New Year, New Challenge

[Megan]

It's now or never.
I have decided to take up piano lessons and have purchased a Yamaha Keyboard in readiness for my first lesson this week [wed]. I love the sound of the Grand Piano and the organ (I'm keeping off the boogie woogie) and have been experimenting with a few tunes from my music books.
The great thing about the digital piano is that it doesn't need tuning.
I'll never be a concert pianist [missed the boat] but I aim to attain a competent amateur level.
Simple as it sounds , but I can play Ode to Joy in the C position.
I noticed that after I have been practicing, rhythms and melodies come into my head and wonder if this happens to other pianists/musicians.

[Peter]

Good luck Megan - I have several adult pupils, one who started 3 years ago is now working for her grade 4 having gained distinctions in the previous grades.

[Megan]

Good luck Megan - I have several adult pupils, one who started 3 years ago is now working for her grade 4 having gained distinctions in the previous grades.

Thanks Peter, that's very encouraging to know. I'll let you know how my first lesson goes, I dare say it will include some theory and chords. I do know I need to speed up my sight reading.

[Peter]

Thanks Peter, that's very encouraging to know. I'll let you know how my first lesson goes, I dare say it will include some theory and chords. I do know I need to speed up my sight reading.

Yes sight reading is important. Just try to do a little each day and keep it very simple - I mean much easier than pieces you would attempt to play. Hands separate for now and slowly build up your confidence - one mistake people make is to attempt to sight read music that is way too difficult. It is also important to learn to recognise intervals as well as naming notes.

Try not to think of the bass and treble clefs as being separate, rather one continuous stave with middle C joining the two. When attempting hands together, read from the bottom up, not the other way which is what most people do!

Hope those tips help.

[Megan]

Yes sight reading is important. Just try to do a little each day and keep it very simple - I mean much easier than pieces you would attempt to play. Hands separate for now and slowly build up your confidence - one mistake people make is to attempt to sight read music that is way too difficult. It is also important to learn to recognise intervals as well as naming notes.

Try not to think of the bass and treble clefs as being separate, rather one continuous stave with middle C joining the two. When attempting hands together, read from the bottom up, not the other way which is what most people do!

Hope those tips help.

Many thanks for the tips Peter, much appreciated. Yes I agree, timing can be tricky to start with.

[Sorrano]

The Yamaha keyboards have pretty good sound. I tend to like a bright piano sound and have been the most satisfied with the Yamaha. Good luck with the lessons! Make sure that you have fun with them.

[Chris]

I have had a number of Yamaha keyboards and synthesizers over the years and have always been happy with them. I got a little one for my nephew for his third birthday last year

Good luck with your piano lessons, Megan!

[Megan]

Thanks for all your encouragements, I am pleased with my choice , it has a good sound. I think the digital keyboards are excellent for encouraging the young and all ages for introducing them to music, which gives a lifetime of pleasure.
Here is a picture of my all singing, all dancing music machine.

[Sorrano]

I'm quite fond of the Yamaha brand and have used one for many years. Quite some years ago my dad acquired a damaged baby grand from a high school and rebuilt it for me; the digital can't really compete with that, but I do use it (the Yamaha) for daily practice as it has the built in metronome.

[Chris]

I have a nice Yamaha digital piano that I bought to have in my dorm room at college. It has 88 nice weighted keys, but of course it's not exactly like the real thing, and I think my technique suffered for it. But whatever - I was never going to be a pro anyway!

[Sorrano]

I have a nice Yamaha digital piano that I bought to have in my dorm room at college. It has 88 nice weighted keys, but of course it's not exactly like the real thing, and I think my technique suffered for it. But whatever - I was never going to be a pro anyway!

But then, again, no piano is the exactly the same as another. Did yours have a setting for how hard to press the keys to produce volume? Mine has three and I have it set to the hardest. When I do play the pieces on a "real" piano those that I practice on the Yamaha I do not notice any appreciable difference between the action.

[Sorrano]

One thing I particularly like about the Yamaha is that I can practice the exercises with the volume turned down (not all the way) with the hardness setting to the highest. I think this has been particularly helpful to me (as well as being easier on the ears).

[Chris]

I also like that mine has a built in recorder. It's nice to be able to listen back to what you are doing sometimes. You can speed it up too, so you can play it slowly and then hear what it would sound like at full speed. Kind of nifty. And it has two tracks, so it is possible to play things for four hands or two pianos by yourself by taking two passes at it

[Sorrano]

The built in recorder isn't something I've used much, but have, using Audigy (it's free), recorded from the keyboard to computer. With Audigy I am able to save in most, if not all, common audio music formats and control recording levels, etc. Maybe I will experiment with the built in recorder and see how I like using that.

[Megan]

I agree the digital keyboard can't compete with the real thing, but it does have a nice pitch and is solely for practicing on at present. I haven't tested out the metronome yet though I did try out the organ, harpsicord and the flute effect, which is rather pleasing. It all seems a bit too technical at the moment so I will get round to referring to the manual when I have a bit more time.