Every musical instrument is meant to produce music, which could soothe your spirit and put your mind at ease. Learning how to play a musical instrument is one way to improve your life. There are so many instruments in this world to choose from, but if you really want to enrich yourself to become a more cultured individual, try mastering a piano. As the centerpiece in any classical composition, a piano offered lots of benefits for those who wished to master it. Here are some of the benefits of playing the piano.
The piano is one of the few instrument that you could use to play any classical composition. As such, it becomes the centerpiece in any classical composition, a piano offered lots of benefits for those who wished to master it. Here are health benefits of playing piano.
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Intellectual Effects
Playing piano actually increase your intelligence levels and cognitive abilities. It makes you smarter in specific areas. Particularly, in mathematics, science, engineering, and spatial reasoning. That is why many people make their kids learn how to play the piano – even when the parent themselves could not play any musical instrument because it helps young children to develop their intelligence abilities.
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1. Improve Memory Storage
Researchers have found out that playing piano increases the number or neurons inside your brain. Neuron basic function is to transmit any data or information from your central brain to all over your body. Some specific neuron also acts as a storage for given memory. Thus, by increasing the number of neurons you have, you’re also expanding your memory storage.
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2. Improve Concentration for Multitasking
Piano often requires a great deal of concentration, as the players needed to focus on several actions simultaneously. As your piano abilities improve, you will find that your multitasking abilities have improved as well.
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3. Inspires Creativity
As obvious as it is, playing piano will boost your creativity. This instrument requires its user to be creative at all times while playing. Recent studies by Vanderbilt Universities reveals that playing piano requires a certain skill called divergent thinking. This thinking technique uses both of your brain hemispheres at the same time, effectively increasing your creativity in general.
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4. Broadens Cultural Knowledge
The piano has its roots planted deep in the history tree. Usage of this instrument encompasses a lot of musical genres, such as traditional, folk, classical, and many of them have dated back as far as medieval ages. By learning how to play the piano you will also learn the musical background and storyline of those genres, increasing your knowledge about world’s cultures.
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5. Increase Musical Awareness
Learning how to play piano also increase your ability in recognizing pitch, differentiating notes, and creating melodies. By listening, exposing, and train yourself in music you will certainly develop your musical awareness. Some people were born with an already good musical sense and awareness, but some could achieve it as well by practicing regularly.
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Physical Effects
As the piano requires both of your hand and one of your feet, playing it regularly can hone your physical abilities to some extent. It certainly won’t make your body more robust or buffed up, but it does improve your body in another way. Let’s take a look at what benefits you might get by playing the piano.
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6. Improve Hand-Eye Coordination
The piano requires both of your hands to do different sets of movement at the same time. On top of it, you need to fixate your eyes at the composition, especially when you still don’t remember the notes of the song you’re playing. Performing these actions regularly will result in a great hand-eye coordination.
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7. Increase Human Growth Hormone
Children who practice piano regularly will have their HGH or Human Growth Hormone developed better than the ones who don’t. This hormone is responsible for cell regeneration and reproduction in your body. It relieves aches and pains that will kick in when you’ve reached old age and also helps against osteoporosis.
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8. Strengthen Hand Muscles
A pianist will need a set of strong, nimble fingers and flexible wrists to be able to play piano adequately. Thus, practicing piano regularly would improve your overall hand muscles greatly. Expect a dramatic boost in your typing skills when you have mastered the piano.
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Social Effects
Musical performance has been known to strengthen the bonds of its audience. Since old times, people has been performing musical performance not only for the pleasure and merriment of themselves but those who accompany them as well. As such, practicing piano has several social benefits for the pianist.
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9. Better Response Against Criticism
By getting constructive criticism from their tutors, children who learn to play piano develops a better mental health. They would learn how to react when they were advised, what kind of response should they use when they receive a feedback, and what action must be done to avoid receiving such criticism.
10. Increase Social Participation
A piano is best played in the presence of other people. It will boost the confidence of the pianist while making the audience entertained. If the audience is fellow musicians as well, then you could discuss and share your experience and improve your piano playing as well as social skills. Alternatively, you could try and join a band or orchestra to improve your skills.
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11. Improve Linguistics Skills
The journal “Psychology in Music” reveals that students who were trained in musical arts showed superior performance in terms of reading comprehension and vocabulary compared to their peers. This is not very surprising, considering that piano practice requires you to be able to read block notes and translate it into piano key chords while playing.
12. Promote Social Skills
By playing in large groups like an orchestra or a band, you will regularly interact with many kinds of people from different background. Such action will surely promote your social skills, making you better at starting conversations and friendships.
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Mental Effects
Several studies showed that people who play and makes music regularly are less prone to depression, loneliness, and anxiety. Music is literally the food for your thoughts, it keeps your mind healthy and fit.
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13. Reduce Stress
Playing piano regularly could lower your stress level. People who were frustrated or angry could channel those extra energies into their fingers and plays something amazing instead. Some classical score like Chopin’s Revolutionary Etude expresses anger and rage gracefully and could prove as an effective stress relief.
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14. Reduce Anxiety
The music produced by a piano is very soothing and relaxing to your mind. Especially the classical compositions. Therefore, the next time you feel anxious, try tapping your finger on the piano keys and start playing a classical piece that is peaceful and serene like Schubert’s Ave Maria.
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15. Increase Mental Capabilities
As stated above, health benefits of playing music can combat emotional pain such as loneliness and depression. People who are free from such pain will experience better mental health and increased mental capabilities such as sympathy, empathy, etc.
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16. Teach Determination
Learning piano is not easy by all means. It requires a great dedication, motivation, and perseverance to be a good pianist. Therefore, it teaches you to be determined to master it one day. As we all know, a determination is very useful in every aspect of life. It is the key to success according to some people.
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17. Promote Happiness
Most importantly, playing piano produce so much fun it will promote happiness to you and those who listens to your play. It has been a great source of entertainment since old ages, and it would still be in many good years to come.
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With all of this plethora of benefit that you can gain by playing piano, it might be a good idea to start practicing or send your kids for a piano lesson. Who knows that one day you might create an amazing composition that will be remembered for all time like all those great pianists. Even if you don’t, at least you’ll lead a happy and healthy life. Either way, it’s a win.