Teach yourself piano ideas?

What's Hot
I have a decent synth with full size keys which has been under the spare bed for years.
I've never got my head round playing piano and it's about time I did so any suggestions on teaching myself how would be fab. I tried Piano for Dummies a long time ago which was ok, I loaned it to someone and never got it back so don't know if it's worth trying it again or if there are much better books/apps/courses available.

Main problems: pretty poor at reading music, and my left hand technique is next to useless.
0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom

Comments

  • greejngreejn Frets: 127
    I've got some free lessons on hubpages.com looking at piano for guitarists, might help...
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • DiscoStuDiscoStu Frets: 5382
    greejn said:
    I've got some free lessons on hubpages.com looking at piano for guitarists, might help...
    You got a link?
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • axisusaxisus Frets: 28280
    I learned chords and I have great fun putting any old chord chart up and singing along bashing a song out. I'm a pub pianist! ('cept I don't go to pubs). Root note octaves with the left hand, 3 finger chords (mostly) with the right. I'd do a clip to show how well it works but I'm a sh*te singer and you kind of need the melody going on as well.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • greejngreejn Frets: 127
    Jon Green on spinditty or hubpages.com
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • VimFuegoVimFuego Frets: 15477
    I've been thinking about this for a while now, so kinda glad this topic came up. I spent to morning watching these vids: Learn the Piano Book 1 | EASY | Beginners | Lesson 1 & 2/40 - YouTube

    I used her beginners violin stuff for a while and found it good, the piano one looks good. The vids go along with a downloadable book. Goes as a fairly gentle, but challenging, pace. Doesn't seem to rush into stuff, and has free videos to go along with the program. I might pick up a beginners keyboard and have a pop.

    I'm not locked in here with you, you are locked in here with me.

    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • lukedlblukedlb Frets: 488
    I’m finally learning piano and how to read music with SimplyPiano. Furthermore, it’s got my children learning too. 100€ for a year and it is working. 
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • Danny1969Danny1969 Frets: 10357


    Although I wish I had lessons because my techniques is poor I actually found learning how to play the piano pretty easy because it made perfect sense musically. Generally the left hand breaks a chord into arpeggio's and plays a pattern and the right hand plays a melody at the same time, sometimes chipping in to extent the length of an arpeggio using the sustain pedal. So I just practiced playing common chord arpeggio's with the left hand until I could do them without thinking about it and then started adding the melody with the right hand. It's so much easier to do this on a piano than it is on the guitar.  

    So I think learning the correct finger placement is really important and having a solid understanding of how to make arpeggio's in every key by knowing the scale intervals is important too. This is a good example of what I like, this person has a great left hand 



    2 piano bargain bits of software are Mainstage 3 for Mac and Mini Grand for PC and Mac ... both less than £30 and both sound great, really good pianos 

    www.2020studios.co.uk 
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 2reaction image Wisdom
  • DiscoStuDiscoStu Frets: 5382
    Oh I like a bit of Chi Mai alright. Some good ideas here, thanks for the input guys.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • octatonicoctatonic Frets: 33725
    I took 6 months of lessons and then just played every day.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • Most guitar players I know can also play Piano because there fingers on both hands can play differently.
    at the same time.

    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
Sign In or Register to comment.