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Another beginner here. I have no musical experience, but I figure 28 isn't too old to start. I had my first lesson last week, and my next one is tomorrow. Today I went ahead and purchased a decent beginner's keyboard, the Casio PX-200. I tested several <$1,000 keyboards, and this one had the best action for the price IMO. I will admit the samples are not as good as the Yamaha P-140, but it's also $500 cheaper. During my search I also looked at the Yamaha Clavinova CLP-240, loved it, but decided against it. I couldn't justify the $1,800 difference when all I can play is a few measures of Ode to Joy. Anyway, the keyboard should be in by Friday, so I'll really start practicing then. Does anyone know what grade Moonlight Sonata (first movement) is? That's one of the pieces I've dreamed of being able to play for a long time.
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Jan 24, 2008 04:37
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Thanks for the tips. I've only had my second lesson this week, so I'm not quite ready to tackle it yet, but I will certainly work in that direction. Alizee, what do you mean by 'moving tempo'? Do you mean that people play the entire piece to the same beat?
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Jan 26, 2008 16:20
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Alizee posted:I didn't mean "moving" as in the tempo shifts, more that the tempo carries through without seeming to stop time. Got ya. I tend to agree - I don't think this is quite as fast as your example, but I consider this to be a good performance. greatZebu: I think the PX-200 has the same keyboard as the PX-110. If you have a Guitar Center near you, they should have one that you can try.
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Jan 28, 2008 15:28
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greatZebu posted:
I just received my keyboard and stand, and wanted to follow up. The PX-200 does come with a pedal, although I don't like it quite as much as the one you mentioned. Also, I purchased the CS-65 stand to go along with my keyboard. If you don't plan on carrying the keyboard around with you, it's pretty good and compliments its looks. The downside is that you do have to remove the sides of the keyboard so it fits into the stand, making the keyboard much less portable. It was very easy to put together though, and only required a screwdriver.
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Jan 29, 2008 03:21
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Eli Cash posted:I'm looking at the P70 and P85, which are $500-$600. Does anyone have any experience or advice on these "cheaper" Yamahas? I think the P70 had slightly better piano samples than the Privias (using headphones), but I didn't care for the feel as much. The Yamaha doesn't have as many features as the Privia either, so be sure to compare features to make sure the P70 has everything you want. Both Yamahas are good keyboards from what I've read, though.
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Jan 30, 2008 15:41
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The Final Fantasy series has several sad pieces: This one looks like the easiest of the bunch. Final Fantasy VII: Aeris' Theme. http://youtube.com/watch?v=DUrJw0WK_JE Final Fantasy IV: Love Theme http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPVEZ78-kL4 Terra's Theme from Final Fantasy VI. Probably a bit too difficult, but I would like to be able to play this one day. http://youtube.com/watch?v=uns6tHo2Fc0
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Feb 1, 2008 20:53
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I liked all the Casios, and feel that any would be a good place to start. Just be sure to test one out first if possible, because they have a heavier feel than other keyboards in the price range. I've been playing for about a month now, and I must admit I can see the day when I'll have to upgrade to something nicer... but for now it's more than enough.
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Feb 19, 2008 15:44
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Alizee posted:Reading a score is like reading a book. When you were 4 years old, you needed to sound out words and think about it. You made mistakes. But obviously as you worked to read better it got easier and eventually you could just read very easily and quickly without too much effort. My instructor gave me similar insight. Forgive the simpleness in my example, I'm still very much a beginner. Consider the notes as letters and chords as words. When you first start out reading as a child, you have to pronounce each letter. (Sesame Street: B - A - G / B - A - G / B - A-G / B-AG / BAG.) Eventually, you can simply read the word 'BAG' as a single unit, with little regard to the individual letters. (Hlel, you can eevn jublme the ltetrs and the wrods are redaable.) Same goes for notes. Initially, if you see a 'C-E-G' note progression, you see it as three notes. However, the 'word' would be a C Chord. Eventually, you can recognize the notes as part of the C chord. Another shortcut that can speed up sight reading is being able to recognize intervals. This is especially useful when multiple notes are on the same stem. You'll only have to read and recognize the bottom note, and the top note is simply a 3rd, 4th, or whatever above it.
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Mar 5, 2009 04:29
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I can use some advice. I've been playing for a bit under a year, and currently have a Casio PX-200. The action is OK, but the sound quality has started to holding me back. So I've decided to upgrade. Since I'm apartment bound, an acoustic isn't an option right now. I'm seriously considering a Roland HP-207 and the Yamaha CLP-340, but I'm not 100% convinced about spending $2,500-$3,400 for a high-tier digital. So I've been thinking about a cheaper option where I plug my keyboard into my computer and then get something like Synthology Ivory or Pianoteq. I'm still trying to figure out what I need - does this look correct to you guys? - USB Audio Interface (M-Audio Fast Track Pro - $200) - Synthology Ivory ($320) or Pianoteq ($280) - Midi and cable for speaker For speakers, I don't want to spend more then $800 for a solution (unless there is a compelling reason). What are your thoughts on these, or is there something else I should look at? - Behringer Truth Active 2 Way Monitor ($360 / pair) - Roland KC350 Amp ($495) Thanks!
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Mar 7, 2009 16:11
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Vanmani posted:An audio interface is a good idea to enable low latency, but if you have a decent quality soundcard that supports ASIO that will be sufficient too. Anything that supports ASIO should do alright for MIDI controllers (just using any old $20 MIDI to USB cable), you don't really need to spend $200 on a half decent 2 channel audio interface just for MIDI. If you wanna pick up a microphone and start recording vocals and stuff, go for it. You do want to have decent speakers running off your computer and wired into a decent stereo position around your keyboard though. Any kind of active monitors will do a good job, or a keyboard amp is alright, but it's mono (great for gigging though, of course). Someone was pimping some studio monitors that were on special in guitar centre the other day which would probably be a better option than the Behringers. Sorry for the delay in response; I had to go out of town. Your advice has been really helpful, so thanks. I never thought about using my sound card, but that does seem like a good way to save $200 short term. I still need to check out the Roland HP-207, but unless it has a built in beer tap it's unlikely I'll buy it. Currently, I'm leaning towards Pianoteq vs Ivory. Does it sound as good as Ivory? Not really. However, the fact that Pianoteq can emulate so many different characteristics of an acoustic is a huge plus. Simply put, it seems like the better learning tool, even if it's not the better professional recording tool. Since gigging isn't in my near future, I'll look into monitors. I'll check around and see what other suggestions I can find for my price point.
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Mar 11, 2009 16:13
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