(Part 3) Best products from r/piano

My suggestions are going to be very simple. I highly recommend you don't try to skip anything thinking it's too easy for where you are. This is how you end up with lots of gaps. I speak from deeply personal experience and some of the best improvements in my playing have come from realizing that unless it's easy enough that I can sightread it perfectly and effortlessly the first time, it's worth working. Every small thing even in children's beginner books helps build that scaffolding that remove ability gaps and helps you be a better and more consistent player.

>1) get some classic stuff that we learn at the begining and

Not entirely clear about what you want in terms of if you just want the basics or you specifically mean you want some classical style stuff. Either way, here are some recommendations.

Alfred All-In-One - This is just a generally good book to work through with a lot of fairly basic stuff mostly sticking to a very small harmonic palette used in a ton of music. You can carry on to level 2 and 3 when you're done.

Masterwork Classics - If you're looking for actual simple literature, this is a great place to start. Very easy pieces and a great progressive series of books.

Burgmuller Op. 100 - Probably a it more challenging, but great progressive stuff as well and very classical.

Czerny Op. 139 - More progressive goodness.

Czerny Op. 821 - Not progressive, but lots of very short, bite-sized exercises that isolate specific things that show up in classical music, but in a fun musical way rather than just dull exercises.

>2) get better at sight-reading. I have lots of gaps in my piano skills.

Progressive Sightreading - These are ridiculously easy, but this is really where you should start. They are easy enough to let you be successful quickly and focus on keeping your eyes on the page because they are all within a 5 finger pattern reach covering all keys.

Paul Harris books - These are progressive sets of books that slowly introduce specific concepts. My favorite part about them is the articulations and stylistic directions that go beyond just having you hit the right notes, but have you actually thinking about how you want a piece to sound.

Mikrokosmos - These start a bit easy, but get hard very quickly. They also tend to not stick to predictable western harmony, which helps with getting your reading out of its comfort zone. Additionally, there tends to be a good deal more left hand motion and even melodies which really helps your left hand not just be the accompaniment hand.

Bach Chorales - I'm honestly not a huge fan, but some people swear by these. I would actually instead recommend finding a hymnal instead. These chorales are not only more difficult than most hymns, but will be extremely frustrating if you don't have a comfortable 10th.

In general, you should be learning lots of small pieces constantly. A huge part of sightreading is actually being technically capable. If you can't execute it technically, you can't read it. So find lots of pieces in a variety of styles that you can learn in no more than a week, or better, several of in a week. Lots of short focused pieces will chip away at very small weakness in your playing very quickly and efficiently. This will make your reading much better. Better technique and reading will lead to you being able to learn increasingly difficult music much faster. You'll likely find that something that once might've taken you a month to learn could be learned in a week. Something that could be learned in a week might be learned in a day or even sightread.

Try to remember when learning new, simple pieces, to try to keep your eyes on the page. Not matter how slow or out of tempo you need to go, really learn to trust your ability to feel the distances and shapes of chords you need to play. You might need to look early on for stuff that is more difficult for you, but try to get to a point where you don't need to look. When you can trust yourself in that regard, your reading ability will increase a ton.

TL;DR: Okay this comment got very long. Basically, I think it's entirely accidental but people have a habit of going OTT when they're "into" an instrument, and forget what a beginner truly needs. I think there's a minimum requirement, but that it's achievable for something closer to $180-300

I see two clear sides to this.

Part of it is that Piano tends to be a predominantly middle class "hobby" (/pastime.... the fact "hobby" doesn't feel like the right word half proves my point), and therefore perceptions of "cheap" can vary quite wildly. That can throw out a feeling of snobbery, especially when anyone new to the instrument knows they can get a basic keyboard for $50. That's where the stuck up/snobby side comes in

There's also a point that most people who are here take the piano fairly seriously: and therefore have a different perception of what is needed for a "minimum acceptable" piano, because they themselves would find anything below that level completely useless. This is where the elitist side comes in to the perception

Similarly, there's a point that the more "into" piano, or anything else, you are, the higher your minimum accepable level is. I struggle to recommend cheap laptops for my family, because a $400 Dell from target could never cover my needs. We're all guilty of this sometimes: because we've invested so much time and effort into something that our expectations are far higher and we can find it difficult to recognise that others don't have very advanced requirements.

On the other hand, there is a clear minimum level (touch sensitive keys) below which many strongly feel that you are no longer playing the Piano, but are instead using a basic synthesiser with the notes arranged in the same way as the piano. I think we all agree that a basic Casio keyboard doesn't allow you to learn how to play staccato, or even to understand the difference between playing piano and forte. Therefore, there is a basic requirement that isn't covered by cheap keyboards.

It's not that people are being elitist in saying "Look, if you want to be able to learn on this keyboard and then transfer the skills to a piano, you really need weighted, hammer action (or at least touch sensitive) keys", it's that.... well, they're right. If you play a keyboard without touch sensitive keys, at an absolute minimum, you can't learn many of the skills that go beyond plinking out a basic melody.

It's a tricky one, balancing the two, and I feel the FAQ definitely strikes the wrong balance. It aims too much for "assuming you can already play and are happy to invest heavily", rather than "You've got an interest and want something that you can learn on from scratch"

Particularly with this line, which definitely lends itself to the "snobby and elitist" thing. The line in question is linked to <$500 keyboards

> Keyboards in this price range are more toys than they are instruments.

So the first thing I'd ask here is that if <$500 gets you a toy rather than an instrument, we have two things to ask.

