Help me emulate Rod Argent!
October 14, 2010 10:40 AM Subscribe
Please help me learn to play a single, specific song on the piano. The catch: I have no ability to play the piano. Or any instrument.
My wife and I are looking forward to some big, good changes in the coming year: new jobs, new place to live, and so on. I'd like to greet her on New Year's morning with my own keyboard rendition of The Zombies' marvelous and optimistic song "This Will Be Our Year" ... but I have no idea how to play the piano and have never even played an instrument.
The only instrument we have in our house is an old Casio SK-1 keyboard. It works fine, even after many years of disuse. This is what I would like to use to accompany my singing. If you know this instrument and can recommend certain of its features that will help me achieve this goal, that would be swell. I'm certainly not against, say, preprogramming something.
As for the words of the song and the singing thereof, I can handle that. I can carry a tune, more or less. But I'd really like to surprise her with my heretofore unknown musical ability. And this really does seem like the right song, even if it is perhaps a little predictable.
Here's the song on YouTube - no moving images, I'm afraid, but good-quality audio.
I had trouble finding sheet music for this song online (as, apparently, have many Zombiephile musicians), but I did find a messageboard post in which a fan lists the song's chords.
I think probably just playing the chords will suffice, yes? (You can tell that I know nothing about playing music.) And I think that, with practice, I can learn how to do this by simply doing it again and again: by muscle memory, if that makes sense.
I have time to practice, and can wear headphones while I do it, so I think I can keep this a secret.
Can you help me figure out a way to do this?
(Asked anonymously because my wife sometimes reads AskMe.)
My wife and I are looking forward to some big, good changes in the coming year: new jobs, new place to live, and so on. I'd like to greet her on New Year's morning with my own keyboard rendition of The Zombies' marvelous and optimistic song "This Will Be Our Year" ... but I have no idea how to play the piano and have never even played an instrument.
The only instrument we have in our house is an old Casio SK-1 keyboard. It works fine, even after many years of disuse. This is what I would like to use to accompany my singing. If you know this instrument and can recommend certain of its features that will help me achieve this goal, that would be swell. I'm certainly not against, say, preprogramming something.
As for the words of the song and the singing thereof, I can handle that. I can carry a tune, more or less. But I'd really like to surprise her with my heretofore unknown musical ability. And this really does seem like the right song, even if it is perhaps a little predictable.
Here's the song on YouTube - no moving images, I'm afraid, but good-quality audio.
I had trouble finding sheet music for this song online (as, apparently, have many Zombiephile musicians), but I did find a messageboard post in which a fan lists the song's chords.
I think probably just playing the chords will suffice, yes? (You can tell that I know nothing about playing music.) And I think that, with practice, I can learn how to do this by simply doing it again and again: by muscle memory, if that makes sense.
I have time to practice, and can wear headphones while I do it, so I think I can keep this a secret.
Can you help me figure out a way to do this?
(Asked anonymously because my wife sometimes reads AskMe.)
Normally, I would tell someone in your situation to buy a second-hand piano. A look in the classified ads of your home town should turn one up fairly easily. Then you need to hire a tuner to tune it, and then you should be ready to get started. I can understand that you're unlikely to be willing to do this, if only because your wife would be fairly likely to notice it.
Find a piano teacher and book a weekly lesson, then carve out at least an hour a day to practice. Explain that you have this as a goal. Know that what you're doing is extremely ambitious considering that you have no musical experience and only two and a half months in which to pull it off. In fact, you may not be able to do it. That doesn't mean it's not worth trying, if you're really determined.
"I think probably just playing the chords will suffice, yes?" I think you're also going to have to play the notes that aren't in chords, if there are any :-/. If no sheet music exists, having a list of chords is not going to be a good starting point for you as a complete beginner. If you paid your teacher a lot of money, she might agree to take the list of chords and transcribe them onto sheet music as best she can, but she may not be willing to do this. Disclaimer: I don't know what tool support, if any, exists for this kind of task nowadays.
