Q. I am 14 and I think I will be taking piano lessons as a Christmas present. I actually really want to learn to play the piano. Is it too late to begin learning? Should I have started when I was younger?
Also: We do not have room in our house for a piano, so when I come home from piano lessons downtown can I buy an electric keyboard to practice on?
Please answer both of these questions. Thank you. :)
A. Never, never.... and you ARE still young.
I once saw this jazz piano player with her own band, she was in her early twenties. I found out later from other long time friends and musicians that she had only started playing 2 years previously! She was GREAT!
If you love it and you put the effort forward you can do what you want. Go for it!
There are numerous portable keyboards you can purchase, make sure you have a "Standard" size keyboard. That way when you are learning and you go back and forth between a regular acoustic piano and your electronic piano your fingers will remember the same distance and placing. Also, you can investigate the pressure of the keys, some electronic pianos have a more "realistic" touch.
You can check prices and brands (but the two suggestions above, with attention to the actual sound it produces is important): Roland, Yamaha, Casio, to name a few brand names..... check your budget and check around. You may be able to find something really great via internet order, a good instrument for a lesser price tag. Shop before buying... your board may not come from a music store.
I wish you the best.
Shopping Suggestions:
(these are some great connections I found ...)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882115158&cm_re=piano-_-82-115-158-_-Product
YAMAHA DGX230 76 Graded Soft Touch keyboard, with stand.
Priced: $319.99, (that's with an $80.00 discount), and FREE SHIPPING
Details: "Looking for a reasonable priced piano replacement? You've found it here. The DGX230 from Yamaha makes a strong case. It's designed for those music students or those who need more keys. It features 76 non-weighted keys that look like real piano keys and features Graded Soft Touch (GST) action with different levels of resistance to provide truly piano experience. As an entry-level instrument, itâs useful and perfect.
The included CD-ROM contains songs for you to learn with the Yamaha Education Suite. So you can learn it even from scratch. With a built-in recorder, you can capture your childâs first performance or writing to remember. The DGX230 provides six tracks to accommodate sophisticated melodies, chord accompaniment and rhythm arts. You can connect the DGX230 to a computer via the built-in USB MIDI port, and then download songs from the Internet into the internal Flash ROM. In addition, you can play your songs into the computer and edit them for optimized effect or share them with your family or friends. Sustain Pedal jack and Headphone jack lets you have private practice.
Comes with 116 panel voices, 12 drum/SFX kits plus 361 XGlite voices, the DGX230 provides realistic sounding voices like Trumpet, Flute, Pan Flute, Soprano & Tenor Saxes! With powerful performance and a prime price, just take it home! "
OR>>>>>....... WAY CHEAPER!!!!
BEST PRICE AND SAVINGS!!
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882115224&cm_re=piano-_-82-115-224-_-Product
YAMAHA YPT220 PAK 61 Key Keyboard w/AC Adapter, Keyboard Stand & Headphones.
Priced $139.99 (that's with a discount of $150.00!!!!), and FREE SHIPPING.
Details: "The YPT-220 features 375 natural sounding voices, including Stereo Grand Piano, 361 XGlite voices, 12 drum kits and a sound effect kit. The YPT-220 also has 100 accompaniment styles and 102 built-in songs. Use the Portable Grand button to instantly call up an authentic stereo grand piano sound. The instrument also has a rich Reverb effect that adds concert-hall ambience to any performance. The Yamaha Education Suite feature makes learning and practicing music more fun than ever before. "
....and finally this is a good choice too....
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882115225&cm_re=piano-_-82-115-225-_-Product
YAMAHA YPT320 PAK 61 Key Keyboard w/AC Adapter, Keyboard Stand & Headphone
Price $199.99, (with a discount of $190.00!!) and FREE SHIPPING.
Details: "Name 61 Key Keyboard w/AC Adapter, Keyboard Stand & Headphone Model YPT320 PAK
Type Keyboards, Features Features Song Lesson feature "Keys to Success"
Total of 482 high-quality instrument voices and 106 accompaniment styles
Music Database: 100 song titles for quick keyboard setups
Special 2-track Easy Recording feature
Portable Grand button lets you instantly call up Yamaha's world-famous grand piano sound
Include AC Adapter, Deluxe Keyboard Stand and Professional Headphones "
Again... the best of everything. Merry Christmas!
