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Posts: 217
Location: Snåsa, Norway | I've got a nice old piano in the house, and since noone plays it I try to noodle a little, and think I'll work a little on learning some licks and tricks on the keyboard. I really feel a little bad about any nice instrument that does not get played. :(
I wonder if it's wise to learn another instrument parallell with the guitar? My intuition and gut feeling says yes, since I can transfer my theoretical knowledge directly, and may get some different ideas from the keyboard than what falls most easily under my fingers on the fretboard. There's of course a trade-off in practise time, but I hope that some of the musical learning is transferable between the instruments. |
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January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | Yeah, go for it. Just set aside twice as much time!
I guess the real advantage of piano is that people tend to have just one of them. |
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January 2006
Posts: 5881
Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | Go for it. We have a piano SWMBO plays. It is made by some manufacturer whose name is unknown outside the piano community and it cost a fortune, but the cherry wood finish was exactly perfect according to the one who decides such things for the main floors of the house. I'm still looking for the right neon sign to hang above it. She says it doesn't exist. |
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November 2005
Posts: 4833
Location: Campbell River, British Columbia | I think that would be one of those where the lights come on one at a time and when it's done it's a pic of a martini with a green olive.
Put an empty giant balloon snifter on the piano for tips, a few coasters and you're set!
;-) |
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March 2002
Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | I'd wanted to learn piano for the longest time, but never had the opportunity/resources.
(I envy people who grew up with them in their house).
Recently, I acquired a KorgX2 from Rick (an4340). The thing's got about 6 or 8 really nice piano sounds (along with a multitude of other instruments). It's opened a whole new world of possibilities for me!
Last evening, I had a little free time, so I recorded a guitar/vocal track of a simple tune. I then went back five times and each time recorded a seperate track of contrabass, cello, viola, violin & harp. Within a half hour, I had a recording of myself playing with a rather shitty string quartet and a deaf harpist. A goodly part of it was horrid, but there WERE moments where I KINDA knew what I was doing, and it sounded fairly good. It was a crude start - but a start nonetheless . . . I can see where this thing has possibilities.
It's also great t'have around so I don't have to dick around with a tuner - just go over and hit whatever reference note I want. It's great for odd tunings on the LongNeck.
I'm in the process of building a slide-out drawer for it under my workstation in my MusicRoom. Being that the keyboard is 52" long, it's a pretty sizeable drawer. Once I have that done, I'm going to research some piano tutorial software . . . |
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April 2006
Posts: 1017
Location: Budd Lake, NJ | I think it's a good idea, because there will be a lot of information that will carry over; the step and half-step relationships that make up scales (major and minor), chords, and chord progressions won't change between the two. Have fun with the piano; I wish I had one at my place.
--Karen |
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March 2005
Posts: 12761
Location: Boise, Idaho | My daughter plays piano quite well and picked up guitar in a matter of weeks. She actually knows where the notes are on the strings. Something I have never learned. We bought an old baby grand years ago for the first daughter, but she never really took to it. Second daughter loved it. We also got her a Roland ES2000 a few years ago. She can do a lot with it and it has been a great addition to her dorm room. Made her a bunch of friends her first year in college. Lots of people wanted to play or just to hear her play.
One of my favorite memories was listening to her play some Chopin at a recital that so stunned the audience we were all dead silent for a few seconds. Then one of the people in the back whispered "wow" and the applause erupted. Proud dad. |
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Posts: 672
Location: New South Wales, Australia | I reckon it's a good idea HP.
We were given an old pianola a year ago and I've been fooling around on it. Haven't played piano for 30 years. I am still terrible but I've realised how much it helps my guitar playing -- more on the theory side of things I suppose.
Go for it. |
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December 2001
Posts: 10583
Location: NJ | if you major in music in college piano is required.
some day ask me about my piano teacher experinece that I had in college. it is usually a story better told after a few beers.
it is great to familiarize yourself with the keyboard. |
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March 2002
Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | "Sit yourself down at the piano.
Just about in the middle.
Put all your fingers on the Black Notes,
. . . anywhere y'want to.
Sing along. Write a song.
And understand that you can "play" . ."
- Graham Nash |
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April 2006
Posts: 972
Location: PDX | I'm going to against the grain here.
If you want to be a guitarist there is only so much time and you'll waste it on the piano.
Play up and down one string on you guitar, it has the same layout as the piano and it will make you a better guitarist. Record some modal vamps and play over them on one string, then two.
Lot's more to be learned about the guitar that way than playing the piano. However, if you think you know the guitar and fretboard layout already, then go ahead and fool around with the piano.
_____
gh1 |
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September 2006
Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | HP-- Put yer thumb on one white key, put yer pinkie on another five keys down...
Push on the black key under yer middle finger.
Press all three at once.
Do this up-and-down the keyboard... With rhythm!
Drunk people will think you actually know how to play :eek: |
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Joined:
November 2006
Posts: 217
Location: Snåsa, Norway | Originally posted by gh1:
If you want to be a guitarist there is only so much time and you'll waste it on the piano.
Play up and down one string on you guitar, it has the same layout as the piano and it will make you a better guitarist. Record some modal vamps and play over them on one string, then two.
Lot's more to be learned about the guitar that way than playing the piano. However, if you think you know the guitar and fretboard layout already, then go ahead and fool around with the piano. Ok, I follow your arguments, and your logic, but to me music is more of an emotional thing than a logical. I'm an amateur in the true meaning of the word, I play music because I love to do it. Also playing means more like what a child does than working against a goal. The road I travel is what matters, not getting to one specific place, when I arrive somewhere, I just go along the road to the next place. I travel slowly, and make detours, but enjoy the travel by itself.
