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Learning to play the keyboard...
Regicid3
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Whenever I'm depressed, angry, hyper, etc I like to listen to music and get lost in it. I'm sure a lot of you do the same thing, it's fairly common. The only two instruments I would be interested in are either the drums or keyboard. I've got Rock Band for the drums (:P) so I definitely want to learn how to play keyboard. As it stands right now, I'm not interested in actually creating music, only playing songs I enjoy listening to.
I'm curious if there's anything I really need to know before I purchase a keyboard. I said I have no interest in creating music, but I am sure I will eventually and I would need a keyboard that works well with a PC. I listen to a wide range of music, from classical to hip hop to techno. My friend used to play keyboard and there were a lot of buttons on the keyboard he used to alter the default sound.
I've read interviews with various artists that have said going to lessons really limits your creativity but as this will merely be a hobby for me to play songs I enjoy, I do not think this will matter much, if it's even true. Would you recommend lessons? Another issue is price, I would really rather spend less than $150.
cliffs:
I only want to play good music, not create: Should I take lessons?
Can you recommend a good keyboard in the price range of $150-$200 dollars?
I'm curious if there's anything I really need to know before I purchase a keyboard. I said I have no interest in creating music, but I am sure I will eventually and I would need a keyboard that works well with a PC. I listen to a wide range of music, from classical to hip hop to techno. My friend used to play keyboard and there were a lot of buttons on the keyboard he used to alter the default sound.
I've read interviews with various artists that have said going to lessons really limits your creativity but as this will merely be a hobby for me to play songs I enjoy, I do not think this will matter much, if it's even true. Would you recommend lessons? Another issue is price, I would really rather spend less than $150.
cliffs:
I only want to play good music, not create: Should I take lessons?
Can you recommend a good keyboard in the price range of $150-$200 dollars?
Regicid3 on
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It's basically like Guitar Hero for the piano except it takes you through a 4 step process with the intention of actually teaching you how to play. I may check it out personally.
Yes. Take lessons. And it doesn't matter if you want to play electronic keyboards or piano, take classical piano lessons. If you don't, your technique will probably be all sorts of fucked up. And if you only play like, once every never then that might not be a problem save that there will be a level where you won't be able to play any better without fixing your technique. If you start to play more, then without proper technique you could fuck up your hand/wrists/forearms in all sorts of horrible ways. No program or book can make sure you're playing with proper technique.
Once you learn all the basics of the instrument, then it's really nothing to switch styles. I play about 80% of the time as a musical theater accompanist/pianist/keyboardist, but I also play as a Jazz pianist, classical accompanist/pianist, and rock pianist/keyboardist, and the only training I've had is classical, save 3 months of Jazz piano when I was in between good classical teachers.
Anyone who says that taking lessons in any way is a bad thing is wrong and/or lying. Also, the whole "Play, not create" thing doesn't change if you want to take lessons. Piano lessons teach you how to play piano. There may(should) be theory while you're starting, but that's so that you can read and understand music more, so that you can play better. There may even be light composition and improvisation, but it's not like you take "Music lessons" that teach you an instrument, theory, history, and composition. You would take piano lessons that would teach you piano with some other things lightly sprinkled in.
Also, they tend to be more expensive, but if you don't have a piano to practice on, you will want an 88-key full sized keyboard. If you can't get an 88-key, at least try to get a keyboard with full-sized keys. I hate 3/4 sized keys. They mess people up so much. I have to play on one for one set of rehearsals that take up my precious evenings, and I hate playing on it. It just feels so weird, even when I'm used to it.
Of course, I'm such a snob that I hate playing on uprights because they have slightly slower action than grands, and they make semi-pedaling a lot harder, and I have less control over the tone. So I'm a little extreme in what I insist on because it actually makes a big difference for me.
If you're just going to be learning, and you're going to not go any farther than learning to play pop songs and the like, 61-key should work. If you think you might be interested in also playing classically and playing a little more, then you should see if you can get a bigger one.
My university has a private lesson program, where you can take a private lesson once a week (do an hour, not half an hour), and pay tuition to the college and get a few credits. They just have a bunch of teachers signed on that you can call and set up a lesson with. See if yours has something like that.
