UPSB v3
Off-topic / How did you learn the Piano/Keyboard?
-
Date: Tue, Mar 30 2010 02:59:33
So I decide to learn the Piano, but not knowing if I'm really into it, I'm gonna try a cheaper approach, an electronic Keyboard. I'm not sure if I should take lessons or just learn the basic and see what I can find from the internet. I just want to be able to play hit songs like this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KttanulBtc . Is it better to learn the basics from an expert first to play like this? I saw a banner of music lessons not to far from where I live. I could pedal there in a couple of minutes. Suggestions? How did you first learn? Expert? Self-taught?
-
Date: Tue, Mar 30 2010 03:54:12
piano teacher
in all honesty, it shouldn't take more than 2 years of lessons to learn that stuff, if you practice -
Date: Tue, Mar 30 2010 03:56:35
if you really don't care much about the theory behind it, "piano tabs" are good
http://www.youtube.com/user/shawncheekeasy -
Date: Tue, Mar 30 2010 04:13:41
those drive me nuts xD
-
Date: Tue, Mar 30 2010 04:21:11
yeah i mean i did lessons for 10 years so i know the theory and i can do sheet music, but to be honest that's much quicker, and easy to pick up once you see it once
-
Date: Tue, Mar 30 2010 06:38:17
do you really not have any friends with piano/keyboard that can teach u a bit?
i mean its a waste if u dont like it at all -
Date: Tue, Mar 30 2010 06:42:02
What do you want to learn, playing the piano/keyboard or do you want to learn songs.
There's a difference between those. One you actually learn to play piano, you learn to figure out how to make those covers yourself, the other you look at some dudes fingers on youtube and press the same keys as him. -
Date: Tue, Mar 30 2010 10:28:26
Self-taught.
-
Date: Tue, Mar 30 2010 10:40:20
I took the approach of using a book (Micheal Aaron's Adult piano course). It seemed to work alright. With a teacher, you will of course make better and faster progress, but at a price. It's really your decision.
I would say a maximum of two years of lessons to learn to play that kind of thing, in agreement with hoiboy. Without lessons, maybe a minimum two years.
Learning by copying people hitting keys on youtube isn't a good way to learn. You'll never really begin to pick up pieces faster - You will always learn them at the same pace. You might find yourself struggling to make the pieces sound much good too. They will often sound jerky/shakey.
As for piano tabs, sight reading music seems to be much quicker. You also get all the info that you need from music, so you can play a piece exactly how it is, not just roughly how it is. -
Date: Wed, Mar 31 2010 08:58:39
without a fairly good grasp on theory and sightreading, piano is hard
guitar you can look up tabs etc and its fine
i think, work on theory and sightreading, lessons are probably compulsory
try and find a friend that could teach you, pay them in food
probably sightreading is the most important, if you only want to bust out a couple of songs at a party/gathering
get a few sheet musics (yes, i know its grammatically incorrect) and learn them -
Date: Wed, Mar 31 2010 17:16:24
Thanks for reply! Btw what is theory? Also, I want to be able to listen to a song and play it by "ear" on piano. I'm pretty sure that means without sheet. I decided to take lessons but holy their costly. Two lessons a week, half an hour each, around $200 Canadian for a month!
-
Date: Wed, Mar 31 2010 17:37:53
try learning by yourself first. teach yourself the basics first then perhaps ask some friends to teach you.
then possibly a piano teacher -
Date: Wed, Mar 31 2010 17:45:56
I had a piano teacher. I already had some music background from playing the cello, but having a piano teacher helped a lot. Also i find that the harder the song you play at first, the easier other songs will be. Like hoiboy said, about 1.5 years of lessons or even 1 year if you devote most of your time to the piano, you should be able to play that song. I learned fast because I able to remember a lot of the info my piano teacher gave me and the notes. Reading notes isn't hard at all D: just gotta be able to count up and down thats what i do
-
Date: Thu, Apr 1 2010 08:06:12
i forget, do you have a good musical understanding????
because playing by ear, especially piano, means you need good theory and/or perfect pitch -
Date: Thu, Apr 1 2010 14:16:14
playing by ear you need basic scale knowledges depending on the song complexity
once you can figure out all the scales, its easy to draw the melody or even improvise on it. -
Date: Thu, Apr 1 2010 14:25:02QUOTE (RoastBeef @ Mar 31 2010, 06:16 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Thanks for reply! Btw what is theory? Also, I want to be able to listen to a song and play it by "ear" on piano. I'm pretty sure that means without sheet. I decided to take lessons but holy their costly. Two lessons a week, half an hour each, around $200 Canadian for a month!
Theory - The theory of music. Look on wiki, it's got some good basic information. And why not just take one half hour lesson a week?QUOTE (Zombo @ Apr 1 2010, 03:16 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>playing by ear you need basic scale knowledges depending on the song complexity
once you can figure out all the scales, its easy to draw the melody or even improvise on it.
