One does not have to think long to recall outstanding blind pianists. American multi-instrumentalist Stevie Wonder, ranked 10th on the list of the 100 most outstanding artists of all time, Ray Charles, or the young Japanese composer Nobuyuki Tsujii are just a few examples. So do they use any special piano for the blind person? Is there any special keyboard or overlays for visually impaired people? How did they learn to play the piano? All these questions will be answered in the article below.
Musical skills and no sight
When one of the senses is not working properly, the other senses sharpen so that the amount of messages coming in from the environment is not drastically altered. This enables the disabled person to correctly perceive and process a variety of external stimuli. People who are blind or visually impaired often have excellent hearing, which allows them to develop musical abilities.
According to many blind musicians (but also sighted musicians), it is easier to feel a piece of music and to extract personal content from it if one does not use sheet music and does not look at the keyboard while playing. However, a blind person can also learn and use music notation in their career, using music notation developed in Braille.
How do sight impaired people learn to play the piano?
A piano teacher can use a blind student’s excellent muscle memory to help them use the instrument well. By sitting in front of the piano and touching the individual keys, the blind person memorises their layout and the sound of the notes. In this way, they can ‘get used’ to the keyboard relatively quickly, which is the first step towards mastering the instrument.
Learning to play the piano itself for blind people is similar to that for sighted people. (See other myths about learning to play the piano). It does not at all require a special piano for the blind person. A beginner pianist can learn to play by ear with simple exercises that help develop harmonic and pitch hearing and a sense of rhythm. In time, they will be able to play simple melodies.
Which piano is ideal for a sight impaired student?
Any piano, the same as for any other student 😉 A good quality second-hand piano is a great way to start. If you are facing such a task for the first time, be sure to read the guide How to buy a second-hand piano written by an experienced pianist. If a blind student uses Braille, convex stickers for the keys can be helpful to help them learn the positioning of the sounds. They are available to buy online.