"And I think that, with practice, I can learn how to do this by simply doing it again and again: by muscle memory, if that makes sense." Well, that's how everybody learns how to play music. What I think you're actually asking is: can I find a way of doing this parrot-fashion without actually learning anything about what I'm doing? I would reply that there must be people who could do this, but the odds that you're one of them are unfavourable. I would say that learning something about what you're doing is the easier path.
In a nutshell, you are asking whether you can 1) teach yourself to play a song for which 2) no sheet music is known to exist already (and 3) I'm unclear as to whether you can read music); and 4) whether you can do this in two and a half months on 5) an electric keyboard and 6) with no previous experience of playing any instrument at all.
I know this is very discouraging, but you must understand that any one of the above would be a very significant obstacle, let alone all six. I do think that if you found a teacher, you would be able to learn to play something and if you're open-minded about what that is, it could be very much worth it.
posted by tel3path at 11:07 AM on October 14, 2010 [1 favorite]
Find a piano teacher and book a weekly lesson, then carve out at least an hour a day to practice. Explain that you have this as a goal. Know that what you're doing is extremely ambitious considering that you have no musical experience and only two and a half months in which to pull it off. In fact, you may not be able to do it. That doesn't mean it's not worth trying, if you're really determined.
"I think probably just playing the chords will suffice, yes?" I think you're also going to have to play the notes that aren't in chords, if there are any :-/. If no sheet music exists, having a list of chords is not going to be a good starting point for you as a complete beginner. If you paid your teacher a lot of money, she might agree to take the list of chords and transcribe them onto sheet music as best she can, but she may not be willing to do this. Disclaimer: I don't know what tool support, if any, exists for this kind of task nowadays.
"And I think that, with practice, I can learn how to do this by simply doing it again and again: by muscle memory, if that makes sense." Well, that's how everybody learns how to play music. What I think you're actually asking is: can I find a way of doing this parrot-fashion without actually learning anything about what I'm doing? I would reply that there must be people who could do this, but the odds that you're one of them are unfavourable. I would say that learning something about what you're doing is the easier path.
In a nutshell, you are asking whether you can 1) teach yourself to play a song for which 2) no sheet music is known to exist already (and 3) I'm unclear as to whether you can read music); and 4) whether you can do this in two and a half months on 5) an electric keyboard and 6) with no previous experience of playing any instrument at all.
I know this is very discouraging, but you must understand that any one of the above would be a very significant obstacle, let alone all six. I do think that if you found a teacher, you would be able to learn to play something and if you're open-minded about what that is, it could be very much worth it.
posted by tel3path at 11:07 AM on October 14, 2010 [1 favorite]
If I were you, I'd find someone (either a competent piano-playing friend, someone on Metafilter Jobs through your new sockpuppet account, someone on CL or mechanical turk, whatever) to transcribe this as simply as possible and figure out the easiest way to play it on the piano so it's still recognizable as being That Song. That person can then make a video of themselves playing it (just their hands on the keyboard), maybe record that at a couple of speeds and from a couple of angles, and give that to you. With enough time and practice, based on the audio and visual feedback of someone else playing it, you should be able to mimic that and eventually memorize it.
posted by booknerd at 11:08 AM on October 14, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by booknerd at 11:08 AM on October 14, 2010 [1 favorite]
I play the piano; I'd be happy to throw together as simple an arrangement of the song as possible and do some sort of piano-hand video, if you think that'd help.
posted by IjonTichy at 11:18 AM on October 14, 2010 [3 favorites]
posted by IjonTichy at 11:18 AM on October 14, 2010 [3 favorites]
I'm unclear as to whether you can read music
I would assume the OP can't read music since he said categorically he has never learned any musical instrument in his life.
posted by John Cohen at 11:26 AM on October 14, 2010
I would assume the OP can't read music since he said categorically he has never learned any musical instrument in his life.
