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AlphaDog posted:Can you (or anyone) elaborate on the "using your arm" thing? Just to change positions left/right or is it more than that? Yeah it's just saying your arms will be moving away from the central home postion they would be located at when typing. Keep arms at roughly the same height and finger angle as on a computer keyboard, but instead of rotating your wrist to hit adjacent keys you just shift your whole arm over a bit.
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Dec 6, 2015 02:45
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Also, try to think of force on the keys coming from the natural weight of your arm dropping, not pushing from your fingers.
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Dec 6, 2015 04:17
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RandomCheese posted:instead of rotating your wrist to hit adjacent keys you just shift your whole arm over a bit. Stoppped rotating my wrists, problem solved. Rastor posted:Also, try to think of force on the keys coming from the natural weight of your arm dropping, not pushing from your fingers. I'll try to keep this in mind. I'm sure it'll just click after a while, but it feels really unnatural after guitar. Thanks everyone!
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Dec 6, 2015 08:13
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My friend has asked me to play at the reception for his wedding. Any ideas for must know songs I should learn?
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Dec 6, 2015 14:26
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I hope this is the right thread to ask in. So I'm learning Chopin's étude op. 25 no. 1. Is there a reason why there are many parts where it requires your thumbs to cross each other? One example I can point out is here: Would it make a difference (other than it being way easier) to just switch the Db and the Bb between the hands? Maybe with that very example, I can sort of understand the voicing and keeping it consistent since the right hand continually returns to that Bb throughout that measure. But here's another example that I just don't get:  What's the point of playing the Eb in the left hand when the right hand plays the Db? The left hand is perfectly capable of playing the 7th of that chord (the Db), but the right hand has to for some reason? Or this one:  What's the purpose of the left hand reaching for that high F and the right hand to reach for that low D only to have those same exact notes switch hands the very next beat?
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Dec 7, 2015 23:44
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Yoshi Jjang posted:I hope this is the right thread to ask in. So I'm learning Chopin's étude op. 25 no. 1. Is there a reason why there are many parts where it requires your thumbs to cross each other? One example I can point out is here: Sometimes music is just artistic, not doing things for a strictly logical reason. I'm guessing the composer liked the idea of the patterns crossing over each other. Also composers were also performers and sometimes they liked to show off with fancy finger work. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dguJshJWkZY
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Dec 8, 2015 16:38
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Rastor posted:Sometimes music is just artistic, not doing things for a strictly logical reason. In the example above it does seem a bit silly to have the thumbs cross over by a note when you're playing it but if you look at the clefs separately it would be kinda weird to have an E-flat arpeggio ending in a D-flat.
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Dec 8, 2015 20:49
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God I fucking love Diablo 3 gold, it even paid for this shitty title
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25 no.1 is an exercise in doing overlapping and differently rhythmed arpeggios in each hand (arpeggios in general to be honest), so that's why you have crossivers in it when it would be technically eaasier to play the innermost note of each arpeggio with the opposite hand.
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Dec 8, 2015 21:16
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megalodong posted:25 no.1 is an exercise in doing overlapping and differently rhythmed arpeggios in each hand (arpeggios in general to be honest), so that's why you have crossivers in it when it would be technically eaasier to play the innermost note of each arpeggio with the opposite hand. I don't want to sound like an rear end, but can I get a source on this? I'm legitimately curious. I'm learning off the Cortot edition, and it doesn't mention anything about overlapping fingers at all (oddly enough), let alone offer any exercises on such.
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Dec 8, 2015 21:30
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Yoshi Jjang posted:I don't want to sound like an rear end, but can I get a source on this? I'm legitimately curious. I'm learning off the Cortot edition, and it doesn't mention anything about overlapping fingers at all (oddly enough), let alone offer any exercises on such. Sorry, should have thrown an "imo" in there. For me, I just found it hardest to maintain that sort of "wash" of evenly dynamic notes during the sections where the hands played over each other. There's no source that says that explicitely, beyond the usual "this needs great evenness of touch, dexterity" etc.
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Dec 8, 2015 23:03
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Yoshi Jjang posted:I don't want to sound like an rear end, but can I get a source on this? I'm legitimately curious. I'm learning off the Cortot edition, and it doesn't mention anything about overlapping fingers at all (oddly enough), let alone offer any exercises on such. The problem with playing those notes with the opposite hands is that the phrasing becomes jarring. It's very, very difficult to blend that in the way it's supposed to sound and significantly easier to simply cross your thumbs than it is to get the evenness and phrasing that is desired in the piece, especially considering it's pace and tone. Formally, it's obviously an exercise is voicing, touch and control, but cheating the fingering is folly and a trained ear will almost certainly be able to pick that out, so I guess you can make an argument that it requires a specific fingering and demands you to practice it!
