Newbie Here!

[overcast_32]

Wow, what a daunting task...

I've always had an extreme love of music, there's no doubt about that. Back in school, I played the French Horn for about 5 years, trumpet a year or so prior to that.

I've always had a love for the Piano, if there's anything I want to accomplish, it's learning to play the Piano and play well.

So, I'm obsessive - I know this much. I spend too much time playing video games and the like, but I need to do 'interactive' things, even if it's just reading, I can't stand to just sit and stare at the TV.... So piano playing's a perfect distraction for me, it's something I can sit and do for a while and not feel guilty!

So my dad tells me he's getting his parent's old Organ and wanted to know if I wanted his Piano! Heck yes I do!!

So now all I gotta do is learn to play it   - I knew enough at one point (ok, don't laugh) to at least carry the tune of a few songs, like greensleeves and the easy parts of Fur Elise. It was never good enough for me, but I never really had the chance to practice daily.

Now I do - and fully plan on doing so. I never found, personally, practicing an instrument to be as much about work as it was about enjoyment. Even those 'stessful' times when I just couldn't get a bar or 10 just right...

So I found this book on the web, I'm not sure how many of you are familiar with it, so I'll link it here: https://members.aol.com/chang8828/contents.htm

I was a bit dubious of it at first, but after finding out it's basically free - I thought I'd read some of it, obviously his intention isn't to just make cash like 90% of the rest of the web... hehe

Any comments on it, if you've read it? It details practice technique and such. I find it to be pretty enlightening. My job as a server analyst requires me to learn new things constantly, I don't have the time to sit around and read 'job blows' textbook on how to maintain a server, if I did, I'd get nothing done. So I guess the logic in the book clicks in my own mind. I'm far more of a 'logical' person than 'abstract'.

So to sum it up; I learn best by just doing, I'm not much for study habits or any other 'set' technique in learning. I'll adjust my technique at anything at all, situationally. Sometimes, it's best to read a textbook other times I can just delve in and get it done. But on the same note, I'm not opposed to repeating something or using a set technique if it's effective.

And my question, primarily is: What's the best course for a 'newbie' to get started with learning the piano? I'm quite rusty on reading music, but a couple of cheat sheets will deal with that. I understand how to read music, I just (ok, don't laugh again!!) forget which note is what... lol.

Unfourtunately, for the next year or so; my budget's going to be a bit tight to pay for a teacher; although I'm fully intent on paying for a lesson or two. I'd rather get two lessons from an excellent teacher than 20 from a 'so/so' teacher...

I feel like I'm relearning all of this, but little by little it's all starting to click again.

I'm not sure it would be real productive of me to just play scales, although I'm intent upon playing them to re-learn the keyboard and notes. I knew it well years ago, but if you don't use something everyday, it sure gets 'cloudy', hehe.

Thanks for any feedback

[leucippus]

I'm a self-learning newbie myself, and I'm very happy with my progress and my methods, many of which I also gleaned from Chang's book.  You're definitely on the right tract with Chang.

Because of you analytical scientific-oriented thinking, and your enthusiasm I'm sure you will do quite well.  On problem I have with piano instructors in general is that many of them are "music teachers" and they try to teach musicality way too early.  How can a person play musically when they haven't even mastered the ability to play the frigging instrument yet?

Chang mentions this also in his book, but I simply nodded with agreement.  Virtuosity necessarily must come first before musicality.  And there will be plenty of time to focus on musicality after you learn how to play.  So stick with Chang and learn how to play!

There are also a lot of good ideas floating around on this forum.  You'll find that Bernhard has a wealth of very constructive ideas on how to tackle various obstacles to learning, both physical and mental barriers.  I try to post some of the things that I've learned or that I'm currently learning.  I post my mistakes as well as the good things I find.   I think sometimes people need the vantage point of someone who is at my beginning stage.  After all, people who can already play well sometimes tend to forget what it was like in the early going.  Or if they started at a very young they never really got a feel for what it can be like for someone older to start from scratch. 

In any case, with your enthusiasm I think you'll do very well.  Just stay away from those video games!  Sell them! Wipe them off your hard drive and go cold turkey!  Use your piano as a "patch". 

If you need to take a break from the piano once in a while buy a violin.  

Welcome to the forums.  May the fortissimo be with you!

[overcast_32]

Thanks for the welcome

As a Gen X person, I spend a lotta time playing video games, and don't plan on giving up that habit lol. But I don't consider myself an addict really, but I do spend too much time playing them in my leisure time. It'll be a good balance - I'm everybit, if not more obsessive about music as anything else.  And there's just nothing like making your own - that feeling when it sounds 'just right' is really uncomparable to just about any other accomplishment for me.

