Nube to keys

[ThisSiteSucks]

After I don't remember how many frustrating years trying to learn guitar, I have decided to try my hand a keys.

 

Now, I'm BRAND spanking new to this, so try not to have too much fun at my expense.

 

It's so nice to be able to pick out notes on the keyboard vs. the damnation that is a guitar fretboard.

 

Anyways, first question(s):

 

My book, Piano for Adult Learners, mentions playing a section "legato". How does that differ from playing "normal"?

 

And what is it with these slur marks? The book does not describe at all what to do! Like, a slur line from a note in the first measure to a note in the fourth measure...what the hell?

[Eric Jx]

Legato means that you start the next note before the previous note ends. In other words, the notes fluidly run into one another.

 

It's the opposite of staccato. When a section is staccato, the note is released quickly and cleanly, giving the section an abrupt articulation.

[Adan]

I just went on youtube and typed "beginning piano lessons" and, lo and behold, there's no shortage of good souls out there who want to help you get started.

[ThisSiteSucks]

Yes, I've "tubed" it before; I came here to ask the Pros :-)

[Joe Muscara]

I keep reading the b in Nube backwards, as a d.

 

[MAJUSCULE]

I'll go first on this piece:

 

Get a teacher.

 

If time and money are right, it's the best thing you could do. I believe virtually everyone here would agree.

[Ken Beaumont]

+1000 Get a teacher.

 

If you can't do that, a good DVD course is much better than a book. Learn & Master Piano is one of the better ones at $149, you get forum support along with it to answer your questions. My daughter is currently taking the guitar course and bought the piano course too. But you really need a teacher, whether live or via the internet. Some teachers are using skype. I prefer one on one human interaction.

[ThisSiteSucks]

Don't have money for a teacher. And I must have had bad luck with guitar teachers cuz I either got the "let's do something different every week so I keep getting a paycheck" or the "listen and watch ME play" types.

 

Going through divorce and currently unemployed. So money is a bitch right now. The place I took guitar lessons at now wants a month's worth up front, NO refunds unless emergency. That sucks. They charge $34 per hour, would 2 1/2 lessons a month be better than nothing?

 

And how many here teach? Shit, if I was good enough, I would have a room in my house and do home lessons. Figure you make say $30 an hour, do 5 lessons a day, that's $150 per day, $750 per week, which is almost $40,000 a year...TAX FREE

[Ken Beaumont]

You might try the link I posted then. It has a 60 day money back no questions asked guarantee. My daughter really likes the guitar course. I watched a couple of the piano DVD's and was impressed. I never had anything like that when I was learning.

 

I wouldn't expect the TAX free part, all it would take is one person upset with you enough to make a phone call and you could end up screwed. I know an IRS agent, she gets leads from divorce attorneys.

[Bobadohshe]

To answer your question, which is a good one and has already been addressed a little bit:

 

slurs = Legato = smoothly connected. How is it different from just, 'regular' playing when there's no slur? Well, not by much really. The notes should be especially connected, but you won't play much differently with a slur than without, unless of course the notes are marked staccato or otherwise accented.

 

When you're beginning and in the books you're using, slurs mean to play legato. And when there's no slur at all, you'll also probably play legato. So why the distinction?

 

Because when you get further on in playing piano, slurs end up meaning a little bit more than simply play 'smoothly'. They denote phrases, or musical sentences. And at that point, as far as what the hell you do then with the slur, that's going to depend on the context, and how many notes the slur is over, and what style the piece is. Seriously. For instance if the piece is a classical type of piece with slurs over two notes, that will mean you have two note phrases where the first note is played more heavily than the second note, which is played kind of staccato. A slur over 5 or so notes will denote you will swell ever so slightly in volume towards the middle, and probably play the last note more quietly than the rest as the end of the phrase. At that point, it really would help to get at least one session with a teacher just to answer your questions.

 

On another note, I'm sorry you're going through a crappy time in life. Divorce + unemployed = probably one of the roughest combos for self esteem and positivity ever. I hope you get through it into some better times!

[ThisSiteSucks]

Thanks Bob....did I mention I was just diagnosed with diabetes too?

 

Yeah, I'm having a pretty rough ride right now. Thought learning piano would be "some" fun, but everyone is saying to get a teacher and I just can't afford it. People setting prices don't count-in your cost of gas AND time it takes to get to and from lesson. Not to mention, you never get a solid 30 minutes..there's usually 3-4 minutes at the front and end of a lesson to setup, breakdown, review etc.

[MoodyBluesKeys]

Don't know where you are - but if there is a community college nearby - check to see if they offer instruction. Would probably be a class with 10 or so others (usually on separate keyboards), but pricing might fit the budget.

 

I'll go along with others in saying that, especially at the beginning, you NEED the one-to-one contact with a good instructor. Not just for the ability to play, but for showing you how to play without the liklihood of harming you physically. Wrong technique not only makes progress more difficult, but can harm the finger muscles, arms, elbows, etc. Of couse, as a guitarist - this is also true in guitar technique.