When it comes to keyboards though, I'm not sure what I would recommend. For MIDI work, I would just get a smaller cheapass one that's light and mobile and not weighted. For an actual instrument to play and learn and improve myself on, I would only use a weighted 88-key "electric piano" type thing. (You will need the keys if you want to play classical at all.) If I were playing in a band, I would use both. My current keyboard is a Yamaha P120... and while they've probably got newer models by now, I'd certainly recommend it to anyone living in a dorm and needing to play piano. Except for the small problem of it costing $1200.
edit: Especially weighted keys, that appeared to have been a good deal heftier in price. And alot less portable, I would assume. One thing you may want to prioritize over weighted keys is touch sensitive keys. As in, if you press it softly, it will make a soft note, just like an actual piano.
Any keyboard without touch sensitivity is just garbage. If it's got weights, it's touch sensitive, and a lot of cheapass unweighted ones are too.
If you live near a college with a good music program, get in touch with the office of the music department. Odds are the professors won't give you private lessons (even if they did they'd be super expensive), but there's almost always a good chunk of students there who are perfectly willing and able to guide you through the basics of learning the piano - heck, it's how I picked up some extra cash through school. The music office will usually have a standing list of students offering their services as teachers - even if they don't have a list, they'll probably be happy to pass the word along to the professors & students.
something like:
http://www.zzounds.com/item--MDOKEYSTAT88
but that means you need some sort of software on your computer (fl studio, reason, etc) to actually make sounds. or a midi module.
this may be a bit more flexible, as you are not limited to the sounds the keyboard came with.
And there I disagree. Classical lessons are completely, completely wrong for you if you're starting out with an instrument and are still getting a feel for if you actually like doing it. Yes, it'll get you the proper skills, but you have to get through aeon's of boring practices to attain them. And people who're bored witless are not going to keep playing. Once you're playing the music you like passably, delve deeper into classical stuff, learn some music theory, improve your skills. You probably will have to fix a reflex here or there, but you'll have gone from not-able-to-play-anything to enjoying-playing-music, which is way better than getting stuck at why-the-hell-did-I-want-to-do-this.
For example, these people say playing on a non-weighted keyboard is gay, yet I practiced on a non-weighted, 60 something key keyboard. My first keyboard that I got and used for the better part of six years was only 100 bucks. Look at me now! I play in theater and give concerts every month or so.
And if you just want to play the songs on your keyboard and aren't serious about writing, don't worry about a fancy keyboard. Remember, its the player, not the instrument.
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Wow, look at all that Help and Advice there!
Anyway, my ex girlfriend had considered the very thing you want to do, OP. The problem was that there are not many cheap alternatives for starting piano. If you go extremely cheap and you get the bottom of the line keyboard and cut back on keys then you are losing out on the full experience and really learning how to play. On the other side, if you drop a ton of money on something you've never done before then you may just find that you hate the thing all together. I think you just need to find something in the middle.
I recommend finding a teacher and going from there. It's a great investment since you get quality lessons and don't have to put down the money onto a piano for yourself. Check out local music stores or classes at colleges / universities.
Alternatively, this is the electric piano she was thinking of getting http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7824027&type=product&id=1142295054942
What the fuck? This is totally not true. In order to be good at an instrument, you almost have to take lessons. If you don't take lessons, you will almost always develop bad habits that will hinder your progress later on.
It depends how and what you study. Lessons revolving around teaching basic technique are essential for really going anywhere. If you can focusing too intently on any one school of music you'll have better odds of finding what you're really interested in studying, and then you can look at how much you want to study that formally vs. informally to find the mix that's appropriate to you.
If you really want to play jazz and you study classical piano for five years, yeah, that's probably going to limit your creativity. If you spend the time advancing the relevant techniques and studying the underlying structure of the standards of the style of music you wish to play though, you'll be leagues ahead of someone who insists on never learning a thing from a tutor.
