Beginner Progress

[Pomster]

Hi'ya guys!

I started to learn keyboard around two weeks ago. I'd never pressed a key let alone owned a keyboard before but keen as mustard has they say!
So my "self taught" progress to date is ..
I now know and can point to a note, a b c, c# db etc
Big problem, was my 3rd and 4th fingers would't' work separately, now they do .... This was bloody frustrating!
I can play in C major using all 10 fingers and go up and down the octaves sight reading albeit just fingering
Learning to read music is coming on but finding it troublesome, quite hard really

So i'm quite happy with the way things are going. I know these are simple things but i think it's going well, though i wish i was more patient.

Anyhow! i'm interested in you advanced and beginners alike, i'd like to know what your progress gains where/are. Did you set yourselves targets? meet them etc? Any learning tips?

Looking forward to some lessons now

 

[CowboyNQ]

Biggest tip I can give you while you're learning is practice often, but not for hours at a time. If you practice for too long it's likely you'll reach a point of fatigue, frustration and diminishing returns.

If you can devote 30 min - 1 hour a day (every day) to practice, you'll slowly and steadily keep improving.

Sight reading is very challenging to start with but, like your playing, it will definitely improve with practice. For me it's one of those "use it or lose it" skills. I used to be a pretty accomplished sight reader in my teens, but I'm terrible now because it's a skill I rarely practice.

The sooner you can start learning some simple tunes, the more you'll enjoy your practice time, as you'll start to like what you hear yourself doing. Practice then becomes its own reward.

Sounds like you've made wonderful progress so far, keep going!

 

[Rayblewit]

I heed your advice Cowboy. You are an accomplished muso and since I have known you, you have often steered me straight.

Anyhow! i'm interested in you advanced and beginners alike, i'd like to know what your progress gains where/are.

I am a lot like you Pomster. However somewhat more advanced but still call myself a novice. I started out just the same not knowing how to read music and never ever played any instruments in my life until I got the urge to learn it in my mid fifties. Now I am in my mid sixties and I swtch on my KB every day.
It is a passion and a thrill to feel the improvement and progress as my tunes sound (to me) superbly awesome.

So did I set myself goals?
Yes I did encourage myself to become good at it. I was determined to be adept at it and oneday to perform to public. Even if it is just to friends or local clubs.
This is still my goal. The opportunity has not arrived yet. It is a plan for when I finally retire. In the meantime I am building up my mental ability to do it. I am starting to play some tunes now without sheet music. The fingers seem to know where to go now quicker than my brain can direct.
My advice . .
1. ENJOY
2. Play often and ENJOY
3. Experiment and keep learning new skills and ENJOY.
4. Don't get frustrated when you get stuck in a rut. Move on to the next task. ENJOY. Try that stubborn piece later when you are fresher.
5. Most important . . ENJOY!
Ray

 

[Pomster]

Biggest tip I can give you while you're learning is practice often, but not for hours at a time. If you practice for too long it's likely you'll reach a point of fatigue, frustration and diminishing returns.

If you can devote 30 min - 1 hour a day (every day) to practice, you'll slowly and steadily keep improving.

Sight reading is very challenging to start with but, like your playing, it will definitely improve with practice. For me it's one of those "use it or lose it" skills. I used to be a pretty accomplished sight reader in my teens, but I'm terrible now because it's a skill I rarely practice.

The sooner you can start learning some simple tunes, the more you'll enjoy your practice time, as you'll start to like what you hear yourself doing. Practice then becomes its own reward.

Sounds like you've made wonderful progress so far, keep going!

Thanks for the advice, i'm practicing for an 1hr to 1hr 15 roughly a day. 20 mins before i set off for work, 20 mins when i get home and 20 mins later in the evening but they do tend to run over a bit

 

[Fred Coulter]

I've been working on my sight reading, with a portion of each lesson slowly going through sight reading books.

If you're planning on taking the Royal Conservatory of Music (Toronto) piano assessments, you might want to use the Four Star series of books - http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title...-ear-tests-preparatory-a-sheet-music/20063165. On the other hand, I'm going through the Paul Harris series (because those are the books my teacher lent me) - http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/improve-your-sight-reading-piano-level-1-sheet-music/19094068. Don't expect great music in a sight reading book. A lot of the time my teacher and I discuss how the piece could have been written better. (Both of the links are to the first book in the series.)

You might want to talk to your teacher about including five minutes of sight reading in each lesson. Don't cheat and work on the pieces in advance. Then it's not sight reading.

I've just started level six of the Paul Harris series. I actually bought book five because my daughter's dog ate my teacher's book.

 

[RalphL]

I agree with Ray. Enjoying it is the best way to keep it going. I found the following things very helpful to me:
a. The complete keyboard player book by Baker. Pop/rock music are written in super simple way. With keyboard auto-accompaniment enabled, you would be able to quickly play some songs and make them sound good. Example

b. Gigajam online school. All its practices (even scales) comes with whole softwate band backup, so its not boring. And you can get official LCM debut to grade 5 keyboard certificates online by following gigajam exercises and exams. These certificates kept me practicing too. Super cheap life membership with them too (<$100).

 

[johnny196775]

I started learning scales may of 2016. And could not be happier with that decision.

 

[Fred Coulter]

With keyboard auto-accompaniment enabled, you would be able to quickly play some songs and make them sound good.

Be careful not to turn the auto-accompaniment into a crutch.