1. What is the true minimum needed?
   
2. How much is the cheapest instrument that reasonably covers the above.
   
   While we see lots of "You need midi", "You need voices" nonsense banded around, I think we can sensibly limit the "needed" down to:
   
   

• Touch sensitive keys: Mandatory
  
• 88 keys: debatable
  
• Semi-weighted or weighted keys: debatable
  
  Personally I'd say that for a true beginner on a tight budget, weighted keys are a nice to have, but not a deal breaker. 88 keys, similarly, is nice... but how many beginner or even intermediate level songs use the 1st and 7th octaves? Anything over 60 keys, if we're honest, is enough to cover the 5 octaves used in most music.
  
  So we're looking at 60+ keys and touch sensitivity, as being the "true minimum". With 88 keys, weighted or hammer action etc being "nice to have". So how much is one of those?
  
  Here's one for $300 that's got graded, hammer action keys. So we're already at 60% of the $500 mark in my first search, hitting both my "necessary" and ll three of my "nice to have" measures.
  
  Is it an incredible piano? No idea, I've never tried it. But it certainly looks good enough to learn on, as far as I can see.
  
  And here's one for $180 that lacks the hammer action and fully weighted keys, but still has 88 keys, and is touch sensitive and semi-weighted. Would anyone say that a beginner couldn't genuinely start to learn with this instrument?
  
  I do see the point that there's an element of "buy right or buy twice" here, that buying a $700 instrument that will last you well until you're proficient, rather than a $300 beginner instrument and upgrading later, will actually save you money in the long run... but we have to remember that this sub has a confirmation bias. By being here, you instantly belong to the "didn't give up on Piano" club. For everyone in this sub, there are others who wasted $300, never mind $700.
  
  So yeah, I'd say that we really just need to re-define the "minimum" and "recommended" levels, find the right instrument for those levels, and then discuss them sensibly
  
  There's nothing wrong with saying "This is the basic piano that's worth having at $180" (or whatever) "And here's a better one for $300 that will last you beyond beginner, and a $600 one that's good enough for anybody to keep at home" or whatever.
  
  It's just the re-adjustment at the bottom end that's needed. Just because I've got a $1400 Yamaha Arius that's practically an Acoustic replacement, doesn't mean that's suitable for a beginner on a budget. Let's try to give the best advice we can, regardless of situation.
  
  Of course, I accept that others may think that those pianos I've linked aren't worth learning on: I'd welcome any responses justifying that (not in a "Defend yourself!" way, but for genuine discussion)

I do NOT want to discourage you - but I don't think there is a quick way to learn music thory. It takes time and practice and experience. But it is definitely possible! Just think of it as a language : the written dot on the staff corresponds to a pitch - just like an a corresponds to the sound a. It must become natural. So I guess my advice is to read a LOT of music. Every day, if possible, and of different styles (classical, modern etc.) If you want your pieces to really sound original, you have to know what others have written before you - and learn from their craft.
That being said, I think there is a good deal of great books about harmony that you can read to guide your development, I will list a few here :

• Arnold Schoenberg : Theory of Harmony (A bit tedious to read, but with great many examples)
  
• Arnold Schoenberg : Fundamentals of Musical Composition This one is great but a bit advanced; I suggest you read it when you master the harmony basics.
  
• Carl Schroeder & Keith Wyatt : Harmony and Theory: A Comprehensive Source for All Musicians This one is recommended, but I didn't read it myself.
  
• Barbara Wharram : Elementary Rudiments of Music. This one I grew up with. Very straightforward and clear.
  
  Might I suggest that you play all the examples and excercies at the piano so that you train your ear to hear what you see.
  
  Also, you might want to contact a piano teacher and take lessons for a year... or two. Technique is a great part of playing, and is very difficult to learn on his own.
  
  Sorry for the long post, but I love music and want to help a fellow player. Also, sorry for potentialy awkward sentences, english is not my first language.
  
  Hope this helps!

I'm going to teach you all the mistakes I made in hopes that you won't make them yourself, if you aren't getting a teacher. A teacher is easily the best route, no comparison, without one, you're going to have to work your ass off.

1. Make use of every piano teacher on youtube, the best ones being Lypur,and Josh Wright. Their may be others, but those are essential.
   
   
2. Watch ALL Lypur's videos on the "Learn How To Play Piano (NEW) " playlist and "LEARN FREE MUSIC THEORY". I say start with watching the first 5 of each in a week, and then 1 a week as they get more complicated. And take good notes, just like in school.
   
   3)You need to buy books. I would say to start off with Josh Thompson's first grade one and then buying other ones such as Hanon, which is a MUST, and some like this one.
   
   4)Eventually after about a few months of practice, you can buy introductory books to certain composers, such as these: Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven. I wouldn't recommend the Chopin one, since his most easiest pieces can be quiet hard until you have a good 2 years of practice and playing in. And eventually Schumann's or Tchaikovsky's Album for the young, I don't know which would be better.
   
   5)This site is very good, and gives a nice breakdown of how you should spend your time practicing.
   
   6)And possibly most importantly, you have to find pieces that you like outside of books that you can learn. It's nice to learn little pieces that are in books, but the most satisfying feeling is playing a piece that you love.
   
   
   

I know it's a contentious group of pieces, but I've had incredible luck with Hanon. If you can read music and play hands together, I highly recommend it.

I took lessons for 13 years, but since I've been in college I've been self teaching. I've always really loved piano and I have decent technique, but I never really learned things in a way that wasn't sloppy. I decided I wanted to change that, and I sat down and learned all 3 parts of Hanon exactly as instructed in the book. It's not a perfect method, but I play through it every day now and honestly my technique is miles beyond what it used to be. I wish I had learned as a beginner so badly it hurts.

So my suggestion to you is this: buy this book (http://www.amazon.com/Hanon-Virtuoso-Exercises-Complete-Schirmers/dp/0793525446/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1414561983&sr=1-1&keywords=hanon), play through it every day (no matter how boring it may get) exactly as instructed. It takes a little under an hour to play the whole book at tempo, and I imagine you'll be preoccupied learning all of the etudes for quite a while.

