Another new guy looking for advice.

[moatsart]

 :)Greetings to everyone. I am new here and have a few questions. First about me, I am 33, and my 8 year old daughter and I are getting a new piano in September and want to begin lessons. Neither one of us have had lessons in the past, although I played clarinet in the school band and I play the guitar some by ear using chords. My biggest question is how to find an excellent instructor in my area. Any hints or suggestions. Also I am extremely excited and anxious, and was wondering if anyone had any suggestions of some good reading material to help pass the time leading up to September. I was thinking of pianist biographies or some books that would be beneficial to have read prior to starting lessons. I have downloaded Chang's book and have read some of it but alot of it seems to apply more once you are playing/practicing/taking lessons. Any sugggestions, ideas, or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

[lagin]

The best way to find a good teacher is to talk to a bunch of different ones before deciding.  You could try the yellow pages, or ask around.  Word of mouth is good advertising.  Find people you know who can play and see who taught them.  If you want a really good head start, just memorise the notes on the lines and spaces.  You know, where a C is and a D.  They will start you on middle "C", which is in between the top and bottom staffs.  If you went to a music store, and got a few easy theory books, ones that would explain as you go, you could get a good overview of how it all works.  I have students that could play much more advanced stuff, if they would only take the time to learn the notes.  Really, for the average, not so ambitious student, the first couple years are just learning notes and rhythms.  If you did this together in the summer, you could get out of method books and into really cool pieces alot sooner.  Just my two cents though, but they are an experience two cents (This is what I did and I jumped grades really quickly).

[mound]

I got lucky I guess - I didn't even know I wanted to learn piano until I happened upon an advertisement in the local "Penny Saver" for "piano teacher looking for students" - called him up thinking "Yes, I want to try that."

My live has not been the same since. Extraordinary teacher.

In general though, word of mouth tends to work best.

-Paul

[moatsart]

The best way to find a good teacher is to talk to a bunch of different ones before deciding. You could try the yellow pages, or ask around. Word of mouth is good advertising. Find people you know who can play and see who taught them. If you want a really good head start, just memorise the notes on the lines and spaces. You know, where a C is and a D. They will start you on middle "C", which is in between the top and bottom staffs. If you went to a music store, and got a few easy theory books, ones that would explain as you go, you could get a good overview of how it all works. I have students that could play much more advanced stuff, if they would only take the time to learn the notes. Really, for the average, not so ambitious student, the first couple years are just learning notes and rhythms. If you did this together in the summer, you could get out of method books and into really cool pieces alot sooner. Just my two cents though, but they are an experience two cents (This is what I did and I jumped grades really quickly).

That sounds like a great idea. Because I guess we are definitely ambitious. I do not want to spend 2 years learning notes and rhythms. I still remember a little about time signatures and some of the notes of the treble clef from my clarinet days. Any suggestions on which books are best or just any beginner theory books? Also do you know if there are flash cards available for learning the notes? Don't get the wrong impression though I am looking for complete musical education, willing to work hard, whatever it takes to get a good solid foundation for playing more advanced pieces later. I actually relish the idea of learning music theory because I like things that are deep and complex and not easily mastered. The fun is in the learning for me, although I can't speak for my daughter.

[xvimbi]

This is the advice that I often give for situations like yours: Inform yourself about how the human playing apparatus works. Piano playing is technically difficult, and it is very common to have problems with muscles, tendons, and joints. The more you know from the beginning about what healthy movements are and what is potentially dangerous, the more enjoyable piano playing will be. Adults have usually accumulated a lot of issues in their hands/arms over the years. Piano playing will bring them all out, because it is such a repetitive activity. There is a lot of information available on the web, but to begin with, I would highly recommend the book "What every pianist needs to know about the body" by Thomas Mark. You can find some info on www.pianomap.com.

I am sure you are highly motivated, and you would like to delve right into the music making process. But keep in mind that the majority of pianists have injuries (often serious ones that prevent them from playing). I my opinion, this is usually because most people don't take the time to acquaint themselsves with how the equipment works (both the human playing apparatus as well as the piano), what it can do, and what it cannot do. When you pick a teacher, make sure s/he knows all about the physiological aspects of piano playing.

Your daughter will be forever thankful if if you encourage her to adopt good posture and healthy movements from the beginning.

Have fun with making music, but above all, stay healthy

[abell88]

Also do you know if there are flash cards available for learning the notes?

