Learning Piano

[Brock Landers]

I have embarked on a journey to play Estranged by GnR.  It's almost certainly the longest thing I've ever played.  That's what she said.  Go Cats.

[_33]

I have embarked on a journey to play Estranged by GnR.  It's almost certainly the longest thing I've ever played.  That's what she said.  Go Cats.

Hell yeah.

[DQ12]

Bought my wife a guitar for Christmas so she could play some Taylor swift songs (which she mentioned she’d like to do) but mostly it’s for me because I want to learn to play guitar and i bet I could do it.

[_33]

I've had an acoustic guitar for a long time, tried to play it for a little while, never really stuck. The piano has grabbed my balls way harder than the guitar did for some reason.

[Institutional Control]

I've had an acoustic guitar for a long time, tried to play it for a little while, never really stuck. The piano has grabbed my balls way harder than the guitar did for some reason.

It's probably easier on your soft girly fingers.

[_33]

100% true. Playing guitar was ouch city on the fingies.

[BIG APPLE CAT]

I (conservatively) estimate I’ve lost like 74% of the feeling in my left hand fingertips but I was changing my strings yesterday and stabbed myself a couple times and turns out that still hurts like heck

[_33]

I've been working on this since Halloween. Still a slow process for me, but gratifying to play it almost perfectly in the end.

Happy New Year!

[steve dave]

hell yeah brother

[pissclams]

i don’t know if i have heard anything past the fifty second mark before this so it’s kind of like a remix version to me.

[IPA4Me]

I've been working on this since Halloween. Still a slow process for me, but gratifying to play it almost perfectly in the end.

Happy New Year!

Solid work.

[_33]

Learning the Severance theme right now. My outie enjoys playing the piano lol.

[_33]

I tried to play some stuff on a regular piano the other day and it was so weird! Like it's essentially the same instrument as my weighted digital piano but feels so different playing.

Probably why the purists say you can't really play until you can play on a normal piano.

Maybe it's like the difference between playing electric vs acoustic guitar? But maybe not, I dunno.

[Spracne]

I tried to play some stuff on a regular piano the other day and it was so weird! Like it's essentially the same instrument as my weighted digital piano but feels so different playing.

Probably why the purists say you can't really play until you can play on a normal piano.

Maybe it's like the difference between playing electric vs acoustic guitar? But maybe not, I dunno.

Weird how? Every piano I've played had a slightly different feel to it.

[mocat]

A real piano with real ivory keys is totally different yeah. Probably a little like switching from electric to acoustic

[mocat]

_33 what are you playing these days

[_33]

_33 what are you playing these days

I finished the Severance theme a couple weeks ago. That was very hard for me but also very satisfying.

Now I'm working on Amazing Grace to add to my hymn collection which right now only includes In Christ Alone (my favorite and the first one I learned).

I also really want to learn the Jurassic Park theme this summer. Basically I want to know how to play the most random collection of music of all time lol.

I'll post some videos of some of these this summer. And everyone else can post videos of them playing songs on the piano too if you want.

[star seed 7]

I think the severence theme could transition into the hook(?) from dre's the next episode and your audience would go wild. Just something to think about.

[catastrophe]

I've always wanted to learn to play piano and finally started that journey. My work offers a monthly "wellness benefit" that was burning a hole in my pocket so I got the SimplyPiano app and it's completely addictive so far. I'd recommend it to anyone who is brand new and needing some motivation to just get started (and doesn't mind spending in the range of $20-$25/month).

[mocat]

I think the severence theme could transition into the hook(?) from dre's the next episode and your audience would go wild. Just something to think about.

And then the piano theme from Succession!

[j rake]

_33 what are you playing these days

I finished the Severance theme a couple weeks ago. That was very hard for me but also very satisfying.

Now I'm working on Amazing Grace to add to my hymn collection which right now only includes In Christ Alone (my favorite and the first one I learned).

I also really want to learn the Jurassic Park theme this summer. Basically I want to know how to play the most random collection of music of all time lol.

I'll post some videos of some of these this summer. And everyone else can post videos of them playing songs on the piano too if you want.

great thread! i bought a piano about 18 months ago. i started with the simply piano app, got impatient with it, and then went directly to trying to learn songs using the falling keys tutorial method that is all over Youtube (Hugo was my favorite); as well as Nate the Piano teacher (also on Youtube); and webpianoteacher (mentioned previously in this thread.)

very first song i learned - well, 45 seconds of it - was the life and death theme from LOST.

second song i learned - well, 30 seconds of it - was the intro to springsteen's thunder road.

third song i learned - well, 30 seconds of it - was the intro to fleetwood mac's silver springs.

fourth song i learned - well, the first 90 seconds of it - was jackson browne's late for the sky.

you get the point. i learned the intros to various songs - independence day and racing in the street by oscar; doctor my eyes and standing in the breach by jackson browne; heart of gold and after the goldrush by neil young; and billy joel's new song ("turn the lights back on") among others. nothing, ever, to completion.

my piano routine since the beginning has been: sit down at the piano for 15-30 mins, play whatever song opening i feel like i know or want to learn, rifle through the opening or try to get it down, then quit on it. then i find a new song, repeat the process until i get stuck, and quit on that as well. shockingly, this has remained fun for me, even as my actual piano skills suck. i like being able to replicate songs i like - parts of them, anyway.

just recently i had a bit of a breakthrough. i was able to learn the entire outro to layla from goodfellas:

i also can play jackson browne's "these days" pretty much beginning to end.

in any case, i completely suck, and have decided i need to actually go through the process of learning fundamentals. so i'll be back on simply piano or some related piano app soon enough.

