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 * How to" Genre Analysis**

The "How-to" genre is not a difficult genre to understand and can range from how to cook a simple dinner to how to go about building your own computer. The genre follows specific guidelines and no matter how difficult the task, the writer goes step by step explaining the process to the reader. //While many readers may think// that when writing a "How to" wiki all the author must do is go into extreme detail regarding the subject, this is incorrect. The author of the wiki only has to describe what they see fit to put in the wiki and it is up to their discretion for what they feel they want to include in the guide.

One of the main things I noticed about any good "How-to" guide is that it has an easy, understandable title. The title tells the reader right off the bat what they will be explaining how to do and intrigues the reader or turn them away. Another important inclusion in the "How-to" genre is that the author states each process in a step-by-step process that is very easy to follow and allows the reader to follow along with their guide and in the end succeed at the process being described. A great example of any how to guide can be found at wikihow.com where there are thousands of entries of how-to wiki's available. While we all use the “How-to” process seamlessly in our lives almost every day, it goes unnoticed and we almost forget that it was a guide or another source and not our own intelligence that helped us achieve our goal.

**Audience:**

The audience of this how-to wiki is geared towards people of all ages that want to learn beginning piano. If someone already has experience on the piano than this wiki would not be for them. This wiki fits the audience because the word choice is not complicated and the facts and information given are basic. This wiki meets the direct needs of the audience by beginning with the very basics of the process and slowly progressing through the ground level steps to a point where the audience will feel as if they understand the concepts fully.

**"How-to" Wiki - How to Play Piano**

When one wants to learn how to play the piano or any instrument for that matter it is a long, rigorous process that will take years to accomplish; and even when the goal is accomplished there is still much to learn. Yet, learning to play the piano can yield many benefits such as "increased brain function for years to come" (Costa-Giomi). //While a complete guide to all piano knowledge and understanding what coincides with every bit of music is near impossible//, there are many basic steps and processes that can be taken to ensure that anyone can learn piano if they put in the time and effort. This guide is meant for beginners who wish to learn the beginning steps to playing the piano. Through the combined efforts of practice, passion and time, anyone is capable of learning the piano and containing this life skill forever, however starting the process is one of the hardest steps to take.

The first step that any potential player must undergo is that they must first have the desire and the passion to learn piano. There are a multitude of instruments in the world and so the piano may not be the perfect fit for someone. When it comes to learning to play piano the student must first have the drive to want to play the instrument and not get bored or annoyed. Many sources agree and there is a general consensus that before any person can even begin to contemplate learning the piano and undergoing the process, “the beginning student must enjoy playing” (lofthouse.com). Piano is considered one of the most favored first instruments to learn and allow players to then branch off and learn many other instruments if they wish to further their musical career. But if they first possess the desire to learn, and playing the piano and learning all of its chords and notes sounds interesting to them, they can then move on to the next step and begin the actual process of learning to play.

When anyone first decides to play the piano there are many ways that they can learn the skill. One viable option is to take lessons from an experienced teacher. If the student takes this route they will usually meet with the teacher once or twice a week and practice their technique or learn the basics of the piano. The teacher will usually have a set curriculum that allows the student to slowly progress and learn increasingly difficult pieces and techniques. this process would continue until either the student quits or until they decide they are good enough to not require lessons any longer. This route can be fairly expensive depending on the teacher and how frequently you meet with them and so this should be taken into account when deciding. Another option is for the students to try and teach themselves using the numerous materials such as videos that can be found online or lesson books that help the student progress through several chapters using step-by-step processes. One such resource that is excellent is the beginning lesson book series by Nancy and Randall Faber (Faber). "This path is very difficult and you do have your work cut out for you” (wikihow.com), however if this type of learning fits the student best they can do it. The student should choose whichever of these processes is best for them and there is nothing wrong with testing various methods to find which one works best for the specific individual.

When the student firsts sits down at the piano to learn he/she must first learn the notes on the piano. The piano consists of seven basic notes from A to G and these notes repeat on a scale up the piano. The basic note on every piano is the “middle C” note and is the first place that most beginners will start. No matter if the student is being taught or is teaching him or herself, there is always a basic jumping off point that the student must begin at. While I will not go into detail of all the musical theory involved in first learning to play the piano, the student should avidly memorize the notes on the piano because they are of utter importance.

//After the students achieve the most basic understanding of the notes// on the piano, depending on the process at which they are being taught, the way they learn to play can branch off to many different areas. While many teachers will guide you along the path of simply playing the notes and “playing one note after another, and keep going” (playpianotonight.com); some lesson books will teach music theory and will have the student focus on understanding how all music flows before they even begin to touch the keys. The student can find countless books that teach them the most elementary parts of music theory such as, “the staff is the foundation upon which notes are drawn” (musictheory.net). The way that the student learns to play and the path that they choose will greatly impact how they play further down the road and what their playing style will be. Yet a choice must be made and no matter what the choice, the player will not be negatively impacted, so it is really up to their personal preference and what they find the most interesting.

After making this crucial choice on learning style the beginner has much more ahead of them. The player has learned the notes on the piano and their next step is learning the chords. The chords on the piano can range in difficulty so it is smartest to start with the basics. A chord is a combination of two or more notes played at the same time. The most basic chords are played with three fingers, the thumb, middle and pinky finger. The player should space their fingers over the keys skipping every other note and then press them all down at the same time. Playing chords is a stepping stone in a beginning piano players career and so they should spend a large amount of time learning the many combinations and inversions of chords on the piano.

While learning the notes and chords are just a couple of the many steps to playing the piano, all of the steps cannot be compiled into one place. It is entirely up to the student which routes they do and don't take and which steps they feel are beneficial to their playing. Although the choice of lessons and learning styles is completely up to the student, there is one element that is required of any musician and player no matter how masterful they are and that element is practice. When the potential player wishes to learn to play piano it is vital that they continue to practice any lessons or songs they are given until they are perfect. Through this kind of rigorous training and meticulous attention to detail no matter the difficulty or experience level, the player will become a more rounded player and will be much more wise in their playing.

Learning to play the intricate and detailed instrument of the piano is a long process that takes years to learn. These first basic steps are of the utmost importance and will provide any hopeful student with the first stepping stones towards learning to play. By learning the notes, turning these notes into chords and finally practicing anything they are given over and over again until perfect, the student will almost always succeed and begin to master the piano.

** Work Cited **

wikihow.com. Carbon Neutral, n.d. 8 November 2010. .

Faber, Nancy and Randall Faber. //Piano Adventures.// The FJH Music Company, 2006. Print. (Scholarly)

Costa-Giomi, Eugenia. "The Effects of Three Years of Piano Instruction on Children's Cognitive Development." Journal of Research in Music Education (1999) n. pag. Web. 8 November 2010. (Scholarly)

Worthy, Ron. // Play Piano Tonight. // n.p. n.d. Web. 8 November 2010. < http://playpianotonight.com/index.html>.

Brooks, Terje. “5 Simple Steps to Learn How to Play the Piano.” //Searchwarp.com.// IcoLogic Inc. n.d. Mon. 8 Nov. 2010. .

“How to Play the Piano.” //Wikihow.com.// n.p. 6 Nov. 2010. Web. 8 Nov. 2010. . Adams, Ricci. //Musictheory.net//. Creative Commons Attributions, n.d. Web. 8 November 2010. < http://www.musictheory.net/>.