Q. I know the basics (i stopped at grade 1). I dont want to depend on music sheets cause I'm too lazy to read and stuff. Is it possible to train myself to play by ear? And how do I train myself to be able to reach an octave higher? I'm trying to play A thousand Miles but I cant seem to do right for the intro cause my fingers are not strong and fast enough to push the keys. Help..?
A. the answer is easy, the outcome wont be. anyone can play any instrument. only those who are blessed with the gift can make them truely sing. to play by ear is the most beneficial way to express yourself musically. it comes from within. not from someone elses hand written sheets. 30 years ago when i was at the beginning end, i too, was doing the sheet music thing. ok for percussion instruments, but daggonnit, you ever see an all 6 string major chord in quick time for a guitar? piano is worse!!!! i was thinking who could even readt it and play it that fast!!! why take the time to read it?? just play! so i did! how did i do it? PRACTICE!!! every day. all the time. treat it like you do breathing. the best technique is to play along with the music you like best. just relax, and let it all out.
or, to learn the different genres (blues, jazz, classical, pop, etc) then practice along with tose types of music. start small. pick the second seat parts and play the rythyms. learn to let the music flow without thinking of what note comes next. as for your fingers, well practice is the only way. much like an athelete about to run, they would have to develope their leg muscles to react exactly as they want them. you must do that with your fingers. youll make mistakes. thats good, sometimes a mistake will lead to a sound youll like.
now with some computers, the music players can slow down the music. this is a great help as when you come to parts where the effects are overpowering the notes, or the notes are to fast to pick out readily. play it slowly. things seems to come out clearly when you use this technique. back in the day we had battery powered cassette recorders. all we had to do then was put in semi dead batteries and voila! slower music. it made copying van halens guitar riffs so much easier to learn. now, i can do it in my sleep, one handed. PRACTICE!
in order to train your ear your gonna have to use it. and in conjunction with your hands. this means alot of listening, playing, and repeating over and over. same as with sheet music, your just using your ears instead of eyes, and a music player instead of sheets. no matter how you do it, sheet or by ear, PRACTICE is always they key. always will be!
music by isnt learned over night, even for those with the gift. so dont get dicouraged. its repetitive. sometimes practice can be boring. though if anything is ever said, one thing ive learned is true.....
you get out of it what you put into it. the more you practice ear/hand, the better you will be.
good luck!
What should I know to be able to improvise well on piano?
Q. I've been playing for a year and know all the basics of chords scales and music theory, but I'm stuck in a rut of not knowing what else to learn except more songs. I want to be able to jam with my friends but I can't improvise at all because I don't know what to play, what should I learn or do to be able to improvise on the piano?
A. There is most definitely no simple answer to this question.
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One of the simplest thing to do is just practice to a lot of different songs. Everyday. Constantly.
Pandora.com is great because it will throw random Blues songs that you have not listened to. Then you MUST improvise. It's like homework, you MUST do the things you are not good at Until you GET good.
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#1- LISTEN!
- No musician on this planet knows everything. But with a good Ear, we all are able to learn from sound. Since there Are enough musicians in the world to have Everything "covered", we have the means to Learn Anything. If we simply Hear and Analyze.
If you are at a jam, a song starts and you don't know what to play, "Listen". Hang back for a progression or two and Use your ears. Ask yourself, "What are the other instruments playing"?
Play what they play with variation.
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- Start Slow. There's no need to play EVERY space. No need to use fast thousand note runs.
***The Less you play, the Less you have to know to sound "good". If you are not confident in your abilities, don't worry. Play what you Do feel confident with and then practice afterwards.
- Repetition with variation. If you find a riff that is Killing on a song, Play It! Play it to Death. But use minor variation so that you don't sound like that lick is the Only lick you know.
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Numerous different and NEW Scale practice exercises will help you develop new pathways to improvisation. There are Billions of ways to play a scale. It doesn't just have to be CDEFGABC. It can be something as simple as CD E FG A BC. Using your imagination when you are practicing means you don't have to use it as much while you are onstage.
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Time and Practice! That's it.
A basic understanding of Anatomy/Physiology, Nuerology/Psychology doesn't hurt either. Simple things that most of us never think about make a HUGE difference in learning a new skill.
When I practice, I have a Specific improvement I want to make. I Obsessively think about that improvement Before, During and After my practice. This gives my mind a "Heads-Up" that I NEED to retain the Data pertaining to the specific targeted improvement that is heading it's way.
Be Obsessive. I have never met an Obsessive person who fails.
What instrument is better piano or guitar?
Q. i aldready play the violin so i want an instrument that will benefit me, and help me improve in my technique. I also want to know what is relatively easier to learn. Please tell me why you think the instrument you chose is better.
A. No instrument is better than one another. They will both require years of practicing and both can sound amazing and very nice if played correctly and well. As for improving your technique on the violin, guitar would be best since you are practicing strumming the strings and doing Pizzicato a lot, which is also commonly done on the violin, but not as much. If you are really passionate about the violin, guitar would be the most beneficial to you. However, if you want a change in instruments and want to play something different than the guitar that can still play the same basic things as piano like rock music and pop music, including classical music which can also be done on the guitar, piano would be a good idea. Since you already have a basis for classical music on the violin, you may find guitar a wiser decision because you will be exposed to a lot of interesting types of music and have a variety of music to play. However, piano would be a good choice if you are truly passionate about playing classical music like on the violin. Piano is easier to learn at first as far as where the notes are located because there are thousands of chord combinations on the guitar and the notes aren't laid out for you on a guitar like on a piano, but once you know where the notes are located on the guitar, guitar gets easier and you can play songs with chords very easily. Piano involves a lot more simultaneous playing and thinking than the guitar for most songs and pieces. Whichever instrument you choose to learn, good luck learning it!
Maxwell
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Title : How to train myself to play piano by ear?
Description : Q. I know the basics (i stopped at grade 1). I dont want to depend on music sheets cause I'm too lazy to read and stuff. Is it possible...