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Dec 19, 2015 11:02
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What's the prevailing thought on group lessons vs one on one for someone who's just beginning? I'm trying to self-teach but I think I can see myself picking up some awful habits really quickly, and I'm having a hard time figuring out a learning regimen so I'm willing to pay for lessons for a few months to get my feet on the ground. Obviously individual lessons are going to be "better" but are group a complete waste of time, or is it really dependant on the class and teacher? I'm trying to find something downtown Toronto and I'm seeing some group classes. Going to keep looking but I'm hoping to start early in the new year.
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Dec 23, 2015 01:23
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Martytoof posted:What's the prevailing thought on group lessons vs one on one for someone who's just beginning? I started out this previous semester in a group of 14-15 (attending college and had time in the schedule to fill). The teacher was good and it was great for me as someone just starting out, but I quickly outpaced the rest of the class (who were mostly freshmen who didn't actually care about learning piano) and am definitely not as far as I would have been after an equal time in an individual scenario. The teacher basically forced me to sign up for individual lessons with her next semester.  Having been in the same (or at least very similar) situation 4 months ago, I'd say that group lessons are fine for starting out if individual lessons would be significantly more expensive or inconvenient. If you're truly motivated to keep learning and playing long-term, I wouldn't recommend doing group stuff for more than one or *maybe* two semesters because there's a good chance you'll end up feeling held back. Just my two cents; good luck with the lessons! 
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Dec 23, 2015 02:08
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Is anyone here able to make some specific gear recommendations for a Canadian? My parents took it on themselves to grant me $2000CAD as a Christmas gift toward buying an electric piano since I've been talking about it for some time. I have a background in guitar and a little theory. Because I'm in Newfoundland (i.e. middle of nowhere), we don't have much in the way of music stores and the best selection is at Long & McQuade, but I'm open to buying from anywhere in the country and having it shipped to me. Having only dabbled in crappy non-weighted keyboards in the past, I'm not really sure where to even start being given enough to buy a legitimate instrument like this. This will be my tool to explore piano for years to come so I really need to make this purchase count.
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Dec 26, 2015 21:31
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Argyle Gargoyle posted:This will be my tool to explore piano for years to come so I really need to make this purchase count. I'd think about getting a real piano. You could find a used one for that (or close to that) amount, while conversely if you buy the fanciest keyboard you can for that amount it won't feel great. I was in the same boat as you a few years ago and outgrew my keyboard really quickly. Check my previous posts in this thread. The only benefit was that it was easy to sell and I got a good price for it. So 
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Dec 26, 2015 22:00
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kedo posted:I'd think about getting a real piano. I'm renting in a place that makes that impossible, sadly. Hopefully someday.
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Dec 26, 2015 22:13
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I've been quite happy with my Kawai CA67 (which looks to be over your price range), but I haven't had experience with their other key actions that come in their cheaper digital pianos so I'd be recommending the brand through a halo effect alone.
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Dec 27, 2015 15:21
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I heard a cover of Mother Nature's Son by Joel Frahm and Brad Mehldau a few weeks ago and decided it was something I wanted to transcribe and mess around with. Little did I know that it would basically cause most of the fingers on my left hand to snap off.  Here's a small section I riffed on and recorded although I'd like to record the entire thing at some point when I have the patience for it. It's a very frustrating piece and even this has tons of mistakes and technique goofs. https://soundcloud.com/gowhatyourself/mns On Terra Firma fucked around with this message at 01:52 on Dec 28, 2015 |
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Dec 27, 2015 23:04
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FirstPlayer posted:I started out this previous semester in a group of 14-15 (attending college and had time in the schedule to fill). The teacher was good and it was great for me as someone just starting out, but I quickly outpaced the rest of the class (who were mostly freshmen who didn't actually care about learning piano) and am definitely not as far as I would have been after an equal time in an individual scenario. The teacher basically forced me to sign up for individual lessons with her next semester. Great, thanks so much for the feedback. I'm going to go ahead with the group classes in January I think. Worst case I figure out that I really need individual lessons, slog through the group lessons, and move to private. I don't think individual lessons are necessarily price prohibitive, but I'm holding out to get some referrals since there are quite a few to choose from. I'm hoping that after group lessons I will know what better to look for. Plus, to be brutally honest, I'm feeling a little intimidated learning one on one. I can't really explain why; I feel like I might do better once I know SOME of the basics.
