JPF Home Page Forums Musician Gear and Techniques Keyboard and Piano Forum Would love to be able to play a keyboard.

I've been playing "with" a guitar all my life,I never did master it like some people,not a natural I guess,but I know enough to write songs.I would love to play a keyboard but I don't know if I could learn at my age.How hard is it to learn by ear as compared to a guitar?

hi 333, I don't really know but i'd assume
if you can play by ear on the guitar....
you'd be able to pick up the keyboard also..
I had no background in playing by ear...
but about 2 years ago i started playing with the right hand....and use both left and right now...to put melodies to the keys.
maybe some folks who have gone from guitar
to piano....will add their thoughts.
I did have a few years lessons....when i was
a child.........but never knew i could play by ear... so..keyboards can be picked up
fairly reasonable...give it a try and then
if you really like it...invest more...

kaley

Yes, just start!

I tune pianos, and I went to a house where a lady JUST started taking lessons, for her hand arthritis, as suggested by her doctor.

She was 92 at the time of her first lesson!True!

Are you over that age? If not,,,,no excuses! Get a playin'! Once you learn the notes and chords, just start figuring out songs you already know on the guitar. Chords are a BIG thing to really get down on the piano, just as for the guitar. Compliment on your left hand to what the right hand chord playing is doing, but don;t always plays full chords on your left hand at one strike. Break the notes up to keep beat to the songs. Think of your left hand as your drummer and bass player combined! In time you'll see what I mean. Kick drum with your left pinky (or fouth finger as I do most of the time), and the snare with your other fingers, hitting or flaring notes that are in the chord.

Start with the C chord, (notes C E and G), and play the C note twice with your left pinky, and the other two notes once with your middle finger, (hey now!), and thumb,,,,back and forth, like in the song "We Will Rock You"

Lennon's "Imagine" can be played (with the left hand in mind) by slowly rocking back and forth with striking each of those two sections (C, and the E&G once). The right hand will start with the E&G notes then going to the C note, and double time than that of the left hand. The change would be to go the F chord. Once you get it, you will sometimes want to strike notes more than just what I desribed, with double hits on some sections, and some other things you'll pick up on. It will help to listen to the songs first that have simple piano in them, and try to get that sound and feel, little by little.

Reminder: Chords!!!! And Rhythm!!!! It will come in time,,,,You're not over 92 are you?

That lady actually learned some ragtime, her favorite music! C was her main key too,,,,,the easiest to learn, just as the guitar players usually start with learning an E chord.

C ?,

John


[This message has been edited by dhsongs (edited 03-09-2003).]

No John I'm not 92,30 years less actually.Thanks for your help.I've been writing on guitar now all my life,never been able to get past the first three frets,I can't put in bar chords.I figure on a keyboard I will get a different perspective and help me get away from the box I'm in with the three fret limitation(easier on the fingers too).Thanks

you could also probably find a poor music major/songwriter/waitress/10000 other part time worker like me who would give you pretty cheap lessons. that is if you wanted. hmmm by the way if anyone in dc wants some lessons i'm classically trained and will teach for 25/hr... just a though peace, flo

Hi 333!

I just started taking guitar lessons last year when I was 49 1/2! Made great progress and I'd love to learn to play some piano/synthesizer too since I now have a Yamaha Clavovia in my home "studio"/practice room (I recently purchased a Tascam 788 digital 8-track recorder which is aweomse! www.tascam.com).

Music keeps you young, and it is a scientific fact that taking music lessons keeps your brain sharp and positively affects your mood and psychology--there is actual biological/psychological reseacrch about this (I am a research psychologist so I know!).

So dive in and have fun!

Can anybody eles suggest how we can get started on piano? I'm mostly intersted in blues and jazz and rock and country-- ok classical too . Are there really good books or internet resrouces?

I can't wait until I retire so I can do this full time!

Bob

Ok,don't laugh,but i like the Suzuki 'q chord' machine.It is the easist keyboard to play for a 'non-keyboard' player like myself.I think it would make a good starter for anyone wishing to learn keyboard.It is so simple even i was playing entire songs in minutes.I play guitar,but i love playing with this little midi-machine keyboard.I would recommend to anyone whether a novice or a pro.It is fairly cheap as well at around two hundred bucks,and a whole lotta fun!
Dave

Hi ECA333,

You may want to pick up a beginner piano book like from the John Thompson's series of piano instruction books just to give you the basics but with your musical background putting it all together would probably come along pretty quickly for you. Good Luck.

