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Forums > Music: Keyboards

Piano Lessons

plungerboy	Date: August 15, 2006 @ 6:14 AM I just grabbed myself a brand new Roland Juno-D synth and am very happy with it. The problem is that I dont really know how to play. I'd like to know whether it's better to get lessons from someone or to learn by myself and which internet resources could help. I have searched on google and i was overwhelmed by results. Any help?
HenriRoger	Date: August 15, 2006 @ 7:36 AM It's better to take lessons . Not necessary classsical music lessons . A private music teacher would check what you like as music styles , what you already know in music theory ,and woul help you to learn what ou need . One year with a teacher would give you good directions that you could continue with on your own .
EvilPicnic	Date: August 15, 2006 @ 8:10 AM Yes, lessons are much better than just teaching yourself, especially at the beginning. A good teacher should be a guide to your own learning - you need to take your progress into your own hands and use whatever resources are available to you, but with the guidance of someone more experienced than yourself. A teacher will correct the errors in technique at the beginning as they occur, which is much easier than attempting to correct yourself at a later date when you know better but the bad habits are ingrained.
dennbb	Date: August 15, 2006 @ 4:05 PM yeah i got a new brand new keyboard too.i never use it !
HenriRoger	Date: August 15, 2006 @ 6:16 PM This never stops playing a Dm kind of arpeggio
plungerboy	Date: August 16, 2006 @ 5:30 AM Thanx for the quick replies, iv been winging most of most my musical knowledge so far, and am used to teaching myself, but i guess a teacher is a better alternative. Id really like to learn classical music, seeing as some of the songs I wanna learn are classical.
GreatGooglyM...	Date: August 17, 2006 @ 11:17 AM My personal opinion is that you don't learn anything special in the lessons. If you do enough research of the correct practice principles and routines, you'll learn better than with most of the teachers. The fact of the matter is that, if you don't go to a respected music school, it's hard to get a proficient teacher who knows his shit. Because, if you get a bad teahcer, you're going to waste your money and your playing will get only worse. If you have a good self-discipline and you know what you're doing, then I suggest teaching yourself. Nowadays it's easy to get access to sheet music as well.
HenriRoger	Date: August 17, 2006 @ 11:51 AM We're talking about piano here not electric guitar ... lol .
GreatGooglyM...	Date: August 18, 2006 @ 9:57 AM Doesn't really matter.
HenriRoger	Date: August 18, 2006 @ 1:19 PM It was just a provocation for you
INoxx	Date: August 20, 2006 @ 5:47 PM hihi sacré roger
Rikki27	Date: August 21, 2006 @ 2:49 PM Teachers are better if u wanna learn chords and theory, etc. But if u wanna learn songs n that, id recommend self teaching and resources from the net
sqrlcub	Date: August 21, 2006 @ 3:40 PM Lessons help you progress faster than without. Also, an impartial person (aka the teacher) will be able to guide and fix mistakes that you have from technique to actual notes quicker than you may catch on your own. It doesn't mean that you should only learn your music in the lessons, you still have to practice and be proactive. It sounds like greatgooglymoogly got burned somewhere along the lines and is bitter. If you search for a teacher, make sure it is someone that you like and respect. Don't just settle for the first one that you find, search for the right one.
GeneHilbert	Date: August 21, 2006 @ 4:39 PM Learning from qualified instructors or highly skilled players will save you years of fumbling around in the dark........ They will point you in the right directions on technique, theory, reading, instruments, instrumental maintenance and history. They can be an unlimited resource of musical styles and compositions that you have no idea even exist.
perkie1973	Date: September 2, 2007 @ 8:12 AM Very informative forum....
leedsquietman	Date: September 2, 2007 @ 9:45 AM I have never taken a lesson from anyone for guitar and piano/keyboards. I bought a chord book for guitar and taught myself. I'm lucky that I have a reasonable natural sense of rhythm and a pretty high boredom/frustration threshold ! I am proud of the fact that I compose and record my music and picked up chords and scales etc just through my own experience and although I can read music (slowly) I just have a knack of being able to play by ear so much better. I started on guitar and was able to translate the chords and runs/scales to keyboard almost right away - my keyboard playing is a bit out of leftfield because of this but I have brushed it up with practice and consider myself a fair rock/pop keyboard player but would NEVER credit myself as being able to sit down and play classical or jazz. But I can still do some fancy sh*t on occasion. However, I'm not recommending anyone go totally solo, I really had the drive and desire and it has taken me years. My parents could not afford lessons so I did it for myself. I also have limitations to my playing caused by not seeing professional teachers and their techniques and advice. If I could find time and money, I might like to get some lessons too, don't ever think you can't learn anything in music, what I can do and know is such a drop in the ocean.
