Teaching myself, how should I start?

[trumpets]

Hello,

I posted this in the students section but then thought it probably belongs more here in the teachers forum.

Well, I am going to be teaching myself to play the piano and I would like some advise on what book would be best for me.

I have some music background already.  I played the trumpet for eigth years, the flute for a couple years, and I taught myself how to play the guitar and have been playing the guitar for four years.  So I can read music and I know a little about cords.

The biggest things is that I have no idea where to put my hands on the piano, what fingers to use for each note or cords, etc.  I have never had any piano lessons before.

So I am looking for a good book that I can use to teach myself.  Any advise would be greatly appreciated

Thanx,
Joshua

[bernhard]

You should consider having at least a few lessons because

where to put my hands on the piano, what fingers to use for each note or cords,

cannot be effectively learned from books.

Then again, what are you aims? Do you want to play classical? Pop? Jazz? Improvisation? Each of these requires a different approach.

In the meantime try this:

Piano For Dummies
By Blake Neely
ISBN: 0-7645-5105-1

You can get a preview of some of the chapters here:

https://www.dummies.com/WileyCDA/DummiesTitle/productCd-0764551051.html


Best wishes,
Bernhard.

[trumpets]

Thank you Bernhard,

I will go to the locale bookstore to look over the book.  As for the lessons, I will look at how much they cost and I also have a friend who is a music major so maybe she can give me a few lessons.

Any advise would be appreciated,

Joshua

[jazzyprof]

A good way to teach yourself to play piano (if you don't have access to a teacher) is to use one of the multimedia software packages like emediamusic's eMedia Piano & Keyboard Method www.emediamusic.com.  For a review of this package, see the pianoeducation homepage. https://pianoeducation.org/pnoemedr.html.  Alternatively you can check out some of the instructional DVD's and videos that abound these days.  With either the software or DVD's you get the visual and aural aspect that's missing from a book.  The emedia software is only about $60 I think.  

[xenon_monkey]

I myself am looking into learning the basics of playing the piano myself and am chiefly concerned with having a correct hand technique.  I don't want to find out later on that I was practicing the wrong thing and have to unlearn much of what I spent time on.  Aren't there any books out there that will prevent this? If there aren't, what can a teacher do that a book cannot?  It can't be a simple issue of information because an expert teacher should be able to put into words better than what a mediocre teacher can relay in person.  What is it about fingering that can't be learned without a teacher?

[galonia]

Each person is different, their needs are different, their hand size and shape and the way they use their arms are different.

A good teacher should be able to help each student find what is right for them.  A book cannot deal with the combination of different ways to use each finger (which are different lengths for each person), hand, wrist, arm, elbow, shoulder, body; for each and every individual pianist.  A book can only give you general principles.  It cannot listen, and it cannot give feedback.

A teacher can demonstrate, watch and listen and correct, and give guidance as the student experiments.

[trumpets]

Thank you everyone.  This discussion has really helped.  I am going to see if my college offers any piano classes to non music majors and maybe take that class for a semester to get started.

Also, are there any people here who taught themselves to play the piano?  If you have, could you tell me how well it went; do you wish now that you had taken lessons; did you use a book, dvd, or nothing; why did you teach yourself and not take lessons; are there bad habbits that you aquired that you later had to get rid of them; etc.

Joshua

[mound]

what can a teacher do that a book cannot?

Seriously?? A book can't watch you and stop and fix it when you are doing something wrong. If you mis-interpret what a book says, it will not correct you.  Human interaction can be highly motivational as well.  etc..  Note reading, theory, all that stuff can be learned from books, but I don't believe proper technique can be, and without proper technique, you'll develop hard to fix bad habits and possibly injur yourself.

Do you think you could become a black-belt in Karate by reading books written by a Master?  Absolutely not. You can get some of the information, but it won't show you anything.

-Paul

[bizgirl]

I taught myself piano for about a year and then my dad finally said I could have lessons.  However, I was only seven, and, to be quite honest, I don't know how I learned all I did.  I was actually fairly good!  I naturally had good posture and hand position, which was a help.  As fas as bad habits go, I wasn't really aware of any at the time, but I bet if I hadn't gotten a teacher I would have developed many  of them.  It really depends on what your goals are - do you want to be a person who plays the piano, or do you want to be a pianist.  There are many limitations to teaching yourself.  There are things you just can hear in your own playing that a teacher will be able to point out.  For many people, money is an issue.  If this is the case, I suggest you grab every opportunity to play for experienced pianists and just ask them to critique you.  in response to your question about hand position.  A lot of adult piano books have illustrations of the keyboard and where to put your hands.  I've only thoroughly looked at the Piano Adventures Adult Series, but this seems to be clear enough for someone who is self-taught.

