Setting sail for exploration of something completely new

[Skybird]

With 55 years I felt the need and interest to start something very new and see how far I could get. Old familiar interests are fading a bit, its all known by now what I did in the past 30 years: chess, photography, martial arts, archery, flight simming, photography, its all getting a bit stale now, the thunder is gone, one starts to feel used, and older, and less interested.

So I decided to pick up some playful toying-around from my youth years, and this time, hopefully, will have the endurance to follow it for longer, and more systematically, than back then.

I got up my lazy back and ordered an electric piano. :D

I do not play an instrument, my father is the active musician in the family, my mum also knows a lot about music, and I always liked music, though not as exclusively classics only as my parents, my taste is much wider than theirs, but certainly includes classical music. Time to change from the passive to the active side of things.As a teen, I played around a bit with our piano, an accordeon, a flute - and every time when it became difficult, I left... On the other hand, I had little time anyway, I trained a lot in fighting, and played a lot of chess, and had daily meditation with my master additional to training.

The times could be in my favour, because there now is all this modern technology, communication links and so much software helping an anti-social personality like me to bring structure and systematic effort into it without leaving the house and meeting nasty foreign people who could teach - or bite - me. :D

I got a Roland FP-30X, because it is said to have an excellent action being very close to the hammer action of a real piano, the action is also weighted and has escape, and the white keys have an invory-like coating; it has very good sounds, its affordable, and I can (and must, I do not have that much space) store it away, or get it out for daily practicing easily (which I think is very recommended). Then, it has a line-out, MIDI, double jacks for headphones (small and big plugs), and blutooth. Internet material I could directly feed into the machine, internet software could recognise what I do on the keys. Also, I could secure a very good price on one display piana, but the local - or better: a neighbouring small town's - shop needs to re-order it, the one they had in store had a technical issue. They will sell the replacment for the reduced price although it will be not formt he shop-display, but will be factory-new.

I checked the app and software market, and there is really plenty of stuff to chose from, its hard to know in advance what may suit your taste and what not. I doubt there is the one-solution-for-all-needs. I plan to go first with a very much hyped app named Pianoforall. It definetly does not seem to be "for all", but is limited on certain "target purposes" - but these it seems to approach and teach very well and in an attractive way wo which I immediately connected when seeing it in videos. Its limited in scope and reach, but for a beginner and with my intentions it sounds to be the exactly right thing for launching and reaching L.E.V. (laziness escape velocity). I will see. It also is very cost-economic. If I endure to complete all that material, and see the need, nothing must hinder me to then turn towards another course of different things and targets, in a year, or two, who knows.

My parents, especially my father, are stunned a bit. :)

Lets see what will come of this. Age can or can not be an issue. Some say its late to learn an instrument, and I would be a fool to expect that in three years I could go onto a stage. But many doctors would say (and neurology supports them) that the brain starts rewiring within days once you start actively playing an instrument, and that you can only benefit from it. My expectations I think are realistic, and reasonable and not too high, and I do not plan for a concert tour any time soon.:) Just fooling around a bit, with some more discipline and systematic effort than back then. I once juggled a bit with three and four balls, it took me an eternity to hear the "click" in my head when suddenly it worked and I could let those small sandbags endlessly dance in the air. I think something like this lies ahead of me again, when it comes to playing the keys with both hands sooner or later

So, a toast on the Click-experience - and the path leading there!

[Moonlight]

You're going through a midlife crisis old boy, I'm surprised your parents haven't sat you down and told you this as well, you're supposed to know something about psychology so why haven't you diagnosed the symptoms yourself and come to that conclusion as well, or are you in denial about it?. :O:

[Skybird]

I had my midlife crisis already when I completed university and still was not married. :03:


:)

[Gerald]

Excellent initiativ to improve "the daily routine"...we of course waiting for a musical experience higher than normal..so load up the music and we are all ears, salute!:Kaleun_Applaud:

[Skybird]

Mind if I do not bore you with one finger keyplay and instead learn - hopefully - to use the other nine as well before I haunt you?

