Learn Piano At 70+ ?

[Sal1950]

I thought someone would bring up the subject of double and triple stops

STOPS ? I thought stops were on a organ?,,, as in "pull out all the stops"? Oh my.

 

[Doodski]

You lost me there, only seems like more complications? First I got to learn the keyboard, where my fingers go and how to find the notes, etc. Don't get how more voices make any of the any easier?

If you want to learn the keyboard fundamentals then I suppose piano is the way to go. I was thinking you where into wanking away at it and having fun as compared to being serious about learning the fundamentals which it sounds like you are.

 

[GD Fan]

Congrats on taking the plunge. Your life will be richer for it regardless how far you go.

A small bit of music theory, as much as you can stomach, will go a long way in building a foundation of understanding (reading music isn't necessary with guitar in my experience, but perhaps piano is different).

And, especially when starting, remember to have fun!

 

[Sal1950]

If you want to learn the keyboard fundamentals then I suppose piano is the way to go.

A small bit of music theory, as much as you can stomach, will go a long way in building a foundation of understanding (reading music isn't necessary with guitar in my experience, but perhaps piano is different).

I was thinking you where into wanking away at it and having fun as compared to being serious about learning the fundamentals which it sounds like you are.

I'm not sure I know for sure but I guess I'll find out shortly. But knowing myself, I always wanted to know how anything I got involved with worked, at least at it's most basic levels. Kind of like audio, I don't have a deep tech level, I read as much as I could, at least until I found it boring, then I'd put it down. It's just that, at my age, I now find it difficult to read and understand (learn) as much as I used to, I'm not near the sponge I once was and I have trouble reading like I used to.
We shall see.
Thanks Everyone for the suggestions and ideas, I'm always open.

 

[StevenEleven]

Bought myself a Yamaha NP-12 keyboard this week. Never played any instrument before, except for dabbling as a kid.
Always wanted to but never put together the time. It will be interesting to see if I can put much together at my age.

A subject close to my heart.

This is a superb book to start from IMHO:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B017OBN7CK?

Or you can start from somewhere else. But I can tell you that book can work. Get the hard copy if you get it.

You’re gonna have to really work hard. Learning music is worth it though. It’s tough during coronavirus days but an in-person teacher can really help when that becomes an option. Good luck.

 

[Hipper]

You could try Grieg's piano concerto:

The full sketch may be available on YouTube outside the UK.

 

[Sal1950]

This is a superb book to start from IMHO:

That looks interesting, think I'll grab it, very inexpensive
Thanks StevenEleven and everyone!

 

[Sal1950]

This is a superb book to start from IMHO:

Got all 3 books in digital pdf for $5.00 on ebay. This way I can read on TV while I practice.
Thanks Again
https://www.ebay.com/itm/393014313497?ViewItem=&item=393014313497

 

[Frank Dernie]

Are keyboards like guitars? Or are they a 'one size fits all' sort of thing? I have several guitars I use in rotation. I'd like to buy several more, but it can easily get out of hand.

Ours is so big and heavy having more than one is impractical!
Over 2 m long and nearly 350kg.

 

[andreasmaaan]

@Sal1950 do you enjoy singing? If so, my suggestion would be to learn some chord progressions to some of your favourite songs and to accompany yourself singing them. Really fun way to engage with the instrument, and takes the focus off the technical stuff that can be quite painful and daunting initially.

 

[tomtoo]

Learning Piano is hard. It's some kinde/mixture of extrem bodycoordinaiton(*fu** that fingers), and brain concentrating (come one you joke me, i should read for the left hand while i read for the right hand?) boot camp. But hey, it should/could be fun. And for sure, a little training never hurts.

 

[anmpr1]

Ours is so big and heavy having more than one is impractical! Over 2 m long and nearly 350kg.

I was thinking the portable ones. Guitars are portable, and each has a sort of individual aesthetic. Different finishes, designs, etc. When I look at keyboards they all look about the same to me, but I'm not a piano player.

Also, with 'audio' in mind, if anyone thinks that the world of 'high end' audio is bizarre, the world of guitars is just as nutz. People arguing how a thin coat of nitrocellulose over the wood (as opposed to a poly finish) causes the sound to be more 'airy' as it lets the wood 'breathe', and so forth. All the time they are playing through a chain of distortion inducing electronics. LOL

With acoustic pianos I've heard that there are definite sonic differences among brands (Steinway, Yamaha, etc), but I don't know about portable electric keyboards. Do keyboard players go to war over their brands, like arguing over a Les Paul or Stratocaster?

One other thing I've noticed. Rockers, in a fit of undisciplined teen angst drama, have been known to bash their guitars, or light them on fire. I've never seen a piano player do that. [edit--just saw the Jerry Lee Lewis post!]

 

[Moderate Dionysianism]

Pianists typically have a couple boards, eg a light portable with 61 or 76 keys and synth or semi-weighted action and a heavy 88 key stage board with hammer action

Tom, would you say unweighted/semi-weighted/hammer action keys distinction is important? I have a friend who was a conservatory student and she told me I should practice with hammer action keys as much as possible or I won't develop the necessary finger strength. She said it's no problem switching from hammer action to synth keys, but not so much the other way 'round.

I'm also a complete beginner, I just did a couple of basic exercises on an electronic piano at a public library, but that's no longer possible due to the pandemic. So I got myself this, a kids' book of exercises, and I'm currently eyeing a couple of keyboards.

