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Where do I begin?

2007-05-18 11:51:17 · 7 answers · asked by Lisa 5 in Education & Reference Teaching

7 answers

Some approaches:

1) I never took piano lessons, but I did play the trombone so I knew how to read music. I painstakingly read songs, one hand at a time, and worked hard to put them together. I couldn't sight read anything, but I managed to learn several Scott Joplin rags and some popular songs....just took a loooong time.

2) You can take piano lessons. This is the route if you would sincerely like to play classical concert piano. Try it for a few months, and see if you really enjoy it. You'll know you enjoy it if you practice more than the teacher asks you to (as I said, it took a long time for me to learn songs, but I spent a lot of time practicing because I enjoyed it).

3) Only recently, I caught the Scott Houston "Play Piano In a Flash" special on PBS. His books and videos teach you to play the way a professional plays in a club or combo. He uses the left hand to play chords and rhythm, the right hand to play the melody. It's much easier to sight read songs when you only have to watch the chords and a melody line. It's different than classical piano, but if you just want to play for fun it's a great technique.

For example, I worked very hard for a couple of years to learn some Christmas songs from a songbook (moderate difficulty). After I learned the flash method, I played through the entire book in an afternoon.

If you would really like to appear at Carnegie Hall someday, traditional lessons are the way to go. If you want to play songs and sing along with your friends, you might at least start with the Play Piano In a Flash method.

2007-05-18 13:15:04 · answer #1 · answered by Epistomolus 4 · 0 0

Well you need to learn to read music.

I'd get a Bach short pieces book.

All the piano music shows the FINGERING for each song. Those little numbers below or by the notes. That is the finger of that hand you need to use.

If you don't know the notes, then get a CHEAT SHEET of Music Theory and WRITE THEM above the notes (C, C#, etc) or write the note on the keys.

Work with each hand independently.

Learn the right hand for the first 4 or 8 bars

Then learn the left hand for the first 4 or 8 bars

Then try to integrate them together

You want short pieces design for teaching and learning.

Bach wrote a lot for his kids

Songs like For Elise (Fer Elise) are simple, classic pieces designed to learn.

Once you get a few of these classic pieces down you can start working on contemporary stuff which has less fingering numbers and are more familiary to you.

But I'd start with Bach classics Bouree and things like that

Not lengthy stuff, but the stuff on one page or two pages maximum.

YOu DON'T want to learn on the Italian Concerto!

If Classics bother you, then get some Pop stuff and learn the chords and learn to play the root and 3rd with the bass and just play.

I learned by working out Beatles songs with a tape recorder in which I'd play guitar (which I was good at) bass (ditto) simple drums with a snare. Then I'd go in and work on keyboard to things like We Can Work It Out and Things We Said Today

But I eventually fell in love with Mysteries of the Baracades and started to learn that Couprin song. I also did small Bach pieces. Things my mother used to play.

While I can't sight read, I do good by ear and can play along doing Rhythm Piano just like Rhythm Guitar.

2007-05-18 16:51:06 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

Buy or rent a piano, and ask the store owner if he knows any teachers.
or
Look in the phone book for teachers. Or
Ask at the schools for teachers who give private lessons.

Buy a book and ask a friend to help, Or
Call churches who often have piano/organ players who have some private students. Or lastly
Ask at the public library for information about learning

2007-05-18 12:12:45 · answer #3 · answered by thisbrit 7 · 0 0

You could get a piano teacher, but if you want to learn by yourself
go to your local library where they have books and videos you can borrow, but I have to tell you even if you do get a teacher or use books it takes years of constant practise to become a good piano player and years of 4 to 5 hours a day to become a great piano player.

2007-05-18 12:12:18 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

You get yourself a good digital piano.
My children do take piano lessons for a while to get started; 3 to 6 months should do it.
Then we use a program called piano for life, it is completely self taught, and works great.
http://www.pianoforlife.com/

2007-05-18 15:25:48 · answer #5 · answered by busymom 6 · 0 0

Piano lessons.

2007-05-18 12:03:03 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

Teach yourself, that way you'll develop your own style.

2007-05-18 12:49:18 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

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