Return to playing keyboard

[Tattyjacket]

Hi,
I'm Phil and I'm a 71 year old retired teacher.
Way back in my student days I had some piano lessons but my teacher gave me a piano method by Bella Bartok. I really didn't like it and I really didn't learn much. At the start of my teaching career I realised that it would benefit me to learn the piano and so again I took up lessons. I got on better this time, getting about as far as Bach's Minuet in G major. I started to play in a sort of left hand chord vamping style and to be honest, I didn't make much progress but it did get me through my career. I regularly played for morning assembly and for end of term concerts. One day, my boss came over to me playing the piano and said, "Gosh, I wish I could play the piano." I answered, "so do I."
I retired in 2013 and vowed that I'd never touch the piano again but this Summer, my wife and I took a holiday. A fabulous holiday. A cruise around the Mediterranean. The cruise ship must have had about six baby grand pianos on board. We'd often spend some time sharing a coffee relaxing to the sound of one of their pianists. It set me wondering. Perhaps I should get my keyboard down from the loft.
Eventually I did. I set it up and started to play again. Nothing had changed. I was just as bad as I always had been.....but tunes started to emerge. I found that using the one touch chord feature I could make some passable music; things that made me smile. I started practicing again. I can't yet say that my playing has improved but my repertoire is expanding.
I realised that I'm no longer under any pressure. I play for my own pleasure although I am aiming to play for my grandchildren.

Anybody else like me or can anybody offer any suggestions?

Thanks,
Phil

 

[Rayblewit]

Anybody else like me or can anybody offer any suggestions?

Don't give up. You have the desire to play so build on it and play OFTEN! Practice daily.

I found that using the one touch chord feature I could make some passable music; things that made me smile. I started practicing again.

Do you mean single finger chord?
Scrap it! When you need to play the likes of minor 7ths or sus chords for example, or you will get confused and will need at least two fingers anyway.
Play triads . . EVERY TIME.
Learn them and play them often.. practise!
You won't regret it.
When you played Bach's Minuet, I bet you played left hand triads and a combination of notes according to the bass staff.
That is much more difficult than playing just chords. IMO.
Ray

 

[Tahitijack]

Maybe you are trying to play song that are just out of your reach? Maybe try easy but great sounding songs like Moon River or Sound of Silence?

 

[4music]

Hi Phil - you don't mention what keyboard you have from the attic.....
After playing a lot of blues/jazz piano in pubs (free drinks) in the irresponsible and hedonistic seventies I went corporate and responsible and rarely played the piano - just travelled the world with a guitar. Then arrived in NZ in the late 80's and bought my first keyboard synthesizer (Roland) and fell in love with the piano all over again and progressed swiftly into composing and playing original music.
You need to fall in love again - get a new and appropriate keyboard - many on this forum can give you advice about what to get.