Looking for keyboard , EP ..

[damonwv]

I have a few questions.. I dont really play piano , but I really want to learn.

So my questions are...

For a budget around 300 to 500 dollars

Im looking for something maybe like a key board or an Electric piano.. something with weighted keys.

Also something that can help teach me what the keys are. I know some keyboards have displays what show what key your playing.

Anyone have any suggestions ? I prefer to stay down toward 300 dollar area, but if i have to go up I will.

It doesnt have to be anything fancy, just something for me to play with until I really get serious about playing.

Thanks

 

[happyrat1]

In the $300 range your options are pretty limited. I can't vouch for the quality of this model but it fits your budget and has the very basic features you require for learning to play piano.

http://www.music123.com/keyboards-midi/williams-allegro-88-key-digital-piano

Though these units from Yamaha

http://www.samash.com/keyboards/digital-pianos/yamaha-p35b-88-key-digital-keyboard-yp35bxxxx

and Casio have a better reputation for quality and durability

http://www.samash.com/keyboards/digital-pianos/casio-privia-px-150-digital-piano-cpx150wex

and the Korg SP-170S is also a good value for the money and comes from a company with a long history of making stage instruments.

http://www.samash.com/keyboards/digital-pianos/korg-sp-170s-digital-piano-white-ksp170swh

Offhand I'd favor the Korg or the Casio myself.

As for the keys, there's really only 7 of them to learn, A thru G and then they repeat over and over again from Left to right. Once you learn where middle C is and how to identify it, you can find any key on any keyboard just by counting octaves. C is always a white key to the immediate left of the black keys grouped in pairs and just follow the alphabet to learn your way across the board.

An octave is always 8 white keys, 8 notes ranging from A to A or C to C and can always be identified by a grouping of two black keys followed by three black keys.

This is your first lesson in music theory and it's simple enough to grasp. Lighted keys and note displays are gimmicks which will distract you from learning properly.

Take any of the above pianos and a good teacher and you'll be playing a bit of boogie woogie by next xmas if you stick to it.

Gary

 

[damonwv]

Hey thanks Gary. The Korg and Casio do look nice. I also thought about just getting a paino for free. I see them for free all the time on craigs list for my area. A lot of the time, its old painos that churches used, and they just want to get rid of them, or some elderly people who dont want their piano any more.

I played guitar for most of my life, so i know basic chords, I just need to really get into the more advanced stuff of making chords.. I took a guitar class in college and we went over all the modes, and the basics of chords, and what notes were in a chord that made them majors, minor, sharp, flat, augmented, diminished.. It gets over whelming sometimes. Im 41 now, and my noodle doesnt remember things like it used to.

The hardest thing for me with playing guitar, and even the little bit of paino I play now, is that I have a hard time getting my brain to do two things at the same time differently. Even with guitar, when i switch chords in a song, its like I cant sing a word during the switch of a chord.
I know a little bit of Beethoven Moonlight sonata. If you know the song, the bass part to me isnt so bad because your not constantly moving your hand around, just moving from note to note , the right hand is doing all the work..

But you look at a song like Linus Lucy from Charlie brown, the left hand is pretty busy, and the right hand is really moving.. I think that would over load my brain. I Just hope that its something that can be learned over time.

I need to find a good piano teacher.. My last question would be how do you go about finding one ? Ask local music stores ? Even so, how would I know if I found a Good teacher that wont let me get into bad habits, and also have a knack for teaching people who are going to be hard to teach like me.

 

[happyrat1]

First off a "free" piano will still end up costing you a few hundred to move it and tune it but it really is the best thing to learn on.

Secondly you could sign up with any reputable music school listed in the yellow pages. Their teachers are usually all conservatory trained.

Or you could also luck out finding a private tutor on craigslist. A lot of them will list their credentials in their ads. Either way, try and find someone who is used to working with adults and not only children or you'll go insane playing itsy bitsy spider and row row row your boat

As for getting your left and right hand working together, think of the piano as a percussive instrument which it technically is.

To start, just try and keep a beat between your left and right hand like finger drumming on a table. Worrying about finger placement is secondary in the beginning. That will develop with time.

As for reading scores and learning scales and chord structure and general music theory, it sounds like you have that part pretty well covered already so all you really need is a few weeks of refresher reading.

Good luck and happy plunking

Gary