Top 48 How Do Blind People Play Piano Top 13 Best Answers

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Braille. If you have a student with no functional vision, they can access music via Braille. However, many teachers find braille music quite challenging for students to learn because they will still have to memorize the piece before transferring it onto the piano.If ever you doubt that any of this is possible, just watch Stevie Wonder or Ray Charles play the piano. Stevie was blind from birth and Ray was blind from a young age. They both learned how to play the piano without any eyesight. And I think we can all agree that they are both exceptional piano players.Braille music was invented along with the literary braille code by Louis Braille, himself a musician, and rose to prominence in the early 20th century. It uses combinations of the same six-dot cell as literary braille to represent the pitch and rhythm of each note.

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Is it possible for a blind person to play piano?

If ever you doubt that any of this is possible, just watch Stevie Wonder or Ray Charles play the piano. Stevie was blind from birth and Ray was blind from a young age. They both learned how to play the piano without any eyesight. And I think we can all agree that they are both exceptional piano players.

How do blind pianists read music?

Braille music was invented along with the literary braille code by Louis Braille, himself a musician, and rose to prominence in the early 20th century. It uses combinations of the same six-dot cell as literary braille to represent the pitch and rhythm of each note.

How do blind musicians play?

Braille music is a braille code that allows music to be notated using braille cells so music can be read by visually impaired musicians.

How can blind people play instruments?

Music for the Blind has by-ear lessons for many instruments including, piano, guitar, ukulele, flute, violin, harmonica, and saxophone. Bill Brown, the creator of these lessons, gives very clear descriptions and opportunities to practice and play along.

Who was blind and played the piano?

What is this? The first pianist Stevie Wonder needs no introduction and is known for hits like Superstition, Sir Duke and I Just Called to Say I Love You. But the piano wasn’t the obvious career for blind musician Stevie Wonder who was born several weeks premature, resulting in retinopathy of prematurity.

How do you enlarge a sheet music?

3 Ways To Enlarge Digital Sheet Music
  1. Read Sideways. If you’re using a tablet like an iPad to read your sheet music, there are several apps that will enlarge the view to nearly the same size as physical paper music if you simply rotate the tablet on to its side. …
  2. Get A Larger Tablet. …
  3. There’s An App For That.

How many blind musicians are there?

10 Musicians Who Were Blind (Some You Won’t Believe)
  • Stevie Wonder (1950-present)
  • Ray Charles (1930-2004)
  • Rod Clemmons (1945-)
  • Jeff Healy (1966-2008)
  • Nobuyuki Tsujii (1998-present)
  • Diane Schuur (1954-present)
  • Ronnie Milsap (1943-present)
  • Andrea Bocelli (1958-present)

What is braille code?

Braille code is a writing system which enables blind and partially sighted people to read and write through touch. Braille consists of patterns of raised dots arranged in cells of up to six dots in a 3×2 configuration. Each cell represents a braille letter, numeral or punctuation mark.

Why are blind people so good at music?

Belin said it was already known that blind people are better at localizing sound in space, but this is the first evidence that blind people are better at perceiving pitch. The findings also suggest that the developing brain can compensate for lack of visual input early in life by changing its wiring for sound.

Did Ray Charles have perfect pitch?

They call him the “genius” and they call him the “father of soul.” With perfect pitch and an expressive voice, he combines worlds as diverse as jazz, country, rhythm and blues, and gospel to break your heart or make you dance.

Do blind people make better musicians?

Working with around 40 blind children, as well as surveying parents, teachers and music therapists, the study showed that blind children are 4,000 times more likely to have perfect pitch – a traditional marker of exceptional musical ability – than their fully sighted peers.

What is blind instrument?

A blind flying panel has typically, but not necessarily, features an arrangement of six key flight instruments: an airspeed indicator (ASI), an artificial horizon, an altimeter, a rate of climb indicator, a directional gyro, and a turn and slip indicator.

How do you teach a blind person to play guitar?

Using a voice system, Samsung Audio Acordes acts as a facilitator for blind or visually impaired people to learn to play the guitar. The app offers beginners an audio dictionary that teaches them how to play chords and can also tell users when to play which chord as a song progresses.

Does Stevie Wonder read music in Braille?

13. Stevie Wonder. What is this? Yes, Stevie Wonder is blind, so he can’t read written sheet music but apparently doesn’t read braille music either.

Can Stevie Wonder read Braille?

