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Yes, you too can learn to play ... Rachmaninoff


Dave Horne

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Drat! Our computers at work block EVERYTHING from Utube.

 

 

Mike T.

Yamaha Motif ES8, Alesis Ion, Prophet 5 Rev 3.2, 1979 Rhodes Mark 1 Suitcase 73 Piano, Arp Odyssey Md III, Roland R-70 Drum Machine, Digitech Vocalist Live Pro. Roland Boss Chorus Ensemble CE-1.

 

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I dig how he says "I think there's a fermata on the C#"

 

WTF is the point of describing standard notation if you're teaching people some half witted non-standard non-notation way of "learning" piano?

 

It's really not that hard to learn to read music on an elementary level...

A ROMpler is just a polyphonic turntable.
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You know, there's that Far Side cartoon where two guys are sitting in an orchestra together and one says, "wow, look at all the little black dots!" I often think of this when I see something new that appears to be complicated.

 

But when I first saw this, I was like, "what the? Where do you begin? What does all this mean? I see a bunch of notes, but what sort of order is there?" Then he starts and he actually talks about voicing, and I realized his "notation" system doesn't even tell you what octave stuff is in.

 

What a bunch of junk.

"I'm so crazy, I don't know this is impossible! Hoo hoo!" - Daffy Duck

 

"The good news is that once you start piano you never have to worry about getting laid again. More time to practice!" - MOI

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I don't know ... I kind of like the approach.

 

I don't play too much classical music, but it helps me learn something to chart it out first, block-chord arpeggios while I get the melody right, then break it apart.

 

I get lost in a sea of dots too easily. I can read them, of course, but I'm still at a stage where I can be easily confused by the style of notation used. Too cluttered or too sparse, and I can't follow it well.

 

[font:Comic Sans MS]Some sheet music looks like this to me[/font], [font:Impact]and other sheet music looks like this[/font].

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I don't know ... I kind of like the approach.

 

I don't play too much classical music, but it helps me learn something to chart it out first, block-chord arpeggios while I get the melody right, then break it apart.

You might be surprised how much classical players annotate music they play. This approach offers nothing - no time reference, no octave reference, no dynamic reference, etc.... Taking standard notation and making notes, annotating fingerings, even writing chord symbols over sections is commonplace because each player's approach is different, but at least you have most (if not all) of the information needed.
A ROMpler is just a polyphonic turntable.
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For only $149.95 per year you can study with him.

 

https://www.webpianoteacher.com/

 

The Shawn Cheek Easy Piano Lessons Series is a revolutionary method of teaching piano designed to help people who desire an alternative way to learn. These lessons start out with the very basics, and progress gradually to advanced improvising in various styles such as the blues, boogie woogie, ragtime, romantic, classical, hymn embellishment, or just laying down some chords to write a song.

No guitarists were harmed during the making of this message.

 

In general, harmonic complexity is inversely proportional to the ratio between chording and non-chording instruments.

 

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standard notation is easier to navigate than this stuff.

Absolutely!

 

I thought it was funny!

Me too! :D

 

For only $149.95 per year you can study with him.

AAAAHHH!!!

 

Comment...

The net could be democratic, but it *does* open big doors to every sort of lunatic.

 

 

 

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Is this an issue for the ... Music Police?

No guitarists were harmed during the making of this message.

 

In general, harmonic complexity is inversely proportional to the ratio between chording and non-chording instruments.

 

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Wow, I really did not like that. I can't imagine the bots that will be attempting that stuff. I saw a similar one from another teacher explaining the Motuno.

 

I'll admit to have an extremely hard time reading left hand notation. I'm an accordionist and can read the right hand notation all day and quite quickly but the left hand emphasis was never there and still isn't. Unless you're going to play classical free-bass accordion it's not all that important. For my playing just knowing chords, progressions, walking bass, etc. is enough.

 

I have been know to take a piece like Moonlight Sonata and write in every single bass cleff note and practice for 6 months until I have the piece down. Unfortunately it is the only way for me to play classical music.

 

What amazed me most about this guy's videos were the comments. "Amazing!" "Absolutely FANTASTIC" "You are incredible!"....I can't imagine they are all shills so who is viewing this and "playing Rachmaninoff" in an afternoon?????

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+2 for nonsense.