Knowing myself, I'll probably procrastinate the sh*t out of it and never learn anything, but keeping my fingers crossed for you @Sal1950

 

[digicidal]

https://www.npr.org/2014/02/19/279059784/on-a-chilly-factory-floor-yuja-wangs-piano-sizzles

Damn! Just her work on the soft & sustain pedals is enough to make my head spin. In the inner shot of that piano you could see that rack and bar moving almost as often as the hammers themselves.

I took several years of piano as a child and hated every minute of it. I'm still definitely not a fan of the instrument now, but holy crap - watching and listening to her play is mesmerizing to say the least! Thanks for that.

 

[Trouble Maker]

I'm a reasonably good violinist--I still need a day job, but I'm accomplished enough to make a little cash on night gigs.

I like you're definition of reasonably good, because by my definition I was a reasonably good flutist but I'm not sure anyone would have ever paid me money at night to hear it. I've not touched it in 10+ years so I'm surely more than rusty at this point.

@Sal1950 good on your for starting down the path of learning the piano, it's something I've thought about doing for a while but have never taken the time to do it.

It's the same phenomenon as the ease with which young children pick up on different languages, and adults don't.

Learning, or at least trying to learn Japanese at 38-39 is one of the harder things I've done. Especially when the teacher talks about word types and sentence patterns in English and the only response I can reasonably give is something like

 

[tomtoo]

Tom, would you say unweighted/semi-weighted/hammer action keys distinction is important? I have a friend who was a conservatory student and she told me I should practice with hammer action keys as much as possible or I won't develop the necessary finger strength. She said it's no problem switching from hammer action to synth keys, but not so much the other way 'round.

I'm also a complete beginner, I just did a couple of basic exercises on an electronic piano at a public library, but that's no longer possible due to the pandemic. So I got myself this, a kids' book of exercises, and I'm currently eyeing a couple of keyboards.

Knowing myself, I'll probably procrastinate the sh*t out of it and never learn anything, but keeping my fingers crossed for you @Sal1950

More heavy hammerkeys are realy bodybuilding for the fingers. I think its more intersting for people playing on real acoustic pianos. To play longer, you need a lot of muscular endurance to not loose coordination. Mucles need training.

 

[digicidal]

I've sort of been there, tried to do that. I'm a reasonably good violinist--I still need a day job, but I'm accomplished enough to make a little cash on night gigs.

I like how you used the singular in reference to your "day job" - seems to me you've got about 5 of them (though maybe not in the 9-to-5 sense).

 

[TomJ]

Tom, would you say unweighted/semi-weighted/hammer action keys distinction is important? I have a friend who was a conservatory student and she told me I should practice with hammer action keys as much as possible or I won't develop the necessary finger strength...

Hand strength is a priority for conservatory students who practice many hours every day, but less so for people who play casually and especially older students who are more susceptible to tendonitis. At any age or skill level, things to watch for in a keyboard include the following:
- whether the keys are full size. Some portable boards use smaller keys but don't disclose that in their specs.
- how sensitive the action is to key pressure and velocity. Boards usually have multiple settings for velocity curves and pressure thresholds (eg, soft, med, hard) so players can adjust the key feel to their preferences, but boards differ in how effective those settings are. Some never feel good no matter what settings you select.
- build quality (manufacturing tolerances, consistency, sensors...). Boards differ widely. For example, a high quality synth action can feel better (more consistent and expressive) than a low cost semi-weighted action, and the best semi-weighted actions (eg Nord or Fatar) can feel better than a budget hammer action.
- USB interface. A USB interface to your Mac or PC can let you make better recordings with a DAW and give you the flexibility to use external sound libraries. Pro quality sampled libraries for example can have stunning realism but far greater memory requirements than a board can support.

 

[thefsb]

thefsb, as I said earlier, my homework told me, in this price range, this Yami was supposed to be voiced from their TOTL grand piano and most reviewers complimented it on it's lifelike sound. Who knows more what a piano sounds like than Yamaha?

I think we, the ASR crowd, may be at a disadvantage here. People willing to spend a bit more effort and maybe money to get a better reproduction of a recording are maybe more likely to find the sound of an electronic piano disappointing. When I was still a teenager I got to play the grand piano in Cumberland Lodge in Windsor Great Park. I can't really play but the experience was so good that I spent as much time with it as I could. Hi-fi loudspeakers don't come close. They can be more or less impressive as hi-fi loudspeakers and with some effort one can suspend disbelief and concentrate on the music.

I have great respect for Yamaha the musical instrument maker. My first quality guitar was an SC1200. I'd love to have a Revstar or several. But Yamaha covers the whole market from entry level up to real serious stuff and they have to segment the market so that spending more gives you something better.

 

[Blake Klondike]

A subject close to my heart.

This is a superb book to start from IMHO:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B017OBN7CK?

Or you can start from somewhere else. But I can tell you that book can work. Get the hard copy if you get it.

You’re gonna have to really work hard. Learning music is worth it though. It’s tough during coronavirus days but an in-person teacher can really help when that becomes an option. Good luck.

Agree that this is a great book-- pretty much the standard text for the last thirty+ years. FYI, every in-person music teacher on the planet has shifted to Zoom lessons, so it shouldn't be hard to find someone at all, if you are willing to go that route. I can recommend also the ABRSM course from the UK. If you get level 1 theory, piano pieces, and scales, chords and arpeggios-- should be three short books-- that will get you started with a solid foundation. The ABRSM books are nationwide standard for college admissions to music schools in UK. By way of perspective, admission to the music program at King's College at Oxford requires completion of book six. So you could work through those books and have confidence in your ability, for sure.