posted by John Cohen at 11:26 AM on October 14, 2010
Okay. I still think that the easier course would be for the OP to learn how to read music and how to play properly from scratch, even though it appears to be the harder path.
posted by tel3path at 11:30 AM on October 14, 2010
posted by tel3path at 11:30 AM on October 14, 2010
My brother (who can't read music and has no musical ability) learned to play Canon in D by watching me play it a kabillion times, so I vote for the "simple transcription and video of hands" route.
posted by punchtothehead at 11:33 AM on October 14, 2010
posted by punchtothehead at 11:33 AM on October 14, 2010
If IjonTichy is willing to do that, you know what'd work better? Don't bother with learning piano -- just have IjonTichy record that video so you have the instrumental audio, bite the bullet, and play that video while singing over it. (I'd be willing to learn the song and record it for you too.)
I think the (deliberately) clunky, pounding style of the piano playing in that song makes it seem deceptively easy to pull off.
posted by John Cohen at 11:38 AM on October 14, 2010
I think the (deliberately) clunky, pounding style of the piano playing in that song makes it seem deceptively easy to pull off.
posted by John Cohen at 11:38 AM on October 14, 2010
This isn't as hard as some people seem to be making it, I think, but I play a handful of instruments and am used to punk music, so make of that what you will. Here's what I would do:
Find the chords on 8notes.com. For example:A, C#m, etc. Learn a new one backwards and forwards every day. Use spaced repitition. There are fourteen different ones
and fewer if you cut out the ending.
After your two weeks of learning chords, start playing along with the song. You'll be sloppy and out of time at first. That's okay for now. After you understand where each chord goes, turn off the song and play it very very very slowly until you can do it all smoothly. Then speed it up a little. Once you get out of your comfort zone, practice until you can play it smoothly again. You might want a metronome for this, especially since you may be unfamiliar with staying in time; that's okay too. Rinse and repeat until you have it at the right tempo.
I don't know why everyone wants to transcribe it to sheet music considering that just adds another step. Also, there might be little fiddly things outside of the chords; the song should be recognizable without them.
posted by wayland at 11:52 AM on October 14, 2010
Find the chords on 8notes.com. For example:A, C#m, etc. Learn a new one backwards and forwards every day. Use spaced repitition. There are fourteen different ones
and fewer if you cut out the ending.
After your two weeks of learning chords, start playing along with the song. You'll be sloppy and out of time at first. That's okay for now. After you understand where each chord goes, turn off the song and play it very very very slowly until you can do it all smoothly. Then speed it up a little. Once you get out of your comfort zone, practice until you can play it smoothly again. You might want a metronome for this, especially since you may be unfamiliar with staying in time; that's okay too. Rinse and repeat until you have it at the right tempo.
I don't know why everyone wants to transcribe it to sheet music considering that just adds another step. Also, there might be little fiddly things outside of the chords; the song should be recognizable without them.
posted by wayland at 11:52 AM on October 14, 2010
Yeah, this is a great idea, but it's tricky. Are you sure that you don't want to just do karaoke to it?
If you're sure you want to do it, I'd get a larger keyboard than an SK-1. On that itty-bitty thing it would be very difficult squish your fingers together enough to play the chords.
I bet over at Metafilter Music we could whip up an instrumental version of it if you decide to go the pre-recorded + vocals route.
posted by umbú at 12:02 PM on October 14, 2010
If you're sure you want to do it, I'd get a larger keyboard than an SK-1. On that itty-bitty thing it would be very difficult squish your fingers together enough to play the chords.
I bet over at Metafilter Music we could whip up an instrumental version of it if you decide to go the pre-recorded + vocals route.
posted by umbú at 12:02 PM on October 14, 2010
I just looked at the SK1 manual, and if you're going to use the SK1, I think your best bet is to program the chords using the Casio Chord System™ while you're in 3ch multi memory mode™.
It looks like you just input the chords according to their system.
If there isn't an 'm' or a '7' after the chord's note (A, Bb, etc.) then it is a major chord. In that case, you just input the note (A, Bb, etc.), and the chord will play.
