Apps to learn piano

RaymondLin

I have an old Yamaha P70 Digital Piano that i bought years ago, I had some lessons but never got very far.  I want to pick it up again and wonder if there are any apps that I can connect it to my computer via Midi perhaps so it shows up in the app to match what key i am pressing.

And have the screen show up something like this with the songs and keys coming down.

octatonic

The reality is those apps are going to go WAAAAY too fast to learn anything unless you already possess a high level of skill on the piano.

I'm not a piano teacher but I am a music teacher who is learning piano.
What you need to do is be able to harmonise the mayor scale in several keys- let's say C G D A, F Bb Eb Ab to begin (or if that is too much C, G, F.
If you can't do that then learn how to do that.

Learn the major scale with the correct fingerings (google will reveal, or ask me) and learn how to construct the chords in root position, 1st and 2nd inversions in all those keys.
Then figure out how to play common chord progressions (start with I IV V and ii V I) using good voice leading utilising those  inversions (minimal movement where possible, don't just block chord your way through it, although practice that too).

That is about 1-3 months of work right there, depending on how much time you put in.

Danny1969

You see the 2 black keys on their own ....... that's the kennel and the dogs in the kennel ..... so D is in between em. That's honestly how I was taught 30 odd years ago and it worked. It's actually very easy to memorize the notes on a keyboard as you only need to remember 7 white notes and 5 sharps  ... that's it 

What's most important is you use the correct fingering from the get go .... I didn't and my technique has suffered over the years because of that.... I've literally had to force myself to forget muscle memory hand positions and do it properly in the correct style ... other wise like me you hit a wall years down the line because of bad technique.

Good luck though Raymond, have to say playing piano is a more enjoyable way to play solo pieces than guitar so well worth putting the effort in 

RaymondLin

I can actually read basic sheet music (VERY slowly) and work out sheet music in accordance with the keys that I need to play.  

There are 2 problems with piano that I struggle with

1 - Hand independence 
2 - So many keys and in a hurry they all look the same and brain shuts down and can't find the right key.  At least with a guitar there is only 6 string, with tabs it is much easier in terms of where to put your left hand and what to hit with right hand.

I do love the guitar but I find piano a more beautiful instrument, acoustically.

RaymondLin

octatonic said:

The reality is those apps are going to go WAAAAY too fast to learn anything unless you already possess a high level of skill on the piano.

I'm not a piano teacher but I am a music teacher who is learning piano.
What you need to do is be able to harmonise the mayor scale in several keys- let's say C G D A, F Bb Eb Ab to begin (or if that is too much C, G, F.
If you can't do that then learn how to do that.

Learn the major scale with the correct fingerings (google will reveal, or ask me) and learn how to construct the chords in root position, 1st and 2nd inversions in all those keys.
Then figure out how to play common chord progressions (start with I IV V and ii V I) using good voice leading utilising those  inversions (minimal movement where possible, don't just block chord your way through it, although practice that too).

That is about 1-3 months of work right there, depending on how much time you put in.

Those are like Beat Sabre on steroids....

But i was hoping if I start with a simpler song and work my way up?  You heard about Yamaha Flowkey  as a learning tool?

paulmapp8306

google youtube vids for independence exercises.  Its not easy...... Im 2+ years down the line and Im Ok with playing different things with both hands, as long as their in the same timing and same key......

Im getting better, and I can "improv" melody's in all keys, and know all my chords (maj, Min, 7th, Augmented, Diminish etc).  I can construct chords from theory - that bits much easier on keys than guitar in truth. 

Danny1969

I used to go through  basic arps with my left hand, using song's like House of the rising sun and nights of white satin as practice. So with your left hand you play something like 

A C E A - then C E G C  - D F# A D - F A C F etc 

Then when you left hand can do that with no problem introduce the melody with the right hand. After a while it becomes 2nd nature 

axisus

I don't know what that app is called, but my daughter started with that and it went amazingly well. She taught herself Fur Elise and all sorts of stuff. She got on so well that we eventually sent her to piano lessons, the teacher (excellent guy) started her with Grade 5 pieces!

RaymondLin

axisus said:

I don't know what that app is called, but my daughter started with that and it went amazingly well. She taught herself Fur Elise and all sorts of stuff. She got on so well that we eventually sent her to piano lessons, the teacher (excellent guy) started her with Grade 5 pieces!