Stevie Wonder Delighted in the Fact That He Could Read the Winner in Braille and You Couldn’t. Stevie Wonder and Pentatonix performed “That’s the Way of the World” in a tribute to Maurice White of Earth Wind & Fire, which either triggered sweet sweet memories or utter nightmares of college a capella for you.

How did Stevie Wonder Learn How do you play the piano?

In the hardscrabble housing projects of Detroit, Stevie taught himself to play a neighbor’s out-of-tune piano. By 10 he had mastered the harmonica, piano, organ, and drums without taking a lesson.

Can Andrea Bocelli read Braille?

To play piano, Bocelli learned Braille, running his fingers along the raised dots on sheet music. Raising the subject of blindness with Bocelli is always a risk.


How Do Blind People Play Piano? | Convos With Julia
How Do Blind People Play Piano? | Convos With Julia


An Introduction to Piano Lessons for The Blind | Expert Articles

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The Nature of The Student’s Visual Impairment

Basic Etiquette

Other Issues to Consider

Music Technology Available Nowadays

The Musical Journey

We’ll connect you with teachers ready to help you learn

Almost done – last step!

An Introduction to Piano Lessons for The Blind | Expert Articles
An Introduction to Piano Lessons for The Blind | Expert Articles

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how do blind people play piano — STL Piano Lessons | The Official Blog

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how do blind people play piano — STL Piano Lessons | The Official Blog
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Braille music – RNIB – See differently

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Getting started with braille music

Learning braille music

New International Manual of Braille Music

Getting tested on braille music skills

Getting pieces in braille music

Videos about braille music

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Braille music – Wikipedia

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Contents

Learning Braille music[edit]

Transcribing music into Braille[edit]

Introduction to Braille music symbols and syntax[edit]

Variations in Braille music[edit]

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

References[edit]

External links[edit]

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Braille music - Wikipedia
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Learning to Play a Musical Instrument: Resources for People who are Blind or Visually Impaired | American Foundation for the Blind | AccessWorld |

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how do blind people play piano — STL Piano Lessons | The Official Blog

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  • Summary of article content: Articles about how do blind people play piano — STL Piano Lessons | The Official Blog Start practicing your scales first with your eyes closed. This teaches you to trust your ears and your fingers instead of your eyes. The key … …
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how do blind people play piano — STL Piano Lessons | The Official Blog
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How Does A Blind Person Learn To Play Piano? – Mozart Project

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How Do Blind Pianists Learn Music

How Do Blind People Make Music

Can A Blind Person Play An Instrument

What Instruments Can You Play Blind

What Are Some Of The Ways People Who Are Blind Learn How Do You Play Music

Can A Blind Person Learn Piano

Can Blind People Make Music

Are Blind People Good At Music

Are Blind People More Musical

How Does A Blind Person Write Music

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How Can You Play the Piano When You’re Blind? | Stuart Wood’s Weblog

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    How Can You Play the Piano When You’re Blind? | Stuart Wood’s Weblog My friend is often asked how she plays the piano ‘when she can’t see’; Does she need the keys to be Brailled or marked in some way? The people … …
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    How Can You Play the Piano When You’re Blind? | Stuart Wood’s Weblog My friend is often asked how she plays the piano ‘when she can’t see’; Does she need the keys to be Brailled or marked in some way? The people … …so a good friend of mine is frequently asked. The world of blindness is a fascinating subject. To be honest I hadn’t given it a lot of thought until I became good friends with a blind lady who also happens to be a great musician. As we spoke & delved deeper into the subject I…
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How Can You Play the Piano When You’re Blind

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How Can You Play the Piano When You’re Blind? | Stuart Wood's Weblog
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MaxiAids | Intro to the Piano for the Visually Impaired

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MaxiAids | Intro to the Piano for the Visually Impaired
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Learning to Play a Musical Instrument: Resources for People who are Blind or Visually Impaired | American Foundation for the Blind | AccessWorld |

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An Introduction to Piano Lessons for The Blind

Think of a blind musician, and you start to think of obvious choices like Ray Charles or Stevie Wonder. And for some people, Andrea Bocelli comes to mind. If you’re thinking of enlisting someone with a visual impairment for piano lessons, there are four traits they must have: a good ear, good coordination, the ability to concentrate for longer periods of time, and a great deal of motivation. Most of these traits can be taught and developed, but not motivation.