:03:

[Gerald]

You are most welcome. But ya will learn fast and gently!

[em2nought]

After 57 years, I have this odd desire to go on a python hunt in the Everglades. If you can't bag the real swamp creatures, maybe you can at least dispatch the slithering kind. :D If Hannah Barron could go with me to hold my hand that would be even better because I'm not that fond of swamps.

https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1374914527159066625/Tzi_vXxV_400x400.jpg

https://www.fox13news.com/news/largest-burmese-python-captured-in-florida-weighs-215-pounds-with-over-100-developing-eggs

[Gerald]

After 57 years, I have this odd desire to go on a python hunt in the Everglades. If you can't bag the real swamp creatures, maybe you can at least dispatch the slithering kind. :D If Hannah Barron could go with me to hold my hand that would be even better because I'm not that fond of swamps.

https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1374914527159066625/Tzi_vXxV_400x400.jpg

https://www.fox13news.com/news/largest-burmese-python-captured-in-florida-weighs-215-pounds-with-over-100-developing-eggs I think I can handle Hannah but not sure the ONE she carry on her back.:yeah:

[mapuc]

This thread reminded me about my good FB-friend I have.

She's blind since birth and one of her side effect from this is that she has absolutely music ears(can't remember the exact English word for it)

She work with piano voice/sound-There must be an English word for this. Well she tuned the strings and other things.

I said to her I wish I could play on piano and create beautiful classic music like Beethoven, Mozart, Liszt, a.s.o

But as I am totally tone deaf....

Markus

[u crank]

It is a good idea Sky. Go for it. I have been playing guitar since I was 14 years old. It is still a joy and lots of fun. :salute:

[Skybird]

Long-term committment (years, not months) is what is needed, and an attitude of "everyday a bit practice", even if only for short - practically EVERY day. The piano will arrive next week. I bought today the course I intend to run with. Its a steal, and it absolutely connects to me in the way the man leads his students through. For the cost of one lesson with a live tutor I got all the material, in form of 9 ebup books with integrated videos . And very viosually, for me that is important, take the following exmaple. My ftaher once tried to explai8n it to me, in talking, and I wa sleft mostkly unimpressed, and just thoght "Hu...?" But this brief little video, nothing special, made all the difference. Theory goes not first, but second if not third, instead: visual pattern recognition, and curious playing. Many say piano is easier to leanr than amny other instruments, my father also agrees with that. Becasue all tones it cna amke are laid out before youreyes, each toine has one key. A violine, a guitar , worse: wind instruments, you have nothing fixed and visible before you, the tones are "invisible". Try to see the geometry from this video in a - trombone! Its not possible.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t79QvigfvnU


There are 200 such video lessons included, and then severla hundred pages of text, with plenty of keyboard illustrations to lead you through. I checked it out and iemdoately knew: this one is my way.



https://pianoforall.com/


However, the aim of this course is what it is, and it is not any different. That is good if your intentions match with the direction the course aims at, and its bad if you have expectations that the course does not care for. The guy in this video expkains it, and leaves no doubt that it does not teach you evertyhing - but he is fair enough to say that what it actually does teach, it probably teaches in a better way than any other. I had a first look at the books, and I am absolutely attracted to the method. I also like that it is not ignorrant of the needed necessity of also knpowing a bit about music theory, but it doe snot kill the mtovaiton in students by pushign it before anythign else and borign people to death, it lets it drip in more playfully, en passant, and always interuroted by plewnty of excersising opportunity. When i think of the music classes at school, I still feel pure horror today! Absolutely thoerteical, abstract, dry and disconnected form - wlel, from usic'S reality when hearing of doing it. How can they kill the curiosity in young people so carelessly?



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XekVmYIVF5c

[Skybird]

And to complete my soul strip, this is the actual piano, explaining the reasons why I decided for this one (1: key action, 2. quality of tones/samples, 3. blutooth interface). The keyboard comes with 12 piano, 20 e-piano, and 24 other voices, but via app you can access several HUNDRED voices that it nevertheless already has on board. When I tried it in the shop, I was blown away, a "player" like me cannot feel the difference betweee this and a real mechnaical piano's hammer action. The salesman said that even very good and professional players get fooled by the action. Forget the "e"in "e-piano". This is a piano, basta. :D The coating of the kys is also such that it absoklutely fools your senses.

