Keyboard instruction book for experienced guitar player

[Coopers]

Hi all. I'm an experienced guitar and bass player with a modest home studio. I'm mainly into metal, but as I love industrial music and basically think metal sounds better with keys, I have just bought myself a Roland Fantom X6.

I was just wondering if anyone could recommend a good instruction book that will give me a crash course on the keyboard. As I'm an experienced musician and can already play a few chords and simple tunes on the keys, I'm basically looking for a book that will give me a recap on the basics and then move on to more advanced stuff at a fairly quick pace. Also a book that can help me navigate the features (sampling, MIDI tracks etc) would be great.

Thanks in advance.

 

[happyrat1]

I'd advise searching amazon for books titled "keyboards for guitarists" and read up on the reviews. From what I can see they are mainly focused on chord progressions and composing.

Otherwise I'd recommend any good book on basic music theory and the usual piano method books to get off to a good start.

You will be learning some redundant material but unless you feel like springing for a tutor who specializes in adults you're not really going to find any sort of custom tailored intermediate course in a book off the rack.

As for learning the nitty gritty of the hardware and programming the keys, that comes with blood and sweat and you'll have to surf the roland forums and read as many FAQs and google every scrap of info you can find. Youtube is also a great source of tutorials and demos on using recording software and VSTis and DAWs.

And feel free to experiment. Short of wiping out the firmware it's hard to wipe out a keyboard simply by pushing buttons and there's usually a factory reset setting in case you screw things up too badly

A guitar is just a block of wood with a half a dozen wires stuck on it. A modern keyboard like the Fantom is a custom made computer with a proprietary OS and user interface that can take decades to truly master.

And of course, don't forget to RTFM

Gary

 

[Coopers]

Thanks Gary, appreciate the keyboard elitism

Looks like I'll have to get a range of books. I've found some on amazon that cover the basics, but also ones for guitarists who are song-writers. I can't seem to find one that encompasses everything I want, but that's fine.

 

[ButchA]

As a guitarist, trumpeter, sax, violin/mandolin, etc... player, I can assure you that getting proficient on piano/keyboards can be a real challenge. See, we guitarists can easily wail away on a Stratocaster or Les Paul right along the lines of Eric Clapton or Jimmy Page, but yet put us in front of a keyboard and we stumble around thinking to ourselves, "Uh... What do I do now? How does that go again?"

Rule #1 for keyboards (coming from a guitarist viewpoint): Do NOT make the "3 finger crowfoot" chord with your right hand. Just don't. You have to use your thumb - that's what it's there for. Your fingers are labeled (1) Thumb (2) Index finger (3) Middle finger (4) Ring finger (5) Pinky.

Also, (and I mean this from the heart...) you have to swallow your pride and go back to the beginning. I know, I know, trust me... yeah you can rock out on guitar and you know all the main licks to songs, etc... But piano/keyboards is a completely different animal, and your hands don't work the same like they do on a guitar. You have to get a basic beginner piano book and start at chapter one. It will be a little ridiculous, but you just have to do it. Don't get a children's book with "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" and "Mary Had A Little Lamb" because you will get so humiliated and frustrated, that you'll quit and give up.

The best "Adult" piano/keyboard book is from Alfred. These are in a series of 3 books (I'm just starting book 2), and they guide you along the way with exercises, examples, theory, all in a nice respectful manner that does not treat you like a child.

http://www.amazon.com/Adult-All---One-Course-Lesson-Theory-Technic/dp/0882848186/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1419082636&sr=8-1&keywords=alfreds basic adult all in one

Go to a music store and get book 1. Take it one step at a time, learn the exercises and do the hand written examples/quizzes. You will be amazed at how proficient you can become in such a short amount of time!

 

[andrewmike]

I've found some on amazon that cover the basics, but also ones for guitarists who are song-writers. I can't seem to find one that encompasses everything I want