I'm a firm believer that we can all craft ourselves into excellent pianists, and all I think you need to do that is repertoire and a will to practice and make a sound that you like. Once you have the technique from the Hanon down, you can get started on any number of pieces. Another very good method is Bela Bartok's Mikrokosmos, which my mean, Hungarian teacher made me slave away at for years. It comes in 6 volumes, the first of which is (http://www.amazon.com/Mikrokosmos-Pink-English-French-Hungarian/dp/1423493044/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1414562208&sr=1-1&keywords=mikrokosmos).

If you were to learn a significant amount of the material from either of those methods, you would be a significantly better pianist. If classical piano isn't necessarily the route you want to go, you'll still be well served by either/or.

The most important thing is to play whenever the urge strikes you, in my experience. It becomes a bit of an addiction, but there's such a huge world of piano music out there that you'll never grow bored with it, and you'll certainly never run out of things to do. Best of luck.

Hey man, glad you have picked up piano! I'm by far not the best pianist out there, but I can give you some advice on this.

When I was younger (elementary to middle school) I would practice each piano piece I knew 10 times a day and then continue to learn the piece I was on. I can tell you that while I did learn quickly, just as quickly I began to not like piano. Then on the opposing side, near the end of middle school throughout high school I would only play when I went to my piano teacher. As you can probably tell, my progress slowed down incredibly and I believe I only learned about 4 pieces over that time. Now I am finally back into piano after a 4 year hiatus and while I am practicing every day I still only put in about half an hour and on rare occasions will put in an hour.

My point in saying this is that you should prioritize playing and practicing so that you still enjoy it versus trying to hit some kind of benchmark because you feel you have to.

If you really feel like you want to be playing more than you are my tip is pretty simple and is one I employ all the time. Just have more than one practice session per day. I often will spend 10-15 minutes on the piano at a time but will go back multiple times a day whenever I feel an urge. It will all add up to an hour in the end and you won't feel like you are forcing yourself to continue playing when you don't want to.

As for scales, like I said i'm not the best player in the world, I only really know C major and A minor (the gimme ones because they have no flats or sharps). It is definitely important to know if you want to go into composing or are going to school for it, but for a casual player it isn't the end all be all if you don't know them. Knowing your scales is definitely important when you are sight reading hard pieces as you can pretty much just make an assumption as to how the continue the piece without having to dictate all of your energy to reading every note. That being said, it is still possible to sight read (albeit more slowly) pieces without knowing all the theory.

Finally, if you want to add something to your practice without having to learn new pieces or just work on the piece you are on you could definitely try out Henle's virtuoso pianist.

https://www.amazon.com/Virtuoso-Pianist-Exercises-Technique-Schirmers/dp/0793551218/ref=asc_df_0793551218/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312030486371&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=3857077932830151143&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9019572&hvtargid=pla-473618322154&psc=1

This will also help you with scale memorization and technique.

I had been practicing for about a bit less than a year before I decided to take up sightreading seriously. Similarly, when I was younger, my teacher didn't really ever teach me to sight read, so I mostly used the sheet to figure out how to move my fingers then never looked back.

That being said, I want to say that noticeable results were actually pretty quick. Within a week or two I was actually following and reading notes much better. At this point, I had bought a small sightreading book with about 50 or so small 5 bar pieces. I don't recommend this one, it's not very good in my opinion. I started on Bartok's Mikrokosmos next. This is where I saw the most improvement in a short time. This was the most helpful because his music tends to be pretty dissonant and doesn't sound how you'd expect. When you can't really predict the next note easily, it really forces you to read the sheet. I HIGHLY recommend this book. It works really well on a lot of levels. It's good for beginners and gets progressively more difficult as you go. It does spike in difficulty somewhat fast, so so use some of the other resources I linked below.

Though when I say improvements I don't mean I could sight read a Liszt concerto. I just mean that I had begun a mentality shift away from muscle movements and looking at the keys to actively looking at the sheet.

Here's another thread with a bunch of useful materials. A lot of these can be found online for free as well. I used the Gurlitt pieces as well, which were helpful. I can't vouch for it all, because I haven't played all the pieces, but if you worked your way through all those pieces in a week or two, you would see massive differences.

After using a lot of those pieces I got into the Bach Chorales because I had somewhat of a foundation for reading sheet at this point. I wouldn't really recommend it as a starter book. Go to Mikrokosmos for that.

Some materials I am using now is a big book of Chopin works. I take it pretty slowly and make a bunch of mistakes, but it's pretty helpful for recognizing chords which is a skill in it's own.

Some tips for practice:

• Try to consume as much music as possible. Online, hard sheet, anything. Just make sure you aren't retaining any of the music and if you do play it again, you shouldn't be able to remember the specifics of the piece.
  
  
• Sight reading is mentally exhausting, which is good to keep in mind. There's a lot of days where I really don't want to do it because it is one of the most mentally strenuous activities I do. You have to push yourself a bit.
  
  
• Take it slowly. You don't need to play up to the recommended tempo if you cant play at that speed. Play at a speed where you make the least mistakes. That's where you retain the most. Use a metronome as well. Don't play at different speeds, keep a consistent tempo.
  
  
• Sight reading is not much more different from the actual reading of words. Your brain does some pretty interesting things when reading. It clumps a jumble of letters into a word (notes in a chord), and reads ahead of what you are actively processing. It's very hard to read ahead with sheet, so don't worry about it too much. It comes with time and practice. Just keep both of these in mind.

Yeah i wasn't too impressed with the NU1, plus thats an upright action rather than grand.