 

I used to play this a bit a few years ago after I heard it in the movie Shine. I didn't use the fingering that Shawn suggests - that crossing over and playing in octaves doesn't really seem necessary to me - am I missing something? How do you guys finger this? - I'm sure lots of you have also played it.

I like to move it, move it (except The Wurly which can be a bit temperamental and the 122 for obvious reasons)
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To Shawn Cheek Easy Piano Lessons Series:

 

"Dear Shawn,

 

Still working on the Tatum tabs and Don Ellis Big Band charts.

I've got the markers, I just need 200 more of those extra big pieces of cardboard. Thanks."

 

 

Good one!

No guitarists were harmed during the making of this message.

 

In general, harmonic complexity is inversely proportional to the ratio between chording and non-chording instruments.

 

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Oh, by the way, I wrote to Shawn via Facebook.

 

Here's the exchange ...

 

Shawn, I find your method of 'teaching' reprehensible.

 

You are more than welcome to comment at the forum for Keyboard Magazine. There's a thread entitled 'Yes, you too can learn to play ... Rachmaninoff'. It would be great to have you respond.

 

Dave Horne

 

I don't care how you find it, Dave. 20,546,000 people would disagree with you. I'm not getting drawn into an argument either, but nice try. You go your way I'll go mine. Please don't reply to this. [end]

 

We're clearly outnumbered.

 

Any keyboard players from Waco know this guy?

 

 

No guitarists were harmed during the making of this message.

 

In general, harmonic complexity is inversely proportional to the ratio between chording and non-chording instruments.

 

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There are 20,546,000 people that we speak the same language, but write in a different way. I don't blame them, but i hope sometime they'll find the right path.

 

BTW, isn't Shawn a bit rude?

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How is it that supposedly over 20 MILLION people are using this method, but I hadn't heard of it until recently? The guy is obviously a poser and a troll.

 

I'll give this method credence when I see a concert pianist break out the huge cards at Carnegie Hall.

"In the beginning, Adam had the blues, 'cause he was lonesome.

So God helped him and created woman.

 

Now everybody's got the blues."

 

Willie Dixon

 

 

 

 

 

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Grins at 20,000,000 people heading down a dead-end path. I suspect the guy is pretty bad at math, or confuses "views" with "competent, satisfied, educated method users".

 

That notation has one thing to recommend it: it's easy to read without learning much first. But it falls flat in a number of other ways, most especially, sight reading. The brain is much better at comprehending shapes as conveyed by standard notation, than a list of letter names. Not to mention all the important information it leaves out (meaning, you have to know just how the piece sounds before you can begin to play it).

 

Time spent learning this method is time mostly wasted.

 

But hey, if it works for you, fine.

 

(I want to see his notation for flight of the bumblebee, btw.)

 

BTW, I can't sight-read. I played sax in high school, so I learned the rules, barely. Never did get good at sight reading, though, because I'd have the part mostly memorized after a couple runs, and just use the sheet as a reminder.

 

As someone who plays by ear, I would find notation like this occasionally helpful for disambiguating a difficult chord or passage -- but I could get that from standard notation just as easily, and pieces are actually *available* in standard notation, off the shelf! And I'd be getting a little better at something useful in the process.

 

Oh, I'd have a hard time finding the passage I wanted to learn, since there are no measures.

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With possibly over 20 million paying 'pupils', he'd make the Forbes' list. Entire forests have vanished to supply the paper for the cards alone. He could contribute to global warming, etc.

 

So I checked his YouTube page, his video series has a total of 1,347 views.

 

The one defense: if it starts some people to try to play, it serves some very limited purpose. Some will move on to proper learning, and some will give up. (I can't imagine many would be doomed to a lifetime of playing that way.) He needs a disclaimer saying it's a primitive, limited system, 'for entertainment purposes' - not for anyone who hopes to become an accomplished musician.

 

 

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I think if somebody sent me an unsolicited note stating something I was doing was "reprehensible" I'd probably respond similarly to this guy. I don't think he was too out of line with his response.

 

The second thing I'd do would be to google-hussle my way right to the forum that Dave mentioned and read what people said about my "method". I'm sure he's already read all of our comments.

 

He obviously went to a bunch of trouble to make all of the cards and put these videos and website together. It's unfortunate that it's bunk.

 

I'm sure that the 20 million number is hits on his website in the past few years. And of course we all know that game....each time the pages loads is 25 hits because every link must load...then you have to subtract all the people that accidentally hit the site with a google search for "large cardboard", etc etc etc

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