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Dec 27, 2015 23:48
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Martytoof posted:Great, thanks so much for the feedback. I'm going to go ahead with the group classes in January I think. Worst case I figure out that I really need individual lessons, slog through the group lessons, and move to private. I definitely felt the same way about one-on-one teaching before signing up; being in a group class really hammers home that everyone starts out lovely and that you almost definitely aren't the worst (or best) student they've had. My teacher forced us to have the volume turned all the way up so we got to learn pretty quickly to just chuckle at ourselves and move on when we screwed up 'publicly.'
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Dec 28, 2015 22:20
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Argyle Gargoyle posted:Is anyone here able to make some specific gear recommendations for a Canadian? Generally the advice is to try out as many different models as you can so you can really get a feel for them, but I'm not sure how much that applies if you've never played before. Are you working with a teacher?
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Dec 29, 2015 03:30
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hey aspiring pianists, don't pay attention to the Alkan dick-sucking in the op. he's got a couple good pieces but most of his music is quite generic and not great, just hard. not memorable at all. Liszt is much better for Romantic virtuoso stuff as he actually does things melodically and motivically. he's got some virtuosic duds too but many more good pieces than Alkan. Also if you really are serious about piano, and I mean in a "I want to perform Beethoven in front of people" way not a "I want to learn a pop song to get laid" way, either buy a real piano or have some place where you can practice on one. When learning it is much easier to go from a real piano to a keyboard than vice-versa. might sound like a snob but every weighted keys electric I've ever tried has felt terrible and is not comparable to a real piano. that said there are 'silent acoustics' and hybrids out there that use real full actions, haven't tried one but those would most likely be fine. expensive though, looks like yamaha's start at 14k or so. oh and if anyone's looking at getting an affordable-ish grand, I'd probably recommend a 6' or so k. kawai. i wasn't impressed with them in the past but i've recently played on a couple that have been fixed up and revoiced and they were great, light touch and nice sound. definitely talk to a pro about how much that stuff would cost though, you're most likely looking at 4 digits.
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Dec 29, 2015 08:59
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are there any recommended resources for returning pianists? I played for 11-12 years as a kid and sat for a handful of MTAC's certification exams, but it's been so long I can't even sight read anymore. I've got access to a huge library of baroque/classical/romantic stuff but diving straight into the deep end seems like a bad idea. Do I grab my old copies of Hanon/Well Tempered Clavier and just start over?
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Jan 1, 2016 00:05
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JohnnyTreachery posted:are there any recommended resources for returning pianists? I think it's thirty days from purchase, but you might want to double check on that. Store credit only if you didn't keep the receipt.
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Jan 1, 2016 00:26
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JohnnyTreachery posted:are there any recommended resources for returning pianists? I played for 11-12 years as a kid and sat for a handful of MTAC's certification exams, but it's been so long I can't even sight read anymore. I've got access to a huge library of baroque/classical/romantic stuff but diving straight into the deep end seems like a bad idea. If you try to start "at the beginning" you'll probably find more comes back to you than you expect. Try it out and make note of what specifically you're struggling with.
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Jan 1, 2016 01:22
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If I'm using a midi controller/keyboard like a Yamaha P-45 to mostly play simple stuff I'm writing into FL Studio/Ableton/Finale or to just jam on for fun, the 64 polyphony should be more than enough right?
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Jan 1, 2016 08:47
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Weird BIAS posted:If I'm using a midi controller/keyboard like a Yamaha P-45 to mostly play simple stuff I'm writing into FL Studio/Ableton/Finale or to just jam on for fun, the 64 polyphony should be more than enough right? If you use it just as a MIDI controller then the polyphony of the unit isn't relevant, it only applies to how many concurrent sounds the keyboards internal audio processor can handle. If used to control other software with a daw then the polyphony will probably be CPU dependant, but likely to be a huge number you'll never hit. edit: Even if you stayed in-unit the internal 64 limit is pretty high for most styles of playing, unless you manage to hit another 63 notes in the few seconds after the first one is pressed then you'll never notice any sounds being cut off. Gym Leader Barack fucked around with this message at 10:25 on Jan 1, 2016 |
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Jan 1, 2016 10:15
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Good to know! Is the P-45 my best option for a weighted keyboard that outputs usb/midi then? I'm basically tired of not having access to a real piano and my (semi weighted?) M-audio keystation 61 (I think, bought it new in 08) doesn't feel right to me.
