Advice for a self-teaching piano player
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Topic: Advice for a self-teaching piano player
Posted By: StrengthandWisdom
Subject: Advice for a self-teaching piano player
Date Posted: August 02 2010 at 19:02
| What advice do you guys have for a self-teaching Piano player such as myself? I love various genres and hope that I can get to composing my own music that I like. However, I am still a beginner and am not even decent at keys yet. |
Replies:
Posted By: Slartibartfast
Date Posted: August 02 2010 at 19:15
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Listen to a lot of music and improvise.
------------- Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened... 
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Posted By: TheGazzardian
Date Posted: August 02 2010 at 19:43
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I can only give the following advice ... Practise Every Day, Be serious about it, And this is where I sometimes run into walls ... make sure you can find applications for what you learn xD Aka, make sure you can use what you learn to make music you want. Otherwise, you will probably forget it as you learn other new things.
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Posted By: thellama73
Date Posted: August 02 2010 at 19:49
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Slarti is right that improvising and trying to copy what you hear is essential to becoming a good player, but if you're a beginner you should probably get a couple of method books to work through as well so you learn notation and fingering.
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Posted By: SaltyJon
Date Posted: August 02 2010 at 20:43
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Patience, young padowan.
------------- http://www.last.fm/user/Salty_Jon" rel="nofollow"> 
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Posted By: Triceratopsoil
Date Posted: August 02 2010 at 20:46
| Learn ragtime |
Posted By: The Quiet One
Date Posted: August 02 2010 at 20:50
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SaltyJon wrote:Posted By: thellama73
Date Posted: August 02 2010 at 20:52
Ragtime is super fun to play and very good for you as a piano player. -------------
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Posted By: StrengthandWisdom
Date Posted: August 02 2010 at 21:55
| How SHOULD I teach myself? I stopped using Alfred's Basic Piano Lessons method books because I wasn't learning anything I wanted to apply. I'm not interested in classic rock or pop songs. My main genres are metal, industrial/EBM, and prog. |
Posted By: StrengthandWisdom
Date Posted: August 02 2010 at 22:01
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I should mention that my goal isn't to be some highly technical player like Rick Wakeman or Keith Emerson. Solos really don't do anything for me tbh. I would like to play some video game tunes though. maybe remix them. |
Posted By: thellama73
Date Posted: August 02 2010 at 22:02
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You SHOULD learn classical technique, first and foremost. It will help you with any style, but metal and prog in particular use a lot of classical flourishes. I am not too knowledgeable about different adult method books, but a music shop employee should be able to help you there. -------------
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Posted By: StrengthandWisdom
Date Posted: August 02 2010 at 22:58
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Would be productive if I decided to memorize all the basic chords and scales from charts on the internet? Or would it not be because I'm not learning any rythm or timing? I'm interested in playing my own music, or playing with a band. Not being able to read sheet music and play songs I like. Though I do want to play some video game tunes I like, because I possibly want to do covers of them or remix them. |
Posted By: StrengthandWisdom
Date Posted: August 02 2010 at 22:59
| If there are any good classical method or technique books for beginners like me, then send them my way. Keep in mind I dont have all the basics down. |
Posted By: Proletariat
Date Posted: August 03 2010 at 00:53
No, it would be better to learn what a scale is first and what its significance is in music theory. Same goes for chords, the sooner you can build a chord... or decipher a chord the better. with a basic understanding of chords and scales you can save yourself from having to memorize a ton of chords/scales/modes ------------- who hiccuped endlessly trying to giggle but wound up with a sob |
Posted By: StrengthandWisdom
Date Posted: August 03 2010 at 01:42
So I should learn Music Theory first? |
Posted By: npjnpj
Date Posted: August 03 2010 at 04:40
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I started with piano lessons when I was six and kept it up for about 10 years before chucking those lessons in. This was when I joined my first band and found that the skills I'd learnt exceeded the technical requirements I needed for this. Never looked back. But to be honest: I don't think that if you want to get a half-decent grip on keyboard playing, you can do it without some formal piano lessons by a qualified teacher, at least for a while. And yes, theory is essential, best learnt in parallel with technical skills. |
Posted By: jplanet
Date Posted: August 03 2010 at 04:53
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If your main goal is two write, you need two basic parts to your study: 1.) Technique - you don't want any barriers between what you hear in your head and your fingers. There's nothing more frustrating than having something in your head, but your fingers can't do it. To get your technique going, get Hanon's Virtuoso Pianist in 60 Exercises. The book is very inexpensive. 2.) Playing Music - This one is important, and too many players get discouraged too early if they don't do this. Pick melodies and songs that you like, and learn what you can form them. Get sheet music for a bunch of tunes that you like - could be Christmas songs, or the Moog melody in a popular prog tune - whatever floats your boat. This will get you acquainted with playing actual music, and you'll begin to notice patterns in common between different things that you play. This will help you to get a vocabulary of melodies and chords that you can connect with music you hear in your head. Also get an easy classical piano book for beginners. Try a Bach minuet - you can search Youtube for examples of how the piece should sound (as you begin reading music, it's good to double-check a recording of the music so you can make sure you are reading the timing of notes correctly). ------------- https://www.facebook.com/ShadowCircus/" rel="nofollow - ..::welcome to the shadow circus::.. |
Posted By: Slartibartfast
Date Posted: August 03 2010 at 06:41
Don't know that one. I had (still do) this book called the Adult Piano Course. I basically gave it up when Did the simple Frere Jaques lesson and found that the more complex version was in my head and I could play it without reading. i tried self learning written music and even managed to get through some opening bars of Debussy piano music. I think the little success I achieved was due more to having the music in my head than to the limited ability I had developed reading music. Of course different approaches work for different people. Above all else, have fun. ------------- Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened...