I bought the one they had on display at a reduced price, but then we found it had an issue. They ordered a new one - but will sell it with that price bonus. I therefore get a factory-new piano with that reduced price for 500 coins. The usual retail price most traders have is in the range of 700 to 850 coins. Excellent deal! :yeah: I would have been stupid to go with the Roland FD-10 (550 coins) or even cheaper Yamaha 45P. (450-500 coins)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abzwSbvM38U

[Skybird]

Tutors versus Apps, pros and cons. All valid, one should be aware of the advantages and disadvantages. But by the end of the day it comes down to calculating the costs of live tutoring versus your personal aims and what you actually want to acchieve. One thing it all has in common: You must actually do the firts step to get started.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3rVhjeQ_8c

[Gerald]

Very moving clips about to play piano. Piano music is still on my favorite list and I listen to it almost every day.

[mapuc]

When I see people play piano I see they have eye-left hand-right hand-feet kombination work.

Markus

[Skybird]

Very moving clips about to play piano. Piano music is still on my favorite list and I listen to it almost every day.
Well, I may be late but I am not foolish, I do not expect miracles happenign, after all, my father worked as a professional musician - I know from years of seeing his example that things take time, and are hard work at times. If you go for online courses like this, you better have a realistic idea of what they can help you with - and what not. You then must compare that to your personal goals and see whether something fits in your plan, or not.

If somebody aims at playing advanced classical piano from sheets, there is probably no way around personal tutoring.


In the end I want to have fun with hacking on the keys on a piano, and maybe doing so without being completely orientation- and clueless. Anything more would be just a bonus I do not really expect to materialise - but certainly would not reject.

[Gerald]

Well, I may be late but I am not foolish, I do not expect miracles happenign, after all, my father worked as a professional musician - I know from years of seeing his example that things take time, and are hard work at times. If you go for online courses like this, you better have a realistic idea of what they can help you with - and what not. You then must compare that to your personal goals and see whether something fits in your plan, or not.

If somebody aims at playing advanced classical piano from sheets, there is probably no way around personal tutoring.


In the end I want to have fun with hacking on the keys on a piano, and maybe doing so without being completely orientation- and clueless. Anything more would be just a bonus I do not really expect to materialise - but certainly would not reject. I will say you have right called " goal or maybe focus to improve your personal skill since your father is a professional man in music art. If anyone have a right line to carry on it's good ya learn all the way so long ya like it ya will find something wonderful. Myself grow up with none music art in our family, but my dad's mother was a real good painting...so I desire more to follow her step...even if I not make any paint...but I have always like piano music.

[Eichhörnchen]

I am also a visual learner - it's been a boon having Youtube to help with so many things now... once I only had to ask my dad or father in law

Good luck with it, Sky

[Catfish]

Man beachte den Text ..
(Kitsch and cheesy, and bad times, but ...)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ls0ukGcKU44


No seriously, this is a great idea, wishing you luck (and patience) :)

[mapuc]

Skybird, when you have learned how to master the piano-What kind of music will you play ?

Markus

[Skybird]

Man beachte den Text ..
(Kitsch and cheesy, and bad times, but ...)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ls0ukGcKU44


No seriously, this is a great idea, wishing you luck (and patience) :)


"Wer Klavier spielt hat Glück bei den Frau'n", eh...?! Damn, why has nobody told me earlier? :03:

[Skybird]

Skybird, when you have learned how to master the piano-What kind of music will you play ?

