Members program_insect Posted January 4, 2009 Members Share Posted January 4, 2009 Hey guys... I've recently taken a few months' worth of piano lessons. Starting from scratch, I found them to be very helpful. I now have a decent foundation for hand technique and am well on my way to being able to read music fluently. I decided to stop going to the private lessons because I felt that I wasn't getting enough value for my money (and they were pretty expensive one-on-one lessons). My teacher was teaching me things that would be useful for a concert pianist playing classical music. However, my ultimate goal is to be comfortable with music theory such that I can write musically interesting pieces, and ultimately be able to improvise in a jazz style. What I really want to do is play from the heart without my brain or hands getting in the way. Just wondering if anybody had any feedback for me at this stage in my learning. What is a good way to continue my development from this point? Was I correct in my conclusion that "classical" training was of limited usefulness given my goals? What should I focus on now that I am on my own? Thanks for any advice, and sorry for Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SoundwaveLove Posted January 4, 2009 Members Share Posted January 4, 2009 Hey guys... I've recently taken a few months' worth of piano lessons. Starting from scratch, I found them to be very helpful. I now have a decent foundation for hand technique and am well on my way to being able to read music fluently. I decided to stop going to the private lessons because I felt that I wasn't getting enough value for my money (and they were pretty expensive one-on-one lessons). My teacher was teaching me things that would be useful for a concert pianist playing classical music. However, my ultimate goal is to be comfortable with music theory such that I can write musically interesting pieces, and ultimately be able to improvise in a jazz style. What I really want to do is play from the heart without my brain or hands getting in the way. Just wondering if anybody had any feedback for me at this stage in my learning. What is a good way to continue my development from this point? Was I correct in my conclusion that "classical" training was of limited usefulness given my goals? What should I focus on now that I am on my own? Thanks for any advice, and sorry for Now get some bitches under your belt. Also just keep playing the keys and make sounds. Why were you taking classical lessons anyway? Why not find a jazz or rock teacher? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Cydonia Posted January 4, 2009 Members Share Posted January 4, 2009 Many famous jazz and rock pianists/keyboardists have a classical piano background. Musical craft is a never-ending process. If you can afford lessons, then continue with something else like harmony or improvisation lessons. This way, you will progress much faster. The more you learn, the more tools you can use later on, regardless of musical style. And don't expect to play like [insert your ideal pianist/keyboardist here] without more studies, lots of efforts and years and years of practice. Of course, it all depends which are your goals and at which level you're at now. The three secrets to become a great musician : practice, practice and practice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members zoink Posted January 4, 2009 Members Share Posted January 4, 2009 Once you've got solid fundamentals, it's a good time to start building your repertoire. In the long run, once you've got a good start you'll continue to learn more or less by self-teaching. Along the way you want to develop an ear for picking up on playing styles and analyze performances by listening and replicating them. I've met a lot of players over the years who could read music, but never really developed a player's ear. With this in mind, my advice would be -- while you continue honing your playing from sheet music -- to develop your ability to play by ear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Diametro Posted January 4, 2009 Members Share Posted January 4, 2009 time + practice, composition and theory Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Guitarsoul34 Posted January 4, 2009 Members Share Posted January 4, 2009 Program: Trust me, even though you think the lessons may not be worth the money at the moment, when you start getting more into the jazz, blues and pop/rock by ear stuff, you will thank yourself and your teacher for getting you to learn proper hand technique and fluent musical reading later on. It definitely sounds like it's time for a new teacher, but I'd recommend absolutely keeping up with the practice techniques you first learned, and try to find a great teacher that can teach improv, theory behind chord progressions in one key and then straying out of the key, that also can give you ear training. Craigslist is a surprisingly awesome tool for piano teachers...I found three in my area (Wash DC) who all excel in exactly what you're looking for solely from basic craigslist searches (talented, experienced teachers). Also, I would HIGHLY recommend not sticking with one teacher at the beginning. I would take 3-4 different ones that fit what you're looking for, and give them each a trial lesson or two (most won't charge for the first, or will charge half of the usual rate), until you find the best personality that suits your needs. The above might seem overkill, but IMO, if you find a great teacher, this is someone that can act as a musical mentor for you for life, that cares, and will be there to answer all the random scatterbrained questions you have (at least I know that's what I needed!). I'd also look into Duane Shinn's online courses, if you can't find the right teacher...wonderful stuff there that transformed my playing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members program_insect Posted January 5, 2009 Author Members Share Posted January 5, 2009 Thanks for the replies everyone. Guitarsoul, I really appreciate the indepth response. I'll definitely consider finding another teacher more in the vein that I am interested in. Will keep up with exercises/reading in the mean time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Guitarsoul34 Posted January 5, 2009 Members Share Posted January 5, 2009 No problem Program! In the meantime, I think you had also asked for specific practice advice. If you are looking to head into blues and jazz territory, you should start learning the following few things, which are the backbones of each genre: Blues: Chords - The 1, 4, 5 progression in every key. (These are all dom 7ths, i.e in the key of C: C7, F7, G7). Scales - Blues scale in every key (1, b3, 4, b5, 5, b7) Jazz: Chords - The 2, 5, 1 progression in every key. (2, 5, 1's are minor, dom 7th, maj7th, respectively, i.e. in C: Dm, G7, Cmaj7) Scales - Dorian (1, 2, b3, 4, 5, 6, b7) Scales - Mixolydian (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, b7) General stuff for blues, jazz and pop/rock: -Learn how to play the dom7th chords and 9th chords, major and minor, in every key. (i.e in key of C: C7, Cm7, C9, Cm9). Start by using the left hand just to play the root, and the right hand playing the 357, or 3579, in every chord. -Start using sheet music...and ignore the sheet music. By that I mean, start giving a try to use the chord symbols alone, especially pop/rock and jazz standards. This will eventually put you on the first baby step into the wonderful world of figuring out chord voicings. I know that seems like a lot, and if something didn't make sense just ask, but if you start getting the above down pat, by the time you find a great teacher you'll be well on your way. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Yoozer Posted January 5, 2009 Members Share Posted January 5, 2009 http://forums.musicplayer.com/ubbthreads.php/topics/1989275/1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members skuller Posted January 5, 2009 Members Share Posted January 5, 2009 bassius from the bass guitar subforum here at HC offers valuable jazz related lessons. he's a bassist but he is a musical guru all around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members girevik Posted January 5, 2009 Members Share Posted January 5, 2009 However, my ultimate goal is to be comfortable with music theory such that I can write musically interesting pieces, and ultimately be able to improvise in a jazz style Have you started learning jazz tunes yet? If not, start learning some tunes! I do not think it is possible to play jazz without knowing a single tune. As you learn tunes, you will probably come up with lots of questions. When you reach that point, write them down, then find a teacher who can answer them to your satisfaction. A classical piano teacher is not necessarily a bad fit if he/she is helping you with your technique. But you need to be comfortable with the balance that he/she is giving you between purely technical exercises and real compositions (this is where I love Bach - plenty of technical development and great writing at the same time). In any case, if you are that unhappy with your teacher, try another one. It would also be great if you can find someone to help you with your ear training. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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