I would say probably close to 80% of my playing is done with my headphones. I think people run into issues trying to use headphones they already own that are not ballanced properly or do not make proper contact with the headset jack. My recommendation is plan on $100-150 for a set of studio head phones I use These and have no issues with them at all, on any digital piano. And I can wear them for quite a while comfortably.

The lid is pretty much up anytime im playing with the headphones, it just sounds better.

The sound position is primarily on player, since I am playing. Just like the Hall simulator Effect is usually Off or set to room when i am practicing. Now I do change these every now and then, more if I am working on making sure notes are clear and not muddled, changing the sound position can sometimes give a good idea, and the Hall Simulator I like to use when I am playing pieces that i know well enough that i can just sit at any piano and play them. The different reverb effects are pretty cool sometimes. But this feature I view more as a bonus to have fun with.

First what you want to do is probably get a decent book of beginner songs and just work your way through them.

The piano literature series is popular, but I personally have not used them. I know volume 2 has a bunch of popular songs like Sonatina that everyone plays.

Burgmuller is also very popular among intermediate beginners.

You probably also want to get Hanon because everyone uses it for warm ups no matter what level, and it has all the scales.

And you might want Czerny, which are really short decent sounding pieces that people use for warmups.

These few books will get you started. Just start working through the books. Work on something from all three or four books.

Just a note. You'll probably be very enthusiastic in the beginning and get really bored before you reach your third month. You need to persist if you want to get good. I personally did not enjoy playing piano until I got pretty good and was able to play the more virtuoso piano pieces.

I don't have a teacher but end up practicing at least a couple hours everyday. It's all about your own diligence in challenging yourself to learn things that are unfamiliar. You only get good at what you practice. A good teacher is able to hold you accountable and provide new things to learn, but I think you can accomplish that on your own too.

My routine consists of:

Hanon scale exercises. They're written in C, but I cycle them through all the keys.

I got a book of popular chord progressions and I work through at least one a day, transposed in all keys.

I bought a hymnal and play through 10 a day, each only twice. The songs are simple and numerous and has greatly improved my sight reading.

I keep a some classical songs to work on. Currently Chopin and Satie.

I compose. Not a whole lot, but a little everyday adds up. I think composing your own song gives you an intimate familiarity with how it is constructed and allows for greater ease of variation. Compose something you can't master in a day, something difficult that will expand your ability as a player, both technically and compositionally. Don't be afraid to create something, learn it well, and then forget it. It's more important to focus on the process than the product.

Find somewhere to perform. Nothing spurs you on to practice more than an audience.

I'd tend to agree that it might be a Practice problem. Pieces like Debussy's Arabesque or Rachmaninov's C Sharp Minor Prelude require a certain level of skill. If you can play them then you have the skill level - so your problem would appear to be the time it is taking you to acquire that skill. Therefore, I'd highly recommend you check out Graham Fitch's Piano Practice eBook Series. He covers, Practice Strategies, Gaining Technique, Practicing Scales and Arpeggios and even practicing for Performance. They're not super cheap but I reckon you'll get superb value for money from them. Check out the first set on Amazon here. I also posted a video review of this series that you might find interesting. I have honestly found these to be a game changer in terms of opening my eyes to different things you can do to practice more effectively. Good luck!

I'm copy-pasting from an answer I gave on another thread:

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Do you have any knowledge at all about music score notation, like where the middle C is, or is it absolute zero?

If it's the latter case, I'd suggest you start from here:

https://www.mymusictheory.com/learn-music-theory/for-students/grade-1/grade-1-course/123-1staffandnotes

once you've got the basics down (i.e the names of the notes on the score, their position on the piano and the duration of the notes), you can start trying reading some EXTREMELY easy music, like the one contained in this book, which is excellent for beginners as it starts very very slowly (like, the first two pieces only have one note - the middle C - the third piece has two notes - C and D - and so on)

http://hz.imslp.info/files/imglnks/usimg/a/a1/IMSLP56014-PMLP115624-GRADUS_Vol._1.pdf

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another good book to take thing slowly and progressively is this:

http://hz.imslp.info/files/imglnks/usimg/a/ae/IMSLP345818-SIBLEY1802.15280.97ae-39087009941727grade_1.pdf

maybe even better is the following (it goes faster but I like that it explains some theory at the beginning and, starting from lesson IX, it introduces the scales one at a time):

http://hz.imslp.info/files/imglnks/usimg/1/1c/IMSLP267813-PMLP433823-Bertini_Methods.pdf

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As for your question, what's next after chords, are you sure you know all about chords already? Did you learn about major and minor triads only or do you know also about four-notes chords (major sevenths, dominants, minor sevenths, minor major sevenths, diminished, semi-diminished, suspended, etc etc)? What about all scales (major, minor melodic, minor harmonic, minor natural, pentatonic minor and major, blues minor and major, etc etc)? What about arpeggios? There's so much stuff out there that the best thing is to have a (good) teacher, the second best is following a (good) method book. By the way, the below is a very good book about scales, chords, arpeggios, voicings and whatnot:

https://www.amazon.com/Piano-Fitness-Complete-Mark-Harrison/dp/1423493060

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Exactly! That's my advice as well. Granted I'm not super experienced. I played as a kid for a few years, but I started again at 30 years old (just over a year ago).

I have a teacher, but we use the Faber Piano Adventures (Lesson and Performance) books. Faber has 4 books for each level. So I'm on Level 2B. This is the complete set, but as I said we only use 2 of them (they can be purchased seperately). If I didn't have a teacher, I'd probably pick up the theory book as well, but she covers theory in our lessons. But if I was learning on my own, I'd at least get the Lesson, Theory, and Performance books.

https://www.amazon.com/Faber-Piano-Adventures-Learning-Library/dp/B00C1Q7GB2/ref=asc_df_B00C1Q7GB2/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312128059570&hvpos=1o3&hvnetw=g&hvrand=17562334294320719267&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9016510&hvtargid=pla-762036596632&psc=1

​

These do a pretty good job of explaining what you need to know, and then you can google any questions you might have after that.

