hi and advice needed

[jen]

Hi, for years I've owned a keyboard and since I was a child tried to teach myself on and off. Right now I've ordered a book on reading music to help me read this hard book of music(it's called easy!)
I can play with both hands and use the kenneth baker books. But I am sick of learning all the easy music with just basic chords. I've gone on youtube and im learning my immortal by evanesecence but I find I have to have it all written down or I can't follow it.
Anyway if anyone can give me any advice on how I can get from easy music with basic chords to proper music I'd be grateful. I regret not having lessons as a child- I chose a keyboard instead. It's a hobby really. Something I try and give up and go back to again. Something I'd love to finally be happy with, for myself really.
Thanks

 

[The Y_man]

What sort of keyboard are you playing - i.e. does it have auto accompaniment or do you really need to full on be like a piano player?

It might help you to just to "play whatever you want" - we call it improvising. Just play some chord progressions - maybe from one of the "easy" songs, and play any melody that comes to your fingers - you soon "get a feel" for where the "good sounding" notes are - and you start discovering how the songs you want to play are constructed.

I find a lot of people get stuck in a rut when they feel they have to follow sheet music and instructions. Sometimes it's good just to sit in front of that keyboard WITHOUT any sheet music, and just play what comes naturally.

The Y-man

 

[jen]

Thanks for the advice. My keyboard is a Casio key lighting one with auto accompainement. I've never been good at improvising I want to play songs. Perhaps I'll give it a go.

 

[barry murphy]

Jen. There are some very good books about chords on the market. They are quite common and show the positions on a keyboard usualy in one octave. Good way to learn. Just enjoy yourself. That's the most important thing.
baz

 

[DickR]

Hi Jen, if you can't improvise or play 'by ear' and need some written stuff in front of you, get one or more so called 'fake books' with the melody line in a simple way written and the chord-names printed with it.
They are great for keyboardplayers and many MANY pro's use them.
If you get one with well known popular songs you will know where you go wrong when you hit an incorrect key.
Playing the correct chords do the trick of course and many get away with only 3 or 4 (quite a few songs don't use more than 3 or 4 chords like many Blues).
On Internet you will find plenty of free sites that will tell you how to play the chords. Look for instance for 'The Circle of Fifths' and print it out.
Be aware, there are in total many hundreds of them including all the inversions but if you can learn and remember only ONE a week, after a half year you know more than many 'musicians' do.
Have fun exploring!

DickR

 

[jen]

Put simply I want to beable to understand and play the music in this books I have, easy piano music by Linda Baratt.
I want to play something that sounds like the actual song. I got a how to read music book but it doesn't help me read the hard stuff.
Maybe I need to relax and have fun

 

[YeahDoIt]

You might play along with recorded songs. Duplicate some part of the song, a melody or series of chords.

I learn a lot from jamming with other musicians, that might help you too. People teach me things.

 

[Becky]

Welcome to the forums, jen

 

[jen]

thanks
i'm not a musician
i wouldnt call myself a musician i cant play much

 

[jen]

Hi Jen, if you can't improvise or play 'by ear' and need some written stuff in front of you, get one or more so called 'fake books' with the melody line in a simple way written and the chord-names printed with it.
They are great for keyboardplayers and many MANY pro's use them.
If you get one with well known popular songs you will know where you go wrong when you hit an incorrect key.
Playing the correct chords do the trick of course and many get away with only 3 or 4 (quite a few songs don't use more than 3 or 4 chords like many Blues).
On Internet you will find plenty of free sites that will tell you how to play the chords. Look for instance for 'The Circle of Fifths' and print it out.
Be aware, there are in total many hundreds of them including all the inversions but if you can learn and remember only ONE a week, after a half year you know more than many 'musicians' do.
Have fun exploring!

DickR

What are these 'fake books'? i dont know what to look for
thanks

 

[DickR]

You find them in shops where they sell instruments and sheetmusic.
They are also avaiable online.
Google 'fakebooks' and you will find many!

 

[ootini]

In the UK, they're often referred to as PVG (Piano, Vocal, Guitar).

 

[KeysDude]

Like you I am self taught also, my reading skills are poor but I developed my ear for music when I first started playing keyboards as a kid.There were songs I wanted to play so I played a long with them on the radio, picking out correct notes then working out what scale they were playing in. Sometimes I would pick out and learn just the chord progressions of the songs, or pick out the melody etc and all this without ever reading a single note of notation. To be able to play by ear I think is the most important part of being a musician, and if you own a keyboard and play it and enjoy it, then you are most certainly a Musician. Develope your ear first and then concentrate on reading music if that's what you want to do after but to be able to play by ear is a good skill, it will enable you to jam with other musicians that play other instruments etc. Also, start writing your own songs and recording them, however basic they are. The more you get into this side of creativity, the more it will become apart of you and in no time, you'll be forgetting about needing to read music (although its a great skill to have), you'll be playing, having fun and being creative and that IMO is the most important aspects of music and being a musician. Join a band as well, you will not believe how quickly you learn music when surrounded by other musicians. A keyboard player is always a great addition to a band, there are far too many guitarists in this world but there is a reason for that, so many of them pickup the guitar and learn to play by ear copying their favourite tunes.