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Posted By: Trademark
Date Posted: August 03 2010 at 07:47
| Go and get a good piano teacher. There is no substitute for learning from someone who already knows. The keyboard players you are listening to are (mostly) classically trained. If you think you can skip the hard work and drudgery of that step you are GREATLY mistaken. |
Posted By: Mike_Zed
Date Posted: August 03 2010 at 16:46
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From my experience I can tell you: 1) Find a teacher, but first find out what you want to play (otherwise it would be fogwalking at the beginning). They will help you with harder parts of the music and with exercises. 2) Repeat, repeat, repeat and gradually increase the tempo. I've learned to play Firth of Fifth that way (my technique still needs improvements, but I was amazed by my progression). 3) Don't strain. It's better to learn small portions slowly, than a great piece of material and then having to take a break for a few days (each day without practicing makes you forget what you have learned during two days of practicing). 4) Get a metronome - it's a great way to keep the rhythm, also you can play the 'No Son of Mine" intro with it ;) 5) Don't forget about your left hand! It's not only for accenting the rhythm. Also don't forget about your ring and little finger, you'll need them for playing Tony Banks later on. 6) You need a piano! Or a keyboard with weighed keys (am I naming it right?). There will be no progress without proper key weight. 7) Learn a few scales and chords that go with them, jamming in one scale is amazingly easy and fun. ------------- The Problems of the Future - Today! |
Posted By: Slartibartfast
Date Posted: August 03 2010 at 17:41
Well, first of all become a doctor and discover a marvelous cure for
something, and then, when the medical world really starts to take notice
of you, you can jolly well tell them what to do and make sure they get
everything right so there'll never be diseases any more. Oh wait that's how to rid the world of all known diseases. From the Monty Python How To Do It Sketch. They also tell you how to play the flute: Well you blow in one end and move your fingers up and down the outside.
------------- Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened...
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Posted By: Meddle71
Date Posted: August 25 2010 at 02:51
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Yeah, as mentioned before theory is ESSENTIAL. Even getting the basics down is great. Learn a few scales, and chords that go with them, and that's an awesome start.
Also, never underestimate classical piano, it is a fantastic way to learn a huge mix of techniques and styles. As long as you know how to read music, classical is the way to go (for starters).
If you want to start improvising your own stuff, playing a basic chord progression in the left hand with a melody (using notes from the scale the chords are based on... see, theory's important) in the right can sound surprisingly good.
Most of all, don't get frustrated if things don't sound exactly how you want them to. I've been playing piano for 14 years (although some of that I was really young and not learning a lot) and my improvisations get exponentially better every year. Piano takes a TON of practice and hard work to get really good at, so just keep it up, and don't be worried if it feels like you're moving slowly, it'll come.
Good luck, keep with it, it's totally worth it! Great instrument. ------------- And everything under the sun is in tune But the sun is eclipsed by the moon |
Posted By: StrengthandWisdom
Date Posted: January 06 2011 at 18:15
| Thanks for the advice guys. I'm still trying to learn, any material I should try learning on my own? I've been spending the last few days playing and learning all the major scales. |
Posted By: StrengthandWisdom
Date Posted: January 06 2011 at 18:21
I kind of have to disagree with some of this points. My friend is the keyboardist for The Breathing Process, and he's studied classic for 4-5 years and has been playing for 10 years total. Hes a really good piano player. He told me that a teacher is really only necessary for kids, and anyone with a good amount of maturity can learn as much on their own. I am 19 years old, and will be 20 next month. I started learning when I got a keyboard after high school ( when I was 18) and I'm still a beginner, I just feel like I should have come a lot further. I have a keyboard with semi-weighted keys, which isn't much of a difference from a fully weighted Piano. The keyboard I have is the Roland Juno D, Its a nice instrument and I got it specifically for learning and I can also have some fun with it because of how nice it sounds and its variety. |
Posted By: zakske
Date Posted: January 17 2011 at 09:57
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Maybe you don't need a teacher, but I'm convinced that a teacher is not only necessary for kids; I have been playing the piano for 10 years as well (8 years with a rather "loose" teacher, I didn't learn a lot, last 2 years with a great teacher), and I must say that having a good teacher truly improves your playing rapidly. Nobody without experience is able to figure out the most ideal fingerings in a specific situation. It isn't just a matter of playing the right notes, it's a matter of knowing how to play them and the why you play them in that specific manner. Sure, you'll be able to learn some scales and chords on your own, but you'll never be able to apply them as efficiently as you would if you had a teacher, and eventually you'll get stuck in one way of playing while it is preferable to build your musical vocabulary. Please, do continue to play, even if it is on your own, but remember that you'll learn more in less time if you decide to take lessons. Also be aware that your motivation is the major key, even if you take lessons. |