A good knowledge of the scales will help you get the melody. A good knowledge of harmony will allow you to harmonise the piece. Then you can do the whole thing. Pop songs are usually quite easy to get by ear. Classical or jazz pieces are... Nearly impossible sometimes. Of course, some pop songs are harder than others too. But yeah, learn about basic harmony and learn the scales to play by ear.QUOTEReading notes isn't hard at all
Of course, it's not hard at all to read music, but it is hard to read it at speed. No-one wants to spend half an hour just working out the notes! It's a good idea to always try to sight read something simple. Most days, I try and sight read a piece I haven't seen before or at least, not seen for a very long time. It's a great way to learn to read accurately and at speed. Learning theory and scales will improve your reading too. -
Date: Thu, Apr 1 2010 14:44:17
well the first post showed a pop/rock song, so thats why chords knowledge is all thats needed for that level
-
Date: Thu, Apr 1 2010 14:45:42
Chords = Harmony
We're singing from the same songbook here
-
Date: Thu, Apr 1 2010 14:48:06
harmony is more advanced than chords
he just needs to do the chords on the left hand, and then right hand the melody in monophony
later he can expand the right hand with harmony -
Date: Thu, Apr 1 2010 16:13:08
well plain chords are the most basic kind of harmony.
Anyway, the point is, listen to Zombo! -
Date: Thu, Apr 1 2010 23:48:00
how long does it take to play a song, say rock alternative, by ear? 2 years?
@mats, I don't see why 2 times a week is a bad idea xD -
Date: Fri, Apr 2 2010 03:07:40QUOTE (RoastBeef @ Apr 2 2010, 07:48 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>how long does it take to play a song, say rock alternative, by ear? 2 years?
@mats, I don't see why 2 times a week is a bad idea xD
again, depends on prior knowledge and experience
can you please clarify what experience you have
but anyway, i'll assume you have none for this example
and i'll assume by you saying a "song" you are implying any and all songs
what makes up a song?
- chord structure (and if you say you want alt rock, then bets are, its pretty simple)
- melody (vocals melody or actual what the pianist/keyboardist plays melody?)
for chords, learn what all the different chords (I, IV, V, etc) sound like, alone and in progression
most rock/pop songs only need I, IV, V and maybe vi
melody, you need to learn basic aural technique etc, and theory on how notes go together blah, blah
so, considering that, and assuming you learn all the theory before you start learning songs.... maybe 1 year if you learn quick
NB: my musical theory knowledge is shite -
Date: Sat, Apr 3 2010 02:00:14
k thanks, anyone in Canada know a good beginner electric keyboard? Wal Mart? Toys R Us?
-
Date: Sat, Apr 3 2010 02:52:10QUOTE (RoastBeef @ Apr 2 2010, 10:00 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>k thanks, anyone in Canada know a good beginner electric keyboard? Wal Mart? Toys R Us?
if you have at least $400 (probably more like $600 in canada), get a digital piano with 88 keys and weighted action
anything less and you're stuck with casio, in which case it really doesn't matter what you buy, just find cheapest. -
Date: Sat, Apr 3 2010 02:54:36
you will probably find 88 key keyboards at music stores
i'm not sure what you have in america (ur from US right?)
but if you go to a store that sells musical instruments, you'll find good keyboards
wal-mart, toy-r-us will probably only have crappy small keyboards -
Date: Sat, Apr 3 2010 03:07:15QUOTE (Zombo @ Apr 2 2010, 10:52 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>if you have at least $400 (probably more like $600 in canada), get a digital piano with 88 keys and weighted action
anything less and you're stuck with casio, in which case it really doesn't matter what you buy, just find cheapest.
I paid 89 dollars, got this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsFgScthtIs
Not great, probably not even "good", but works for my purposes of just having fun with it -
Date: Sun, Apr 4 2010 04:03:33QUOTE (Zombo @ Apr 2 2010, 07:52 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>if you have at least $400 (probably more like $600 in canada), get a digital piano with 88 keys and weighted action
anything less and you're stuck with casio, in which case it really doesn't matter what you buy, just find cheapest.
Digital? What do you mean? 88 keys for a beginner? I don't think it matters me how many keys atm. What doe weighted action mean?
Casio's are bad? What are good brands? Thanks^^QUOTE (strat1227 @ Apr 2 2010, 08:07 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>I paid 89 dollars, got this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsFgScthtIs
Not great, probably not even "good", but works for my purposes of just having fun with it
Wow 89 dollars, where you get it? Do YOU like it? How many keys? Weighted Action? Digital? Brand? xD Sorry for asking so many questions! -
Date: Sun, Apr 4 2010 04:57:49QUOTE (RoastBeef @ Apr 4 2010, 12:03 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Digital? What do you mean? 88 keys for a beginner? I don't think it matters me how many keys atm. What doe weighted action mean?
Casio's are bad? What are good brands? Thanks^^
88 keys is standard piano size, without it you wont be able to play songs that require low or high notes
weighted action means the keys have some weight when you press down on it. this sensation is important to pianists and allow them to gauge how much pressure they need to apply to obtain the correct volume. in particular, regular pianos have GRADED weight action, where low notes are heavier and higher notes are lighter. it feels very different playing on a real piano and a synth action keyboard with no weight, it can throw pianists who are used to it. I personally would not even dare to touch a synth action keyboard to play regular piano stuff. it's just too jumpy.