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Topic ClosedBought my first keyboard! Looking for advice

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crimson87 View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Topic: Bought my first keyboard! Looking for advice
    Posted: May 01 2011 at 16:37
Hi Everyone , yesterday I bought my first musical instrument ever , a keyboard to be more precise. It s a Yamaha PSR E423. My intention was to stick with it for a year or two and learn the basics.
I was looking for some advice from the keyboard players from the site. How many hours per day do I have to practice to be a decent player ( my goal is to play simple jazz and classical music pieces) will I be able to play this music with a 5 octave keyboard?
 
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 01 2011 at 16:55
Congrats!

As to how many hours a day do you practice, that would depend: Do you plan on learning how to read music (if you don't know already), or do you not want to read music?

If the latter (because although I can interpret sheet music, I cannot sight read and play it at the drop of a hat), then what I recommend is learning chords, scales, and progressions while simultaneously learning very elementary pieces of music- you can build from there.

If you want to be capable in less time, then it's probably best to get a teacher.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 01 2011 at 21:58
I'm a beginner keyboard player - going for my grade 4 jazz this year! I had a teacher. If you're getting a teacher, that's probably the best way to go, but not completely necessary. If you aren't, I would recommend learning music theory. Just do it. A lot of people seem to hate music theory for some reason, but trust me - it'll help you understand music. If you're not going in for exams, I wouldn't recommend learning the Italian and French terms, but learn everything else! While doing this, you should start on you're scales, and chords. Get a grade 1 chord and arpeggio book!

As for how long you should practice, that's up to you. I would recommend at least half an our every day. to stop you going rusty, but if you do that, practice much longer on some days. I probably average about an hour a day. Of course, you hear of people practicing six hours a day... I just can't do that. I would get bored after than long. My hands would get crampy! But if you can practice longer - great! 

Also, yeah, five octaves is plenty! Probably about 80% of jazz is on that range (classical has the dramatic low chords). 
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 02 2011 at 06:45
I was going to share my experience with keyboards, but in reading the post it wouldn't constitute advice as far as where you are looking to go with it.  LOL

But here it is for what it's worth.

I never had any formal lessons.  When I was growing up, one set of grandparents had a functional electric organ and another a disfunctional old organ.  I just messed around with them when visiting.  Somehow or the other, I forget how, my Mom wound up with a cheap toy organ that I fooled around with a little in my teens.  I got my first synth when I was in college.  I went the book route to try to learn to read music.  One of the books was called The Adult Piano Course.  One of the first lessons was the opening bars to Frere Jacues.  I tried it out and played the next few bars off the top of my head.  I got a book of Debussy piano music.  From the little book learning I had indulged in I was able to make it through a few opening bars of a couple of his simpler piano pieces. He's done a couple of really simple yet beautiful solo piano pieces.  But in the end since I wasn't out to make a living off music I quit the book learning and just went with improvising.  When I'm in an inspired mood I can create some interesting stuff.   I've never actually put a formal song together that I could recreate.
Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened...

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 03 2011 at 13:30
Ehh... that's a weird route to be honest. I would say most improvisers even know about harmony and stuff - it's important to making improvisations coherent and beautiful! Honestly, I just think you should learn the theory, there's really not THAT much to it, so in my view, at LEAST to grade 4 should be learned. 
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mono View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 04 2011 at 03:33
As many as you can!
I would suggest you learn how to read music because that can help a lot in learning new techniques and appreciating/absorbing other pieces of music.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 04 2011 at 03:58
Originally posted by Nathaniel607 Nathaniel607 wrote:

Ehh... that's a weird route to be honest. I would say most improvisers even know about harmony and stuff - it's important to making improvisations coherent and beautiful! Honestly, I just think you should learn the theory, there's really not THAT much to it, so in my view, at LEAST to grade 4 should be learned. 
Well, what can you say?  To each his or her own way.  I think I made it to 4 but who knows?  I have traveled my own path and I like where I am at.  It's just a hobby for me after all, Big smile


Edited by Slartibartfast - May 04 2011 at 04:03
Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened...

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 04 2011 at 05:40
learn some early Elton John and a bit of Honky Dory by Bowie,
 
lot of great melodic piano lines bby two of the greatest melodic piano players in buisness, Rick Wakemann and Elton, according to those who producers HD ment only yearly Elton John could capture the melodic spirit of the the songs  on the album as  RIck did (
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