Piano after 6 years of not playing...

[MidgetGem]

So basically, after 6 years of not playing the piano/keyboard due to personal emotional reasons, I've hunted out an older electric keyboard from the attic that I believe was my aunts but has been sitting there unused for 2 years or so, with her permission of course, I've been allowed to keep it and play it once more.

Problem is i've forgotten almost everything but from just playing away at it for a couple hours tonight I've been re-lighting the spark and fire so to speak, but still wouldn't mind if anyone could share tips or links to websites with basic music sheets as I struggle reading music fluently and therefore prefer the ones with lettering or to play by ear and compose my own stuff.

Musicians run in the family, my mum can sing and play piano but likewise has forgotten a lot, one of my aunt sings for a living, my other aunt plays acoustic guitar fluently, my cousin can play electric guitar and the saxophone with ease, my dad was a DJ & could play the drums (but he.. well, has never been in the picture at all, left when my mum fell into labor with me you see)...

Then theres me, who "could" sing back between the ages of 10-16 when I was in the school choir, then the inevitable happened and the voice changed and well, now I prefer not to sing as I just sound like a strangled cat, a flat one at that. I play the drums, marimba and piano, oddly it's only the piano I've forgotten to play somehow and was the only one I had an emotional link too.. don't know if that has anything to do with it at all.

This is long and winded.. oops.. but playing away at the keys tonight has been fun.. different.. emotional and a bit of a learning curve again, a good one, a needed one with how I'm feeling lately. It's helping somehow as I can just pour my heart and soul into it easily.

Just had to get this off my chest somewhere as "friends" give the cold heartless answers, expecting me to comfort and help them but not willing to give in return.. they say it's best to give and never receive but well, that's never true when it's emotional issues and not "gifts" for lack of a better word and you have literally no one you can readily talk to.

Thank you for reading I guess... :redface:

[Nick9]

I am afraid I don't have any tips or links for you. Maybe try some specialized forums for beginners?

I think it is great that you have found your way back to piano playing. Many people complain later in their lives that they used to play, but abandoned it, and now they really regret it.

We don't need to be best at what we do, but it is always nice when we found something that makes us happy. Don't feel like there is no meaning in re-learning it now and enjoy it

[Mrmatty376]

Hmm, I am of little use as well. *sigh* :frown: But anywho, I think it's awesome you're trying to get back into it. Being able to play an instrument is +1 in my book lol. When you become a super pro you should probably play us something Haha. I kid...unless you want to >_>
Awwww I wanna hear you sing lol. I already told you I think your voice and accent is awesome, so you know where I stand on that. Some people are attracted to voices that sound like strangled cats....That came out wrong...
Anywho, i hope you get back into it, sounds super fun. I'm always around bud if you want someone to talk to. I talk a lot, but I'm a good listener too lol. I hope your doing better though. That may not hold much meaning reading it in emotionless text, apart from the fact that we hardly, if at all, know each other, but I do mean it sincerely.
But yeah, good luck! Hehe

[Nick9]

Awwww I wanna hear you sing lol. I already told you I think your voice and accent is awesome, so you know where I stand on that. Some people are attracted to voices that sound like strangled cats....That came out wrong...

Matty, you are super crazy :biggrin:

[Mrmatty376]

Matty, you are super crazy :biggrin:

Am I? Or am I perfectly normal and what everyone else deems "normal" is in reality, crazy?
I'm just another Charlton Heston in a planet of the apes.
Poetic, I know.

[Bowyn Aerrow]

Youtube has lots of 'lessons' and you can pace it at your own speed, go back over what you just saw.

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_qu....5j1j1.7.0. For piano lessons.

If you are going to be serious with music, you really need to learn sheet music.

Lots of sites out there: http://www.google.com/webhp?hl=en#hl=en&...94&bih=613

While it is good you can play be ear, being able to read sheet music will allow you to explore a lot of other music that you might just pass up.

