Teaching myself piano.

I'm starting to teach myself piano and I've found that it's rather easy if you already have experience with other instruments. To find out the notes, I played the note on my saxophone, then started pressing random keys until I found that tone on the piano. Then I would memorize it bytelling myself "This is the * white key on the piano" or "This is the * black key on the piano". For instance, I memorized "Bb"(G on Saxophone) by telling myself "Bb is the 6th black key on the piano". Right now I'm pretty good with playing a piece on my left hand, then playing a piece on right hand, but what I need to work on now is playing them at the same time. Also, does anybody know of any sites that would have online chord sheets or something like that?

If you want to play the piano, I'd suggest you learn to recognize notes on the piano based on their position on the keyboard. For instance, learn that there are alternating groups of 2 and 3 black keys. C is at the left of the group of 2, E at the right of that same group, and that F is at the left of the group of 3, and B at the right. Once you know the white keys, it's easy to give meaning to the black keys...

Also you'll see that in order to play the piano, you need to learn two clefs: treble (G) and bass (F) and that you need to learn how to achieve independence of hands. This is hard (it was hard for me at least).

Unless you're really gifted, I'd recommend you seek out a piano teacher who will be able to introduce you gradually to this wonderful instrument.

Raphael

If you want to play the piano, I'd suggest you learn to recognize notes on the piano based on their position on the keyboard. For instance, learn that there are alternating groups of 2 and 3 black keys. C is at the left of the group of 2, E at the right of that same group, and that F is at the left of the group of 3, and B at the right. Once you know the white keys, it's easy to give meaning to the black keys...

Also you'll see that in order to play the piano, you need to learn two clefs: treble (G) and bass (F) and that you need to learn how to achieve independence of hands. This is hard (it was hard for me at least).

Unless you're really gifted, I'd recommend you seek out a piano teacher who will be able to introduce you gradually to this wonderful instrument.

Raphael

Thanks for the advice. Having played bass in jazz band, I'm pretty good at reading bass clef, and having played saxophone in concert band, I'm pretty good with treble clef. Learning independence of the hands does seem like it'll be hard, but if I practice a lot I should eventually get it. Reading both clefs at the same time will also be challenging. As for learning the keys, I'm currently just memorizing them by there place on the piano. I'm thinking about memorizing them by clef. For instance "C is the first white key on the bass clef" where as "C#" is really the first note on the treble clef. Then you have middle C, which is the last note on the bass clef, and first note on the treble clef.

..."C" is the first white key on the bass clef where as "C#" is really the first note on the treble clef.

explain please. :)

explain please. :)

Easy Middle C is the highest note on the bass clef, while it is the lowest note on the treble clef. That's why it's called Middle C, it's in the middle of the bass and treble clefs.

Easy Middle C is the highest note on the bass clef, while it is the lowest note on the treble clef. That's why it's called Middle C, it's in the middle of the bass and treble clefs.

Oh....really? Neat. Music is SO complicated sometimes.

Now, what I wanted you to explain was THIS:

..."C" is the first white key on the bass clef where as "C#" is really the first note on the treble clef.

:)

Young Prodigy said:

I'm starting to teach myself piano and I've found that it's rather easy if you already have experience with other instruments. To find out the notes, I played the note on my saxophone, then started pressing random keys until I found that tone on the piano. Then I would memorize it bytelling myself "This is the * white key on the piano" or "This is the * black key on the piano". For instance, I memorized "Bb"(G on Saxophone) by telling myself "Bb is the 6th black key on the piano". Right now I'm pretty good with playing a piece on my left hand, then playing a piece on right hand, but what I need to work on now is playing them at the same time. Also, does anybody know of any sites that would have online chord sheets or something like that?

