[Matty UK]

Hello,

I have been able to play piano/keyboard for about 3 years now, but only very slightly, by this i mean, it takes me quite long to learn pieces, i cant sight read and i cant make both hands do something different with out practise.

My goal is to be able to sightread well, use boths hands at the same time, playing different things and to be able to compose my own pop music.

So my question is, what sets of chords should i learn first (major, minor, etc.)?
What are scales used for in playing piano, and which ones i should learn first.
Some good finger exercises so i can train my hands to do different things.
And some good tips/exercises for sight reading


Sorry this thread is so long, i hope someone can help me!!

Thanks
Matty

[Matty UK]

Surley out of all these piano teachers and players someone can help me?

[Gill the Piano]

Well, for a start, keyboard is a different beastie to the piano - I know nothing about all the bells and whistles on those gizmos, really! But you said it yourself - you need a teacher. It's too huge a subject for us to throw random ideas at you, and we can't really tell how much you know already. As a rough guide, the Complete Piano Player is the book I always recommend to adult beginners. It's by Kenneth Baker, comes in 6 individual books (or all 6 in one big one), doesn't talk down to you, doesn't go too fast and uses songs you know (Abba, Elvis, Beatles) so you know when you've gone wrong. If you went to a teacher - even for one lesson - they'd be able to evaluate your level, find out what you're practising on, and point you in the right direction. I'm sure you'd be able to find a teacher who would give you a one-off lesson on that basis. Good luck!

[austin]

hi Matty,

I agree with Gill. Keyboards and Piano are different.
I used to play keyboards, and I have met a lot of other players that actually can't sightread! They improvise pretty much everything they play. I'm a bit like that but I am starting to improve with piano.

It's not possible to tell you where to start and which scales to practice (personally I'm lazy when it comes to practicing scales!) because everyone learns in different ways- and you just need to work on areas relevent to you.

A good way of learning to play piano is just to start with pieces you like, that you find slightly challenging but playable (play them as they are written and not how you think they should sound)
Once you get confident with following music, you could try pieces that you don't know.
Seperate hands practice is often very helpful

[Gill the Piano]

There - I knew someone would turn up who knows about keyboards! I saw a good book in a customer's house the other day - it was called 'Keyquest' and seemed to be one of a series ...by David someone, I think. It taught using chords, (which is how most keyboard players in bands play) as well as the notes. Sorry I can't remember more details, but it's Friday and I'm old and stupid....!