Could you ask her please? 

axisus

RaymondLin said:

axisus said:

I don't know what that app is called, but my daughter started with that and it went amazingly well. She taught herself Fur Elise and all sorts of stuff. She got on so well that we eventually sent her to piano lessons, the teacher (excellent guy) started her with Grade 5 pieces!

Could you ask her please? 

Sorry, I was just referring to your original pic, not something that actually does what you were asking for. 

TTony

Not really what you asked for, but I've been using an excellent course on Udemy - Pianoforall - to learn to play keyboards.

I remember hearing my sisters (who both learned to play piano back in childhood days) both have to learn notes, scales, etc and it was incredibly unmusical.

This course is nothing like that -   its really quite enjoyable to follow it and learn.

Looks like it's priced at £175 at the moment (which, tbh, is fair for the scope and quality and is the cost of just a few 1:1 lessons) but Udemy have offers fairly frequently, so if you registered on the site, you'd probably get it for a lot less in the not too distant future.  IIRC, I paid something like £20, which is just ridiculous.

Hyster

Looks like Udemy's Pianoforall course is £20.99 at the moment!

RaymondLin

Hyster said:

Looks like Udemy's Pianoforall course is £20.99 at the moment!

Am I looking at the right course?

https://www.udemy.com/course/pianoforall-incredible-new-way-to-learn-piano-keyboard/?utm_source=adwords&utm_medium=udemyads&utm_campaign=LongTail_la.EN_cc.UK&utm_content=deal4584&utm_term=_._ag_74409313617_._ad_375954070526_._kw__._de_c_._dm__._pl__._ti_dsa-785573918802_._li_1006790_._pd__._&matchtype=b&gclid=Cj0KCQjwyur0BRDcARIsAEt86IBWEamPOMrD4U0fPlAdM5Vs63lPGgSPQdgcgXvqsDE0NxQYhkOJvTcaAorVEALw_wcB

Hyster

Looks like the one, not sure why the price changed though. 

RaymondLin

Hyster said:

Looks like the one, not sure why the price changed though. 

Done! It cost less than an hour of my piano lesson I had previously.  Bargain.

TTony

RaymondLin said:

Am I looking at the right course?

https://www.udemy.com/course/pianoforall-incredible-new-way-to-learn-piano-keyboard/?utm_source=adwords&utm_medium=udemyads&utm_campaign=LongTail_la.EN_cc.UK&utm_content=deal4584&utm_term=_._ag_74409313617_._ad_375954070526_._kw__._de_c_._dm__._pl__._ti_dsa-785573918802_._li_1006790_._pd__._&matchtype=b&gclid=Cj0KCQjwyur0BRDcARIsAEt86IBWEamPOMrD4U0fPlAdM5Vs63lPGgSPQdgcgXvqsDE0NxQYhkOJvTcaAorVEALw_wcB

That one looks like a condensed version (10 hrs video) of the one that I bought  (30hrs), but I now can't find a link to the one I bought (which I found earlier when it was priced at £175!).

You really can't go wrong with the version you just got though - £13.99??  - madness!!

Rocker

RaymondLin said:

Hyster said:

Looks like Udemy's Pianoforall course is £20.99 at the moment!

Am I looking at the right course?

https://www.udemy.com/course/pianoforall-incredible-new-way-to-learn-piano-keyboard/?utm_source=adwords&utm_medium=udemyads&utm_campaign=LongTail_la.EN_cc.UK&utm_content=deal4584&utm_term=_._ag_74409313617_._ad_375954070526_._kw__._de_c_._dm__._pl__._ti_dsa-785573918802_._li_1006790_._pd__._&matchtype=b&gclid=Cj0KCQjwyur0BRDcARIsAEt86IBWEamPOMrD4U0fPlAdM5Vs63lPGgSPQdgcgXvqsDE0NxQYhkOJvTcaAorVEALw_wcB

I opted for this version too.  Just what I need - a structured learning method - for very little money.

goldtop

The app in the first pic is (I think) https://synthesiagame.com/

I sometimes try to playalong with the YT videos of other people using it. You can use the YT playback speed (not ideal, but it works) to slow it down.

MrBump

It's dropped to ~13 quid now.

DiscoStu

HDPiano.com uses a scrolling note screen like the OP. Online tutorials, here's a youtube demo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXugQkpYgO4

Lev

This youtube site is very good also: https://www.youtube.com/user/PianoLessonscom 
Especially the chord hacks video series, get's you using both hands to play common chords.