I sat down at a keyboard (organ) a few weeks ago after over a decade... It felt like I had forgotten everything. My fingers soon fell back to the old positions and remembered once I let go and let the fingers do their thing...

Trying to recall may be preventing you from just playing.

[BabyPolarBear]

Ooo i love to play the piano. A REAL piano mind you and not just some crappy keyboard OR a cheap "wall piano" but a really good and in-tune Grand piano. OOooo :biggrin: those or the best to play on and you never want to go back to any thing less than the best.

But as for getting bake on the bandwagon Youtube is a great place to start for good tutorials like this two links


&

[Sylph]

Your fairy muscial godmother is here lol.

That's awesome you've gotten back into music, and the Piano no less!

The Piano, like the Harp, is an instrument that takes a load of time and dedication to get right, and isn't what most people assume, that you "just press a finger here, and that's music".

Piano is one of my instruments, but isn't my primary(Viola) or even my secondary(Cello), so I'm not an expert, but I can help you with the reading part.

A simple way to read music, is with acronyms(Is that the right word? oh well... )

~
Treble Clef


Otherwise known as the "G-Clef" , has seven basic notes, which are these;



A common euphimism would be; F - A - C - E [F.A.C.E in the Space]
E - G - B - D - F [Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge]

Once you memorize these and where they fit on your piano, then you've got it. They repeat, so it's not the entire alphabet .

You normally play these notes on your right hand.

But it's not over yet we've got the;

Bass Clef


Otherwise known as the "F-Clef", also has seven basic notes, which are these;



A - C - E - G [All Cows Eat Grass]
G - B - D - F - A [Good Boys Do Fine Always]

And this would be your left hand notes(until you get deeper into Piano, where you can switch hands).
~

The Piano has all the clefs, even mine, The Alto Clef otherwise known as "The Viola Clef" as it's the only instrument to use it primarily, so you have to be weary sometimes.

As for reading Piano music, it can be extremely difficult, as it's written usually in Chords, like a Guitar or Harp, but with enough practice, it's possible. People usually start with their left hand(Bass) first and then the right(Treble), but it varies.

If it's too difficult to read in chords and you can't afford a teacher, try just playing the top melody, meaning take off the other notes, below the note on top and play it that way and you can gradually add in the other notes in the Chord.
~

Also, Marimba is similar to the Piano & Xylophone, so it shouldn't be too hard for you. It's probably only the chords that will mess with you, but other than that, there isn't a huge difference. Each of the instruments I mentioned have keys, and you have to strike them, except with the Piano it's with your fingers(and not so much "strike" as press), so you can integrate your knowledge of Marimba, with the Piano, but try not to confuse them, since they have different techniques.

I also play Drums(Kit Drums) abit, and can say that, that foot you use for the Bass Drum, can also be used for the Piano's pedals, just with less force.

(Btw, I love Marimba players, so get ready to be stalked j/k)
~

If it matters, I've been playing music all my life, so I know a little, but I'm not an expert in Piano. String instruments(Chordophones) are my area of expertise :biggrin: .

Also, someone mentioned something about a Grand Piano, I highly suggest that, because keyboards, though very good to use, are not the same as Grand/Concert Pianos and you want to get used to the pedals/sounds/keys, but keyboards are a good substitute in the absence of a Grand Piano. mile:

~
Hope I helped alittle mile: .

(I love talking about Music :biggrin: )

(P.s - if you see two of the same notes, but are in different places, that's usually an Octave, meaning they're 8 notes apart intervally, so F in F.A.C.E and F in E.G.B.D.F are an Octave apart, so they should not be the same F, but one an Octave lower or higher than the other. - We'll get complicated later ).

[pellaz]

my partner had not played his flute for as many years but he has restarted. He seems to have accepted not playing as good has he once used to, at least for a while.

[Rainbowmum]

I really like this site.

One tip I used , was to listen to a song and play along.

This one gives you some nice selections. Link