Music is really about expressing emotions, the instrument is just that, a tool for the musician, not the goal in itself. So to me, fooling around on the piano may make me a better musician, if not a better guitarist.
As for single string playing over modal vamps, I agree, it's good practise. I believe we've got the same book, "The advancing Guitarist" by Mick Goodrich? ;) |
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September 2005
Posts: 3619
Location: GATLINBURG TENNESSEE :) | I think as musicians, everyone understands that feeling you get from time to time, where it's just plain boring. You want do do something else for a while. I have taken up Bass, Drums, uke, and I recently bought a Korg Triton Extreme work station to teach myself keyboards. The gazillion different sound possibilities keep me busy sometimes for hours. When I get that out of my system, I then return to my guitar with fresh ideas. |
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April 2006
Posts: 972
Location: PDX | Originally posted by HobbyPicker:
Ok, I follow your arguments, and your logic, but to me music is more of an emotional thing than a logical.
Well, i think it's both. But like Bird said, "learn the changes then forget them"
Music is really about expressing emotions, the instrument is just that, a tool for the musician, not the goal in itself. So to me, fooling around on the piano may make me a better musician, if not a better guitarist.
Hmmm, if you want to express your emotions fully, the better your technique, the better you know and can handle your instrument, the better you will be able express them, no?
Learning the piano MAY make you a better musician, but it sure takes a lot of time. Not that that is a bad thing, just depends on your goals.
As for single string playing over modal vamps, I agree, it's good practise. I believe we've got the same book, "The advancing Guitarist" by Mick Goodrich? ;)
Yep, that's the book the idea came from. Just that one practice, done a few minutes a day really opened up the fretboard for me. I'm not solid on it, but i can almost see the scales laid out up and down each string. I responded in itallics above.
As we have discussed Erik, it sure is a long road. Your detours are, perhaps, exactly what you need. I can only speak for myself, and i hold to my original tenet and logic -- laser like focus and no "wasted" time.
Anyway, there is one thing that directly transfers from the piano and the guitar -- groove. So be sure to use your metronome ;)
Cheers!
_____
gh1 |
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November 2005
Posts: 4833
Location: Campbell River, British Columbia | Originally posted by gh1:
-- laser like focus and no "wasted" time. I could describe most of the time I've spent with my instruments as 'Time Well Wasted.'
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April 2006
Posts: 1017
Location: Budd Lake, NJ | I find that after I've struggled with the mando for a bit, it's so nice to go back to Jewel or Gertrude and actually feel relatively "competent."
I think the change back and forth is good; I'm not bored right now, that's for sure.
--Karen |
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March 2005
Posts: 12761
Location: Boise, Idaho | Some people read for relaxation, some play video games where they kill people (like my daughter's boyfriend). I have problems relaxing. My hobbies tend to involve working on something. My guitar "practice" therefore is just fine when I don't seem to accomplish anything other than play songs I know.
My dad was a goal setter and never seemed happy because he always had to acheive that next goal. I enjoy a much more relaxed approach. I know that my guitar playing has improved dramatically in the 3 years since I got back into it. My golf still sucks, though. |
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November 2005
Posts: 4833
Location: Campbell River, British Columbia | Benefits of playing piano: It's easier to strip naked and dance on a baby grand than on a guitar. |
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May 2004
Posts: 2850
Location: Midland, MI | My musical education started at a young age. Our parents took my older (by 1.5 years) sister and me down to the local music store when I was 8 or so. I remember it clearly, including the smell of that musty old store. They said, "Pick out an instrument that you'd like to play." I went for the guitars. She went for the pianos. They bought a piano. I took lessons alongside her for a long, long, long time. Up until high school, in fact. She got to play pop music. I was only allowed to play classical pieces. She never curled her fingers. I got my fingers smacked and I swear my mom would set the practice timer for twice as long for me.
As soon as I was old enough to make a rational argument, I bailed on piano. Fast forward to about fifteen years ago. I missed it. It was the only instrument I really knew, so I started buying keyboards and stuff. About four or five years ago, though, I found myself with the time and inclination to return to the first object of my desire...the guitar.
Here we are, now, four or five years later. I've owned more guitars than I care to think about and I still can't play for sh17. I can play the heck out of a Bach "Bouree," though, on the piano.
If you have the piano, play it. If you like it, stick with it. If not, no loss. |
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October 2006
Posts: 51
Location: Arizona | I learned piano before guitar, but having experience with both can help with insights into music in general.
A piano lies all the notes, scales, everything, out in front of you in a nice, linear fashion. Pick the notes you want, in the order you want, pick multiple notes simultaneously, whatever. It gives you a nice visualization of putting chords together and the relationships of the notes in the different types of chords, keys, scales and all that.
So that was how I was used to thinking of music, and then I got interested in guitar and started learning chord "shapes" and mind-benders like that. Being used to the nice, linear order of the piano, the guitar just made me think "WTF is all this mess about?" Slowly I've caught on, though, and now I can go back and forth pretty easily.
It's really fun to get those "Aha!" moments when you figure out something about the guitar or the piano from what you know about the other. It's also been very educational taking pieces I've played on the piano for years and sorting out guitar accompaniments. It's made me think about the music in a way I didn't before.
So I wouldn't discourage anybody from learning both, or even more instruments than that. Kinda like learning uke or mando once you have the guitar down reasonably well, or even saxophone or bagpipe or something. It's all the same stuff in the end, and limiting oneself to one instrument when you have interests in more seems kinda dumb to me. |
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Posts: 1889
Location: Central Massachusetts | "The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time." -- Bertrand Russell |
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OT - Benefits of piano playing?