Lots available...go to a music store and look around or ask their advice. There are also lots of theory books...try to find one that is not too dry (good luck!) but explains things well. Since you will be playing piano, try to find one that relates things to the keyboard, and make sure that you play what you write. 

[ako]

:)Greetings to everyone. I am new here and have a few questions. First about me, I am 33, and my 8 year old daughter and I are getting a new piano in September and want to begin lessons. Neither one of us have had lessons in the past, although I played clarinet in the school band and I play the guitar some by ear using chords. My biggest question is how to find an excellent instructor in my area. Any hints or suggestions. Also I am extremely excited and anxious, and was wondering if anyone had any suggestions of some good reading material to help pass the time leading up to September. I was thinking of pianist biographies or some books that would be beneficial to have read prior to starting lessons. I have downloaded Chang's book and have read some of it but alot of it seems to apply more once you are playing/practicing/taking lessons. Any sugggestions, ideas, or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

I am so happy that you and your daughter can share this experience together! When I was looking for a piano teacher myself, I e-mailed my local professional music teacher associations, described my musical background and what I was looking for in terms of lessons and teacher and they provided me with a recommendation.
 
The second step is to talk to the teacher(s) being recommended. Ask them a few questions such as how many adults and children they teach, scheduling and fee policy, are there any performance opportunities, etc. and also ask if you can go to their students' recital. You can get a general feeling of if the teacher is a good match for you and your daughter.

I think reading pianists' biographies is a great idea. You might also want to read about the composers also. I find it important especially for young pianists to know about the composers' lives. 

Good luck!

[lostinidlewonder]

The first experience you have with a piano is so important I think. Whatever you do learn how to play a few pieces with both hands. Even if that means neglecting reading notes and just straight to memorisation. They play a small part, you reproduce it, parrot learning . You really do need at least a few pieces in your head, from that you will find you can develop your basis for musical and physical skill.

Once there is some basis there, then go to scales, chord progressions, study theory etc.  But the first few lessons I would hope is purely piece memorisation and lots of listening to hear your mistakes and triumphs. Also being able to know all the notes on the keyboard, know b and #, know the numbers on your hands, play general shapes on the keyboard, getting use to different motions of the hands, similar, contrary.

I actually suppliment beginner students with the letters underneath their notes. I teach them where all the C's are on the grand staff and connect that to the Cs on the keyboard. When they read sheet music they are only partially reading sheet music. They use the dots to identify which octave they must play in and then once that is determined read the letters I have written.

This I think is a good way to begin without generating confusing and great effort. I think so long it is fun that is good, the first lessons should be all about fun. Sorta like a marriage. Its fun at first... ;P

[moatsart]

Thanks to everyone for all the great advice . I will definitely look into the Thomas Mark book and some flash cards. Also was wondering what  is everyone's opinion on the book"The Complete Idiot's Guide to Music Theory" ? I feel so fortunate to have found this great community of people who have such a wealth of information to offer and are willing to offer it.
 

[lagin]

I used Keyboard theory workbook, preliminary level, by Grace Vandendool, published by Frederick Harris Music.  It's pretty big compared to the kiddy books but is sooo helpful, and teaches about reading sharps and flats in an easy to understand way too.

[Siberian Husky]

lagin..always so informatively refreshing...

[rafant]

I liked both you took the iniciative of learning repertory as the pieces you chose. From here to September, you could also start to hear piano solo recordings sistematically, in CD's, mp3s, etc. So you will get familiarized or will enhance your knowledge of the repertory and will always know what you want to learn next. I suggest complete collections, such as Mendelsohn's Songs without Words, Grieg's Lyric Pieces, Schubert's Impromptus, Chopin 's Preludes, Scarlatti's Sonatas, etc.

[moatsart]

I liked both you took the iniciative of learning repertory as the pieces you chose. From here to September, you could also start to hear piano solo recordings sistematically, in CD's, mp3s, etc. So you will get familiarized or will enhance your knowledge of the repertory and will always know what you want to learn next. I suggest complete collections, such as Mendelsohn's Songs without Words, Grieg's Lyric Pieces, Schubert's Impromptus, Chopin 's Preludes, Scarlatti's Sonatas, etc.

That sounds great. I was just wondering if you had any reccommendations on which performances of these pieces to listen to as my classical CD collection is very limited and I would like to obtain some of the best performances of these pieces. Thanks.