Suggestions for an absolute beginner...Please help

[Pianist_To_Be]

I've a had a Keyboard for about (well two actually..I just use one more then the other)...5 years.

I've always played it, matching notes to my favorite theme songs (tried to anyway) and whatnot... Sometimes I'd even try using 2 hands!

And everytime I'd play a melody with chords...my hands would end up doing the same thing as the other and I'd always mess up...5 years of that!!

and until only in recent months have I really felt as if I wanted to play seriously! But with my almost zero knowledge about music, I couldn't persue that goal

So I hadn't played my keyboard for quite some time...

And the other day, I opened my closet and saw my keyboard leaning against the wall, begging to be played...So I carried it out and plugged it in and and started hitting some notes.

Then I realized why I had put it away...My playing sounded like crap!

Then I remembered...I had the internet!!

So just about 4 days ago, I went on google and looked up some online lessons (Bad idea I'm sure...)

I found a particular site

www.learnpianoonline.com

And after about...4 hours of constant practice and reading...I can semi-fluently play most of the songs on there!

But I'm having lot's of trouble recognizing notes on the "sheets" and playing them as I see them...

(It seems so easy too...I may be dyslexic or something..but I have trouble reading off the notes like 'a, b, c, d, etc' without having to pause and read up the staff with "Every good boy deserve's fudge" OR "Face"..Or heck I may just need to learn note positioning...)

I would be taking lessons, believe me!

But when money is an issue, you're kind of limited...let me tell you!

I know nobody who plays the piano, so noone I know personally can help me.

My music teacher is rather mean... so I can't ask her.

Well, I guess I may never have a chance...

Help, anyone?

                       Future Pianist (I hope!),
                                                                          Duran

[pskim]

Hi Duran

If you are seriously considering to be a pianist, get yourself a real good teacher!  That is the first step you need to take.  In my honest opinion, you can take all kinds of online or learn to play the piano by-yourself lessons all you want but it will never be equal to having a real person to watch you and teach you.

I was mostly self-taught until the end of high school.  When I entered my university as a piano major, I was very sorry that I didn't have a piano teacher before (I couldn't afford a teacher because of my parents' low income).  But it wasn't too late.  I got a real great teacher and I have learned so much from her and from her teacher Theodore Lettvin.  (does anyone know him? he passed away last year but he was named one of the nation's top 10 piano teachers).

Anyway, my point is get yourself a good teacher like yesterday if you are serious.  No one can really help you online without actually seeing your hands on the keyboard.  

And also, if you are serious, invest on a piano, not an electronic keyboard.  You can't learn how to drive without a car.  And you can't learn to play the piano without a real instrument.

You have a long way ahead of you.  Good luck.

[Jax]

Well duran, having to look up face and every good boy has chocolate, or something, has nothing to do with being dslexic. I 've used them for five years, and i'm the fastest reader and writer in the school!!!!!!!!  If there is a local music store, they sell beginner books, and that helps teach. I hope i help you.





Someguy

[Pianist_To_Be]

Thank you very much for your info...

And Pskim...is this who you speak of?

https://www.lib.umd.edu/PAL/IPAM/lettvin.gif

He has a considerable amount of websites dedicated to him on google...

[Pianist_To_Be]

Oh and By the way...Anyone ever hear of
'Nobuo Uematsu'?

He's my major inspiration for becoming a pianist...

Here's one of his pieces...It's my dream to play like him...

https://ffsymphony.kamellia.net/fanworks/performances/kaspiano/melodies_of_life.mp3

Beautiful!

(Not his absolute best, but my favorite none the least!)

[pskim]

Yes, Duran.  That's him, the late Great Ted Lettvin.  He was one of the greatest teachers I have ever met.  And he has left many many great diciples too.  I was lucky enough to learn from him while he was still alive and learn of him from my teacher and his methods too.  He was a student of Rudolf Serkin.

[dreamaurora]

A little more information on Melody Of Life, actually Melody Of Life piano version was not composed by him, Nobuo Uematsu only composed the said tune for use in Final Fantasy 9 , but the official piano transcriptions ( released on the label Digicube ) was done by Shiro Hamaguchi ( he did the 8th and 9th ), which are really excellent and pianistic.. In fact I feel all the Final Fantasy Collections transcribed by Shiro Hamaguchi deserve to be studied carefully as part of modern repertoire, as they are musically very interesting and they are great fun and challenging to play ( which unfortunately many wannabe pianists rush to practice them but in actual fact they are unaware of the musical difficulties ).