[_33]

Yes! We are the same!

I also exclusively learn by watching the falling keys method on YouTube. I did learn to play Epiphany from the movie Soul using actual sheet music but it was just note by note finding the C key and then counting to what key I needed to play lmao. Then I just have to memorize it because looking at the sheet music as a whole is like looking at a paragraph written in Japanese or something.

I constantly say to myself I need to start back at the basics and learn to read music and learn where the keys are and all that stuff and then I don't and instead learn to play the first 30 seconds of Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol before moving to learning the first 30 seconds of the Top Gun Theme then moving to Right Now - Van Halen for cat football reasons.

Like you, I just find it really fun to play something recognizable. I have no interest in practicing scales lol.

[_33]

I think the severence theme could transition into the hook(?) from dre's the next episode and your audience would go wild. Just something to think about.

My son plays Fur Elise and transitions into Still D.R.E... it's pretty epic.

[j rake]

Yes! We are the same!

I also exclusively learn by watching the falling keys method on YouTube. I did learn to play Epiphany from the movie Soul using actual sheet music but it was just note by note finding the C key and then counting to what key I needed to play lmao. Then I just have to memorize it because looking at the sheet music as a whole is like looking at a paragraph written in Japanese or something.

I constantly say to myself I need to start back at the basics and learn to read music and learn where the keys are and all that stuff and then I don't and instead learn to play the first 30 seconds of Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol before moving to learning the first 30 seconds of the Top Gun Theme then moving to Right Now - Van Halen for cat football reasons.

Like you, I just find it really fun to play something recognizable. I have no interest in practicing scales lol.

lol exactly. i can't fathom actually ever reading sheet music. that's why webpianoteacher's method really appealed to me. the problem i have with him is that i never watched all his tutorials and don't really care to - so i don't know exactly what all his various squiggly lines mean. also, the production quality of his lessons are objectively bad - it's sometimes very difficult for me to tell which keys he's pushing with which finger, and when. which means i have to waste a lot of time going back 5-10 secs to try to decipher what he did. then he will realize he mis-wrote something, so he'll say it but then race through it. then he'll skip to a different part of the song without telling you. some tutorials are certainly better than others, but i find the whole experience to be somewhat aggravating. unfortunately, he has many of the songs in his library that i want to play, which is why i never cancel.

if you could combine piano with nate's presentation and teaching style, with webpianoteacher's song book and general approach, i'd be a much happier bad piano player.

not sure if you've ever used them, but the silicone labels you can place on top of the keys is incredibly helpful, but with an obvious downside. i was at my in-laws house, and they have a piano. it was suggested that i play one of the two aforementioned songs that i actually know how to play. so i sat down and prepared to play. but without my silicone labels, i literally couldn't even get started. i was completely lost. 

[DQ12]

Yes! We are the same!

I also exclusively learn by watching the falling keys method on YouTube. I did learn to play Epiphany from the movie Soul using actual sheet music but it was just note by note finding the C key and then counting to what key I needed to play lmao. Then I just have to memorize it because looking at the sheet music as a whole is like looking at a paragraph written in Japanese or something.

I constantly say to myself I need to start back at the basics and learn to read music and learn where the keys are and all that stuff and then I don't and instead learn to play the first 30 seconds of Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol before moving to learning the first 30 seconds of the Top Gun Theme then moving to Right Now - Van Halen for cat football reasons.

Like you, I just find it really fun to play something recognizable. I have no interest in practicing scales lol.

lol exactly. i can't fathom actually ever reading sheet music. that's why webpianoteacher's method really appealed to me. the problem i have with him is that i never watched all his tutorials and don't really care to - so i don't know exactly what all his various squiggly lines mean. also, the production quality of his lessons are objectively bad - it's sometimes very difficult for me to tell which keys he's pushing with which finger, and when. which means i have to waste a lot of time going back 5-10 secs to try to decipher what he did. then he will realize he mis-wrote something, so he'll say it but then race through it. then he'll skip to a different part of the song without telling you. some tutorials are certainly better than others, but i find the whole experience to be somewhat aggravating. unfortunately, he has many of the songs in his library that i want to play, which is why i never cancel.

if you could combine piano with nate's presentation and teaching style, with webpianoteacher's song book and general approach, i'd be a much happier bad piano player.

not sure if you've ever used them, but the silicone labels you can place on top of the keys is incredibly helpful, but with an obvious downside. i was at my in-laws house, and they have a piano. it was suggested that i play one of the two aforementioned songs that i actually know how to play. so i sat down and prepared to play. but without my silicone labels, i literally couldn't even get started. i was completely lost. 

literally LOL'd at the thought of you sitting down at your in-laws piano at thanksgiving or something and then having a panic attack because the keys weren't labeled.

learning sheet music is pretty easy.  you don't really need to know the rhythm/counting stuff -- especially if you're playing familiar music.  But recognizing which notes are where is very helpful.  I know webpianoteacher (or just "sean" as we call him in my house) does a whole walk through on theory which is helpful and interesting (imo).  the circle of fifths, in particular, is mindblowing just to see how all of the puzzle pieces fit together.  idk, i think it's interesting.

Really, if you can just get a feel for knowing what notes are in what keys and knowing the general chords associated with the keys, that goes a long way.  OTOH, if that feels like homework or boring or whatever, don't bother with it!  keep having fun playing piano!  but the circle of fifths is neat and i bet you guys will agree if you watch a 10-15 minute youtube video on it.