Every teaching situation is different in its own way, even for blind students. But there are a few guidelines to consider when teaching piano lessons in this manner. No matter the nature of the student’s visual impairment however,, if they are motivated to learn the piano, there is no reason why they can’t do it. So, where do you begin? And are there any special techniques and technologies to help them along the way?

The Nature of The Student’s Visual Impairment

Knowing the nature of the student’s visual impairment determines how musical notation and the overall layout of the practice room will be presented. In order to plan the lessons to suit their needs, the following questions should be answered:

Does the student have light perception?

Is the student partially sighted? If yes, which areas of their vision are restricted and to what degree?

Is the student’s upper or lower visual field restricted?

Is the student’s left or right visual field restricted?

Does the student have a loss of central or peripheral vision?

These questions are extremely important in order to adjust the lessons according to their needs. Simple changes to presentations and layouts can make their journey of learning more fun and valuable.

Basic Etiquette

Teachers should display basic etiquette when working with visually impaired students to establish a positive environment, as well as a positive teacher-student relationship.

After getting to know each other, it’s time for the first lesson. Student should be asked if they would like to be guided to the room where the piano lesson will be taking place. After doing this, you can act as their sighted guide.

When acting as a sighted guide, allow the student to take hold of your arm. Once in the practice room, ask them if you can take their hands in order to show them where the chair is.

Throughout your lesson, it’s important to always ask permission before making any physical contact with them to show positioning. It can be distressing if someone suddenly taps you on your shoulder if you weren’t expecting it.

Don’t forget that continuous communication will be the key in their learning process for visually impaired.

Other Issues to Consider

Piano lessons to the blind have a few other issues to consider and to ensure the student gets the most from their learning session.

External Light Sources

Some visually impaired students get easily distracted by bright lights, while others may find discomfort in their eyes when the sun shines through the window. By taking these factors into consideration, position the piano for optimal playing surroundings.

If you’re unsure about any of this, talk to your student and their guardian to find the ideal position.

Eliminate Distractions

Visually impaired students rely on their other senses and can sometimes get distracted by the sound of other people entering the room. Rather than focusing on the music they’re playing, they become curious. For this reason, it’s important to keep any disruption and background noise to a minimum.

Presentation of Music Material

Depending on the student’s needs, there are different ways to approach the presentation of the music material. This is why it’s important to do some more research about the nature of the particular student’s visual impairment.

Braille

If you have a student with no functional vision, they can access music via Braille. However, many teachers find braille music quite challenging for students to learn because they will still have to memorize the piece before transferring it onto the piano.

The challenges that come along with braille music make teaching students, with no functional vision, aurally the better option. Many teachers work on a couple of bars during a lesson and record them onto a CD. This way the student can gradually build up the piece of music week by week.

Enlarged Musical Notation

For partially sighted students, enlarging the notation can sometimes help. However, this can also provide a set of challenges because of the difficulty that comes along with scanning the page from the one side to the other.

Students that have a loss of peripheral vision can read a single bar of notation quite well. But depending on the severity of their visual impairment, the reading can be limited to around one to three bars – which means it can be difficult for them to keep track at the speed of the music.

Students who can use written notation, either them or the music may need to be adjusted to an unconventional position. This will help the student to identify where they are in the music and improve the optimal vision.

Tactile Musical Notation

Even though you are teaching the piano aurally, it’s important to cover aspects of musical literacy.

In order to improve the experience for the blind student, many music teachers choose to use paper with raised tactile diagrams. This gives the student an opportunity to feel the stave and get a better perspective as to where the notation sits on each line/space.

When teaching students who are likely to take their music further, it’s important that dynamics, key changes, note lengths, and tonality are covered in their music lessons.

Music Technology Available Nowadays

Luckily, in today’s day and age, there are many different musical technologies and resources available that can be used to bring visually impaired students into the world of playing the piano.

Dancing Dots offers various resources to help teach blind students how to play the piano depending on their degree of impairment. These include:

GOODFEEL Braille Music Translator

The GOODFEEL enables you to convert sheet music quickly and accurately to braille. It also gives blind students the opportunity to review the sheet music with verbal and musical cues; assisting them when practicing at home.

The Lime Lighter

The Lime Lighter is a great option for students with limited sight and lets them read the music with more ease and comfort. It digitally enlarges the sheet music on a tablet or a computer screen, while color contrasts help them to distinguish between different notes.

Finding the best and most suitable technology for your student depends on the nature of their visual impairment. Make sure to do the necessary research!

