Is learning to play piano all about classical only?

[arturgajewski]

Are all piano students here on this forum all about classical? It seems that nobody talks about pop/rock piano style or Jazz and Blues. It's always about Chopin, Mozart, Bach, Hanon, and other classical composers' music. The level of your knowledge is measured by level of classical music achievements in terms of grade scale.

I love classical piano music, mostly Chopin, but when I have friends over, I play Pop/Rock beats like Bon Jovi, Alicia Keys and other's alike and wonder why this side of piano music is never discussed here.

Please don't take this the wrong way or get offended if the music your practice is classical, I just wanted to know this

[jacklin1white]

No this is not so true.....you can always have piano western chords to play!!! It also includes contemporary and modern piano chords. Just click on modernpianomusic.com for more details.

[healdie]

I believe the reason much of the popular Rep isn't discussed here is because simply it is not that interesting, in most pop songs the piano is an accompanying instrument often the "song" as a whole is the important thing not the individual instrumental parts

So there is simply not as much to talk about with those songs from a piano perspective, sure we could still discuss the song but most people here are interested in the Piano as much as they are the music

[jimbo320]

Not in all cases but classical does need the most diverse of abilities. I'm in agreement with you because I play a lot more rock and blues than anything else.
I play keyboards and synths in bands but I also enjoy a classical piece or two. I get to show my classical side when playing Jethro Tull, Moody Blues and Pink Floyd stuff. If it's classical or rock, it's music. But classical does require the most of the player and to add to Healdie's post, classical is more about the music than the song...

[nanabush]

I agree with the above statements.  If you want to learn the piano and develop a seriously good technique, just playing pop music will only get you so far (and not very far).  You'll know a lot of chords, and some pretty simple melodies (without having to worry about a lot of key/time changes). 

Taking classical lessons will help with your development, but it's very easy to get caught up in JUST classical music, and totally forget about other music that you enjoyed before hand.  A lot of rock/pop musicians will associate classical music with 'calm' music or 'boring, old', just as a lot of classical musicians will associate rock music with 'boring, simple, noise'.  To each their own, but if you have a classical background, you start appreciating the smaller details in rock/pop/blues that you may have not noticed before.

I'm a huge Soundgarden fan, and sometimes I'll catch this really awesome melodic line, or hear some secondary dominant chords (i don't even know if they are aware of it in the theoretical sense, but they know it sounds good!).  My friends will just hear it as "that cool riff".  Meh.

[callaeie]

I think all music has it's value, you know? Classical and pop are both written from different frames of minds, and usually by different generations/people. So even though you might get less EXPERT skills from learning "popular" music, pop music sometimes uses... not a better, but a different kind of heart in the way it's written. Our pop music today expresses how we're feeling right now, in this century. So if this forum mostly talks about classical (this is my first time here) , I bet it won't stay that way forever, since all music is pretty good if it was made by somebody who had really something to say through their compositions....

maybe classical is a good thing when it comes to learning academically, and pop, rock and blues or the like are good for expressing yourself in everyday life. even though you can mix it up more than that.

[nanabush]

Good answer! I feel the same way.  If you are taught classically, no are by no means restricted to only playing classical (although a lot of teachers want to crank out these robotic prodigies that can play 300 etudes).

I think starting with classical lessons as a little kid works wonders; once you start listening to the radio, favorite bands, listening to theme music, but still have an interest in actually playing an instrument, then you can see what people are able to do with different levels of ability out there.

[jimbo320]

A lot can be said for a classical foundation but there's nothing like finding your own nitch....

[countrymath]

I study both.

Classical is the best way to get technique, but for playing blues and rock you need to learn a lot of diferent things. 

