Basically, I’ve had a long off-and-on relationship with music since piano lessons as a kid (which stopped around 6th grade) and I want to continue that by becoming more proficient on piano / keyboards as an adult. I am partially motivated just to broaden my abilities but also to develop a better understanding of music theory which I expect to help with my guitar playing.
While it appears that there is tons of stuff available online / in books, it all seems to be geared towards the player who not only is new to piano, but new to music in general. And what I really want is something to explain piano technique for a complete beginner without telling me what a quarter note and a minor scale are. So does anyone know of anything out there appropriate for my situation?
Btw, I am aware that the ideal scenario is to take lessons from somebody. While I’m not completely opposed to it, I really can’t spend money like that now. Or, put more accurately, I can’t justify the cost to benefit ratio of a teacher compared to what I’m sure I’d be able to do on my own. Thanks for any input.
Just for reference, what I’ve been doing so far is to get a hold of sheet music for “easy” songs and just slowly work through, trying to figure out the best places to put fingers, etc. I’m worried, however, that I’m teaching myself bad habits simply because I can’t find straightforward resources on what is considered good technique.
I’ve been doing something very similar – I was in band in middle school and high school, went a long time without doing anything musical, then decided to learn to play the piano.
In the free department, a guy recorded a whole series of lessons on YouTube. The sound is pretty bad in parts, and I honestly don’t know how good the techniques are, but I’ve found the first seven installments to be pretty helpful with playing scales and simple songs.
I’m also about halfway through the book Play Piano Today by Amy Appleby. A librarian recommended it, and it does seem to go through a lot of basic material at a good pace. So far I’ve learned three chords and played such pieces as Tom Dooley and Go Tell Aunt Rhody.
I’d be interested to hear other people’s recommendations. I know I have a lot of work to do before I can start belting out Tom Lehrer tunes.
I really think if you want to get serious, you should find somebody – a friend with good chops or a good teacher – for at least a few sessions to make sure you don’t end up damaging your wrists or hands. A ton of good pianists had to unlearn bad habits later in life with great difficulty, and a ton of great pianists have had to essentially quit because of tendonitis or other stuff.
Not sure it matters if you’re just banging out stuff for a half-hour a day, but if/when you start putting in the 5-6 hours of playing daily (or more) like the pros, physical issues can be quick to crop up.
I’ve seen some books that purport to explain some core technical concepts, but they seem really old fashioned and would still need some live demonstration, IMO. On the other hand, Hanon I like quite a bit even though I haven’t worked with it for a long time (but I still practice scales and modes all the time when I need them for a specific piece).
The Homespun videos I’ve seen have all been great – Dr. John has a bunch with some things suitable for beginners (and some trickier things as well), for example, where the content is useful even outside the blues/R&B context – hip voicings, arranging, lots of little tricks that will carry you through a lot of different situations musically.
Sorry for the double post but one easy way a pro told me to check if you’re playing with minimal effort is to grab a buddy who, while you’re playing something – could be a fast boogie, or a little church hymn – see if he or she can lift up under your forearm with basically NO resistance. The “fly away test” I think he called it.
Also, given the choice, approach the keys from below rather than from above – maybe ideally adjust your bench so it’s just level with the keyboard.
If you’re doing it right you won’t get unreasonably stressed even when playing fast hard bop or boogie/rock, although you’d need to develop your muscles over time gradually. Lead with the forearm, and watch lots of videos of good players – even when playing balls-out, you’ll see their hands doing far less work once their arms are in good position. No Chico Marx antics unless you want to goof off once in a while for your buddies.
I just mean it’s better physicially to play from below (even if not way below a la Glenn Gould) than to try tplay technical stuff from, like standing position. I personally prefer my hands on acoustic (digital) about level with the forearms and can deal with playing organ upper manual while having to play from below. I haven’t played concert rep since high school, just rock and jazz, so maybe some refinement would be necessary for a hardcore player.
Relaxation seems to be the key to me – once the muscles are there, it should take care of itself.
BTW, don’t do the Hanon or other sustained trills exercises without training – you could really hurt yourself.
Have fun! I just learned some old tunes for fun like “Loving Cup” and "Nothing From Nothing
tp please the masses – you pretty much can’t hurt yourself with stuff like that. So just have fun!