Learning Keyboards

January 24, 2004 9:30 AM

I've been really enjoying GarageBand lately, especially since I finally got a keyboard to use as a MIDI controller. Unfortunately, it also reminds me that I have no skill or training on a keyboard (or any other musical instrument). Can anyone suggest a good book to learn keyboards from, especially one that will let me "fake it" easily?
Thanks.
posted by jpburns to media & arts (8 comments total)

Play Piano in a Flash has been attracting my attention, and gets good but uneven Amazon reviews.

I can remember one time in my life when someone sat down and played the piano and we all sang along. It was great.
posted by mecran01 at 10:03 AM on January 24, 2004

One of the "Dummies" books covers piano; I have a copy and I recommend it highly-especially for what you want to do.
posted by konolia at 10:33 AM on January 24, 2004

I'm curious about this for exactly the same reason as jpburns; can anyone recommend any good online resources for learning to play keyboards?
posted by m-bandy at 12:17 PM on January 24, 2004

I know how to play the theme song from Pee Wee's Big Adventure. I'll give you a hint. You can do it with any 4 adjacent keys.

Rock on!
posted by scarabic at 12:24 AM on January 25, 2004

I think that Scott Huston's "Play Piano In a Flash" book mentioned above is what I saw on PBS a few months ago, and it looked good to me. Perusing the "Piano for Dummies" book on Amazon with the "look inside" feature, it looks quite good too.

I took lessons for a few years as a kid, and the teacher was aiming me in the traditional classical direction. But it got boring to me quickly as my interest in pop music grew, and I quit the lessons. What kept me playing, was that one of my teachers at school had been a piano player for a jazz band back in the '30s or so, and she taught me how players like her "fake" things. The secret is learning how to identify the chords. Then when you look at a piece of music that has the chords marked on it (as most pop/rock sheet music does) and you see a "C," you know which three keys are the basis for that chord. And so forth.

What she also taught me, though, was not every possible chord, but that each kind of chord follows the same pattern, no matter which key it's in. So, the difference between a C-major and a C-minor is the same difference between D-major and D-minor: you take the middle note and drop it down one key on the keyboard.

Learning chords only, though, won't really teach you how to play the melody. For that at least some knowledge of reading sheet music is probably necessary - though it's really not that hard to learn. So in general, what I think you should look for is something that teaches chords and basic note reading. Once you learn the chords, you'll probably find that the rest comes easy.
posted by dnash at 9:20 AM on January 25, 2004

Learning chords only, though, won't really teach you how to play the melody. For that at least some knowledge of reading sheet music is probably necessary

Actually in my opinion, not so. I can play melodies quite easily by ear. But learning how to read music makes it much easier to learn to read chords. At my music store you can pick up a booklet for about a dollar that has the different chords for different keys written out.

So in general, what I think you should look for is something that teaches chords and basic note reading. Once you learn the chords, you'll probably find that the rest comes easy.

The Piano for Dummies book would be excellent for doing the above.

I hope you follow thru with this. I read chords/play by ear and it is just too cool.
posted by konolia at 11:13 AM on January 25, 2004

Actually in my opinion, not so. I can play melodies quite easily by ear.

Well, I do too, now, but I couldn't play by ear at first. People may have different abilities for it. Basically I think some ability to read music is a good thing. Sometimes, for example, when you're trying to play a song you know and just go by the chord symbol, it may sound slightly off because the song uses an unusual variation of the chord - say, putting a note other than the usual root note at the base. If you can read music it will help you to see that. But yeah, there are tons of musicians out there who don't read music at all.

Of course, whatever book/method one uses to learn, the key factor is practice, practice, and more practice.
posted by dnash at 11:54 AM on January 25, 2004

Sometimes, for example, when you're trying to play a song you know and just go by the chord symbol, it may sound slightly off because the song uses an unusual variation of the chord - say, putting a note other than the usual root note at the base. If you can read music it will help you to see that.

Actually that should be written in the chord itself-example, let's say it's a C chord- if it has an E in the bass part then it should be written C/E.

But I totally agree it is good to have some sight reading/theory background. That way when you see an F#m7 you won't faint. ;-)
posted by konolia at 4:35 PM on January 25, 2004