Q. I want to be musically inclined and learn how to play guitar. However, I've been told that it's best to take piano lessons first, because if you can play the piano you can play anything. I would be taking the lessons at my college. What is everyone's input on that?
A. You should play the instrument you like the most or you will become bored and quit like 90% of the people who try to learn an instrument. It's not easy and you're going to have to enjoy your progress and have a real desire to go on. You should also get the best quality instrument you can possibly afford. If it doesn't sound good or is a pain to play... you'll quit. This is the truest and most important thing to consider IMHO.
Learning to sight-read music can help you with any instrument and give you a good background. But guitar requires a completely different strength, dexterity and technique to be built up over time. Finding notes and chords on a guitar is completely different than finding them on a piano. Learning to convert written music to keys on a piano by habit can actually get in the way if you try to change instruments.
Also... If you end up with a teacher who will only teach at the speed you can learn to sight-read... find somebody else. Some famous guitar players can't even do it. It takes a long time and there are other things you could be learning and playing at the same time. Chords, scales, etc... This will keep you more interested and you'll be able to start playing actual songs much more quickly. You'll start to develop different playing techniques and hand dexterity sooner...
I would take what you heard with a grain of salt. Many people who really master an instrument start playing that instrument at an early age.
Picking parts out of music with your ears has nothing to do with playing piano. That's in your head. You learn how to do it as try to learn an instrument and try to pick out the parts for your instrument in songs... figure out how they're playing them... The more you listen to music that way... the better you get at it. When you learn more about how to play your instrument... what you hear in music makes even more sense to you and you can copy songs by ear rather easily. Some people practice and develop this skill and some people don't. But, it has nothing to do with what particular instrument you learn how to play. Any manual dexterity you build on the piano would do you little good on the guitar. That's like saying if you learn to juggle you can type. It's two totally different things... Quickly finding notes and chords on a guitar and playing them cleanly is something you're only going to develop by practicing and practicing GUITAR. I've seen very good piano players struggle through 3 chord folk songs with several second pauses between chord changes on my guitar... lol.
Am I too old to learn how to play the piano?
Q. I'm 20 years old and would love to learn how to play the piano. It's so beautiful and relaxing but I have no experience and never even touched a piano in my life. I've always thought that the piano was something you had to learn when you were younger to be really good at it?
A. Well - there is only one way of doing this - you've got to enjoy it for yourself - and if you do, then you can learn anything. A lot of people who do music are very competitive - they HAVE to get it perfect or bust - and music isn't much fun - it's a business - and it's a not very happy business. But if you're not one of those - and you just enjoy fooling around with the keyboard - then sure - 20 isn't too old. It's nicer to start when you're 5 - but 20 is OK too.
Go to the store - see the keyboards. They have these fantastic Casio keyboards for around $450 or so - with weighted keys - so it feels like a real grand piano (sort of) - and then the sound isn't that quacky computer noise anymore - it's sampled from actual good pianos and harpsichords. These keyboards are absolute dynamite - and they're fairly cheap - and you could wear earphones and you wouldn't even drive somebody else nuts.
Also consider a used machine - some great prices on those! Lots of people buy these things and find out that they can't play - never were interested in playing - and they sell their machine cheap.
It's just practice, practice, practice - make your fingers go up and down those notes - make your hands find those chords - all without thinking. Making music can be a real kick in the butt.
What type of guitar lessons should I get?
Q. The place where I'm learning to play acoustic guitar offers two styles. Rock/pop/jazz and classical. Which should I take? I've never played guitar but I've been playing piano for five years now, if that makes a difference. Also, what's an example of a classical song for the guitar and what's an example of a rock, pop, or jazz song for the guitar?
A. Rock pop and jazz you will probably learn more chords and things. It would be good if you want to play actual songs that you know. My father plays classical guitar and I find all the songs that he plays very beautiful, but he often tells me how frustrated he gets playing for people when they say "why don't you play a song that we know?". He started teaching me a few months ago, I don't know what style it would be considered. I only know how to play the song Horizons by genesis, blackbird by the beatles, and some classical song called La Grima. I just learned from copying what he did, thats how I learned to play classical piano as well. I realize that not everyone can learn that way though.
If I were you I would go classical because I bet somebody with a foundation in classical will be able to pick up on rock pop and jazz songs easily, but not the othe way around.
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Title : should I take piano lessons before learning guitar?
Description : Q. I want to be musically inclined and learn how to play guitar. However, I've been told that it's best to take piano lessons firs...