about two months ago i started taking piano lessons for 30 min once a week. i have taken piano twice before, once when i was four in one of those keyboarding classes in which i learned nothing and again around the 4th grade, but i quit after about a year because i didn’t think it was fun. so now im 15 and i have finally started again and i finally have a good teacher, but i wish i had never quit.
im using Alfred’s Basic Adult Piano Course: Level 1. i was just wondering what anyone would recommend for me to learn? i would like to someday be able to play classical, some jazz or blues, and deffinitely modern soft rock. i like a lot of modern bands that frequently use piano, but what would be a good place to start for a somewhat beginner? my lessons are not long so im willing to work on my own more. my family has a baby grand piano and i have been thinking about getting a keyboard for my room. any help would be much appreciated!
I am REALLY GLAD you are learning piano – not only will you become a good piano and keyboard player, but you will gain a better understanding of the construction of music, since at the piano you are always playing melody, rhythm, AND harmony.
Share your thoughts with your teacher – they will be glad to encourage you to play other things. I had a boy who studied flute with me (really fine player) who was into FUNK flute (yes, there is such a thing!) on the side – and I have an electric flute, so after the classical and competition things, we had a blast! Go on www.jwpepper.com or www.sheetmusicplus.com or other sites, and browse – take some ideas to your teacher, and order some things that would be fun. It’s OK to have fun – it doesn’t;t have to be SERIOUS all the time for you to still learn.
Now – about a keyboard – what is REALLY cool is connecting one to your computer, and getting Band in a Box, and putting on headphones, and JAMMING with all the cool tracks. You can also use that keyboard to enter music into notation and composing programs like Finale. The FREE version of Finale – Notepad (www.makemusic.com) does not allow entry with a keyboard – you have to mouse in the stuff – but is still cool. Once your keyboard is connected to a computer, then there is TONS of cool stuff to do – but of course, not a substitute for having REAL skills in your hands.
If you are looking at keyboard,s get at LEAST 76 notes – 61 is too short – and look first at www.musiciansfriend.com We own a big Steinway grand, and just bought our FIFTH keyboard/synth – we got an M-Audio88sx, because we have to move it for classical music gigs (weddings, winery concerts – we are doing a Viennese Ball in October – they are really fun!) You might want to look at Rolands or other keyboards that have lots of strange sounds, but we have come full circle back to 7 simple piano sounds. We stil have others that have all the splits and Outer Space stuff – but we are fussier about action and response.
You are going to have SO MUCH FUN and learn SO MUCH – fasten you seat belt, this is a thrill ride!