Q. What are ways that will prepare me and so i will learn faster?
Reading music is an obvious one so im learning that on my own, what other ways are there besides actually interacting with a real piano?
A. Start by knowing what each finger in piano is called (1,2,3,4,5). Then learn about the scale/notes. Learn the music alphabet (a,b,c,d,e,f,g). Learn how to do a scale. Learn what makes up a chord. Finally, try playing a song. Start with just your right hand then move to your left hand. When you feel confident, try putting it together. Also, know what beats, measures, treble and bass clef, signatures, etc, are. Know how long or short beats are.
Also, try this: with a flat surface, just put your fingertips on the surface with your palm arched (imagine there is a cupcake under your hand(s) and you don't want to squish it.
Also, do daily warm ups with/for your hands and fingers. Over time, your hands/fingers will strengthen and endure longer periods of music. Learn good posture. Sit up straight and practice trying to have your feet lift off the ground with your heels staying/toughing the ground. It's good pratice for the pedal.
How to choose the best piano?
Q. I'm looking to buy a new piano, am currently using a Yamaha upright and playing at a diploma level.
How do I choose the best one?
My Yamaha was a random piano that was recommended by the salesperson that my parents bought 10 years ago, so I have no idea.
A. The only way is to go out to someplace that sells pianos and try them out. If for some weird reason you go to a vendor and they say you're not allowed to play the pianos (it happens sometimes), then you need to leave immediately and go somewhere else.
What I would suggest is that you pick out two or three pieces, or sections of pieces, that you can have ready to play. It all comes down to personal preference of course, but here are a couple of things you might think about:
1. Pick at least one thing to play that is fast. What you are trying to do is test the limits of the piano action. A simple scale is probably not going to do this for you; you should pick some real piece of writing. If you can outmatch the piano on speed, then you need a better piano.
2. Pick something very light (quiet) to play. It is generally very simple to tell how a piano sounds when you're playing loudly by just playing a couple of loud chords. Playing softly is a different story. If you find that maintaining a generally quiet sound is so difficult as to make small changes in dynamics impossible, then you need a better piano.
3. Make sure you test the pedals. The sustain pedal should be able to actually sustain (obviously) but more importantly you should be able to control how much it sustains. Pressing the pedal down halfway should yield a shorter sustain; a quarter of the way even shorter (but still noticeable). The wider the range of control, the better. Also, check the una corda and sustenuto pedals. On upright pianos, the sustenuto pedals are generally not true sustenuto; they are just sustain pedals that work only on notes below middle C. This is not really a huge issue (and is all but unavoidable) but it is good to know. Also, some Yamaha uprights don't have a sustenuto pedal at all, instead they have a "practice pedal" that uses a piece of felt over the strings to dampen the sound. This may or may not be useful to you, but once again it is good to know.
4. Test the range of the piano. Generally the treble keys are pretty good, but if not that will probably be the first thing you notice. What you want to do is play around with the very high and very low registers. You're looking for pretty much the same thing both ways; when you hit a note on either extreme end of the keyboard, can you actually distinguish what the note is? In other words, you want the bass notes to sound rich, not muddy (imagine a deep gong, rather than a "splash"), and you want the soprano notes to sound clear, not tinny (imagine chiming as opposed to the sound you might hear if you strangled a kitten. you sick kitten murderer you).
Well that should pretty much do it. Oh, in response to your story; I'm sure salespeople are very nice and beneficial members of society who go home in the evening to loving spouses and families. When you're buying a piano though, their only job involves pointing their index finger in the general direction of the pianos and then getting out of your way. You have all the tools that you need to figure out what piano you should buy, and salespeople are just mindless distractions for you (once again, I'm sure they're very nice people though).
Do piano accompanists at musical auditions generally play the melody, or only the chords?
Q. I have an audition tomorrow, and I want only the chords played. Do I just tell him/her to leave the melody out?
Any help would be much appreciated!
A. It really depends on who the accompanist is. Sometimes they'll be the music director and others they'll be some person hired just to play for auditions. So you get a variety of skill levels.
If the accompanist is worth their salt, they've already seen the song that you're performing and should be able to play it. That said, if you come in with a Sondheim, the accompanist will probably want to kill you. It's INCREDIBLY difficult music for one person with two hands to play.
You can explain to the accompanist that all you want are the chords played, though it seems like a strange request. I'd imagine that playing the melody would always make you sound better and give the director/casting director/music director a better look at what you can do.
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Title : I will be taking piano lessons soon, what are ways to help prepare me for lessons?
Description : Q. What are ways that will prepare me and so i will learn faster? Reading music is an obvious one so im learning that on my own, what other...