If there is an 'm' then it is a minor chord and you have to input the note + the adjacent note to the right at the same time.
If it's a seventh chord, indicated by the '7' after the note, then you have to play the note, the next key over to the right, and the next key over to the right from that. It's a whacky system, but luckily the rhythm is regular and hymn-like, so you don't have to deal with complicated rhythms.
Good luck!
posted by umbú at 12:47 PM on October 14, 2010
It looks like you just input the chords according to their system.
If there isn't an 'm' or a '7' after the chord's note (A, Bb, etc.) then it is a major chord. In that case, you just input the note (A, Bb, etc.), and the chord will play.
If there is an 'm' then it is a minor chord and you have to input the note + the adjacent note to the right at the same time.
If it's a seventh chord, indicated by the '7' after the note, then you have to play the note, the next key over to the right, and the next key over to the right from that. It's a whacky system, but luckily the rhythm is regular and hymn-like, so you don't have to deal with complicated rhythms.
Good luck!
posted by umbú at 12:47 PM on October 14, 2010
I'm with wayland--this seems doable.
One of my college roommates, who had never touched an instrument in his life, was taking a music history or appreciation class, and suddenly got inspired to learn how to play something. I taught him about 3 chords on the piano, and he picked it up in a few minutes. He sat there and banged out the same 3 chords for several hours that night and loved it. Granted, I don't recall him touching the piano again after that.
If you can locate a teacher or piano-playing friend to guide you a little, that could be a big help.
For example, you can certainly learn the chords as wayland suggests. However, it's easier if you don't play all the chords exactly as pictured on 8notes.com, but instead you change the voicings for easier transitions between chords. For example, it won't be super easy for a beginner to transition from the A to the C#m examples as shown there. Instead, notice that these 2 chords share 2 of the same 3 keys, and you only have to move one finger from the A key (the leftmost key shown on the A chord) to the G#/Ab key. This is the kind of thing that I'm finding a little tough to explain in words to someone with no musical background, but could pretty easily show someone sitting next to me at a piano.
Another tip to simplify things to start: ignore all the 7s. Play A7 as A, E7 as E, Db7 as Db, etc. It won't sound exactly right, but will be close enough to get you started and to totally impress your wife with your newfound skills.
One more suggestion: you might try an easier song, with only 2 or 3 chords to start with. I know it's completely corny, but my 2-year-old daughter loves when I play "Wheels on the bus" on the piano, and it's only 2 chords, played over and over and over again: A and D7 (or D).
posted by partylarry at 1:00 PM on October 14, 2010
One of my college roommates, who had never touched an instrument in his life, was taking a music history or appreciation class, and suddenly got inspired to learn how to play something. I taught him about 3 chords on the piano, and he picked it up in a few minutes. He sat there and banged out the same 3 chords for several hours that night and loved it. Granted, I don't recall him touching the piano again after that.
If you can locate a teacher or piano-playing friend to guide you a little, that could be a big help.
For example, you can certainly learn the chords as wayland suggests. However, it's easier if you don't play all the chords exactly as pictured on 8notes.com, but instead you change the voicings for easier transitions between chords. For example, it won't be super easy for a beginner to transition from the A to the C#m examples as shown there. Instead, notice that these 2 chords share 2 of the same 3 keys, and you only have to move one finger from the A key (the leftmost key shown on the A chord) to the G#/Ab key. This is the kind of thing that I'm finding a little tough to explain in words to someone with no musical background, but could pretty easily show someone sitting next to me at a piano.
Another tip to simplify things to start: ignore all the 7s. Play A7 as A, E7 as E, Db7 as Db, etc. It won't sound exactly right, but will be close enough to get you started and to totally impress your wife with your newfound skills.
One more suggestion: you might try an easier song, with only 2 or 3 chords to start with. I know it's completely corny, but my 2-year-old daughter loves when I play "Wheels on the bus" on the piano, and it's only 2 chords, played over and over and over again: A and D7 (or D).
posted by partylarry at 1:00 PM on October 14, 2010
That is a funky chord progression, dude.