[mark1]

One bit of advice... stay away from the longer pieces! It will take forever and you may lose your love for that particular piece! Pick a composition no longer than a page to a page in a half... it keeps things moving!!!     Mark

...scales, scales, and more scales...

[minsmusic]

[

But I'm having lot's of trouble recognizing notes on the "sheets" and playing them as I see them...

(It seems so easy too...I may be dyslexic or something..but I have trouble reading off the notes like 'a, b, c, d, etc' without having to pause and read up the staff with "Every good boy deserve's fudge" OR "Face"..Or heck I may just need to learn note positioning...)



Help, anyone?


                                                                          Duran

This is why I don't teach with anagrams, because you have to do exactly what you're doing Duran, and it's frustrating, isn't it.
Here's some different ideas.  They may seem to take a long time, but what you want to do at this stage is lay a very solid foundation.
So, we're going to start with just three notes. You'll need a pencil and manuscript paper.
1.  After the treble clef, write the notes CDE on the manuscript.  Then write them in as many different order as you can think of, including repeat notes.  You'll be surprised how many combinations you can come up with.
2.  Take your piece of 'music' to the keyboard, practise finding all the CDE's on your keyboard as quickly as possible.  First, going up, then down. Try finding CDE with your eyes closed.  Why?  Because in sight reading, it's very important to make sure you are confident you know where the keys on the board actually are!  You if have to keep looking down at your hands, it interrupts consistant rhythm and you may lose the place where you're up to.
3. Say the names of the notes aloud.  Okay, so you'll feel like a dill, but you're taking in knowledge three ways - visually, kinesthetically(i.e talking), and aurally.
4. Now play these notes.  Go at a slow, consistant beat.  Why slow?  To give your brain enough time for it to work out what you have to play without breaking a consistant beat/tempo.
5.  Now you want to grab the very HARDEST piece of music you have in your possession.  I'm talking SCAREY.
Identify, as quickly as possible, all the C's, then all the D's, then all the E's in this music.

That's the general process.  Now you want to do the exact same thing with CBA in the left hand.

When you're confidant with these six notes, you want to grab some VERY easy music.  I would recommend Denes Agay's "Joy of First Year Piano"
You can buy it from here:

https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/store/smp_detail.html?sku=MS.YK21053&cart=1290353156&searchtitle=Sheet%20Music

While you're there, look around for some other easy music.

Sight read this easy music that consists of only 6 notes.

Now you're ready to add notes.  Adding three at a time at both ends (i.e first treble, fga, then the whole thing again with bass, gfe) go through the same process.

When you're confident with these 'added' six notes, include them with the already familiar six notes. Go through the five steps again.

Don't rush this learning process, but do it often.  
This of course, is advice ONLY for note recognition.
The other element of music (besides all the fancy stuff) is rhythm.

But if you'd like any other advice or help Duran, contact me here:

https://pianoeducation.org/cgi-bin/ib311/ikonboard.cgi?s=dc9b3fd6100c97fb92108ec57f036df6;act=SC;c=2

I am moderator and writer for this site.  It specialises in piano education.  You'll find HEAPS of great advice in the over 700 pages of articles.   You can ask any questions and teachers will reply.

Hope to 'see' you there Duran.

[minsmusic]

ooops, forgot to mention another great site.
Check this out for sight reading, rhythm gym and all sorts of things.

https://www.practicespot.com/sightreading.phtml?t=79

If you click on the above, it will send you to the sight reading exercises.

[Pianist_To_Be]

Wow, thank you very much!!

[Brandon_Natelli]

Knowing note names and the clefs are very important.  I am fluent in treble, bass, tenor, alto, and many other useless clefs.  And the only reason I am is that I just played in those clefs.  I took a book called Rochut Melodious Etudes For Trombone originally the Bordogni Vocalises and just played them in every clef.  It is great because you learn the piece in one clef.  Then when you move you know right off the bat when you screw up.  It just takes practice, but you will get there!