Markus
Hehe, I think you underestimate the task. I will never "master" piano in the rest of my lifetime, I will always remain a student only - I started too late. If it goes well, then I hope to turn at least into a student who in reasonable time intervals indeed improves further and further, and maybe in a few years can do some slowly-played improvisations based on accords and arpagios: then I would consider my endavour already a big success! :03: I do not want to hang to a repertoir of a dozen simple songs that I only can play and nothing else, that would be like like a computer course where grannie or grandpa learn how to print a callign card and thats it - that would be bporing, and pointless. Being able to just play half a dozen simpkle pieces and nothing else than these: thats for robots, but I want to go beyond at leats this this. Playing simple improvisations from my mind, and while doing so reliably finding the accords I wish to bring up. Slow, simple bar tunes, maybe, nothign complicated. The simple slow jazz piano that gives a humble background to the slow jazz singer on the stage. You get what I mean, yes? Nothing too complex, too difficult.

Also, simple melodic pieces that I sometimes have on mind, you know, that kind of tunes that suddenly come to your mind over the day, and you hum them for some minutes, and an hour later its gone away and forgotten. If I can translate that idea of a melody into a simple tune and reliably finding the right keys and accords, I would be very happy already. Because when I just hum and whistle, I am very good at improvising, its my thing, always has been. Now I need to translate it directly to the language of piano, not leaving it to humming and whistling. And for that I need to learn some technical and theoretical basics, and that will take time. Much time.

Another intermediate goal would be to be able to play simple, slow accords and melodies without needing to stare panically at the keys all the time. When i was a young boy and learned chess for the first and second time (I took three starts between the age of 4 and 10), I could not name the squares correctyl without looking up the coordinates at the board's rims. Today I just need a snapshot glimpse at the board, any square, and immediately "see" without any coordinates what field it is, just by the position of it within the context of the complete board, within a tenth of a second or so I see its E4, or G7. I hope with some years practice I can find the wanted notes on the right keys as intuitively, too. But that needs: drills, drills, drills. I have no illusion on that.



This - much younger - man took 7 (!) years with this course I picked. Hear what he has to say:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8BkAFBe1jo
"I learned everything I play today from just 39 bucks." :)



The way is the goal. Starting this late in my life, it cannot be any more than this, evertyhing beyond that is a welcomed bonus, but not seriously expected in advance. Also, its to keep me occupied, my other interests , as I said, became faded, stale a bit. And maybe it helps against early brain degeneration, too! :D
I just seriously feel I should and must do and start something completely new, else I may turn mad in a couple of years.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-iDQWc5LPE

The above may be possible in some years, who knows. Its not a given, but the piece is surprisingly simple in structure (I have the sheets), and so it might be in reach for me in some years. But the following piece will always be beyond my reach, forever, I have no doubt. But one can dream, can't you? The man gives the best cover of this piece I ever heard - maybe even better than Williams imself played it (with orchestra), very sensible, preicse and expressive. These two pieces are very dear to me, and sometimes they even give me wet eyes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWqEihWhzvQ

Its good to have idols and loves like this, may they be within reach or not. For they at least keep you yearning, and yearning is what keeps you trying.

[Skybird]

Okay, the time for lazy excuses and talking instead of doing is over - let the drama begin! :D


https://i.postimg.cc/65B1mZ2Q/piano.jpg (https://postimages.org/)


I know I know, its not ideal a setup, but it will slightly improve with an according folding table and a special foldable piano seat, but for the time being, this must do. Space is an issue in my appartement, it was big enough for me so far, but for something of the size like this it was not meant to be, furniture-wise. The alternative would have been to let it be and not even try to get started. No alternative that is, in other words.



Comes time, comes better ideas. Must everything be perfect in life, or is it ever? Hardly.

[mapuc]

Soon we gonna hear some beautiful music in our music thread :D

Markus

[Aktungbby]

Hehe, I think you underestimate the task. I will never "master" piano in the rest of my lifetime, I will always remain a student only - I started too late. I But that needs: drills, drills, drills. I have no illusion on that.
The way is the goal. And maybe it helps against early brain degeneration, too! :D
I just seriously feel I should and must do and start something completely new, else I may turn mad in a couple of years.
but the piece is surprisingly simple in structure (I have the sheets), and so it might be in reach for me in some years. U poor dolt!:O: THINK BIG! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CF7-rz9nIn4 :arrgh!::haha:

[Skybird]

U poor dolt!:O: THINK BIG! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CF7-rz9nIn4 :arrgh!::haha:


:D :up:


My first "real" piano hours today. I follow the course in one session, then took some time to play around with the many voices of the keyboard, and then practiced another session hour hitting simple chords, octaves, and training the "Fingersatz" for C Major scales up and down, both hands. Now my arm musclesles are ab it - "sore"... Oh, and I got the first simple Boogiewoogie rythm right, though not as fast as it should be.