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Jan 1, 2016 10:24
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I'd lean towards a hammer action keyboard instead of just weighted keys, I have a Casio PX-150 (which is roughly equivalent to the P-45 price wise) and it's a lot closer to the feel of a real piano than anything weighted can replicate.
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Jan 1, 2016 10:32
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Sorry just checking but is that from personal experience playing it? To quote Yamaha's website, "Yamaha's GHS (Graded Hammer Standard) weighted action has heavier touch in the low end and lighter touch in the high end, just like the hammers inside an acoustic piano. " Are you referring to something different?
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Jan 1, 2016 11:28
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I haven't played the P-45 but it lists the specs as weighted keys so I'm pretty sure they just use spring tension internally to mimic the weight of a piano key, the GHS thing means that tension gets lighter as the note rises similar to the real thing but the internal keypress action is still just slamming some plastic into a sensor with spring base resistance. Hammer action keys actually have a mechanically linked hammer system, usually reduced a bit from full scale (my PX-150 is 3/4 scale I think, other models offer full size) but it means that hitting a key presses an internal lever and causes a small hammer to strike a sensor to register the note, whereas it would strike some strings in a normal piano. The key also rises back up at a lower speed due to the linkages, it makes the keys flow more realistically under your fingers instead of the snap back response of a weighted system. I think it just adds a lot to the playing experience, all the weighted keyboards I have played just didn't feel very nice, but I sometimes just idly run scales up and down my casio even when it's turned off just because I love how the hammer action keys feel.
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Jan 1, 2016 12:27
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Hello I'm half way through reading the thread but just wanted a quick one. I have zero music experience but tonnes of free time and have been bored for half a year, suddenly got the itch to play an instrument. I can sing but never went above rock band for instruments. I'm getting lessons and just had first yersterday, she said I was a great starter and I'm still keen. However, like everyone just a little tentative to drop 800 on a piano. I want to get something good if I'm going to do it. http://www.musicorp.com.au/keyboards/2-yamaha-p115/2932/ I was thinking of renting to buy. If after the first month I'm still into it, I'll pay for it and it will be slightly cheaper than buying outright. If I don't,well I'm just out 200 for minimum 6 month rental. I've read that the p115 is good by you guys?
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Jan 8, 2016 07:32
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urseus posted:Hello That has 88 keys and they are hammer action keys, so it should be just fine for learning on.
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Jan 8, 2016 17:24
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Do any of you do any composition or would questions about that be better suited in another thread?
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Jan 9, 2016 06:07
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On Terra Firma posted:Do any of you do any composition or would questions about that be better suited in another thread? Like in general do we compose? Yes, I do.
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Jan 10, 2016 17:05
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Yay I just bought a Yamaha P45 yesterday. The 115 had features I didn't need and was 300 more. I got up to Jingle Bells last night. Hard to change 2 hands to different keys at once. Great to have something to look forward to doing when getting home.
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Jan 10, 2016 22:02
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Argyle Gargoyle posted:Is anyone here able to make some specific gear recommendations for a Canadian? I'm mainly guitar and bass, but for what it's worth: I've been very happy with a decent midicontroller and a Proteus 1 XR unit. The Low Grand [patch 160] sounds legitimate, and the keyboard controller [I have an Axiom 49, you'll want something bigger and nicer] feels good. I had a PA already, you'll want either a PA or a bass amp for it, or simply headphones for a while. Controller+module, both used, was under $400US. Something to think about, anyway.
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Jan 11, 2016 02:52
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Good Canadian Boy posted:Like in general do we compose? Yes, I do. I was just curious what processes other people use when they go about composing. I'm still trying to learn about music theory. I've written my own pieces before, but I just wanted to see how others go about it.
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Jan 11, 2016 07:48
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On Terra Firma posted:I was just curious what processes other people use when they go about composing. I'm still trying to learn about music theory. I've written my own pieces before, but I just wanted to see how others go about it. I prototype everything in Reason. If I think I have a good idea, I'll put down whatever motives I thought were super cool, refine those out, and then fill in the blanks as needed. That said, I'm a hack composer.
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Jan 11, 2016 17:31
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I think there was a flurry of posts on composition a while back with some book recommendations? Not sure how helpful that is.
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Jan 11, 2016 18:05
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