Woah, woah, woah! You do not sound like you are going about this the right way. It really depends on how well and how much you hope to be able to play for you to call it easy. If you just want to learn how to play the simplified version of Pachelbel's Canon on the piano then I suppose once you reach that goal (and you don't want to go any further) then you could say that learning what you wanted to learn was easy. But if you REALLY want to learn to REALLY play the piano then it could turn out to be a lifelong journey. And sorry, but right now you are headed for not being a very good pianist. You need to learn how to read the sheet music. I cannot stand pianists who play only by ear. This guessing game that you are playing is not the way to be doing it.

Ok, now I think I can quote myself:

Hmmmmm, I will get back to you on that quote. I cannot seem to find it.

That was litle anticlimactic :horrified:

Woah, woah, woah, woah, woah! You do not sound like you are going about this the right way. I have some advice, but I have alrady given this to someone a while ago so I will quote myself instead of retype a really long post. However, I have just one or two things to say that apply directly to you . First, it really depends on how well and how much you hope to be able to play for yout o call it easy. If you just want to learn how to play the simplified version of Pachelbel's Canon on the piano then I suppose once you reach that goal (and you don't want to go any further) then you could say that learning what you wanted to learn was easy. But if you REALLY want to learn to REALLY play the piano then it could turn out to be a lifelong journey. And sorry, but right now you are headed for not being a very good pianist. You need to learn how to read the sheet music. I cannot stand pianists who play only by ear. This guessing game that you are playing is not the way to be doing it. Ok, now I think I can quote myself:

Hmmmmm, I will get back to you on that quote. I cannot seem to find it.

I can read sheet music, nobody said I was playing by ear.

Yeah, I know. But I think that somehow some of my very first posts have been deleted or at least they are not showing up in my posting history. If I cannot find it because of that then I will not ever be able to post the quote. :laugh:

Mind reposting? :P

To find out the notes, I played the note on my saxophone, then started pressing random keys until I found that tone on the piano.

and a few posts later

I can read sheet music, nobody said I was playing by ear.

Wooooaaah.... That's some contradiction there.

The most easy way to learn how to read notes is simply this: the note on which the treble cleff is placed on (second line from the bottom) is a G note above middle C, and the note on which the bass note is placed (second from top) is the F note below middle C. Everything else is self-explaining.

Read this and you've got yourself a start

On-Line Piano Lessons

I taught myself to play the piano also. I had played (and taught myself) 6 instruments prior to that, and they didn't help me with piano other than I already could read music and I knew the difference between the bass and treble clef. The way I taught myself to recognize notes on the keyboard is to find middle C on the piano and go from there. Learn from scales and such first, don't go right into playing pieces. If you are going to jump right into playing pieces, learn the two parts seperately, master them, then try to put them together. Until you get really good at sight reading it would be extremely confusing and could actually be a set back in your learning for you to try to do both at once.

Good luck :o

and a few posts later

Wooooaaah.... That's some contradiction there.

The most easy way to learn how to read notes is simply this: the note on which the treble cleff is placed on (second line from the bottom) is a G note above middle C, and the note on which the bass note is placed (second from top) is the F note below middle C. Everything else is self-explaining.

Dude, I already play two instruments and have been in jazz band, and concert band, trust me I KNOW HOW TO READ MUSIC. I play by ear to figure out which notes are which on the actual piano, but I already know how to read sheet music. Get it? I know where everything is on the sheet music, but I'm trying to learn which notes are which on the actual piano. So I know where "G" is on the treble and bass clef, but I'm trying to figure out where it is on the piano. Basically, I can read sheet music, I just don't where the corresponding notes are on the piano.

I'm surprised that you thought hand independence might be easy. Anyway, its not.

I'm actualy self taught. But I'm a smart self taught guy. So really I ended up looking up and researching all the things a piano teacher would teach me anyway. There really isn't a more efficent way than to take lessons from a competent person. If you self teach you just end up having to learn the same things anyway, or you don't realize that you need to learn them and never become any good.

You sound like you have a good enough musical background to know how to look up the important things.

