Piano/keyboard - need to learn

[jay ratkowski]

I feel like trying to learn piano again. *I have a real bad adult beginner book that teaches you stuff like Jingle Bells... it's real depressing. *My sight reading is fair, but not good enough to follow tough chord changes or anything. *So I guess I need a beginner-intermediate book. *Any suggestions are welcome. *I suppose I should start with a beginner book since I haven't bothered trying to play in ages... but intermediate recomendations would be good so I have something to work up to.

[Devine]

Try some Bach chorales. *Start with one line, then add the other three. *Listen to some Glen Gould Bach; he makes each line of counterpoint "stand out". *Figure out the chords and their relationship as you go and you kill multiple birds with one stone.

-Devin

[Jay Satriani]

What kind of style are you looking to play.... If you're in to Jazz stuff and so, i can post a few nice things that will really help you get the cords together... I have been playing quite alot now that my wrist is f*cked up you know...

(Edited by Jay Satriani at 6:05 pm on Jan. 8, 2002)

[jay ratkowski]

I really want to play anything. *I'm not that concerned with classical... because I'm just not dedicated enough to really get into it... but some jazz, rock whatever. *I'll try any style for now until I can get started... and then eventually focus on whatever I like.

[Jay Satriani]

Ok, then i can recomend you start doing some scale/sequence exercises...
For example, if you are in C major, the pattern looks like this..

C D E F G A B C
1 2 *3 1 2 3 *4 1

If you are not going further up, or if you are turning and going down again, the last 1 is swapped with a 5..

Right hand
1 = Thumb - 5 *= Pinky

A good way of becoming gr8 at cordings is to learn this 2-5-1 aproach that i was learned by my keyboard teacher... A 2-5-1 in C major = *2- Dm7 *5- G7 *1- CMaj7
And to play these cords with the least possible motion, and at the same time, with some nice colourings added, it is played like this:

Left hand plays the bass tone, Right hand plays the cord.

-------------------------------------------------------
2- Dm9
Left hand: D
Right Hand: F - A - C - E

5- G13 (notice, the only thing moving in RH is C -> B)
Left hand: G
Right Hand: F - A - B - E

1- CMaj9
Left Hand: C
Right Hand: E - G - B - D
------------------------------------------------------------

Now were home at CMaj7... Now were gonna turn this 1 into the new 2.. The E is lowered a half step, and so is the B... The new 2 looks like this:

----------------------------------------------------------------
2- Cm9
Left hand: C
Right Hand: Eb - G - Bb - D

5- F13 (notice, the only thing moving in RH is Bb -> A)
Left hand: F
Right Hand: Eb - G - A - D

1- BbMaj9
Left Hand: C
Right Hand: D - F - A - C
------------------------------------------------------------------

Now you do the same thing here, and continue doing this pattern, and turning each new 1 into a 2 until you have reached CMaj7 once again... Then you have covered 7 of the 12 *2-5-1's... Thats 7x3 cords...

If you think the cords are a bit wide, there is one other way to lay theese same cords... Just take the upper two cord tones, and move them down one octave... Like this:

-------------------------------------------------------
2- Dm9
Left hand: D
Right Hand: *C - E - F - A

5- G13 (notice, the only thing moving in RH is C -> B)
Left hand: G
Right Hand: *B - E - F - A

1- CMaj9
Left Hand: C
Right Hand: *B - D - E - G
------------------------------------------------------------

If you have any questions about any of this, or anything alse, just ask...

[Al M]

Dont spoze anyone knows of any schools anyhting like Berkley in the UK?


Cheers

Al M

[welshpete]

As a guitar player, the biggest asset you bring to piano playing is probably chord theory and knowledge.
I learnt Piano first, but was lucky enough to have a teacher who spent WAY longer on chords that others I know, and by doing so gave me a good footing for both keys and piano.

I play almost entirely by ear (still managed to blag my way through plenty of piano exams!) and have a very lazy left hand....

As stated above the things you could do with practising are dependent on what you are likely to play. Since I play mostly rock/pop stuff in bands; chords and a decent solo here and there are the main proviso. However if you are going down the jazz path be prepared for some fairly hectic extensions on those chords....


Pete