 

Having said that, I understand where you are. I'm semi-retired, run a part time computer business to generate a little income for the keyboards, guitars, lessons (I have played bass for a good while, keys for 5 years, but recently took up the guitar). My wife and I are taking guitar at the local college, in a class that started with 10 and is now down to 5.

 

Fret-board - that's why I started bass years ago - the strings are far enough apart for my fingers. Slowly learning how to get them just in the right spot.

 

I haven't worked with the DVDs - they might help on the technique part also. Best of luck to you - playing a keyboard WELL takes a lot of learning time.

 

[Stu McHopton]

Just one comment on learning guitar vs. keyboard. There are advantages and disadvantages to the learning curve for both. As you indicate picking out a note on the keyboard is easy and I think the keyboard lends itself to visualizing what you are learning better than guitar. However, one major consideration is that once you have learned your major and minor scales and chord shapes on guitar, you can move these up and down the fretboard and they apply to all 12 keys. On keyboard the scales for each key have a different combination of black and white keys and therefore each one has to be learned and memorized separately. This is not to discourage you, just wanted to let you know learning keyboard will not necessarily be easier than guitar, rather will present a different set of challenges. Best of Luck!

[StartRun]

...what kind of instrument do you intend to learn on ?

[ThisSiteSucks]

It's a $150 Yamaha electric keyboard.

 

And if it wasn't clear, I am an adult learner (40 something). I have a pretty good background with guitar, music reading, some theory.

 

I'm smart enough to know about proper form and practicing. The only real advantadge I see a teacher giving is keeping you on tempo. I can learn to read music fairly easy, I know about proper hand position and striking of the keys, posture etc. Taking faith in that the book will lead me along the right path.

 

As far as tempo goes, I just have to hit the metronome on the keyboard and make sure I"m playing notes for the proper duration.

 

I can draw up a bunch of practice sheets on scales using 4/4, 3/4 time using whole, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/16 notes in all the different scales.

 

And about scales on guitar vs. keyboard. If you know the whole/half steps for any given scale, on the keys it's just hitting a black key sharp or flat. Why would an A minor scale have a different fingering on the keyboard when played left or right of middle C?

 

Actually, I just found this fingering pdf for major scales...nice :-)

 

http://musicmattersblog.com/wp-files/scale_fingerings_major.pdf

 

[Eric Jx]

And about scales on guitar vs. keyboard. If you know the whole/half steps for any given scale, on the keys it's just hitting a black key sharp or flat. Why would an A minor scale have a different fingering on the keyboard when played left or right of middle C?

 

I think Stu's point wasn't that you finger A minor differently when starting above or below middle C.

 

It's that the A Major scale is fingered differently than the Bb Major scale which if fingered differently than the F major scale.

 

The A Major scale starts with the 1 (thumb). The Bb scale starts with the 2 (Pointer). The F scale starts with the 1 but switchs after the 4 instead of the 3.

 

Scales on guitar don't suffer from this asymmetry.

[Joe Muscara]

If you're concerned about tempo, record yourself and listen back.

[Mr. B.]

You sir will regret it for life if you do not get a good teacher period! I have a degree thank God.

But, either a teacher or, a good DVD for a beginner will help tremendously. Also, buy, put out the money for a keyboard that has as real as you can get a piano feel, there are many out there. If you do not you will also regret this I promise!

All my kids wanted to play piano just because that was what I mainly played touring. None regret it, two are pro's the others work in club bands, thats all they want.

[Joe Muscara]

Who are your kids? Would we have heard of them, or maybe those of us in TX might have?

[ThisSiteSucks]

I guess than I'll regret it for the rest of my life LOL.

 

Not EVEN putting myself in their league, but there have been many, many excellent players that have had no formal training.

 

I just don't have the money to put into lessons right now or a "real feel" keyboard.

 

However, I will at least look into a DVD package; that won't break the bank! :-)

[yorgatron]

Howdy!

 

welcome to the Keyboard Corner!

 

now,speaking as a 40-something guitar player who just took up playing keys a few years ago,don't listen to these guys.

if you were going to be a concert pianist then they'd be giving you excellent advice.but if you're like me,you just want to be able to play in a band or add keys to recordings,which doesn't take quite the same effort.

if all you need is the ability to play a chord with your left hand while you play a melody with your right (or vice-versa) it's not all that difficult.

you have to keep in mind that most of these guys have been emotionally damaged by years of psychotic teachers forcing them to play endless hours of Hanon exercises.

as far as what you're playing,only the piano requires a weighted action,a lot of people play all their gigs on a Nord or a synth,or if you're a goofball like me,an RMI 368X.

you can learn plenty from YouTube,and books,and watching other keyboardists at gigs.

the one thing that helped me the most was seeing "The Piano Guy" on TV,he has the attitude that ANYONE can learn to play the piano,it's only target practice.