What techniques helped you learn the piano?

[remiX]

I've bought as many piano books as I could, and bought a Playing Piano through rhytmns video cd tutorial - and yet I completely stink at the piano. I surely don't practice enough. Yet, I have the desire to learn and to play and become the best that I can! I have tried making music, but it all sounds the same and there's no depth to it at all. I've been trying to learn how to play off and on for a couple of years - I think I'm doing something wrong and about ready to sign up for piano lessons. However, I always say to myself that I can learn on my own through examples from books and videos.

This topic could go several different ways, and I'm not sure there have been topics like this before - but  - what techniques helped you along in learning how to play the piano? Was it reading sheet music, playing scales or just fooling around on the piano that made the difference?

I'm thinking that reading sheet music may help me play, but I'm lazy. I know all keys from the major scale (big deal), but still can't make any good tunes. And when it comes to the right hand , left hand thing - I'm getting better through the video tutorials - but I couldn't play a rhytmn to save my life. It's always the same repetitive rhytmns over and over and over again in my music. Someday I will get better (well, at least that's a start.)


Is it all about playing it so much that you know exactly where the notes are and what notes sound lower and higher? I know that some people are deaf to music (can play chords but could not tell whether a note was higher or lower.) and I fear that I may just be tone deaf - or whatever the term is for people who can't get their brain around mapping out the keyboard in their head. (Yet I CAN pick out melodies and write some!)

Many thanks in advance..I will try to respond back as soon as I can.

[ThEmUsIcMaNBJ]

A TEACHER!  You need a teacher!  DESPERATELY!  Get one you won't regret it.  But not just any teacher a good teacher go looking!  I could give some suggestions on how to find a good teacher but other people on this forum would probably be better qualified to suggest how to find a good one, I just happened to get lucky the first time.  

Do you want to play classical, jazz, or pop?  I'm guessing the videos you bought were more for teaching how to play pop.  With ear-training etc, and also they sound like some of those "PLAY PIANO IN A DAY GARUNTEED!"  type of things.  Piano takes hard work and a lot of practice if you want to be good, which it seems you do.

I can't stress enough the importance of a teacher!  And trust me don't worry about being tone deaf!  You're definately not, if you can pick out melodies at all and write them down then theres nothing wrong with you at all.  There are plenty of excercises to improve your ear as well the more you practice them the better you get.  Most  people have to work to have a good ear sadly...  (because I really want to play by ear but hate doing ear training! hehe)...

But as much as an ear helps, if you want to play classical music a good ear isn't completely necassary.  It's all about technique and reading etc...  The musical portion of it comes when you get the technique down.  So you may be more musical than you know but you have to get that dirty technique out of the way so you can come shining through!  You know how you do that?  GET A TEACHER!  Videos, and books are great but they can only help you so much you need a teacher sitting beside you and correcting your every move.  I think you'll be very surprised once you get a teacher how much you'll improve with some good old fashioned hard work.  

But since your original question was what techniques did you use I'll give you a suggestion...  Go buy a Hannon book.  "The Virtuoso Pianist in 60 Excercise" is the name and it should help you out with the basics you're having problems with.  But be careful if you play these excercises wrong you could hurt yourself and we don't want that!  That's what the teacher you're going to get is going to help you with!  

Also let me give a little suggestion if you really still don't want a teacher.  For me I learned to play on my own the basics without a teacher.  This is how I went about it.  HYMNS!  Yes hymns, they teach you how to read so well you wouldn't believe.  Start out paying the melody only one finger the soprano voice the top not out of everything only your right hand.  Then when you can sight read just about every hymn in the book that way, add another voice maybe the alto voice (the one below the melody).  Then add the bass voice (lowest) or tenor voice (above the bass voice).  Then in a few months you should be able to read all the hymns in the hymn book by sight.  Then go try to play something else you'll be amazed how well you can read.  That's exactly how I learned to play and it seemed to work quite well so good luck!

Oh yeah for suggestions on what hymn book to buy...  I was told that the episcopelian (don't know how to spell that), is the best for this process...  But I'm Mormon and I worked out of the Mormon hymn book, just because it was there and it seemed to work just fine.  So go get yourself a hymnal and start reading!  hehe thats just a little suggestion!

BUT THE MOST IMPORTANT THING!  I've said like 20 times now!  GET A TEACHER~!    

[remiX]

Thank you so much! I will look into getting a teacher, and that Hannon book sounds interesting (it's only 3 dollars anyway..) I love hymns, I don't know why I haven't tried playing them before.

BTW - Im sorry I didnt mention this in my previous post - the CD-ROM tutorials I bought are called - "Play Piano Today!" (Pattern Piano and Keyboard) by David Sprunger. It is an okay program - I havent gotten very far with it, but it has helped me to get motivated and move around on the piano a bit.


I will try to find a piano teacher - what is the best place to look them up?

Thanks again.

[ThEmUsIcMaNBJ]

Yeah it will probably help if I could spell right...  hehe it's Hanon not Hannon.  Czerny is good too depending on what you want to do.  A lot of more advanced pianists don't like czerny and hanon because it doesn't promote musicality and is just constent repetition.  But for learning how to play hands together and such, and beginning, I think it would be good.  But just listen to your teacher, if you get a good one they will know what to do.