Let's face it, whether you learn from a tutor or on your own, you're learning. When you learn on your own, you learn by studying music and trying to mimic it. When you learn with an instructor, you do the exact same thing, only with someone sitting there that can show you how it's done instead of leaving you to blunder about in the dark for ages on end.
You'll want some basic lessons that emphasize technique and give you a good footing to explore the instrument. Once you know what you wish to specialize in, you'll want to study with a tutor again, at least until you have the basics of that specific style mastered.
And for a cheap keyboard that works and sounds vaguely like a piano, just go to a few local places and play on the low end models. If you want a synthesizer or a good electric piano, you're going to be looking at shelling out in the $500 - $1000 range, but you could spend $2000 or more without trying particularly hard if you were so inclined. It's not a cheap instrument, because unlike guitar, not everyone and their dog plays it.
CUZ THERE'S SOMETHING IN THE MIDDLE AND IT'S GIVING ME A RASH
This is all very true. If you're just interested in learning the instrument, you can do it with a Casio you found at the thrift store. And any beginner piece of music won't require 88 keys anyhow, so don't sweat that.
But find some basic lessons, they'll get you over the initial hurdles much quicker and give you the tools you need to properly study the instrument on your own.
CUZ THERE'S SOMETHING IN THE MIDDLE AND IT'S GIVING ME A RASH
It depends really. I mean, I've studied classically for 14 years now and I get gigs for Musical theater mainly, but also Jazz, Rock, Pop, a bunch of styles. Now I've had a total of maybe... half a year of "Jazz" training, which really was playing ragtime for like, a few months in classical lessons. So while there is some use for specialized training, it's not really like if you play classically than you'll be unable to play Jazz until you learn that.
So just keep in mind that if you take lessons you'll not be only able to play the style that your teacher teaches. A lot of technique is universal.
I'm really glad I did, for two reasons:
(1) I can't afford a grand piano on my own, so my lessons are an opportunity to play a real piano
(2) One hour of actual tutoring per week keeps my form and technique right.
Having an instructor show me the correct way to finger a scale, push me to move faster, show me why curling my fingers too much or having them sit too far back on the keys is going to cripple me in the long run, etc. is keeping me from developing a lot of bad habits I know I'd be picking up if I just played around on my own.
And on top of that, it's just one hour per week. It's not enough time to get boring. Once I get home, if I decide I'm done doing scales, I'll just fuck around on my own for a little while. Only now my fucking-around-time is done with proper technique.
the "no true scotch man" fallacy.
I'm also no good with brands and pricing for keybaords. I have a Casio and it's not fullsize, but it's worked well for me for years. I would suggest getting a keyboard that has touchresponse built into it though; that way when you practice at home you can make sure you can practice the proper... volumes? (god, I haven't been to lessons in so long; I can't wait till I can take them again.) on the songs. (Following the pianos-fortes and such as the piece requires). My very first keybaord before the Casio was smaller and lacked this feature so whenever I went to lessons to review the pieces I was assigned I had a harder time with the real piano; one I got touch-response it was much easier.
Hell, I don't even know a jazz piano teacher in my city that will do jazz-specific lessons for anyone who has less than 6 years of good training under their belt (or having an equivalent skill level). I've never even heard of a specialty pop piano teacher - pop piano is generally so simple to play decently that it can be picked up with a little bit of classical training on your own, and if you really have trouble your classically-trained teacher should have no problems helping you out.
As for keyboards, it's really really hard to transition between a non-weighted, less than 88 key keyboard to a real piano. I've played for a good 13 years and I still get thrown when I try to play on shitty MIDI controllers. If you're serious about learning to play well, 88 keys and fully weighted is really the minimum.
Alternately, if you live in a house/good apartment, find a cheap, used upright! They can go for a song if you find a local one used, and any real piano is a million times better to learn on than the best keyboard. If you have a local dance studio/ballet, check there first. I've heard of many great deals had on their practice uprights, which tend to be really well taken care of and may even old enough to be made of real wood (new cheaper pianos are made of particle board and don't sound nearly as nice).
http://www.daddys.com/used/?itemnumber=YAM1098
right in mass too.
new:
http://www.zzounds.com/item--YAMP70