i am pretty new to keyboards .is there any good books to help me play?
any good books???
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I've been using Carl Humphries' books The Piano Handbook: A Complete Guide to Mastering the Piano (ISBN-13: 9780879307271, [bn.com]) and Piano Workbook: A Complete Course in Technique and Performance (ISBN-13: 9781906002039, [bn.com]).
Each book complements and reinforces the material taught in the other, but you don't need both. They are written to be used either way. Both include a CD so you can hear what the pieces in the books are supposed to sound like. The writing is easy to read, and Humphries gets you playing with both hands sooner than you might expect.
Piano Handbook shows how classical piano music and music from different cultures helps when playing modern pieces from jazz and pop.
Piano Workbook is focused more on modern music, and also covers topics like songwriting and composition.
By the time you get to the end of either/both books, you should be able to tickle the ivories like never before.
I started reading these before I bought my keyboard, and I learned a LOT very quickly. Now that I have my keyboard, I need to practice, practice, practice! I never really have been able to read and play music all that well, but I expect I'll be pretty good at it by the time I get to the end of these books.
Each book complements and reinforces the material taught in the other, but you don't need both. They are written to be used either way. Both include a CD so you can hear what the pieces in the books are supposed to sound like. The writing is easy to read, and Humphries gets you playing with both hands sooner than you might expect.
Piano Handbook shows how classical piano music and music from different cultures helps when playing modern pieces from jazz and pop.
Piano Workbook is focused more on modern music, and also covers topics like songwriting and composition.
By the time you get to the end of either/both books, you should be able to tickle the ivories like never before.
I started reading these before I bought my keyboard, and I learned a LOT very quickly. Now that I have my keyboard, I need to practice, practice, practice! I never really have been able to read and play music all that well, but I expect I'll be pretty good at it by the time I get to the end of these books.
sounds nice ,
where did you get it?
i only live near like,barnes and noble
and i cant shop on the net
im getting books for christmas but there mostly song books
like moonlight sonata and ode to joy
where did you get it?
i only live near like,barnes and noble
and i cant shop on the net
im getting books for christmas but there mostly song books
like moonlight sonata and ode to joy
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I actually found them both at a Barnes and Noble.
Speaking of B&N, in the discount section see what they have for "gifty-type" keyboard book sets. One is the Totally Interactive Keyboard Bible. It's got a few exercises, etc. and might be somewhat useful. If you carefully peel up the left side of the CD/DVD sleeve glued to the back cover, you'll be able to remove the disc without damaging the book or sleeve. That way if the set doesn't do it for you, you can return it.
Another, which you might find even more useful, no matter what other books you have is Keyboard Essentials: Your Ultimate Guide to Mastering the Basics. The main reason I decided to pick this one up is for the chords. The third section of the book is keyboard drawings and matching photos of 144 chords, and one of the CDs let's you hear what they all sound like.
Speaking of B&N, in the discount section see what they have for "gifty-type" keyboard book sets. One is the Totally Interactive Keyboard Bible. It's got a few exercises, etc. and might be somewhat useful. If you carefully peel up the left side of the CD/DVD sleeve glued to the back cover, you'll be able to remove the disc without damaging the book or sleeve. That way if the set doesn't do it for you, you can return it.
Another, which you might find even more useful, no matter what other books you have is Keyboard Essentials: Your Ultimate Guide to Mastering the Basics. The main reason I decided to pick this one up is for the chords. The third section of the book is keyboard drawings and matching photos of 144 chords, and one of the CDs let's you hear what they all sound like.
sweet! my moms a member
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I found another chord book: Piano & Keyboard Chords, by Jake Jackson, ISBN 978-1-84451-715-2.
The book is plastic spiral bound, and contains 360 "essential chords" (because 144 isn't enough), with each chord on a separate page.
The chords are generally shown with the right hand, with fingering for the left added for the more expansive chords.
Now I know what a Ebmmaj7 (Eb Minor-Major 7th) looks like.
The book is plastic spiral bound, and contains 360 "essential chords" (because 144 isn't enough), with each chord on a separate page.
The chords are generally shown with the right hand, with fingering for the left added for the more expansive chords.
Now I know what a Ebmmaj7 (Eb Minor-Major 7th) looks like.
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More books! Yesterday I found these:
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Music Theory, 2nd ed., by Michael Miller. ISBN 978-1-59257-437-7
Includes an Ear Training Course CD. This book explains all the foundational material you need to play: pitches, clefs, intervals, scales, modes, keys, rhythm, tempo, melody, chords, chord progressions, phrases and form, transcribing what you hear, accompanying, transposing, harmony and counterpoint, and plenty more. I am thoroughly enjoying this book, and have learned a lot. Like all those mode terms a few people on the forums here toss about. Like how to tell what the key is by taking a quick glance at the sharps/flats in the sheet music. And the CD showed me my ear for pitch is a little better than I thought. The author highly recommends you go through this book before reading...
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Music Composition, by Michael Miller, ISBN 978-1-59257-403-2
I started reading this one first, but before getting to far into it the author told me to hold the phone and get the basics down first, by reading Music Theory (above). What I did read I enjoyed. Some of the topics covered include composing with melody first and chords first, developing simple melodies in to longer compositions, creating interesting chord progressions, advice for orchestrating and arranging, employing traditional and contemporary techniques, selecting the right instruments and voicings to express your musical ideas, and more.
The author has other books on related topics (soloing and improvisation, arranging and orchestration, using Cubase, singing, drums).
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Music Theory, 2nd ed., by Michael Miller. ISBN 978-1-59257-437-7
Includes an Ear Training Course CD. This book explains all the foundational material you need to play: pitches, clefs, intervals, scales, modes, keys, rhythm, tempo, melody, chords, chord progressions, phrases and form, transcribing what you hear, accompanying, transposing, harmony and counterpoint, and plenty more. I am thoroughly enjoying this book, and have learned a lot. Like all those mode terms a few people on the forums here toss about. Like how to tell what the key is by taking a quick glance at the sharps/flats in the sheet music. And the CD showed me my ear for pitch is a little better than I thought. The author highly recommends you go through this book before reading...
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Music Composition, by Michael Miller, ISBN 978-1-59257-403-2
I started reading this one first, but before getting to far into it the author told me to hold the phone and get the basics down first, by reading Music Theory (above). What I did read I enjoyed. Some of the topics covered include composing with melody first and chords first, developing simple melodies in to longer compositions, creating interesting chord progressions, advice for orchestrating and arranging, employing traditional and contemporary techniques, selecting the right instruments and voicings to express your musical ideas, and more.
The author has other books on related topics (soloing and improvisation, arranging and orchestration, using Cubase, singing, drums).