The Musical Journey

The opportunity to learn how to play an instrument can be a wonderful journey for anyone with a visual impairment. It can provide them with an extra social outlet or recreational activity where they can improve skills like coordination, concentration, and perseverance.

But learning the piano might not be for everyone. So before embarking on this journey, make sure the student is ready for piano lessons.

No matter what obstacles you might face, hard work, dedication, and communication are what guarantee the success of your and your student’s journey.

how do blind people play piano — STL Piano Lessons

We get a lot of questions from students and parents about piano lessons and how to practice. With so much information out there, it’s hard to know the difference sometimes between what is worth your time and what is a waste of time.

I thought it might be helpful to do some blog posts answering some of our most frequently asked questions about piano and piano lessons.

This is the third blog post in our series of answering these frequently asked questions.

FAQ #3: How do I get a better feel for the piano?

This question comes in many forms. Sometimes it’s “How do I play the piano and keep my eyes on the music?” or “How do I get more confident at playing the piano?” or “How do I play scales and chords without messing up so much.”

There are obviously many answers to these questions. The most obvious is that with more practice comes more confidence. But I want to give you a specific way to practice that will boost your confidence, increase your accuracy and help you keep your eyes on the music at all times.

Practice with your eyes closed.

Here is what I want you to do. Start practicing your scales first with your eyes closed. This teaches you to trust your ears and your fingers instead of your eyes. The key thing to remember when doing this is that it is ok to miss some notes. You are going to for a while. But that is exactly how you learn and get a better feel for the piano.

Just go for it and don’t overthink it. Close your eyes and play your scales. When you miss a note, don’t sweat it, just keep going. Do this every day that you practice. Over the course of a week or two, you will find that you can do it without any mistakes. That means you are learning to trust your fingers and you are getting a good feel for the piano. This will open up so many doors for you while playing!

Once you have mastered your scales, I want you to work on playing arpeggios with your eyes closed. This is the next level because now you are skipping notes whereas a scale has notes in succession. Don’t worry though. Just start doing it and don’t overthink it.

Again you are going to miss a lot of notes. That is the point. But again, over a few weeks, you will notice you are making less mistakes and your arpeggios will be a lot cleaner.

If you want to take it to the next level, try memorizing a simple piece and practice playing that piece with your eyes closed. This will take some more time but you can totally do it. Once you learn to trust your ears and your fingers, you are free. You will play cleaner. You will learn things quicker. You will have so much more confidence at the piano.

If You Ever Doubt That This Will Work, Remember This…

If ever you doubt that any of this is possible, just watch Stevie Wonder or Ray Charles play the piano. Stevie was blind from birth and Ray was blind from a young age. They both learned how to play the piano without any eyesight. And I think we can all agree that they are both exceptional piano players. If they can do it, so can you. They didn’t get good at the piano by some miracle from above. They got good by practicing, never giving up, and building confidence at the piano by trusting their ears and their fingers.

Learning piano is a lifelong journey. It is an ongoing process. You don’t have to be Stevie Wonder or Ray Charles. You just have to be you. If you are better this week than you were last week, then you are succeeding. You are doing it! And that’s huge. You should be really proud of yourself.

Try this technique of playing with your eyes closed and leave us a comment. Let us know how you did!

Braille music

In this section

Braille music was invented along with the literary braille code by Louis Braille, himself a musician, and rose to prominence in the early 20th century.

It uses combinations of the same six-dot cell as literary braille to represent the pitch and rhythm of each note. If you imagine that the braille cell is arranged like an egg carton for six eggs i.e. in three rows of two. The top two rows represent the pitch and the bottom row is used for rhythm.

The graphic on this page shows print notation of a rising chromatic scale in quavers from middle C with the braille music equivalent. Note the first three cells in the braille denote the treble clef, the following dot denotes the fourth octave, and the last two cells denote a thick double bar. Note the print barline is shown by a space in the braille.

Differences between braille music and stave notation

Scanning and sight-reading

Scanning for a particular sign is much harder in braille music as it has less of a graphical representation than in print. In braille music, all the signs have to appear from left to right and one at a time. This is different from stave notation, where notes are displayed vertically in chords, and other signs like phrase markings may appear above or below them.

For example, around a particular note there may be:

preceding it, a dynamic marking, an accent or staccato sign, an accidental, and finally an octave indication.

the note itself.

after the note, a sign to show added duration, a harmonic indication or a fingering number and a slur sign to the next note.

Space

Related to this is the issue of space: a bar of braille music can take up considerably more room than in print notation. Reading and following scores can therefore be challenging as there may be just one bar per page.

