6 accessories for playing the piano in the best conditions
Have you just bought a wonderful grand piano or a digital keyboard and would like to start learning to play? As with any musical instrument, learning to play the piano requires a certain degree of comfort. And just in time, there are accessories specially designed to optimize your posture and piano technique.
A comfortable bench, a metronome to accompany your rythm, tips to make your playing more efficient: Newzik reviews the accessories you need to learn to play the piano in the best possible conditions!
Choice of instrument, method and comfort: important criteria for playing the piano
Choosing the right piano for the job
Before even thinking about technique, make sure you' re comfortable and have a piano that suits your level. Think about the space you have at home. If you don't yet have your own instrument at home, select a piano in the store that's adapted to your playing style, and that you can install in a bright room with enough space.
Playing in comfortable conditions
Comfortable posture is the key to avoiding tension and improving the fluidity of piano playing. In particular, a good posture allows you to better coordinate the movements of your hands on the keys and your feet on the pedals, which are inherent to playing the instrument. A comfortable bench seat that can be adjusted to the height of the piano, good lighting and the ability to turn pages without having to take your hands off the keyboard are all luxuries that should not be overlooked when learning to play the piano.
Optimize your method with practical tools
In terms of technique, piano playing is particularly demanding. First and foremost, you need to pay close attention to reading and transcribing the score. Playing the piano also requires an understanding of note placement on the keyboard and good coordination between left and right hands. The instrument therefore requires a great deal of concentration. The pianist must learn to coordinate his or her gestures while interpreting a score correctly, since staff clefs can change between the beginning and end of a score.
6 must-have piano accessories
1. The metronome for adopting the right rythm
A simple and effective tool, the metronome indicates the tempo to be maintained when playing an instrument. As a musician, the regular rythm delivered by a metronome enables you to fine-tune your playing and make it as consistent as possible with the score. Whether you're an amateur or professional pianist, the metronome's tempo indicator helps all musicians maintain consistency in their playing.
Instead of using a traditional metronome, you can use a digital app with an integrated metronome directly from your smartphone or tablet. The beauty of the app-based metronome is that it's synchronized with your digital scores, allowing you to set the tempo to your liking without leaving your instrument. Ideal for smooth practice!
🎶 The metronome function is one of the many options available in the Newzik application. Play, set your tempo and launch your metronome at any time at rythm corresponding to your playing!
2. A stool or bench for comfortable seating
For optimum posture, the pianist's elbows should form a right angle of 90 degrees when the hands are placed on the piano keyboard. An adjustable stool or bench helps to maintain this position during practice, and to avoid muscular tension and back pain during long sessions.
Whether your piano is digital or acoustic, you can choose from a variety of bench seat types:
→ Piano benches also known as "piano seats" or "piano stools": space-saving, these stools are nevertheless less comfortable and less easily adjustable.
→ Fixed non-adjustable benches: more advantageous in terms of price, they are not very adaptable and cannot accommodate different body sizes.
→ Adjustable benches: adjustable to your height, these benches are a good investment as they allow different people (shorter or taller than you) to sit down to play the piano.
The advantage of an adjustable bench seat? A child can grow up and keep his or her seat over the years.
3. Page-turners for easy play
When playing complex pieces, turning the pages of sheet music can become a real headache. The ideal accessory to remedy this problem is the page-turning pedal, which lets you change pages without having to leave the piano keys.
Two types of page-turning pedals are available:
→ Mechanical page-turning pedals: placed under the music stand, these pedals are activated by the musician's foot to turn the page of his score.
→ Connected page-turning pedals: these virtual pedals are used with an app that the musician installs on his tablet or laptop.
Thanks to the Newzik app and its compatibility with Bluetooth pedals, you can turn your pages digitally with a simple press.
💡 Discover our complete guide with the best page-turning pedal references!
→ Page-turning with facial movement
Don't have a page-turning pedal? Don't worry, Newzik has thought of everything! You can turn the pages of your scores with a wink or a movement of the mouth directly from the application. Wink or lip movement, choose the one that suits you best. A must-have for pianists who like to play one piece after another without missing a beat!
4. Headphones for the ultimate listening experience
When playing the piano on a digital keyboard, using headphones is a real advantage for isolating yourself from ambient noise and concentrating fully on your playing. They let you hear every nuance and perfect your playing in total discretion, whether at home or in a noisy environment. By immersing yourself in the sound, you can also better analyze the dynamics and quality of your performance, while avoiding disturbing those around you.
5. A tablet or smartphone for consulting and filing scores
No more paper scores to pile up and crease! Thanks to a tablet equipped with the Newzik app, you can access all your digital scores in no time, wherever you are. Place your iPad or iPhone on a stand above your keyboard and connect to the Newzik app in just a few clicks! You'll be able to annotate your scores, organize them by piece or project, and even integrate videos to enhance your learning experience. With this technology, you'll gain in convenience and comfort during your piano sessions. An essential tool for time-saving musicians!
6. A protective cover for your piano or digital keyboard
A particularly useful accessory for maintaining your instrument, the protective cover won't necessarily help you improve your playing, but rather extend the life of your piano. Yes, whether upright, grand or digital, your piano can lose its beauty and efficiency if touched by dust.
A protective cover, specially designed for grand pianos or digital keyboards, protects them from dust, moisture and scratches. It's a simple investment, but a worthwhile one if you want to maintain your instrument's sound quality and ensure its durability.
A word of advice: adapt your tools to your piano playing style
While having the right accessories can greatly improve your comfort and progress at the piano, as you can imagine, accessories are no substitute for technique and practice!
The important thing is to strike a balance between technology and hands-on practice. The Newzik app, with its features, built-in metronome and page-turning Bluetooth pedals, lets you concentrate on what's important: your playing.
Using these tools intelligently and adapted to your level will enable you to get the most out of them, while ensuring that you train regularly and set up properly for each session.
🎼 Do you now have all the accessories you need to learn the piano in optimum conditions? Move on to the next step: practice playing the piano with the help of the Sheet music reader interactive Newzik app. Annotate them, file them and find them again at any time in your library. It's up to you, maestro!