[trumpets]

Thank you bizgirl for the info.

I do not plan to become a pianist.  I mainly just want to play some worship songs and some classical songs on the piano.  It is more for my own pleasure, not performance.  Whenever I hear the piano I just fall in love with it and say to myself that I will learn to play some day.  Well, I have finally made a decision that I WILL learn to play the piano and I WILL start learning in January.  So right now I am just making sure I start off on the right foot.

I am going to look around and see how much it cost for piano lessons or a piano class at school and if I can afford it I will probably go that way.

Thanx for all the advise everyone,
Joshua

[whynot]

Trumpets, go get 'em!  I taught myself to play piano because my parents couldn't pay for lessons.  I play several instruments, but classical piano is the main, and I'm GOOD.  I believe passionately in great teaching and I teach now because I know what a treasure a good teacher could have been for me.  But you can do this if you know how to protect yourself a little bit.  If you know people who play well, watch them to see if they look relaxed and strong at the same time (as opposed to relaxed and sloppy, or strong and tense).  They probably have the most healthy technique and it will give you an idea of how it feels to play in a natural, unstrained way.  You've learned other instruments, so you know what I'm talking about.  If I run out of room, I'll send another message...  A good hand position to know about:  stand up and let your arms hang loose (shake your hands to loosen more).  Now, see the nice relaxed curve of the fingers?  That's a good healthy "default" position for almost any hand...

[whynot]

(cont'd) You've probably figured out where some notes are (maybe all of them).  Play some short scales, just the five notes you're already on.  Try it in every key (by ear).  Make it smooth, and keep an eye on your fingers.  If some are flying up while others are playing (or if you're "peeking" underneath), let them relax, either touching the keys silently or hovering just above.  Since you play woodwinds, you might not have the flying fingers, but most beginners do, just a heads-up.  Find all the chords you can right away.  Try everything!  Use the (far right) pedal right away if you like, it'll sound more satisfying.  It's instinctive to push it down at the same time as your fingers, but don't.  Instead, LIFT the foot as the fingers go down, and put your foot down right after that.  You'll hear why when you start changing chords.  Start with really easy music so you can focus on your nice relaxed gently-curved hand (not super-curved).  Posture supple, flexible.  Breathe!  Good luck! 

[ChristmasCarol]

Trumpet was my first instrument also.  There was always a piano in the house and I played by ear til I was 16.  When I did start lessons I progressed very quickly to College level in a couple of years.  I have my moments when I wish my parents had gotten me lessons much younger.  But the past is the past, and I subsequently sought excellent musicians and teachers just because of my love for music.  Don't close the door on the idea that you might fall in love with the piano and want to pursue it more deeply than you currently can see.  My fingering when approaching the Bach inventions drove one instructor nuts .  Read the book Piano Lessons by Noah Adam.  It's a great book about his pursuit of piano without a teacher.  Go for it.  The best is yet to come. 

[proustlydemon]

1. Read extensively about how to practice. The most important thing is learning how to practice in effective and efficient ways ....  you probably have a good knowledge of that if you already play trumpet.

2. Start on scales and hanon exercises early.  Will give you more confidence and greatly help your fingers, posture etc.

[trumpets]

I wanted to update everyone on my current status and thank everyone for the helpful info.

Well, I spent much time looking on the internet for programs that teach you the piano.  I read reviews of them and found out as much as I can about them.  I wasn't impressed by any of them and felt like none of them could teach me adequately.

By then I really wanted to get started learning the piano because I was getting busy with other things in my life and if I didn't start learning right away I may postpone learning.  So I talked to some of my friends who play piano and looked up some teachers.  And within a couple weeks I was sitting down with a piano teacher for my first lesson.

I have taken five lessons since then (one each week) and I am glad I decided to have a human teacher and not a computer.  It cost alot more but the advise and guidence has been amazing.  The piano teacher can pick up on so many things that I don't even notice that I am doing wrong (keeps me from starting bad habbits that I may have got if I was teaching myself).  It also gives me practice playing the piano in front of someone (I get nervous, so the more I do it the better).

I would advise anyone who wants to start learning the piano to get a good piano teacher if you can squeeze it into your budget.

Joshua

[kilini]

I disagree about the mindless hanon. Don't do it! It will just waste your piano life!

Read this book: https://members.aol.com/cc88m/PianoBook.html It will tell you what to do and what not to do, IMMENSELY important.

Listen to lots of recordings of the pieces you are playing.

Whenever possible, get someone who plays to listen to your playings.