Dave

You can teach yourself with a book. I believe there are books out there that are geared toward adult beginners even. Why not take a few lessons, though? A teacher can answer questions and all, and you'll get the kind of instruction a book can't give you, like technique--the benefit of experience of other players who have found easier ways to finger stuff on the piano, for example--and finding stuff that fits your interest and goals, sort of tailored to your needs and wants. Good to get feedback as you're learning, too, from an expert (real live teacher). Just my 2 cents. You won't have any problem getting a sound right off the bat, as opposed to guitar or violin or flute, and no sore fingertips, so it should be a lot of fun! Good luck with this!

As for being too old, I don't think you can be too old, only too dead, so jump in there! --Jean

[This message has been edited by JL (edited 09-23-2004).]

hi 333!
Guitar players have the infamous "power chords" the root, the 5th, and the octave. Well, the piano players have the infamous 3-finger chords the root, the 5th, and the octave, also. Even if you dont have a learn to play piano book, you can still figure out the 3-finger chords on your own especialy if you have a basic knowlage of guitar. Basic piano is based on these 3-finger chords.

Thanks d*rock,that's interesting,playing keyboard would be easier on the fingers,I play 12 string guitar and that is hard on the fingers,but I love the 12 string.

Thank all others that replied to this posting,I appreciate all your input.

emediamusic.com
is where you can get lessons on interactive cd's for piano,bass & guitar.
Reasonably priced and pretty cool way to learn.

Jerry

------------------
Jerry Jakala

More Ivory players:
Elton John-Billy Joel
Michael Mcdonald-Rock-Rythm n Blues
Burton Cummings-rock
Barrel House Chuck-Blues
Pine Top Perkins-Blues
Marcia Ball-Blues/Rock


Jerry


------------------
Jerry Jakala

to eca 333,
I know this is an old thread. but, I just stumbled on to it. Keyboard chords are layed out way easier than guit chords. I play 12 string also. You probably already have keyboards down by now. But, I use a midi guitar. There's your ticket. Plus, you have the guitar harmonics also in your chordings that you don't get on keys. So, the voicings are unique... food for thought.

Hi ECA 333....Well I am in the exact same situation as you....and I am teaching myself thru the very same medium that we are talking on now.......the Internet...

If your anything like me, budget is important so 'classes' we not an option for me...So I took about this task as much the same way I did with my guitar 4 Years ago.....I found this site and it has certainly helped me....

http://www.learnpianoonline.com/welcome.html

Many free lessons on there you can actually print off and take to your piano/keyboard to practice.....plus many more indepth lessons for a small fee.....But by the sounds of it, your writing skills are good and you are just looking for the start.......

Starting from scratch and learning the ropes....I pretended that I could not play the guitar at all and just did the lessons....Hope this helps...Not majorally experienced here...but I do know this...you always can make do with what is available to you....Your computer is like a World Wide Library.....

Goodluck with it all and I look forward to hearing your first piano composition!
Peace & Love
Kitana

Thank you Kitana,I am gonna look into that. Thank you all for your help.

Not interested in exploring Midi guitar I guess?
Michael

Not interested in exploring Midi guitar I guess?
Michael[/B][/QUOTE]

I am always interested in improving my guitar playing.

Bumping some useful older posts

Everett:

I know this is a continuation of a very old thread but if you happen to take another peek here, may I suggest that you consider acquiring a used "Arranger Type" Keyboard. This will allow you to familiarize yourself with all the features and capabilities of a keyboard without actually doing anything but playing chords. The keyboard will accompany you as you play chords. (Plus many other neat features.)

As you become more adept at playing the melody with the right hand you will be miles ahead by knowing all the things an arranger can do for your songwriting... it's like having your own personal orchestra or band providing you with backing. You can select precisely which instruments you need for any given song and you can adjust the volume on each instrument individually. A marvelous songwriting tool.