To look for a teacher...  I really can't help you out too much...  The way I got mine is I was actually self taught to begin with like I said and we had a student teacher in one of my band classes (highschool) and he heard me just messing around asked me a few questions audtioned me a bit hehe and then sent me over to a professor at a college somewhat near to me...  She's awesome...  So If you know anyone in music fields you can ask around I'm sure they could give you some sort of suggestions.  Otherwise a phone book...  Call up colleges JC's too some smaller colleges still have good teachers see if they'll take any students.  I don't know how you would go about it but something with colleges....  someone else could HELP ME OUT HERE!?  cause i really don't know...

Anyways yeah good luck to you!

[buck]

Hmm.. Are you sure that's the complete version of Hanon?  Or only 1 part?  I think it cost more than $3.00.

[AMR]

Dear remiX,

It is indeed true that you need a teacher.  Remember, though, what was said: you must get a good one.  There is a cliche about teachers that "the best pianists are not always the best teachers."  This is true in the sense that Horowitz maybe wouldn't be the best teacher for many, and probably Neuhaus was a much better teacher.  But Neuhaus was still a virtuoso pianist.  Understand that this above mentioned cliche shouldn't be interpreted as meaning that you could learn from a failed pianist.  Any teacher you choose should be a very good pianist (and you should get proof of this), or you will end up with a bunch of bogus ideas that these "creative" teachers have.  When it comes down to it, all good teachers will teach the same principles: use your fingertips to play, relax the arms, etc.  
As far as Hanon and Czerny, you should definately not practise these until you have a grasp of basic technical principles.  Remember, these excersises are to practice technique, not to learn it.  Don't think that your arpeggios and scales will benefit from practicing them, if you don't know how to practice them.  
Never forget the music, remiX.  This is the reason you play the piano.  Many a pianist loses everything in the pursuit of technique.  Take your progress naturally, don't force it--push it along--but don't force it.

[AMR]

Dear remiX,

It is indeed true that you need a teacher.  Remember, though, what was said: you must get a good one.  There is a cliche about teachers that "the best pianists are not always the best teachers."  This is true in the sense that Horowitz maybe wouldn't be the best teacher for many, and probably Neuhaus was a much better teacher.  But Neuhaus was still a virtuoso pianist.  Understand that this above mentioned cliche shouldn't be interpreted as meaning that you could learn from a failed pianist.  Any teacher you choose should be a very good pianist (and you should get proof of this), or you will end up with a bunch of bogus ideas that these "creative" teachers have.  When it comes down to it, all good teachers will teach the same principles: use your fingertips to play, relax the arms, etc.  
As far as Hanon and Czerny, you should definately not practice these until you have a grasp of basic technical principles.  Remember, these excersises are to practice technique, not to learn it.  Don't think that your arpeggios and scales will benefit from practicing them, if you don't know how to practice them.  
Never forget the music, remiX.  This is the reason you play the piano.  Many a pianist loses everything in the pursuit of technique.  Take your progress naturally, don't force it--push it along--but don't force it.

[remiX]

Thank you all for the advice. Piano playing is really frusterating but I always keep coming back to it when I feel like giving it up, which is weird because sometimes I will want to play and then when I do start playing I am not interested - well, mainly because I can't play very well...But that's the catch , even when you're not interested in it you still have to keep playing. It's like sleeping, I guess - even at night when I don't "feel" like sleeping, it's always best to get some rest anyway.

Buck - the Hannon book is actually 3.95 - https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0793551218/magicbrain/104-4791669-5128761

unless it is an incomplete version..

[MeLisa]

You might not believe this... alot of people refuse to believe this,  unfortunately they are no longer here to argue with me.... but you need A TEACHER   Also, just when you decide to quit piano, GET A TEACHER

Not any teacher, you can find teachers who have been playing for decades, BUT you are not impressed by what they have to offer. no, I am not saying these are bad teachers, merely they are not suitable for you. so next criteria is a Suitable teacher.

How do you know you have a suitable teacher ? easy, let her play a piece, any piece... Happy Birthday song, or Twinkle-twinkle little star will  do just fine.. forget Chopin etudes, Beethoven's sonatas what have you.. Are impressed with her rendition of 'Mary had a little lamb' ? Can you reproduce the same sound ? You think you can , try it ! Can she teach you to reproduce the same sound.. In case ppl miss the point, my 5 years old son can play Happy Birthday.. so notes and rhythm wise is trivial. To really appreciate piano techniques, get a real pianist to play the same song for you.. no , not recordings of Rachmaninov, or Argerich, Pollini what have you.. you need to hear life performance.

Also dont forget that piano takes decades to master. Sure you can learn Fur Elise in one week without prior piano lessons... but in case you think got it right, get a real pianist to play it for you.. If you can hear the difference and appreciate it, piano is the right instrument for you. If you think you can play as good as her, you should consider an accordian.

[sznitzeln]

If you start out with Hanon or Czerny you will be bored to death, and maybe you'll quit playing. They are very useful if you actually do practice them.
If you like Bach, then thank god and start playing 2-part inventions, but dont rush it... dont learn them too fast and dont play them too fast... but learn them WELL.

[berrt]

why did you revive this dead thread?