Any other oldies teaching themselves keyboards/piano?

[spikey]

Or taught themselves?   I'm having fun trying to disprove the old adage that you can't teach an old dog new tricks, and wondering what approach works/worked best for others ...

[Graham108]

As a child, early teens or so, I taught myself to play both piano & guitar. For the keyboard I learned the right hand, then the left hand, then played them together. Even got as far as the ability to play Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata amongst others. As I plan to retire this year I aim to re-learn both instruments. 

[Michael Hodgson]

Our tabby is learning to play the piano, but I wouldn't call him an oldie, he's still a kitten really.   He practices at 3am ... we really must make a point pf shutting the lid.

[Jinty3f]

At 71, I have started learning a little - New Years resolution. I have played a basic guitar for over 55 years and have been practising chords on the piano so that I can “play” while I groan along to simple 4 chord songs. Having mastered C, Am, F and G, and then G, Em C and D chords,  I have started plonking some basic scales and can play a simple but recognisable if  excruciating “Let it Be”. For me, the essential thing is to start the day  after breakfast with an hour of practice, wearing headphones to avoid annoying my wife. And my left hand is carp. I have found the occasional free lessons which arrive by email from PIANOTE  presented by Lisa Witt useful, but not enough to subscribe.

Edited February 28, 2022 by Jinty3f
Speeling

[MichaelE]

I've been playing the piano for 53 of my 59 years on this blue ball. 

 

I know it's boring, it's tedious, and sometimes hard to stay awake while doing it, but you must practice your scales in all keys. Every day. For at least an hour.

 

With the scale music in front of you. You will increase your sight reading skills and your technique rapidly by rigidly practicing this. I can't stress it enough.

 

This has the benefit of not only the above mentioned, but also being able to play much classical and contemporary music.

 

Instead of trying to decode the music as you stumble along like someone who is learning to read the written word, you will soon be able to make those notes flow out of your hands fluently, like a person well versed in Shakespeare.

 

Keep practicing and keep playing, but remember those scales with music in front of you as you do.

[spikey]

9 hours ago, Jinty3f said:

 ... And my left hand is carp. I have found the occasional free lessons which arrive by email from PIANOTE  presented by Lisa Witt useful, but not enough to subscribe.

 

Same here though a few years older.  My left hand problem's exacerbated by a wonky index finger which won't bend much at all, so I can't adopt the proper fingering.  I just adapt best I can.

 

I note your reaction to Lisa Witt.  Having now got used to her voice and the typical American presentation of the videos, I reckon she's very good indeed - but as you say, not worth forking out for.  I've found useful vids by other teachers on YouTube too, but still not one I can stick with as an adult learner and follow a planned course of learning with. 

 

I take MichaelE's point about scales, and I'm getting to grips with reading the treble clef, but I still feel the need for a "what we do next" plan ... 

[MichaelE]

Everybody that plays an instrument has that feeling when studying scales. "What can I do now", or, "from here" is typically lamented by students studying any instrument.

 

The more you study and practice those scales, the more obvious the answer will be. It will come gradually, but, it will come. One day you will amaze yourself at how far you have come with your repertoire.

 

[Zomboid]

There's no magic shortcut around practice. I play (and have played for a long time) guitar, and did piano before that. I've stagnated a bit at being able to play a load of heavy metal riffs, but I've never been any good at soloing. And oddly enough, not practicing much hasn't helped me too improve.

 

I think an hour of scales every day is a bit much though. If you enjoy that kind of thing then go for it, but turning practice into a boring chore isn't going to inspire you; playing stuff you like will be much more inspiring.

 

You do need to do some level of exercises such as the scales, but remember that making music is all about enjoyment. Better to be a bit rubbish and smiling than really good but not really enjoying yourself.

[Reorte]

Bought myself a digital piano a while back but lacked the willpower to teach myself and get very far. I'm badly in need of a distraction right now, this might just do the trick, something I can sit down at, concentrate on, not have anything else going on in the background.

[spikey]

Anybody else admit to being somewhat dismayed upon realising that a note on any given line of the bass clef is not the same one as when it's on the same line of the treble clef e.g. a note on the bottom line of the bass clef is not an E like you thought it would be?  

Edited March 1, 2022 by spikey
clarity

[Reorte]

Just now, spikey said:

Anybody else admit to being somewhat dismayed upon realising that a note on any given line of the bass clef is not the same one as when it's on the same line of the treble clef? 

My far too on-and-off so far attempts have struggled with the bass clef far more than the treble. I think the long-forgotten memories of being taught primary school recorder came back and helped me with the treble.

[Pete the Elaner]

13 minutes ago, spikey said:

Anybody else admit to being somewhat dismayed upon realising that a note on any given line of the bass clef is not the same one as when it's on the same line of the treble clef e.g. a note on the bottom line of the bass clef is not an E like you thought it would be?  

 

A few months ago, I decided it was about time I learned to read music, then it seemed logical to learn an instrument, so I chose the bass guitar.

I only bought my bass in mid-December so I can't play very much yet, but I do practise for about an hour every day.

It is probably no surprise that I am more familiar with the bass stave than the treble.

[Zomboid]

I could read music on the piano, and never had a problem with the bass stave, but I can only learn guitar music using tab.

 

The thing I can't get my head around from either music staves or tab is rhythm, I can only seem to pick that up by ear/ feel.

[Barry Ten]

After 25 years of trying to play guitar with sheet music, but never really feeling that I was able to express myself or just play spontaneously, I made a renewed effort to learn the minor pentatonic scale shapes up and down the fretboard. I started with a minor, got that nailed down, then began to work on the other root note positions. Then I learned the root positions within the five scale shapes. Finally, I was able to put on any minor blues backing track and just noodle along to my heart's content. Sometimes it sounded OK, sometimes good, but because I was keeping within the minor scale, it never sounded wrong. I really felt that I'd broken through a wall that had been there for as long as I'd been trying to play guitar.

[spikey]

2 hours ago, Pete the Elaner said:

I only bought my bass in mid-December so I can't play very much yet ...

 

But I bet you can play the intro to "Smoke on the Water"