the piano requires concentration. You have to coordinate your fingers, your eyes, and your mind—even your posture—and simultaneously focus on the rhythm, pitch, and duration of the note. Every detail matters!
Interestingly, playing a musical instrument is one of the few activities that engages all areas of your brain at the same time, so you're actually multitasking when you play the piano. Some call this ability "split concentration," while others call it "divided attention." Either way, it's an integral part of playing the piano, which requires you to use both hands, hear the notes you're playing, and hit the pedals… all at the same time. Multitasking skills like these extend to real-life situations. They enable you to pay better attention to school and work without requiring you to drop everything else you're doing. At the same time, piano sharpens your fine motor skills and improves dexterity. In a way, playing the piano is a gym for your fingers. As you practice, your fingers will get stronger and their speed will increase. Good motor skills like these can not only make you more flexible, but also result in increased energy overall A study published in the Journal of Anatomy even suggests that the cortical mapping in pianists' brains actually changes over time to increase finger speeds. This is why learning the piano can improve movement and overall coordination even in children and adults with reduced kinetic skills. Reading music with your eyes and responding with your hands also serves to build excellent hand-eye coordination. This is true with learning any musical instrument. However, when you play the piano specifically, you develop independent tuning skills. At times, your left and right hand must perform completely different movements. Your brain has to tell each hand individually what to do and how to move. And as you improve, go from playing one note at a time to playing several in each hand. Developing independent coordination skills can positively affect other areas of your life, such as playing sports or video games, doing computer work, doing home or car repairs, and even cooking. |
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3. It helps you develop a musical ear If you play the piano (or are interested in learning how to play), you're probably someone who already appreciates music. But learning an instrument like the piano can allow you to appreciate music even more, allowing you to hear details in music you might never have noticed before and better appreciate the skills of your favorite artists.
Understanding sounds well is called auditory awareness. People with this ability are said to have a "musical ear" (the opposite of being "tone deaf"). Interestingly, although a musical ear helps you play the piano, the opposite is also true: Playing the piano helps you develop a musical ear by training you to recognize sounds, intervals, and chords as well as helping you develop a sense of pitch. After all, you have to listen carefully to play any piece of music, and only if you can remember how it should sound will you be able to correct yourself. In fact, it helps to hum the song you're about to learn before you start playing it on your piano. Auditory awareness is also important in aspects of life outside of music. Good auditory awareness makes it easier to identify and understand the sound patterns of foreign languages, can help combat dyslexia while it is still developing, and can even help you if you have hearing problems when there is a lot of noise in the environment (a normal phenomenon known as the Cocktail Party effect). |
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4. It strengthens the feeling of community Music is a universal language that transcends all barriers and is capable of evoking strong emotions in both the listener and the player. The piano was designed to reflect human emotion and for hundreds of years, it has brought the power of music to millions of people.
Playing the piano is a wonderful way to bring the larger community together, as well as smaller groups of family and friends. And although it's often thought of as a solo instrument, it can open up your social life! Consider joining an ensemble, volunteering to play for a senior center or church, or starting an online or in-person piano group in your area. Music is always a great conversation starter, especially when you're with others who play the same instrument.
5. It is easy to learn piano Compared to most other musical instruments, the piano is easier to learn and you can start at any age. You don't need to calluse your fingers like learning guitar. You don't need to develop blowing and breathing techniques as in learning a wind instrument- efforts that are sometimes painful and can deter otherwise enthusiastic students from continuing to learn. To play the piano, all you have to do is sit down and press a key. (Of course, this is an oversimplification, but it's certainly easier to get started on the piano than on most other instruments.) So what are you waiting for? It's time to start learning and playing Piano!
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