The teacher of the course I opetdf for just hitds all my marks, this is one guy to follow for long time to come. I was lucky to find this. I just connect to the way he teaches things.


The keyboard is a technically marvel. It sounds terrificly real, can be tuned and influenced in so unbelievably many ways via blutooth app (as if it were a real piano), the keyboard action unbelievable. It feels like a grand piano, including the surface of the keys, the mechanical minor deaial from the escape, the weighted keys from low to high tones, and even the fact that the very high keys do not have dampening like in reality (the strings are so short that in a real piano there simply is no space left to install dampening cushions). Practically all e-pianos in this price class do not care for these details.

Its unbelievable that such quality and wonder can be had for so little money these days. I may not be competent to talk about keyboards, but still I alreayd would recommend this keyboard very much. Its the upgrade of an absolute bestseller, and that beststeller it is not without reason, it seems. Even the Blutooth connection with my tablet, sometimes criticized , was set up without much hazzle, I just followed the instruction to the last letter.

A beast is creeping circles around my house, its name is ambition.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kEsCR9u56Q

[Gorpet]

You're going through a midlife crisis old boy, I'm surprised your parents haven't sat you down and told you this as well, you're supposed to know something about psychology so why haven't you diagnosed the symptoms yourself and come to that conclusion as well, or are you in denial about it?. :O:

Yep, Well his country is Joe Biden's front line. And his psychology has went out the window.Common sense will always win when it comes to reality.But the Bird had a good run. And i like the Bird. Welcome back Sky.

[em2nought]

Yep, Well his country is Joe Biden's front line. And his psychology has went out the window.Common sense will always win when it comes to reality.But the Bird had a good run. And i like the Bird. Welcome back Sky.

That's a scary thought. I'd seriously be looking at a second residency in Paraguay if I was that close to Putin.


I was trying to play "Three Little Birds" on my ukulele last night. Boy I suck, even with a "uke buddy" to cheat with. :yep:

[Jimbuna]

I wish you well Sky and for what it;s worth my late father was self-taught...something I could never quantify as a child.

[Skybird]

Life has changed dramatically over here, studying has re-structured my day dramatically. I assume its indicating somethign good that time is fleeting and hours are flying by. The installation still is the elephant in the rooom, but I love it, and I am VERY happy with the Roland e-piano model I have choosen, the key action is a stunner, allowing a hilarious wide range of dynamic and feeling so real. So, beside the fascination for the musical aspect and the learning, I am also fascinated by the pure technical aspects. The blutooth music and blutooth MIDI links are pure gold, via app I can unleash the full potential of the machine (not that I can make use of it...). ~370 different voices, including natural sounds like wind, water, leafs on a tree, thunder, but also helicopter, machines and engines, rifles and guns, laser cannons, laughing voices, wind blowings, as well as a full set of different percussions, different drum sets and a full jazz drums combo. I did not count too precisley, but around 280-300 of these 370 sounds are musical instruments, however. My mum this morning, and yesterday my neighbour (a hobby pianist) checked the keyboard, and fell flat on their faces, they say they cannot recognise a difference in how it feels. The Roland simulates a grand piano action, that has one or two details added that an upright furniture and wall piano does not have (escape, for example) Even these tiny, minor, easy-to-miss details are there in the Roland.

