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Teaching myself to play piano.


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Posted

I was been telling myself that I should learn, and today while bored at work, I drew a diagram of a piano, then started putting together major and minor chords while working on memorization. Now if only I had a keyboard or piano nearby that I could use :poke:

 

Any advice? What would be the next logical step aside from practice?

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Posted

If you want to have proper technique lessons are a very good idea -- if you just want to enhance your music and aren't concerned with developing "correct" technique just grab a cheap keyboard and noodle away. Lots of great free piano lessons online to pad out the basics like scales and chord construction. :thu:

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Posted

One thing I've noticed off the bat is how easy it is to pick up the piano with all the experience from playing guitar. The piano seems much easier to pick up, theory wise. There seems to be only one way to play G Major. On the guitar, it seems as if theres maaany ways of playing a simple G Major.

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#1 recomendation for learning to play corectly are:

 

Hanon: The Virtuoso Pianist (contains all Major/Minor scales and Arps as well as excercises for finger independence)

 

and

 

Mikrokosmos by Bela Bartok (teaches piano through a lot of polytonal and contemporary techniques put into tiny song forms)

 

for chords learn all shapes in all inversions then try doing I IV V's and vi ii V I's in each inversion

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Posted

One thing I've noticed off the bat is how easy it is to pick up the piano with all the experience from playing guitar. The piano seems much easier to pick up, theory wise. There seems to be only one way to play G Major. On the guitar, it seems as if theres maaany ways of playing a simple G Major.

 

Yes, that's why every guitarist should do what you're doing. :)

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Posted

I "taught" my kid to play piano.

 

Just had them learn simple songs.

 

After they learn to read notation and where the keys are that's basically it.

 

Then just practice.

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Posted

One thing I've noticed off the bat is how easy it is to pick up the piano with all the experience from playing guitar. The piano seems much easier to pick up, theory wise. There seems to be only one way to play G Major. On the guitar, it seems as if theres maaany ways of playing a simple G Major.

 

 

Yes, general music experience will certainly help you understand the piano and the piano makes clear a lot of musical structure -- Generally (it could vary at some places) it's the mandatory instrument in university music programs

(not that you have to beat your head over it and become a pianist, just some basic facility - I'm pretty sure I got more or less an effort grade from some kindly profs :) )

 

beware though -- it's a rich rich instrument and easy to mistrain yourself into techniques that will limit you

 

(one funny frustrating thing for guitarists learning -- unlike guitar fingering where "1" is the index finger, "1" in piano fingering is the thumb. No big deal just a funny frustrating gear to shift)

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Posted

I'd probably say lessons. However, the typical teacher will teach reading + classical, and it can be pretty dry if you are the type that is wanting to bust into pop tunes :) Even so, learn to read, I wish I had. Flip side, the way that I learned (around 14 or so), while far from traditional, really developed my ear. I would get a tape (yep, long time ago) of something I wanted to learn and just fumble my way around the keyboard trying to pick out the part.

 

It took me 2 years to realize what a chord was :facepalm: and I was in a "band" (we all were learning our instruments on the fly, very entertaining :D) Here I was, trying learn Light My Fire in the early 80s when I can't play a chord. Needless to say my version was a bit off from the original.

 

So, rambling aside, I'd both learn the traditional way *and* try to develop your ear/improvisation by trying to pick out parts. Learn the scales asap. You have a great advantage coming from guitar, I have a similar one coming from piano and trying to learn guitar as I am.

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Posted

I had a college professor for music many years ago that told me the only difference between me and Rachmaninoff was practice.

 

I needed a lot more practice. ;)

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Posted

practice practice practice

 

but there is more to it than that. the most important part of practice on the piano (or any instrument) is efficient practice. try to work on multiple things at one time. so for example, if you want work on your scales, do it in the context of a song that uses that scale. that way you'll be working on the scale itself, the rhythm and feel of the song, and learning something to apply your work to (which is the song).

 

or, pick a chord progression you like in a song. work it out in multiple keys. then write your own composition influence by that chord progression. write a melody over it. ask yourself why your melody sounds good (or doesn't sound good) over it.

 

in my experience, the best way to learn something is to learn the concept by applying it to several different settings. twist it into as many different combinations as you can. it will help you master it quicker.

 

oh and also transcribe other songs, lead lines, melody lines, etc. anything that catches your ear--figure out how to play it. it's more fun to figure out something you like than something you don't! then once you've figured it out, apply it to the previous stuff you've learned and start to twist it into new combinations

 

hopefully this helps...

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Posted

I'd add one thing to my earlier ramble.

 

Don't forget your left hand (assuming you are a rightie...how the hell do left-handers play keyboards, this never occurred to me to wonder before now :D)

 

My left hand to this day is very weak. Teaching myself as I did, I tended (and still tend) to use my left hand to mostly just play the root notes to go along with whatever my right was doing. I think it's a common failing of many self-taught keyboard players from what I've seen.

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