If you don't have one at home, perhaps you can borrow one from a friend. The benefit of learning to play on a piano is that the sound is acoustic because it's generated by a string. It also contains all 88 keys. Keyboards don't have either of these features. Keep that in mind when making your selection. Depending on the type of piano (upright, baby grand, grand), acoustic pianos are generally more expensive than electronic keyboards, but they can be rented to own at some piano stores. Tune the piano so that you can train your ear to hear the notes correctly. Older pianos are usually out of tune especially if they are not played regularly. If your piano hasn't been played for ages or has recently been moved, you may want to have it tuned professionally before going any further. If you're unable to find a piano, a keyboard is a great alternative. They're affordable, never go out of tune and have lots of sounds and features that can enhance your music. Not to mention, they're a lot easier to move around and don't take up much space. A keyboard is a great tool for a beginner. You can always start out on a keyboard and then upgrade to a piano. Get a learning keyboard.These specialty instruments light up in a specific order to help you learn songs more quickly. Typically, they come with books and videos that will help you learn musical notation. Play with it and identify the middle tones (middle of piano), flat tones left black keys), sharp tones (right black keys), bass tones (low sounds) and high tones (high sounds). Really listen to each of them, and note how they are different from the others. Keep practicing until you can tell the difference between them. You'll have to study the major keys if you want to be able to identify the sounds that you hear. Some people do this by learning the major keys and then assigning a number to them. For instance, 1 is C; 2 is D; 3 is E; 4 is F; 5 is G; 6 is A; 7 is B; 8 is C. Notice how the numbers 8 and 1 both represent the note C, but number represents a lower or higher C. The number 1 represents middle C. Once you know how to do this, you can label songs by numbers instead of letters. For instance, "Mary Had a Little Lamb" would be E - D - C - D - E - E - E. This would be represented as 3 - 2 - 1 - 2 - 3 - 3 - 3. If you don't have any musical knowledge at all, you will have wing it and figure it out by trial-and-error. Songs are mostly composed of variations of chords. You'll hear them in different keys, but the chords are composed of the same intervals. Identifying the notes that comprise the chords is crucial when you're figuring out a song by ear. So, learn how to play the basic chords and find out where they are located on the piano. Play the chords to familiarize yourself with the sound of them so that you recognize them. Even if you don't know the chord's name, you should know what they sound like. You should also be able to recognize if the chords are in a low register or high register, and from that you'll know where they are located. The C Major triad (or chord), comprised of C, E, and G, is one of the simplest chords to learn. Play this chord on middle C first (right-hand fingering is 1, 3, and 5, and left-hand fingering is 5, 3, and 1) and then move it to different octaves on the piano, keeping C as the lowest note. All songs are composed of musical patterns. Chords repeat themselves often in a steady beat or rhythm. If you can identify the patterns, or chord progressions, that you hear, it is much easier to play a song that you hear. You'll be able to learn which chords are combined with others. This helps you to understand how melodies and baselines are constructed, which helps you to make your own. Humming helps you internalize the song. Then, you'll be better able to repeat it on a piano. In other words, hum the tune. Then, sit down and the piano and repeat it. Once you know the chords and what the notes should look like, you should be able to duplicate them by ear. To really play, you need to know which fingers to play the keys with. The best way to do that is to get a basic understanding of finger placement from a beginner's piano book. The fingers are numbered. For instance, the thumb is 1 and the pinky is 5. These books will teach how to play each note by telling you which finger to play it with. Listen to songs.Then practice humming them and see if you can duplicate the song on your piano or keyboard. Or, select a song that you like and using the techniques that you've learned, attempt to play it by ear. Becoming a good piano player requires lots of practice. You'll need to practice at least three times a week.
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One-sentence summary -- Find a piano or keyboard to use. Sit down at the piano or keyboard and familiarize yourself with it. Learn the major keys. Learn the chords. Notice patterns. Master humming. Review finger placement. Practice.

Article: There are three shapes common to her design: her head, torso, and waist. She has a fairly oval face, with prominent cheeks, a rounded forehead, and a dainty, yet pointed, chin. The three shapes need to be in proportion to each other and all line up at the correct angles. When you're drawing Ariel, what is she doing? If she has fins, she's probably swimming! Include lines on her face to line up her eyes and nose, placement for her seashell bra, her elbow and shoulder joints, and fins. The most important being her unique hairstyle, of course! Remember: She's in water, so her hair doesn't need to be along her back and her fins are floating, too. Ariel has wide, Disney princess eyes (they're all relatively similar). They're usually open and curious-looking. Her nose is dainty and small; her lips are generally in a bit of a smile. Her hair miraculously has no part and is incredibly voluminous. Her hands and arms are generally held strong but femininely, like a ballerina. She has definite poise (especially for such a youngster!). You want fine, definite lines that are determined and confident. If worst comes to worst, just resharpen your pencil. If you have anything to add or change, do it now! The outline is your last round of actual drawing. Did you remember the lines in her fins, top, and waist-frills? That's it for drawing! Are you feeling ambitious and going to tackle Flounder and Sebastian, too, or just keep it to Ariel? To keep it traditional, her seashell top should be purple, her tail should be medium green, and her fins light green. But this is your drawing -- maybe she should be sporting zebra stripes?
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Sketch Ariel's wireframe. Sketch the additional shapes needed for her torso, arms and tail. Sketch Ariel's figure and add her unique design traits. Refine the sketch using a smaller tipped drawing tool. Draw the outline over the refined sketch. Erase and remove the sketch marks. Add color.