Apart from being able to make nice sounds, what are the benefits of playing the piano?

You already enjoy playing this instrument and this is probably the most obvious benefit.

But there is more to that. Learning and playing a musical instrument, in particular the piano, engage your body and your brain. This has good consequences for both.

I have selected 9 benefits here.

Let’s see what they are.

1. Increase your concentration

Since you have to learn by heart exercise and songs, you have to be focused.

When you have to move the right fingers at the right position on the keyboard at the right time, you must be concentrated.

It can be quite intense.

The fact that you have a regular focused activity will increase your concentration capacity.

A bit similar to meditation in some ways.

This capacity is useful for many other things in life, including work.

2. Cultivate perseverance

To make any progress, as I already mentioned many times (and I will do it 100s of times more), you need to be consistent.

Thus, you will have to practice regularly for a certain time to get results.

This teaches perseverance. Probably even more beneficial for children, but likely to help you as an adult in your life with all these distractions.

Your brain needs to be trained to keep doing something without immediate reward. Learning the piano is a fun way to do this.

3. Improve self-discipline

This is related to the previous one.

To be consistent in your practice, you have to be able to schedule your sessions on the piano.

You have to force yourself to be regular and practice even if you are tired. Or if you have something else you would like to do.

This requires a certain amount of self-discipline. Thus, you will improve this useful skill over time.

4. Improve your fingers agility and hands coordination

This is a direct benefit of playing the piano. Even if you will have the same with other instruments.

To be able to play, you need to develop a fine control of each of your fingers. You also need to develop hand independence and coordination.

This increases your agility. And it will be particularly valuable as you get older, at an advanced age. You will appreciate maintaining a good use of your hands and fingers!

5. Increase your brain plasticity

Playing the piano is good also for your brain.

This is because you have to learn a lot of things, from music theory, finger techniques, songs. All this will build new connections between neurons in your brain.

You see, your brain is able to modify and establish new connections at all ages. This is called neuronal plasticity.

The more you learn new things, new skills, the more it is easy to make new connections. Even if with age we lose neurons, we can make more and more connections, and keep our brain functional and healthy.

6. Train and improve your memory

Another aspect of brain function which degrades with age is memory.

I don’t know you, but even now I have doubt about my memory!

Good news, practicing a musical instrument trains, and maintains your memory. It even improves it since you have to learn by heart new songs regularly. And they are longer and more complex as you progress on your instrument.

I recommend you read this article about the benefits of playing an instrument for the brain. Quite inspiring!

7. Learn new languages

Yes, I know that it sounds strange.

Making music seems to help to learn new languages. From studies by Dr. Charles Limb, we use the same areas of the brain when we play than when we speak. Music would be a kind of discussion. With notes in place of words.

In one of his studies, it was shown that children learn more easily a language if they learn an instrument.

I must say that I tend to learn relatively easily a new language. At least the basics, because you would have noticed that my mastery of English is far from good! And I have been making music all my life. Could be related!

8. Reduces stress and anxiety

The most obvious benefit, at least for me, is the fact that playing the piano is relaxing.

After a few minutes on the keyboard, my stress is gone. Very efficient.

And it is not only me apparently.

We are living stressful times and I believe that music can help us to cope better with stress.

That’s why I am making relaxation music (you can check it on SoundCloud or on my YouTube channel Dreaming Dragons Music). To help you and others to relax, reduce your stress.

But playing the piano is even more effective in my opinion.

9. Good for self-confidence

Lastly, the fact that you develop a routine of learning and getting tangible results will increase your self-confidence.

You can always reinsure yourself in case of doubt by seeing that you could learn this new song you didn’t the week before.

Quite comforting, right?

The conclusion is that playing the piano is good for you!

I must admit that I didn’t realize that there were so many benefits.

My favorite short-term benefit is that it reduces stress. Something that you can consciously use daily.

It is good to know that this practice will also help to keep a healthy brain and a healthy body over the years.

Talking about the brain…