I think something like that is a good idea to keep you focused. If it's just "go to youtube and learn what you want to learn" then it's almost too much to take in and you get overwhelmed. This way if they explain the major triads, but you don't quiet understand, you can go search for that specifically, then back to the books. Also, having learns some songs from watching synthesia videos on YouTube... learning from sheet music is way faster, imo.

She doesn't even assign every song in the book. She has a list of them that introduce new concepts (which the book also explains when it's introducing a new concept) and she'll make sure to pick a song that demonstrates that concept. But if there are 3 songs demonstrating it, I usually don't play all 3. Unless I just like the sound of them and want to.

That way you keep your path narrow enough to not get lost and overwhelmed, and you're also having visible progress of completing a whole book of songs.

I think a great choice would be a book with both piano music as well as chord charts. A fakebook is a huge advantage once you learn a few chords.



I have this book. It's pretty simple to either read the music on the staff or to "fakebook" it and just use the lead sheet and chords. The guitar chords are there to play together.

My wife plays flute and will play te melody of these while I play accompaniment from the same page.

New Life of the Christmas Party: Piano/Vocal/Chords https://www.amazon.com/dp/0769289487/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_udAOub1STH2WZ

Or if you're looking for something similar but easy easy easy (songs all written in the key of C). Try this.

The Easy Christmas Fake Book: 100 Songs in the Key of C (Fake Books) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0634049119/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_riAOub1FXYTWZ





For other styles I would recommend something like this:

The Ultimate Fake Book (for C Instruments) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0793529395/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_HgAOub0Z1A9T8

This book will include only chords and melody lines. Perfect for singalongs or jamming guitar and piano together.

For something similar but also very very easy, try the C version.

The Easy Fake Book https://www.amazon.com/dp/0634009052/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_PjAOub1TJTNHF

The kind of headphone jack you have on stuff like phones and portable music players is a 1/8 inch jack. What Yamaha refers to as a "standard stereo phone jack" is a 1/4 inch jack, which is pretty common on older and/or non-portable equipment (stereo receivers, for instance).

You can buy an adapter that will let you use headphones you have with the big stereo jack for a few bucks. They're really cheap. Some headphones come with one (those are actually the headphones I use with my keyboard).

You don't HAVE to spend a lot on headphones but the better your headphones the better it'll sound. I like the over-ear Sonys because they're comfortable and sound good, but they're a considerably bigger investment than $2 for an adapter.

It's probably worth spending a few bucks for an adapter and seeing if you're happy with the headphones you have -- you can upgrade if you're not.

Technically you can. It's just that you will have to get used to how a piano really feels like whenever you are going to perform, that and you might not get the added benefit of having all the octaves to play on, meaning some songs will not be possible to play.

And I know this one isn't in the FAQ, I am not sure about your price range, but I still found that this keyboard works pretty well, however make sure to counter in for the essentials pack ($30) because without that you'd need batteries and a suspension pedal. It's still a great keyboard for a great cost. Try looking at guitar center for this one, they usually have it on sale for like $160

Williams Legato

Do note, this is coming from someone that took lessons since I was young and went through courses to be a music educator in college so I may not have the most relatable experience, but here's my take.

I say it depends on the kinds of music you want to learn and play that will influence on what you should be focusing on.

There are beginner books for adults available such as this one that will go through beginning concepts at a much quicker pace than what I went through as a child. A lot of my music friends used something similar (can't find the one they used, sorry) to pass a piano proficiency exam. They did have a professor coach them through, which streamlined the process.

I'd suggest going this route (teacher + adult beginner book) as it will give you the best foundation that can be branched off into whatever interest you have. You'll learn a lot of fundamentals such as proper posture and reading sheet music and you'll do it at a much faster pace than if you were younger.

There are other alternatives too. I had a dorm mate from Costo Rico that just wanted to learn how to jam on the piano when his buddies whips out their classical guitars. So I spent an evening teaching him how scales are formed and how major/minor chords are formed. After a couple weeks of practicing and asking a few questions during that time, he got to the point where he could jam with his buddies. He couldn't read sheet music, but if we tell him what chord and scale, he'd figure out what sounded all right and jam along. He could also look at chords online of simple songs and he'd be able to figure out an arrangement on the piano he could manage within a week.

Hope this helps a bit in your decision :)

Try to find some used pianos.

https://www.guitarcenter.com/Used/Pianos.gc#narrowSideBar

and also your local craigslist/letgo/offerup

also on amazon:

• Alesis Recital Pro ~$270 with amazon harmony discount + prime store 10% cash back
  
  >* https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072FKLXRB/
  
  
  
• Yamaha P45/P71 (same thing but 71 is cheaper) and it can be midi compatiable if you download the drivers: https://usa.yamaha.com/products/musical_instruments/pianos/p_series/p-45/downloads.html
  
  It comes out to $330, maybe 380 with tax.
  