I'd suggest Bach's inventions for hand independence though.

I wouldn't advise teaching yourself piano either I'm afraid. I did it and what happened was I got the normal finger pattern all wrong and had to re-learn to play it because it was getting to difficult to play playing it the way I was doing it. Now I'm fine at it after I got a teacher but honestly I wouldn't reccomend learning piano alone. It may seem easy now but when the difficulty level gets cranked up a notch all those little problems which didn't seem so big before become major hindrances. If you get a teacher you'll be fine. Also the way you play it (unless you are playing a keyboard without touch sensitivity) effects the control you have over dynamics and effects. I found it much easier the proper way.

Huh, I still havent had any problems with "improper fingering."

You remember what the specific difficulty for you was?

Generally I was just having to use messed up and contorted hand positions to reach notes and concentrating too much of my playing around 3 fingers (this was ages ago by the way lol I'm much better now). It seemed easier to begin with doing it the wrong way but it became very inpractical later on. I'm dispraxic which doesn't help with learning these things alone either. In all fairness though I didn't do as much research into playing as you did and did the sort of "guess the note" method. If I'd got a book and researched it as you did it probably would have been fine. You should definitely research it young prodigy. Doing nothing ends up in painful hand positions lol.

i taught myself how to play piano. and yes, it's much easier if you know how to play another instrument. I know how to play the violin, so I know how to read music, however, im weaker in the bass clef because violin reads only the treble. however, i adapted quite quickly to reading bass clef by knowing the relationship between bass clef and treble. Learning where each key was on the piano was easy also, because once you know the location of one note you can figure out the others and as you play more, those locations will eventually lock into your memory. The only thing i'm missing from piano is technique. Fingerings, positions, form, etc. Things that trip me up when im practicing is rythm. Sometimes, theres a weird rythm in the left hand and right hand is doing somthing else. Similar to playing drums, where each one of your hands and feet are doing something different. my brain has to adjust, for trained pianists i'm sure that's not a problem, but for me i have to play it a dozen times to get it. Currently, i've taught myself to play Joe Hisaishi's "Ashitaka and San" and i'm working on a solo piano piece that i think is more difficult than i can play.

I hate bass clef. Why is there more than one clef? And why do pianists have to read two clefs at once?

When I applied to do my diploma, the audition included sightreading a simple string quartet score, so one had 3 different clefs to read on 4 staves. It's something that comes with practice.

Jerry Dale-Roberts, one of my comp teachers could adequately sightread an orchestral score enough to run through his students' scores at the piano, transpositions and all.

I hate bass clef. Why is there more than one clef? And why do pianists have to read two clefs at once?

Simply put there is more than one clef because the notes either go lower or higher than the one clef can handle. If you had to put all low notes on the treble clef then you would use seven million ledger lines and it would be impossible to read. It would also be completely impratical for the composer and the publisher because those ledger line would run all over the place and make the score messy.

The piano is the perfect instrument because it mirrors the grand staff. Middle c on the piano is the point at which the treble clef turns to bass cleff. Also, the amount of keys in an octave on the piano matches the amount of notes between one not and the same note one octave higher or lower. In an octave the keys mirror all of the staff. It works perfectly and it is such a wonderfully organized system.

Now, you will get used to both clefs and at least three ledger lines off of the stave in any direction. In other words, in a little bit of time you should be able to sight read almost all notes that you encounter on a regular basis. You will also start to see both clefs as a whole instead of two separate things that you have to read separately. It will become second nature. But it just takes time. If you don't have it yet dont worry. If you practice hard then you will get it.

I havent started tackeling bass clef much yet...

But don't the notes fit differently on the ledger line? Thats what I don't get. It seems like you should be able to have a low octave and high octave version of the same clef. And E on the higher clef should be on the same place as an E on the lower clef. It just seems weird that the position of the notes is different.

Theres actually a good chance I don't know what I'm talking about, so correct me if need be.