What you need is an in-person musician to work with you locally. Every kid I know learned to play Heart & Soul without knowing or reading music but that's a bit simpler than what you want to do. It IS doable.
Look for a piano player who has a good ear plus can read chords. Bonus is that if they can read chords they can transpose the key if you need it higher or lower to fit your voice.
posted by St. Alia of the Bunnies at 2:12 PM on October 14, 2010
What you need is an in-person musician to work with you locally. Every kid I know learned to play Heart & Soul without knowing or reading music but that's a bit simpler than what you want to do. It IS doable.
Look for a piano player who has a good ear plus can read chords. Bonus is that if they can read chords they can transpose the key if you need it higher or lower to fit your voice.
posted by St. Alia of the Bunnies at 2:12 PM on October 14, 2010
It's a little more complicated to play than that chord progression makes it look.
For example, it doesn't really start A - C#m - A7 - D - F, it's A - C#m/G# - A7/G - D/F# - F. The descending bass line is absolutely key to making the song sound like it does. Just playing the chords as written there isn't going to sound very much like "This Will Be Our Year".
The good news is that you can pretty much just plink out the right quarter-note chords and it will sound right, and because of the voice-leading, those chords will all be pretty similar to each other, no need to move your hand around a lot.
Start with this. Just play each chord four times. I've listed the pitches from bottom to top.
A (the one just below middle C), C#, E
G#, C#, E
G, A, C#, E
F#, A, D
F, A, C, Eb
E, G#, B, E
D, F#, A, D
A (down from D), E, A, C#
Feel free to split that between your hands as necessary.
Don't bite off too much at once; just adding one more chord per day means that you'll learn the whole verse in a week. And it is slow and simple enough that you can do this.
If you master all of that, memail me and I'll tell you the bridge :)
posted by dfan at 3:50 PM on October 14, 2010 [1 favorite]
For example, it doesn't really start A - C#m - A7 - D - F, it's A - C#m/G# - A7/G - D/F# - F. The descending bass line is absolutely key to making the song sound like it does. Just playing the chords as written there isn't going to sound very much like "This Will Be Our Year".
The good news is that you can pretty much just plink out the right quarter-note chords and it will sound right, and because of the voice-leading, those chords will all be pretty similar to each other, no need to move your hand around a lot.
Start with this. Just play each chord four times. I've listed the pitches from bottom to top.
A (the one just below middle C), C#, E
G#, C#, E
G, A, C#, E
F#, A, D
F, A, C, Eb
E, G#, B, E
D, F#, A, D
A (down from D), E, A, C#
Feel free to split that between your hands as necessary.
Don't bite off too much at once; just adding one more chord per day means that you'll learn the whole verse in a week. And it is slow and simple enough that you can do this.
If you master all of that, memail me and I'll tell you the bridge :)
posted by dfan at 3:50 PM on October 14, 2010 [1 favorite]
I meant play each chord twice, not four times, of course.
And nice choice! It's a great song.
posted by dfan at 3:58 PM on October 14, 2010
And nice choice! It's a great song.
posted by dfan at 3:58 PM on October 14, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
As for the words of the song and the singing thereof, I can handle that. I can carry a tune, more or less. But I'd really like to surprise her with my heretofore unknown musical ability.
You don't seem to have considered how difficult it is for someone who's just learning their very first musical instrument to take on the additional, simultaneous task of singing. Many beginning musicians find this extremely difficult. Being able to sing it already + being able to play the chord sequence on January 1, 2011 ≠ being able to passably sing and play the song at the same time on January 1, 2011.
However, for this song, yes, you can definitely just plunk out the chords. Don't bother with the melodic parts (the instrumental interlude in the middle and the noodling near the end of the song).
posted by John Cohen at 10:58 AM on October 14, 2010 [1 favorite]