To save space, braille music repeat signs more frequently. These include signs for repeating a beat, part-bar or whole bar, and conventions for repeating previous bar(s), specific numbered bar(s) or sections.

The number of distinct signs is limited. Although braille music can represent all the commonly used signs in conventional stave notation, only 63 combinations of the six-dot cell are possible. Therefore many print signs are shown by combinations of two or even three braille signs, meaning that many braille cells can have multiple meaning, or look very similar depending on their context. This can be confusing for new readers of braille music.

Clefs

Braille music usually shows the clef in which the original print is written, but uses a system of octave signs to determine in which octave a note is to be played.

Playing from memory

Braille music usually needs to be memorised. The braille reader normally has to read, memorise and then play a piece. As braille is read with your hands, it is impossible to read and play at the same time, unless you are a pianist. Singers can, with practice, read and play at sight, though usually memorise either the words or the music as it is difficult to read both at the same time.

If you’re teaching a group who are playing from different formats, you may find that the braillist takes a lot longer to learn a score than a print reader.

You may wish to download the collection of articles on memorising music from blind musicians.

Getting started with braille music

RNIB’s Music Advisory Service (MAS) has written a short guide to getting started with braille music which is full of useful tips for beginners, as well as some ideas for instrumental and classroom teachers. It also contains a useful resources section with details of transcribers, software and online resources aimed at learners in the UK, but may also be useful to learners in other countries.

Learning braille music

The most common way to learn braille music is while learning an instrument, often the piano or electronic keyboard or working with your teacher through one of the braille music tutor books listed below.

Tutor books in braille

Several mainstream beginners’ books are available in braille music, though learning this way does not introduce braille musical terms and syntax in a progressive way. To see if a particular tutor book is available in braille, please search the RNIB Library. There are some tutor books specifically designed for learning the braille music code whilst learning singing or an instrument.

If you would like to learn braille music alongside singing or an instrument, please visit our page on braille music tutor books.

If you want to learn to “hear” the symbols in your mind, and work on memorisation skills in a graduated way, try: An Introduction to Music for the Blind Student, or A Course in Braille Music Reading, Parts I and II. These are both by Richard Taesch and available from Dancing Dots.

New International Manual of Braille Music

The New International Manual of Braille Music (NIM) was published by the World Blind Union, edited by Bettye Krollick in 1996. An accessible version of the New International Manual of Braille Music (Krolllick, 1996) is available from the links below.

Getting tested on braille music skills

Young people up to the age of 19 have an opportunity to test their braille music skills, and receive formal feedback on their achievements, by entering the annual Gardner’s Trust Braille Music Literacy Awards.

Getting pieces in braille music

To check UK availability, search on the RNIB Library. You may also like to consult the listing of international organisations who produce or loan braille music, maintained by the Music Subject Area of the UK Association of Accessible Formats (UKAAF). The piece you want may already be available in braille music, though you may need to check it is the edition you require and in a braille format with which you are familiar. If the piece is not already transcribed, there are two main routes to getting it transcribed: Either employ the services of a braille music transcriber or produce it yourself, usually with a reader. For further information on the automated transcription of pieces into braille music, please download the following document.

If you opt for this second option, you may wish to train a sighted reader to read music precisely how you need it, so you can write the music down, either using a manual brailler, such as a Perkins Brailler or using an electronic braille note taker.

Software transcription packages

Some computer packages will transcribe stave notation into braille music, either scanning the hard copy print original into a music notation package, or converting a MusicXML file directly into braille music. In both cases, some sighted assistance is usually required for checking the accuracy of the results. For details of braille music translation packages and links to suppliers, please download the following brief summary.

Private collections of braille music

Some braille music users have extensive personal libraries of scores. To contact other braille music readers, why not subscribe to the Braille Music Chat email group, set up in December 2009. To subscribe, send a blank email to [email protected].

Videos about braille music

Measure for Measure

A new video created by the National Federation of the Blind in the USA shows how braille music is used by a number of blind musicians including an orchestral flautist and a jazz pianist. The video also features Bill McCann, founder and President of Dancing Dots who developed the Goodfeel Braille music translator.

In 2011, Nota, the Danish Library for the Blind, created a video entitled “Braille – My Musical Language”. They describe it as “a beautiful and moving film about three blind musicians, who through their own personal stories emphasize the importance of braille music.” The film is available to watch online by visiting the Nota YouTube page.

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