zedsalt	Date: September 2, 2007 @ 10:33 AM This is essentially the same discussion we've had countless times already regarding theory vs. intuition. Since I've already expressed my opinion that there are as many different personally perfect balances between the two as there are musicians, I'd just like to point out that beginner level lessons aren't a bad way of finding that balance. If you find you have a hard time imagining making music without the framework that theory provides,then by all means, stick with the lessons. If you start feeling like theory is encumbering rather than enabling you, let your instructor know (no need to hurt anyone's feelings here), and quit the lessons. I really believe it's just that simple.
HenriRoger	Date: September 3, 2007 @ 6:23 AM I've been teaching how to play the piano , guitar, drums to hundreeds of persons since 25 years . The majority of them wanted to learn to play hits they liked , not to learn how music is made ,how to compose , how to improvise ... So when talking about music lessons we should make a difference bettween this and getting some knowledge about harmony ,rythm , styles ; wich helps when you're creative .
perkie1973	Date: September 4, 2007 @ 5:47 PM Please keep this forum going. I'm taking lesson now to learn how to compose and to better communicate with other musicians.
celtaidd	Date: September 4, 2007 @ 8:43 PM I've been playing guitar on and off for about 30 years, I can play my own tunes quite well(as far as my ears say anyway) But I must admit, I wish I'd teken lessons
celtaidd	Date: September 4, 2007 @ 8:44 PM Addenda: because I only record things that I can actually do. Ask Me to do a cover and I'm buggered
Mahjix	Date: September 5, 2007 @ 4:29 AM I believe it's better to teach yourself than to have a teacher simply because the thousand dollar things they tell you are the priceless things you can find in a book or online.
DaveWL	Date: September 5, 2007 @ 5:59 AM I think you can learn scales, chords, songs from a book or by ear if you happen to be blessed with a good one. What’s harder to pick up without a teacher are good techniques and it’s easy to develop bad habits. Good techniques will help you maximize your performance potential.
HenriRoger	Date: September 5, 2007 @ 6:21 AM I'll let classical music appart , cause it's quite impossible to play it well without learning with lessons . All musics that can be played by ear , trads , blues , all the 3 chords stuff, and even more complex pop don't need a wide musical theory knowledge . This is the you got it or not, thing ... Still it's realy possible for less skilled people to learn how to play it and become good amateurs and enjoy playing it . Among these persons many buy books and don't know how to choose them and how to use them , they decide later to have lessons with a teacher and things go much better . Taking about more complex stuff : jazz , prog , anything involving a real instrument nice playing with creative improvisation soloing, this needs much more knowledge . Most of the great jazzmen went through classical studies first when they where young . Now , anyone able to make music many hours a day for many years , by himself , can do something great too , because of the passion , because it's vital . When you love music why would'nt you like to know more about how it's made , be curious about how others make it ?
zedsalt	Date: September 5, 2007 @ 10:40 AM Perkie mentioned something that I've run into, the difficulty in communicating with other, better educated, musicians. If I give a moment's thought to what I'm creating as I'm creating it, it's like turning off a switch. Suddenly, I'm completely and utterly crippled. But I have to admit that it would be nice to be able to avoid that AND explain what I just created.
zedsalt	Date: September 5, 2007 @ 10:54 AM Draskull's wife is a former piano/theory instructor and a vast depository of music knowledge. If I remember right, she has even released instructional videos. I was over at justinother1's and sweettemptation's house a few nights ago, and Jus' played some keyboard improvs done by a gent he works with. I was struck by just how similar his co-worker's tracks were to Draskull's wife's, even though he doesn't know a bit of theory. It's like I've said in these forums...well, probably more times than good taste would allow...the important thing seems to be recognizing theory's importance or lack thereof to oneSELF.