  
  >* https://www.amazon.com/Yamaha-Weighted-Digital-Sustain-Amazon-Exclusive/dp/B01LY8OUQW
  
  
  
• Casio Privia PX-160, about $450 total with prime card cashback + harmony discount
  
  >* https://www.amazon.com/Casio-Privia-PX160BK-88-Key-Digital/dp/B0100RBPTC/r
  
  
  For the Prime Store Cash back you need to get the amazon store card (a credit card, you recieve 5% back on all amazon purchases, but sometimes, like for instruments you can recieve 10% back.) and for the Harmony discount you go to the product page and press the call me button and ask for the Harmony promo code. The %of the code varies between 5% to 18% so in total you can save 15% to 28%

You're right on the first point. On the second point, I would say to you that using good fingerings may be deceptively difficult, and it doesn't necessarily correspond with the difficulty of your piece. Something as simple as a closed position (within an octave) C major chord in 2nd inversion in the left hand can throw you off. Typically, you'd want to use 5 on the G, 2 on the C, and 1 on the E, but a lot of students try to use 5 on the G, 3 on the C, and 1 on the E. 5 - 2 - 1 is the better choice. I'm just talking about this chord as if it's an isolated thing, where you're coming from and where you're going will effect your fingering, so you might not be using 5 - 2 - 1. It depends.

You might think that you're using the best fingering because it feels most comfortable, but sometimes what's most comfortable isn't necessarily the best fingering, especially for beginners.

It might be a good idea to practice your major and minor scales and arpeggios with the correct fingering. Check out Hanon to learn all of your major and minor scales and arpeggios. If I remember correctly, they only have the harmonic minor scales, not melodic or natural. That wouldn't effect the fingering though.

yes. John Thompson grade 1 and 2. River flows in you and other eloquent songs for easy piano, yiruma the best reminiscent 10th anniversary(easy piano), easy piano(Disney), some kiddy books, the art of playing pianoforte by clementi , gymnopedie no 1-3. The young pianist choice. I prefer something more progressive, something slightly more difficult than easy piano. I have practiced the grade 1 stuff a bazillion times and prefer not to go to the same old pieces. Probably grade 1 pieces, those that I never read before, or a new song which is readable for me. Like I want to progress slowly to a higher level.

Hal Leonard Publishing Corporation

https://www.amazon.com/John-Thompsons-Modern-Course-Piano/dp/0877180059

https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/9781783051489?gC=f177369a3b&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI5L7G5P7m4wIVwYBwCh0W9wctEAQYAiABEgIJbvD_BwE

https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/9781495000287?gC=f177369a3b&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI4pjZ8f7m4wIVizgrCh1OEQ0UEAQYAyABEgL6-PD_BwE

Buy a Hanon book.

If you've been playing a good bit, get the original.

If you're really just getting started, consider getting the junior book. Most of the exercises serve the same purpose, the notation is just a bit easier to read.

Each exercise is a little different, and focuses on different skills and techniques that will help you boost finger strength and dexterity.

It would help if we knew more about your own level of knowledge too. For instance I could recommend Schoenberg's Theory of Harmony or Levine's Jazz Piano Book but those books expect a lot out of their readers, so you may be better off with simpler books.

One book I liked a lot was Carl Humphries The Piano Handbook. It doesn't assume you know much and goes over a lot of material without a lot of depth. It might be a good starting point. It has something to say about pretty much every musical style from 1400 to today.

EDIT: I just reread your post and see you already have the piano handbook.

As a six-month player you probably need to work on physical technique more than anything. And you'll need a teacher for that. :( Can you find one to even meet once a month for 30 minutes?

I actually have been self teaching myself the basics of jazz using two good resources with some input from my teacher (which does not focus on jazz). First of all Improvising Blues Piano by Tim Richards is really good, with a focus obviously in improvisation. After doing part of that book to understand the basics he recommends moving up to Exploring Jazz Piano 1. Since you have 18 years of classical experience you're probably going to be familiarized with most of the concepts and you can just focus on understanding the style and ideas for improvisation. Honestly I find it very helpful and throughout Richards has "assignments" you can do to further expand. Also in the songs themselves there is a reccomendation of notes you can use within the scale you're working on to improvise. Very complete overall.

http://www.amazon.com/Improvising-Blues-Piano-Tim-Richards/dp/0946535973/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1421076430&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=impprovising+blues+piano

http://www.amazon.com/EXPLORING-HARMONY-TECHNIQUE-IMPROV-Schott/dp/190245524X/ref=sr_1_sc_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1421076430&sr=8-3-spell&keywords=impprovising+blues+piano

The word you're probably looking for is "accompaniment". However, you probably don't want to search using this term.

Any popular music that is published is usually arranged for "Piano/Vocal/Guitar", and I don't really know of a standard term for this type of sheet music. For what this looks like, check out any of the popular sheets on http://musicnotes.com. These are arranged so that you can play the song as a piano solo if you want, but if you want to just accompany someone else or play in a band, you would just look at the guitar chords placed above each line of music (e.g. "G", "Cm7", "D", "Bsus4").

The other type of notated music used for accompaniment is called a "lead sheet". This has only the solo line (the tune/melody of the song) and the chords. So it's basically just the top half of what you see in a "piano/vocal/guitar" arrangement.

The other term you'll see is "Fake Book". A Fake book is just a book containing a large number of lead sheets. If you're playing jazz, the most popular book of lead sheets for jazz standards is called "The Real Book".

Finally, on many "guitar tab" sites, you can find just the chords for songs (although there are often lots of errors). Look for versions that say "chords" instead of "tabs". Here's an example

No matter what type of sheet music you're looking at, if you're playing with others, you'll need to learn to play by reading chord symbols instead of notes on a staff. When searching for music, you'd want to include one of these terms: "chords", "tabs", "sheets", "lead sheet", "fake book", "piano". Don't worry too much exactly what type of sheet music you get, even if it's for solo piano; as long as there are chord symbols on it, that's all you need.

Here is a list of links for you to get started:

• /r/musicnotes - please see all of the links in the right-hand sidebar, which contain many sheet music resources.
  
