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Learning to play the piano. Any tips for a keyboard player.
Hi. I'm a keyboard player who learnt stuff by ear but would like to learn piano and read music.
I've downloaded the Simply Piano app on the iPad and I'm slowly going through it.
So my main focus is learning how to sight read and I'm finding it a struggle.
Does anyone have any tips or suggestions?
Comments
Here is a great 8 minute video, please watch it to the end, what you will see may not sink in right away but believe me you are going to find very very useful once you get the hang of reading music.
The secret is to start off slow, then gradually speed up but don’t expect to be able to read fast or you will back away from it, the old saying is Play Slowly - Learn Quickly
Mike
https://youtu.be/S60oiBAoKk0?si=55CFCGja5oRn_oan
Thank you. Very useful.
Do you have any prior experience with an instrument? Regardless, piano is a great place to start. It’s easier to pick up sight reading compared to something like guitar, which can have the same note at different locations on each string. Piano is pretty straightforward: left to right is moving up the staff. Admittedly I’m no pro at sight reading, and I started on piano so there’s some bias (I guess I can’t really speak on the best instrument for me to start on since you can only start once haha).
That aside, the best way to learn efficiently is find a teacher. Especially for a first instrument, but really holds true for learning any new instrument or style. Even if it’s just once a month or every two weeks, a teacher can help you start off with good habits like posture, hand positioning, exposing you to songs that fit your capabilities, etc. I had three different guitar teachers (my primary instrument) - one was a big blues guy, another metal/stoner rock, and the third jazz. I also have a banjo. I learned a few things from a Hal Leonard book but that was a crawl compared to a run when I found a teacher for lessons.
I guess all that to say, you can learn on your own but a few lessons can set you to learn much more efficiently - both with a teacher and on your own.
Ive tried to learn many times and given up many times. Lately ive been practicing piano skills again, but not reading music. Ive found that by not mentally making a big deal over it and just doing it for very short periods most days, ive managed to not give up so far this time. Im currently learning to play keys, make tracks, mix tracks and learning some music theory.
I just find that not planning and not thinking too much about it all has brought back the fun in all these things Im trying to learn. When I plan or think about them too much, they become more like work tasks and then I quickly lose interest.
We all learn differently though, so its finding what works for you. You may have to try many ideas before it all comes together, but just find the way you enjoy the journey, and whatever you learn will be fun if you succeed in your goal or not
Have been playing keyboards for nearly 50 years. lol 😂
I would say above all else get a keyboard with weighted action. The rest can come in small steps, but if you don’t have the feel of a piano you will only be approximating the technique of playing a piano.
Sight reading takes time though. Consider it a series of small victories - start with simple pieces with limited range, and then to a new piece as often as you feel ready.
Agreed on weighted keys. Playing an acoustic piano is such a different feel, even with weighted keys my MIDI controller still doesn’t get near close to an actual key striking a string. Given I have an old Alesis portable controller. I think church organs are actually pretty close to midi keys in playability.
Thanks Michael. I’m lucky to own a 88 note Alesis Fusion which has Fatar TP40 hammer action weighted keyboard which feels quite good although not as heavy as a grand piano but still decent.
OK that’s great, as that’s the part that can throw you if you start on something with springs under the keys.
Maybe for music find some exercises in sight reading to get started with, especially if it’s a sequence of gradually getting more complex. Practice is key, and not trying to rush past your current level of mastery.
Another thing that some people miss when reading music is learning what intervals look like on paper. If you can recognize them easily you can find the notes faster. This is particularly useful in chords where you can eventually read 3 or more notes quickly when you only really took onboard the highest or lowest note.
And lastly, slow it down. A metronome is really useful for this as you can measure the current tempo that you can play to and increase it by a known amount each time.
Last year I started working on reading music after many years of playing keyboard by ear and using fake books. I've been using the Bartok Microkosmos books. I've found them very good, because they do unexpected things and force you to pay very close attention to what's written. The exercises sound far more modern to me than a lot of standard repertoire, with plenty of invigorating dissonance.