What do you think about the Piano?
Q. Ok so I am 14 years old, I started learning how to play the piano at age 13 which was not too long ago.
I am so stressed! I always wanted to play but I had no idea it was so much work! Feels like the notes will never end! lol
Do you know how to play the piano?
What was it first like when you started learning?
A. First let me say that it's refreshing to read a question from someone who is 14 that is written in proper English.
As for your question: I started taking piano lessons when I was in sixth grade. At first I was very enthusiastic but soon I got frustrated and stopped practicing. My parents continued to pay for lessons and told me that if I missed a lesson I would have to pay for it myself. I kept going to lessons but I didn't practice very much. But once I got into high school I started enjoying piano more. I ended up learning enough that when I went to college to study music education I was able to skip out of the first two years of piano classes. I love playing piano now and do so nearly everyday.
You're right that it is daunting to learn piano. Unlike most instruments you have multiple notes to keep track of at one time. Try setting aside 15-20 minutes everyday to practice. Whatever you get done in that amount of time is what you get done. Don't worry that you're not learning fast enough, just work at your own pace. It's better to practice a couple times a day for 15 minutes than it is to sit down for an hour and get stressed out about you mistakes. Set a timer and stop when it goes off. If you are able to practice for 15 minutes two or three times a day then you will be even better off. Each time you practice will be like a new day of practicing because you have to start over again. Don't stress yourself out. Remember that you are doing this for fun.
Work on it one bar at a time. Don't overwhelm yourself by trying to deal with an entire piece at once. Practice the parts that give you trouble until you feel comfortable with them. Bring the tempo down as much as you need to and check your fingerings. Is there an easier way to play the notes? A lot of times the suggested fingerings are noted above the notes and you should follow them even if they don't seem to make any sense. Ask your teacher if you have questions, that's what they're there for.
Set a goal for yourself. Ask your music teacher at school if there is a piece in the winter or spring chorus concert where they would need a pianist for a piece they singing. They might even choose music that has a piano part at your level specifically so you can play. Or you could work towards an adjudication. In NYS we have NYSSMA. Students choose a piece from the repertory list and learn it. Then they go to the competition and play the piece as well as some scales and sight reading. There are all different levels to choose from and it's not a performance, rather it's an opportunity to get feedback from someone else who is an expert in the field.
Practice the scales/chord progressions/exercises you are given and do the theory work. It may seem dry but if you pay attention it will help you. The general rule of thumb is that piano music is based on chords. Each measure or beat or phrase is built on a specific chord. Once you determine the chord then the notes in the measure should match the notes in the chord. It's not always true but it's a good starting point.
Are you learning in the style that you are interested in? I took classical lessons until I was a senior in high school and while it wasn't bad I found that I was working on the same piece for months on end. If I was going to continue to learn piano I needed to try something new. I changed teachers and started focusing on accompanying and sight reading. I learned how to read lead sheet music and found that all of the sudden I could play many more songs than I could before. Lead sheet is when you are given a melody line and then there is the chord names written above it. So if I had a Cm about the melody then I would play C, E-flat, and G. There is no rhythm given for the chords so you have to improvise. It's a lot of fun, but you will probably need a few more years before you have the skills to try it.
Be patient and keep at it. With a little bit of work you'll be surprised how much you will learn.
Good luck!
CAN ANYONE CONVERT PIANO NOTES TO GUITAR CHORDS?
Q. I'm really in love with a song called a little soul by Pete Rock.
It's an instrumental song and the main riff is played on a piano.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrIhZPAAcjI
Can you guys convert the piano notes into guitar chords so i can play it on my guitar?
PLEASE!!!!
A. Try using http://chords.fm/online/web
Upload mp3 and it will produce guitar chords for you
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Title : Is it too late to begin piano lessons?
Description : Q. I am 14 and I think I will be taking piano lessons as a Christmas present. I actually really want to learn to play the piano. Is it too ...