  
• Ultimate Guitar - guitar tabs & chords for almost any song
  
  
• The Ultimate Fake Book - 1200 songs (all genres, up to the '90s)
  
  
• The Real Book - 6th edition - Amazon (Jazz standards)
  
  
• http://www.wikifonia.org/ - online lead sheets
  
  
• http://musicnotes.com - purchase popular piano/vocal/guitar sheets

Basically what I got. You can learn on it and I still am using mine two years in, but you'll wish you had that extra $170 to spend on a real keyboard when you buy one. Try checking for second hand options on craigslist or in stores. Or go for this instead, it's only a little more but has 88 keys, probably better action (but you also have to buy AC power adapter).

The Sony MDR-7506's are my go to headphones for when I'm producing music or DJing as they produce clear, crisp, natural sound. I'm new to playing piano, but they've worked great for this too! I bought mine for $100, 6 years ago. They're $80 on Amazon now.

https://smile.amazon.com/Sony-MDR7506-Professional-Diaphragm-Headphone/dp/B000AJIF4E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1482709339&sr=8-1&keywords=sony+mdr+7506

If you really have your basic chords and scale theory down, I would recommend a book that was recommended by my teachers : Arnold Schoenberg's Theory of Harmony. It is a very deep theory book that challenges a lot of the preconceptions that existed (and still exist) before its realease around 1910. I started reading it and it is a great book indead, though I lack some elementary knowledge to get the best out of it.

I've been taking lessons as a 30-something adult for 4 years now, and I sought out a teacher who could teach me jazz and the blues. I was also a brand new student of music so I am learning theory, using lesson books, and classical minuets and musettes. His process for the jazz stuff has been around learning [the standards](
https://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Fake-Book-Instruments/dp/0793529395), which has tons of popular and familiar tunes from the last ~125 years. The old editions used to have Christmas and other holiday pieces, but they make a separate edition for that now.

Since this book only has lead sheets, you apply your own creativity for the left hand accompaniment, or in my case, the patterns my teacher is teaching me.

I use the Sony MDR-7506 headphones. They come with 3.5mm plug and a 6.3mm adapter, so they should fit your piano. I find them comfortable and the sound quality is great.

If you are thinking about that book, (which I do like, and used with many of my adult students) - I'd suggest getting this instead. It's exactly the same book but the left hand pages contain advice on things a piano teacher would be looking out for if you had one. It's not the same as actual lessons, but it's a big improvement over just guessing.

I started on an Alesis. It gets you a full sized keyboard to start practicing on, but it definitely leaves a bit to be desired. I am going to upgrade in the next month or so, but to get something you can sit in front of and get started it gets the job done.

https://www.amazon.com/Alesis-Recital-Full-Size-Semi-Weighted-Exclusive/dp/B01DZXE9NC


If you can spring it I'd go for a Korg B1, Yamaha P45 or Roland FP10 though. The keys are significantly better and far more accurate to a real piano.

I bought a Roland FP-30 a while back, and it was well worth the money. It's not super expensive for a piano. But as a beginner, I don't know if you'd be looking to spend that much.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62_LCDLQsU4

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Roland-FP-30-Digital-Piano-Black/dp/B01B3FBDC4?th=1

It has weighted keys n all that. I use it during the night with headphones, just like you were looking to do, and play my Grand during the day.

Many online retailers offer discounts if you contact them.

Amazon Harmony (there is a link to have them call you on the items page). You have to speak to a rep but you can get ~15% off. Also, if you have an amazon credit card you get an additional 10% back. This brings the PX160 down ~23% + tax.

Guitar Center also offers 15% off if you call a rep through a number listed at the top of their site.

Las Vegas Music has a discount if you call/chat too but I don't know how much.

All of these are to get around MAP (minimum advertised prices).

Reading music is a habit more than skill, so i don't think you need any resources on that apart from the basics you'll find anywhere on the internet. As for learning actual jazz piano, i really liked Tim Richards' "Exploring jazz piano" vol 1 and 2. They're "project" based, every new song introduces a new concept and has basic to advanced exercises to build on those concepts. It also introduces improv and music theory straight away, which is a much more fun approach in my opinion.

https://www.amazon.com/EXPLORING-HARMONY-TECHNIQUE-IMPROV-Schott/dp/190245524X

I like this book, it's pretty informative.

It's pretty theory heavy, so you should still try and listen to a lot.

If you know about chords, it might be interesting to buy the Fake book. The interesting thing with chords is that you can make them as complicated as you like, and not just play them as one-hit chords. When I play through them, I almost always use all 10 fingers...

If you're going to print it you might as well just buy a published version, the pages will be larger and better quality and easier to read, it's on Amazon for $3.99:

http://www.amazon.com/Virtuoso-Pianist-Sixty-Exercises-Piano/dp/tags-on-product/0793551218

Yep, as mentioned, it includes just the melody and chord symbols. Another term could be a lead sheet. So, admittedly, you'd have to comfortable playing with chords, playing by ear, etc.

Example: http://smile.amazon.com/Ultimate-Fake-Book-Instruments/dp/0793529395/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1449627503&sr=8-2&keywords=fake+book

That's fantastic! If you're looking around $800 the Roland FP-30 prices at $700 is great, but if you want something that looks a bit more traditional, the Yamaha P-125 with Cabinet is about $830 on amazon.

I'm looking for pianos/keyboards that match your description. Would it be better to try to find a used one? I don't want to overspend as I am a beginner.

So far my searching has brought me upon this.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01DZXE9NC/ref=pd_aw_vtph_267_bs_lp_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=1WA1NNVGQQ946XK9H7B9

Not sure if this is a good one. Not sure if it's worth is price. Is there a better one/cheaper one that I should get because I am a beginner?

Anything you would suggest I take a look at?