But, I can see my interest waning (in video games, lol) already, I first came home last night and after running the wife to school I returned and went up to the PC, only to go right back downstairs and started looking over a bunch of sheet music I had printed. I spent about an hour or so practicing and didn't tire one bit. I actually was 'impressed' at the speed at which I started recalling the Treble Clef. Although that pesky Bass Clef will give me fits for a little while. I knew it well in the 5th grade as I had started out playing Trombone - but hey, that was like... 25+ years ago. Well, heck it's been 15 or so years since I attempted to read music at all - and I was suprised - the mind is a spectacular computer indeed, I started even recalling F Horn fingerings as I started recalling the treble clef. I suspect a day or two more, I'll be right back into it. I got a cheat sheet on the left of the music stand on the piano, but I don't feel guilty at all - I put plenty of time into learning that in the past, it's just an issue of recollection now.


I agree 100% too with what you said - I think for me, it's a matter of learning to 'feel' the piano and become familiar with it to the point where it's second nature to navigate the keyboard. I think that will only come with time, I'm sure.

I still would like to take some professional lessons, but first - I want to gain a certain level of familiarity and comfort with the Piano. Then I'll do my research and find a good one. If anyone's from the Cincinnati Area, recommendations on teachers and/or good piano tuners will be most welcome!

I think I got lucky in grade school too - had a pretty decent music teacher for a public school teacher - he seemed to really care. He was a bit on the serious side, but he was also a pretty fun guy to be around. I think I looked up to him more than most of my other teachers. Funny thing was - originally, he taught at my grade school, he then transferred to the Jr. High school I was going to the same year. He actually talked me into playing F-Horn, after the Trombone, i wanted to play trumpet.. First year of Jr. High, he says to me "You know, trumpet players are a dime a dozen in school band - you should try the french horn, the fingerings are pretty much the same, but it is more difficult to position it properly" - I was 100% up for the challenge - I guess, looking back there were at least two distinct types in band class - the kind who were there for an easy credit and the kind that were there because they really liked to play, I guess he knew I was in the second group

[leucippus]

I agree 100% too with what you said - I think for me, it's a matter of learning to 'feel' the piano and become familiar with it to the point where it's second nature to navigate the keyboard. I think that will only come with time, I'm sure.

You might be interested in the thread I started about using computer software to learn sight-reading. 

Anyone use sight-reading software?

The reason I bring this up for you in particular is because of your history with computer games.  Connecting up a MIDI keyboard to the computer you can play a sort of "game" using sight-reading software where you play the music on the screen and the computer shows you when you've pressed a wrong note, etc. 

Using this method you learn the keyboard by feel and reaction.  And it is like a computer game so you can become addicted to it and learn to sight read at the same time.  At least that's my theory.  I have yet to actually do it, but I'm setting up to start pretty soon.  I'm just waiting for the software to arrive now.

I'm hoping that by using this computer interface I will learn to sight-read much quicker than without it.  Especially knowing how I become addicated to computer games.

What better way to "waste" time on a computer than to improve your sight-reading skills whilst having fun?

So far this is all a theoretical hunch on my part, but I feel pretty confident that it will pan out.  Only time will tell for sure.

[overcast_32]

Yep - seen that thread - I got a lot of catching up to do around here.

In a way though, I like just getting away from the PC, but I am intent on getting a MIDI keyboard of some type eventually for this. I've got an old laptop (yaaay) and plan on putting it on an old VHS movie cabinet I have (it's the perfect height) right next to the piano.

I most definately will need to work on sight reading, no doubt about that!

[leucippus]

I most definately will need to work on sight reading, no doubt about that!

You might find this little online flash card "game" useful for recalling the names of the notes.   Maestoso posted a link to it in my other thread.  It's fully programmable in the sense that you can set it up for which clefs you want to practice with and it also allows you to adjust the range of the notes that will be thrown at you.   It helped me to recognize all the notes by name in a matter of minutes.  Unfortunately that didn't help my sight-reading skills much (maybe a little).

Note Trainer

I still like the idea of instinctively pressing a key better than thinking of letters.  But learning the letters is important too.  I want to be able to do both.

It's kind of like when I look at a sentence.  I can choose whether I want to read the words, or call out the letters that spell each word.  I can consciously decide to do either one.  One has no real affect on my ability to do the other.

That's the way I feel about this sight-reading thing.  Learning notes by letter names is cool and can't hurt anything.  It can also be quite useful in it's own right.  But learning to instinctively press a key when looking at a note on a staff without even thinking about what its name is can also be quite useful.  But it's a totally different method of doing it.  One requires thinking about names of notes and where they are on the keyboard.  The other requires a gut reaction without thinking, much like playing a computer game.  Which villain do I need to shoot?  No need to know his name is.  Just be sure to press the right trigger. 

So both methods have value.

[overcast_32]

So both methods have value.

Yeah, I'd agree - and I think each thing I learn and master will make the whole all that much better Almost seems - to me - both will be necessary.