There are many types of Arrangers available. I use a Yamaha PSR-2000 (It is somewhat dated now... having been upstaged by the PSR-3000 and the Tyros [very expensive] line.) Many will let you record your songs directly from the Keyboard to your PC where you can edit things like volume in segments of the song and a wealth of other capabilities. You can elect to use MIDI if you are inclined to do so... or not. I never use MIDI... just too complicated.

Other manufacturers: Roland; Korg; Technics and at least a dozen others. Not all arrangers are equal but it all depends on your primary objectives and tastes. Take a peek at them at sites like "Musician's Friend;" "Sam Ash" and other similar places.

Let me know if I can help. Believe me, it really suits the needs of a songwriter in the songwriting and recording process.

Dave

I can never recommend enough LYPUR channel from youtube,
he has all lessons to learn piano from the very beginning to a rather intermediate state. and IT'S ALL FREE

Hi Everett, you have wonderful advice here. It's very positive you'd like to play keyboard and in some ways it's easier to learn than guitar because all the keys are in front of you. You can start by mastering the knowledge of where the notes are and it doesn't take long as you can see 2 and 3 black keys and every note has a unique place. Since you are used to playing the guitar by ear it wouldn't take you long to start playing the piano by ear. On youtube there are many files you can see on how to play the keyboard/piano and you could put on a search box your favourite tunes (one by one) and see what comes up. My students whose parents don't object to Youtube learn Harry Potter, Doctor Who and many other popular tunes watching the video and stopping and rewinding it 9just make sure your keyboard is next to the computer and you are ready to go). Enjoy it, it's a wonderful experience.
Nadia

Hi,

I"m 60, and I started on guitar when I was 16, and i started piano when I was 45. In my view, it was one of the wisest decisions I have ever made in my entire life. See, whenever I have a problem with harmony if I'm writing with my guitar, going to the piano sorts out the problem, invariably, because of the beauty with which a keyboard is layed out. For example, I wrote a song that had an E minor 7 chord, but when I played it on a piano, it didn't sound quite right, and I discovered that the correct chord as actually a C/E. Similar, but the nuance seems more pronounced on the keyboard. Things like this the piano is wonderful for. Not to mention expanding your musical horizons in general. Also, it strenghten my fingers in ways my guitar does not, and both instruments compliment each other.

I just caught this thread as well.
Hopefully Everett, if you read this you may be well on your way in your keyboard pursuits.
I have the opposite issue in that I have been playing keyboards since I was seven (50 years now) but never picked up the guitar.
For me there was an answer...I can use a very decent midi guitar program on my keyboard and with a bit of practice can make it sound reasonably realistic.

Larry

Hey Everett, if you already know music with one instrument, the learning curve is considerably less when learning a second instrument. Go for it!

Best, John

The advantages of learning to play keyboards as opposed to just guitar are immense especially if you are a songwriter. With MIDI you can perform and also record a whole orchestra just using a piano keyboard. I suggest all musicians have at least a basic grasp of keyboard skills. I would suggest that any novice just starting to play an instrument chooses piano as their first.....ok it is great to play guitar as well but piano has more advantages.

I tend to agree with you. "But"........ since I play both, I can say with some authority that because the guitar is more difficult ( well, more frustrating to learn, I'd say ) than the piano, if you are considering being good on both, to start with the guitar first. The reason I say this because the first couple of years on guitar are more tedious, in my view, than the first few years on the piano, and if one can do those tedious years while one is young, do it. If you start on piano, say in your twenties or thirties, it's much easier to survive the first couple of years than if you had begin guitar at those ages. Just an opinion, of course. That being said, yes, I started piano in my forties, and I do regret not having started the piano at least during my twenties--I'd be so much better now.

I started on guitar when I was 16. Then, I started on keyboards at the tender age of 45, that was 16 years ago. Best decision I ever made.

Everett,

If you had started playing keyboards when this thread was created, you would be playing like Rachmaninoff by now.

But only if you have huge hands. I love Rachy!

Best, John

I play both instruments. And have yet to hear a midi guitar sound that sounded even remotely acceptable. Midi does some sounds well, but others, not so good. Guitar is one of them.