I remember when I started playing piano. Actually, I bought an old electronic keyboard, which I had to smuggle into the house, as my mum did not appreciate any kind of technology. Anyway, I managed to learn a few tunes initially, but could not understand why my progress was so 'sluggish'. Every time I learned a new song, it was like my piano tuition was starting anew. Fortunately, my best mate was in a band, and before I started formal piano lessons, he gave me the following insights into how he started to make sense of it all. It was a great help!
* Playing By Numbers - Every song you play is written in a certain key, of which there are twelve. Each key contains scales, a series of notes laid out in specific intervals. These notes will sound 'right' to the ear when played within their respective key. Now, each scale in each key will contain its one chord, two chord and so on. When I started, I tried to remember every chord I played - but obviously this is hard, without any reasoning behind it. It's much easier to learn the keys that the chords are played in, and the scales that they are based upon. That way, you don't need to memorize every chord, as you can work out from the formula you have learned exactly how each chord is made up
* Playing by ear - this can be quite easy, once you have mastered the previous step. With the knowledge of the twelve keys under your belt, you can simply transpose any song into whatever key you prefer. Learning transposition will actually push you further along your learning curve, as you will also learn how to improvise. I'm not suggesting that you try to avoid also learning how to read sheet music - this will be a key part of your development whichever type of piano lessons you take - but learning playing by ear skills will enable you to almost play along with new music at will. Once you have begun to master this 'natural' way of playing, you'll know you are well on your way
* Get Yourself Out There - this was the part I felt most uncomfortable with, when my friend first suggested it to me. What he meant was for me to 'mingle' with musicians - spend time in their company, go to local gigs, meet band members and find out what makes them tick. By immersing myself in their environment, I would begin to 'feel' like a musician, and almost subconsciously, begin to enhance the learning I gained at home. I was nervous, at first, but once my confidence was up, I actually became a vocalist in a band (using hidden vocal talents I didn't realize I had) before settling into keyboards, once I had become more accomplished.
Of course, the 'boring' old rule also applies, and that is to practice at least a little every day, even if it's just 30 minutes. This will make sure that piano tuition becomes a regular and important part of your life, and more importantly, that you continue to make steady progress. Recognizing this progression is the way that you will keep at it, and ease past the point where you may have thought about giving up. Keep at it!
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