Advice for newbie: concentrate on getting good in C major before branching out?

[lingyai]

Hello,

I'm middle-aged, and have been learning piano for a few weeks using a "chord piano" approach. I have been playing simple progressions in C major. I really enjoy it. I am just starting to be able to play, with just a hint of fluidity, the I-vii7 chords in their root and first inversions. I have a ways to go before you'd call it smooth.  But I'll get there.

While obviously I don't want to spend my whole life in C major, I also don't want to dilute my concentration by spreading it too thin at this stage.

While I know the formulas for the major and minor triads (beefed up with a repeated tonic with my left thumb) and for transposition to any of the 12 major and 12 minor keys, my hands don't -- in other words, I am calculating for long periods sometimes when I'm trying to play a progression in an unfamiliar key. It's like when you are first learning a new language, and have to translate things in your head before you speak. Takes ages before it becomes habit. This results in some ultra-slow-motion chord progressions, believe me!

So I am at a crossroads about how to proceed for now, i.e. the next several months, assuming I practice around 40 minutes per day. Should I

a) stick just with C maj for now, but get more fluid (i.e. build muscle memory), and go deeper (more inversions, more excotic chord variants, more articulations, more styles, more progressions, more speed, learning hand independence etc). I have to say that with so much to learn, it is nice sometimes not having to worry much about the black keys just now. C major is a great "training wheels" setup for me.

b) at the other extreme, try to learn to play at a quite basic level in lots of / all of the 12 major and minor keys (i.e. just maybe root and 1st inversions, with basic fluidity, but nothing to set the world on fire). I've seen one course which suggests this early on.

c) a compromise -- doing something like option a), for just a handful of other selected keys (e.g. the major G, Eb and F keys).

d) other ideas?

Now, a) and / or c) would enable me to play a lot of popular music, and have fun doing so (at my age, this had better be fun ;-)  Though arguably, I would be less of a "consumate" musician if I postpone b) too long.

Anyway, I would be grateful for any advice.




   

[bronnestam]

Option c) seems reasonable. And, you know, you don't have to start all over every time you shift the key ...    What you learn in one key, you'll learn in all keys, the difference is very little once you have got a hang on it.


I only get a bit worried that you might get TOO theoretical and forget to play, I mean just play, music that you like. You don't have to know every chord progression there is on Earth in order to play a favourite tune. It is a good skill to be able to transpose, but don't overdo it so that you get completely stuck in this.

You know, there are good chord charts ... Like this one: https://www.pianochord.com/

[thetanman]

Another way you could learn is by learning the relative minor keys at the same time as learning the majors. Start off with key signatures of one sharp, then one flat, then two sharps, then two flats etc.
Just a suggestion.

It all depends on what kind of piano player you want to be. If you're just into chords and want to play along with popular modern music with inversions and so on then learning chords is fine but if you want to move on to more advanced piano such as classical music then you might want to consider learning to read and write music, learn all the notations, scales, how to position your hands and fingers and so on.

I agree with bronnestam you don't need to learn every chord there is you will inevitably learn them as you play anyway