[lukebar]

I'm a classically trained pianist and teacher who has spent the better part of the past two years delving into the world of blues- particularly the piano styles that came out of New Orleans from people like Professor Longhair, Fats Domino, Allen Toussaint, James Booker, and Dr. John. Let me tell you that I find this music, which appears quite simplistic on the surface, to be completely fascinating once you really get into it. While the basic harmonies in blues are extremely simplistic, the best players substitute, embellish, and voice their chords in the most creative ways- ways which often leave me scratching my head and listening to the same passages over and over asking myself- "How did he do that?!"

Rhythmically, the piano boogie and blues from New Orleans is amazingly complex and takes considerable technique and practice to master. African, Creole, Cajun, and Caribbean influences can all be felt.

It's true that much "pop" music is rather trite and is not especially effective when performed on the piano. But there are certainly styles of popular music which deserve to be respected as 'legitimate' genres for piano players right up alongside the European masters of the past.

[countrymath]

I'm a classically trained pianist and teacher who has spent the better part of the past two years delving into the world of blues- particularly the piano styles that came out of New Orleans from people like Professor Longhair, Fats Domino, Allen Toussaint, James Booker, and Dr. John. Let me tell you that I find this music, which appears quite simplistic on the surface, to be completely fascinating once you really get into it. While the basic harmonies in blues are extremely simplistic, the best players substitute, embellish, and voice their chords in the most creative ways- ways which often leave me scratching my head and listening to the same passages over and over asking myself- "How did he do that?!"

Rhythmically, the piano boogie and blues from New Orleans is amazingly complex and takes considerable technique and practice to master. African, Creole, Cajun, and Caribbean influences can all be felt.

It's true that much "pop" music is rather trite and is not especially effective when performed on the piano. But there are certainly styles of popular music which deserve to be respected as 'legitimate' genres for piano players right up alongside the European masters of the past.

Hey, luke, do you think that its better to learn blues from the beginning or to learn classical first? I mean, technique is more about thinking than about anything. I've been thinking that classical training does not help that much when talking about blues.

[lukebar]

I don't think it's really either/or or even learn this/then this. There's SO much music out there, it really only makes sense to me to play the music that you love.

Working on classical music definitely gives you a technical foundation that will help you when playing all types of music. Working on music from a classical musician's perspective can make you a better sight-reader and enable you to become quite proficient at reproducing music composed by someone else. All very worthwhile and beneficial skills.

Playing solely from a classical musician's perspective means that you are probably not spending much time creating your own music- either through improvisation or composition. You probably aren't doing things like developing your ear to be able to play what you hear in your head or exploring different accompaniment styles.

There's no reason at all why piano study can't involve "classical" and popular styles of music simultaneously. I for one find myself more motivated to practice when my practice sessions are an ever-changing combination of repertoire and skills. Today, I might be trying to memorize that last section of a Bach fugue I've been struggling with. Tomorrow, I might try figuring out some Dr. John solos by ear. The next day, I might try taking a pop tune I've been playing for a while and working it up in a different style. Then, maybe it's on to sight-reading some Chopin.

It's all good! Happy practicing!

[countrymath]

I don't think it's really either/or or even learn this/then this. There's SO much music out there, it really only makes sense to me to play the music that you love.

Working on classical music definitely gives you a technical foundation that will help you when playing all types of music. Working on music from a classical musician's perspective can make you a better sight-reader and enable you to become quite proficient at reproducing music composed by someone else. All very worthwhile and beneficial skills.

Playing solely from a classical musician's perspective means that you are probably not spending much time creating your own music- either through improvisation or composition. You probably aren't doing things like developing your ear to be able to play what you hear in your head or exploring different accompaniment styles.

There's no reason at all why piano study can't involve "classical" and popular styles of music simultaneously. I for one find myself more motivated to practice when my practice sessions are an ever-changing combination of repertoire and skills. Today, I might be trying to memorize that last section of a Bach fugue I've been struggling with. Tomorrow, I might try figuring out some Dr. John solos by ear. The next day, I might try taking a pop tune I've been playing for a while and working it up in a different style. Then, maybe it's on to sight-reading some Chopin.

It's all good! Happy practicing!

Very open-mind post!

Thank you!