How to learn keyboards

[AlanB]

I'm a forty something hobby guitarist, and now spend a lot of my spare time making music with Tracktion/Manystation etc. I'm keen to improve my keyboard skills, because at the moment I tend to play everything in the key of C. I also feel very stifled by my lack of keyboard ability.

What do you think is the best way to learn? Books, videos, piano lessons? I'd be very interested to hear opinions, as I'm keen to improve.

Also, are there any books/video's that you would recommend?

AlanB

[Derek up North]

Alan,

Snap! I've wondered about tutoring software too - anyone know if any of this is any good? I'm astonished that there has never been one of those fortnightly magazines published to cover learning the piano (a clear gap in the market there!).

Regards,

Derek.

[AlanB]

Good point! (Only 4 more posts to go!)

AlanB

[o'malley]

GET A TEACHER!!!!

Or thats what all my music teachers tell me. You also might want to consider a beggining piano class at a community college or something. It helped me, although I'm no virtuoso, I can play more than C major.

Cheers,

[Derek up North]

I agree - a teacher would be ideal. The biggest problem I have is a very variable and unpredictable working life - I can be called away from home (sometimes for days) at very little notice so the only regular time I have is at the weekend, when my children get priority.

Being able to learn in a structured way either at home or in a hotel room (with a laptop and small keyboard) would work much better for me.

Regards,

Derek.

[Panda]

I've played the piano on my own (without a teacher, that is), and i did make some progress, but at a certain point i couldn't progress anymore, so i got a teacher.
And what did the teacher say? "Forget everything you've learned yourself, your technique is horrible!" That was a bit frustrating, but it was true. After a month or so i noticed she was right: i could do a lot more because i knew how to use my fingers etc. Up to then i had no idea how important good playing technique is, but it's VERY important.

So my advice: get a teacher- it costs more, but that way you'll really learn. Books are just for making you think you're learning imo (and although you can make some progress using them, nothing beats a good teacher).

[Amberience]

www.looknohands.com - Improvise around some scales, learn a few songs (basic stuff like Stand By Me and Fever) and move on from there.

[P.T.]

Unless you are planning on playing with other people, what is wrong with just playing in C.
You can transpose the midi to any key you want later.

Learning all of the different fingerings for the different keys seems a waste of time (unless you want to play with other people).

For that matter you could play with other people with most keyboards in C and transposing the keyboard.

[porpoise]

HI

I took piano lessons for about a year some time back - my teacher wanted to teach me in the 'classical way' - which is probably general of most and that means learning to read the music as well as play it, it also appeared to follow a quite strict route of books, style and pace.

I ultimately found it too expensive, my teacher chatted for half the lesson and I was not really learning what I had hoped I would (basic chords-for instance)I also was put back when I told him I wanted to play 'Summertime' by Gershwin and I got the reply 'maybe in the future', all I wanted was for him to write down some of the basic chords of very simplified melody parts for me!

I might try again but I do think learning almost anything is down to:

1)finding a teacher that you gel with
2)regular practice

Porpoise.

[Panda]

Unless you are planning on playing with other people, what is wrong with just playing in C.
You can transpose the midi to any key you want later.

Learning all of the different fingerings for the different keys seems a waste of time (unless you want to play with other people).

For that matter you could play with other people with most keyboards in C and transposing the keyboard.

Being able to play in other keys helps to develop a better understanding of harmony in general. Also, many pieces have transpositions in them, so it's not a waste of time to learn...
And then there's the psycgo-acoustic debate of different keys having different moods, but let's not get started on that.

[Panda]

I might try again but I do think learning almost anything is down to:

1)finding a teacher that you gel with
2)regular practice

Porpoise.

True. If you don't get along with your teacher it's no use paying him/her. It's gotta be someone that understands where you want to go, not the vain kind of artist who wants you to go where he is going...