Jump to content

Learning to play piano


Aquaman

Recommended Posts

Dunno if this is what you meant..I learnt to play the piano when I was about 8years old using beginner books and this always helped me to read music fluently.Once I learnt the basics I then bought a keyboard and practiced using that.I then took a long sabbatical (life) and eventually forgot everything apart from party time ditties. Decided to pick it up again and used the same methods and it came back, obviously it helped to just trigger what I already knew.Piano is essentially about practice and patience. Good hands help also.Hope that helps.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

my method was:learn what the notes are on the staves ( both clefs )download sheet music after sheet music, then attempt to play everything off the sheets 1 bar at a timekept doin that , and i still do it now. my only issue is rememberin to play a sharp/flat when i should have read them at the beginning and rememberedi'd actually prefer sharps/flats all the way through rather than that 1 at the beginning

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I picked up piano for dummies but i'm not practiced at playing yet, i gotta wait until i get a bigger keyboard but learn some of the acronyms so u know which notes goes where on the treble and bass clef, and learn the circle of fifths. At the moment i get sheet music of tunes i know and program them in Logic so i can learn the theory.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

the kids books are wicked to start with, good also cos it breaks it down real simple in terms of understanding it too. Meaning that you'll have some theory knowledge to go alongside the playing to help with production.When i was young went through like 6 books in this series, ending with the style book:http://www.amazon.co.uk/Complete-Piano-Player-Book-Bk/dp/0711904316recommend learnin jazz, blues gospel pieces as those are the sorta chords you'd use in "urban" music (7ths & 9ths etc)need any help let me kno, i did grade 8 few/many yrs ago

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...

I picked up piano for dummies but i'm not practiced at playing yet, i gotta wait until i get a bigger keyboard but learn some of the acronyms so u know which notes goes where on the treble and bass clef, and learn the circle of fifths. At the moment i get sheet music of tunes i know and program them in Logic so i can learn the theory.

Was just making a thread about this. Not sure if the thread starter is still interested. Pos'd.

I'm teaching myself theory properly, having made beats for 10 years and programmed with nothing but the piano roll and my ear, I got a keyboard last month. Been learning theory for the past two years, experimenting but I can honestly say the best thing to do is get a keyboard, PRACTICE and have the Circle of Fifths in view/memory. Spent ages looking at it before I understood it properly.

400px-Circle_of_fifths_deluxe_4.svg.png

Play along to random songs you like to work out the scale, count how many black keys you play (if any) and determine the key using the Circle of Fifths (C Major and A minor have no sharps, no flats, just white keys, from C-C and from A-A respectively). Familiarize yourself with the relative major and minor keys.

Good tip I learnt recently, know where to place your fingers.

If you play C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C up the keyboard, you should play the C with your thumb, D with your index, and E with your middle finger, before tucking your thumb back under to hit F. That 'tuck' is mad important.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Good tip I learnt recently, know where to place your fingers.

If you play C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C up the keyboard, you should play the C with your thumb, D with your index, and E with your middle finger, before tucking your thumb back under to hit F. That 'tuck' is mad important.

good tip

good way to learn this is download sheet music with written numbers for each note (1-5, thumb being one).

515hAOTW0oL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

@ Greens, scales and chords can be learned from theory books, if You want to know names, etc, and plan in advance what You want to use.

downloading a lot of sheet music and playing it would help seeing it actually work, and also seeing how the rules are broken to good effect.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Whats the best way to learn theory? Chords, scales etc

You got a keyboard? I'd recommend at least a 49 key.

If you want to teach yourself, get yourself familiar with scales first, as they determine the chords that you can play. Each scale has a set of 'diatonic chords' (meaning they are derived from the notes of the particular scale you choose), although Jazz theory has a slightly different take on it.

Major scales can be played from any key using this formula :

Tone–Tone–Semitone–Tone–Tone–Tone–Semitone

Using C as an example:

C-D = tone (as it misses out C# to get to D)

D-E = tone (as it misses out D# to get to E)

E-F = semitone (as it is a single step, with no keys in between)

F-G = tone (as you miss F#)

G-A = tone (skipping G#)

A-B = tone (skipping A#)

B-C = semitone

Now there are 3 types of minor scales, but I won't explain why. I will simply show you the formula and allow you to hear the functional differences.

Natural minor formula

Tone–Semitone–Tone–Tone–Semitone–Tone–Tone

Let's use A natural minor as an example here because it uses the same key signature as C Major (it is the relative minor of C Major).

A-B = Tone (because of A# being skipped)

B-C = Semitone

C-D = Tone

D-E = Tone

E-F = Semitone

F-G = Tone

G-A = Tone

The scale formulae for harmonic minor, and melodic minor are also available online. Like I said once you remember the patterns you can play any scale in any key. Check this site for reference:

http://www.jazclass.aust.com/scales/scahar.htm

PRACTICE scales. They are MAD important, and it's a case of learning to walk before you can run.

Learn the difference between them, try to play over other pieces of music and determine the key based upon the pattern of tones and semitones between keys.

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

f*ck it I might as well tell you lot the arpeggio I've been practicing to improve my speed, learn scale movements and also train my ear.

D# - C - D# - D - D# - F - D# - G

Anchor your middle finger on D# and play everything else with your thumb. It it will help develop the muscle memory you need to do certain tucks. Interesting as it has a minor sound to it (it's half of the C minor scale)

Also try this one for a major sounding arpreggio (it's half of A Major). Again, you constantly play C# with your index in the same position, your thumb tucks under to reach the higher keys.

C# - A - C# - B - C# - D - C# - E

Key playing until you have speed. There are loads of other more difficult arpeggios that have the same intervals.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...

recently got a 49 key midi keyboard. gona start putting in the hours very soon tbh, weed and uni is distracting but hopefully once i cut out bud i'll have more free time.

atm i keep having the same doubts ive had before when i get instruments cos right now my fingers are rigid as fuck but like someone above said, practice n patience

Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...