I use an older model of this I went to guitar center one day and played all the ones they had and picked the one I felt go closest to the expressiveness I was looking for. I'd definitely recommend doing something similar before you buy even if you'll eventually order online - they may even price match you

99 extra on amazon...and yeah thats what i meant by it having a better feel. i still use my yamaha, but the keys feel a lot cheaper and lighter. the casio is more like an acoustic. https://www.amazon.com/Casio-Privia-PX160BK-88-Key-Digital/dp/B0100RBPTC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1497894594&sr=8-2&keywords=casio+privia There might be another model which is slightly cheaper, i swore i saw one for $479.

My last teacher recommended "Exploring Jazz Piano" by Tim Richards as a great book to get into Jazz. The author has a similar book on Blues (Improvising Blues Piano).

So in the world of jazz we use fakebooks which condense about 85% of the songs down to one page, and the rest down to two pages. Some of the pop/rock fakebooks I've used have two to three songs per page because they are even simpler. So, I'm wondering what your leadsheets end up looking like, because they sound inefficient.

Something like this book really has thousands of songs all nicely condensed.

I just got the Alesis Recital. I love it :) and it ticks all your boxes. Only complaint I have is the speakers in it aren't great. Can hear them strain a bit sometimes. Here it is! Just under budget. The headphone jack is 1/4, so keep that in mind. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DZXE9NC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_oWk8BbATXH4R5

I'm a beginner myself, btw.

Start with your budget and then consult your teacher. If its electronic make sure it has a graded hammer action which is heavier in the bass than the treble. I've had a few, but now have settled on the Roland series because of the action. The Roland FP30 is a good beginner piano: https://www.amazon.com/Roland-Digital-Portable-Piano-FP-30-BKC/dp/B01B3FBDC4

​

Used real pianos are hit and miss. I was a piano tech for a while but got out seeing where the market was heading. Don't buy a used piano without testing each key.

I remmember seeing this book being recommended:

How To Really Play The Piano: The Stuff Your Teacher Never Taught You

What have been people's experiences with the Williams Legato 88? I am looking to spend a little as possible on a piano and this looks like a good place to start. Any feedback?

Aflred All in One - A reliable go to for the complete beginner to get them using both hands, reading music, understanding chords and keys etc.

Improvising Blues Piano - Great book for intermediate to later beginners looking at exploring contemporary styles.

Exploring Jazz Piano - Similar to the blues one but using jazz which requires a higher level of complexity.

It seems that your comment contains 1 or more links that are hard to tap for mobile users.
I will extend those so they're easier for our sausage fingers to click!


Here is link number 1 - Previous text "F"

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^Please ^PM ^/u/eganwall ^with ^issues ^or ^feedback! ^| ^Delete

What about something like this or this?

They are certainly a step up from the $150 portable keyboards but obviously are a step down from the $500 ones listed.

The price seems to be similar online as well:
https://www.amazon.ca/gp/offer-listing/B01B3FBDC4/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&condition=new

On Reverb it's more or less the same.

Hmm...

Strangely I've never really listened to his compositions, though I've used his piano solo book excessively. Thanks for posting this!

https://www.amazon.com/Theory-Harmony-ANNIVERSARY-Arnold-Schoenberg/dp/0520266080 Would this be the one?

Mikrokosmos: 153 Progressive Piano Pieces : New Definitive Edition https://www.amazon.fr/dp/1423493044/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_IxKUCb045MNEP

Here is the link

looking at this

http://www.amazon.com/Yamaha-Series-P105B-88-Key-Digital/dp/B008FVBX7A/ref=zg_bs_11970121_2

versus

http://www.amazon.com/Williams-Legato-88-Key-Digital-Piano/dp/B00P03P778/ref=zg_bs_11970121_1

Is this it?

https://www.amazon.com/Casio-Privia-PX-160BK-88-Key-Digital/dp/B0100RBPTC

Any thoughts compared to the Yamaha P45?

Here is an article that I found that compares the two

https://www.digitalpianoreviewguide.com/casio-px-160-vs-yamaha-p-45-which-is-better/

Alesis Recital - 88-Key Beginner Digital Piano/Keyboard with Full-Size Semi-Weighted Keys, Power Supply, Built-In Speakers and 5 Premium Voices (Amazon Exclusive) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DZXE9NC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_LNUXBbFT40K78

Is this one trash? Came up while looking at the p series

I thought you meant

F

A

Q

On

Amazon

Trying to get my first piano have the option between the Alesis Recital 88 keys or Casio WK-245 ?

should i go for 61 keys or cheap 88?

do you think this is ok? https://www.amazon.com/Alesis-Recital-White-Full-Size-Semi-Weighted/dp/B01DZXE9NC/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1550639049&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=piano%2B88%2Bkeys&th=1

What do you think about this one?
The only downside is see is the keys are semi weighted

A fake book is a book full of lead sheets. Which means that the only thing written out on the staff will be the melody line. Each song will have chord symbols, which you the performer use to come up with your own accompaniment.

Example: http://www.amazon.com/The-Ultimate-Fake-Book-Instruments/dp/0793529395/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1414049042&sr=8-1&keywords=fake+book

Alesis Recital seems to be within your budget.

https://www.amazon.com/Alesis-Recital-Full-Size-Semi-Weighted-Built/dp/B01DZXE9NC

Id be careful with used ones.. you never know how much abuse they took :D

This [piano] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00P03P778/ref=s9_simh_gw_p267_d5_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=desktop-3&pf_rd_r=0CM6ZH61N703PMRQRQNK&pf_rd_t=36701&pf_rd_p=2084660942&pf_rd_i=desktop) seems to be within your budget right now, but idk much about it's quality sadly, but it has weighted keys and it's a full size. it doesn't come with a stand or a power cable but there's a usually purchase combination that has that.

Pick up a fake book and try some improv. You can also listen to the songs on Youtube and go nuts trying to recreate them.

http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Fake-Book-Instruments/dp/0793529395

That should keep you busy for a few years!