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To Learn Theory or Not, and Piano Range

© Jana Cole

Q: I am a self-taught piano player who plays mostly play by ear. I feel like I need to know more theory and structures of music, because I don't understand what I am actually playing, from a technical point of view. What's a good way to learn?

A: If you want to know more about music theory, there are many ways to approach it. Two good options might be: There are several good music theory text books that you can browse or study intensely. The easiest way to obtain one is to visit a university that has a music program and buy one from their school bookstore. These books are very technical and typically analyze the theory and structure of classical music, particularly orchestral music and four-part choral music.

You could take lessons from a music teacher who teaches theory. The teacher could tailor the lessons to your perspective on things, taking into account that you play by ear, and incorporating this great skill into your lessons.

There's something to consider here: Is it really necessary for you to study the theory of music? Often the object of learning theory is to play well, or to learn to compose. You already play well. If you are not interested in learning technical composition techniques, there may not be any urgent reason to learn music theory. If you just want to learn theory for a greater understanding of what you already play, then studying music theory may be beneficial. Note that playing well by ear is a wonderful gift in itself, and needs no technical validation, in my opinion.

Q: What is the "range" of the average piano?

A: The official length of the piano keyboard is 88 keys. That is 7 octaves plus 4 keys. The distance from one note, for instance C, to the next note of the same name is one octave. The "official" keyboard has 7-1/2 octaves if you use C as the reference point. It is a tremendously wide range, and I cannot think of a musical instrument, off the top of my head, that plays a note that is off either end of this traditional piano keyboard range.

Especially in recent times, there have been keyboards of other lengths. Electronic keyboards vary greatly, from one or two octaves, to the full traditional length. If you want to play traditional piano music, however, you will probably need several octaves on your keyboard. Six octaves would be a good range.

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