Exercising a lot, I can almost feel the neurons in my brain getting rewired by the hour, and I currently have a sign on my forehead that reads "temporarily closed due to construction work". I follow my material in one session per day, do finger exercises in another session, and a third session the day is repetition, and fooling around, trying first simple melodies, and first tries to get both hands in synch. Thats the difficult part, the hand synchronisation. And then the disbelief when at the end, unexpectedly, for one run it clicks and everything falls into the right place and you get the sequence right, as if it was playing itself, all by itself, without your will, easily! Good feeling, a flow-experience. I know that self-teaching like I do and internet assistance and epub media and all that has not only pros, but also cons, and that there are aspects in live tutorong that cannot be compensated for this way, but many of these are more relevant for goals that are not nescessarily my goals, and it also helps that I am aware of these differences, so that I can have nevertheless an eye on this. The material I follow also is aware of this and adresses many of these points all by itself.

Day three. I had a very good start, and apparently made only superb choices so far. Lucky start, better the lift-off could not have taken place! The star gate at Jupiter is still far away, but I am on my way into orbit arond Earth for a beginning. And then step by step, always step by step. I enjoy it, i have fun, and I make progress - I already can - slowly - read simple notes and follow them when playing, and do first, - slow but harmonic improvisations: simple jazzy chords with the left, simple, slow melodies one-note-per-time with the right hand. Thats definitely the direction I want to go at: slow jazzy improvisations, slow bar and cocktail jazz, groovy stuff.

Perfect start, all systems green lights, and I love it! :yeah:

[Skybird]

Thats a relief. If need be because I need that (height-adjustable secondary) table, I can store the piano away indeed. I was not sure that it was flat enough. It is - just so. :)



https://i.postimg.cc/L5FNbpxg/20220705-015512.jpg (https://postimg.cc/njT4X6bn)
Yes, the doorhandle I had to change. But that door never gets closed anyway.

[Onkel Neal]

Very cool. Is it a synthesizer or just a piano? I have been toying with the idea of getting a cheap synthesizer to play around with, make some original tracks for my videos, etc. I can read music but I never got far on the keyboard instruments.

PS: I know what you mean about losing interest in old hobbies/needing new stimulus. It's really distracting.

[Skybird]

Every e-piano is a synthesizer! :hmmm:

The difference between a keyboard and an e-piano: keyboards mostly have smaller keys, piano-keys are wider.

A good piano-action has a weighted hammer action and in case of Rolands even cheap models already: also escapement. Together that means that hitting the keys feels not like a home organ or keyboard, but an accoustic piano. Keyboards usually have keys that are "on or off", and feel completely different from those on a piano, they offer no dynamic. I would always go with an epiano, therefore. You can switch the keys to keyboard action, if you want (no dynamics, just on and off).

The sound characteristic of an e-piano's piano voices can be completely tuned and manipulated as if you where tuning a real accoustic piano to the demands of a professional pianist. At least the Rolands.

Roland is market leader for e-pianos, if you go for one, check them first. Roland also is THE great name in electronic music creation, they are market leader and pioneer. There is no way around them.

E-pianos can be set to "synthesizer" sounds as well, e-pianos, different accoustic pianos, natural sounds, effects, and so forth. The one I use has 370 voices! However, I stick to pianos, I am a beginner, cannot virtuously play a musical orgy on that thing. But its also nice to know there are a good jazzy bass when playing with split keys (bass on letf hand, piano on right hand...), or nice mellow sounds to combine one keystorke with two vopices: say a typical 80s e-piano and some mellow strings, giving you that typical Whitney Houston music style. And the French akkordeon makes me melting away in bitter-sweet melancholy...

I posted some videos above introducing the instrument I got. I am EXTREMELY HAPPY with it, have only good things to say about it. And the keyboard action is sensational, I cannot differentiate it from a piano. Onboard sound via speakers is 2x11W, that is marking above its price range.

However, I post another video on Roland, so that you know why you do not want to miss them out. The prices for their FP keyboards I find very fair.

I would ALWAYS opt for a model giving you blutooth MIDI for sound input and for data (that is two things). It nicely combines with a tablet, for notes, for software of any kind. I can, however, also use a Midi cable. Blutooth is the exception from the rule in this price range below 1000 coins.

If you are more new than experienced, two more features I found very worthwhile to make use of: the metronome is easy to start, because when practicing as a beginner, my tempi are all over the place. And the record and replay feature, very useful. when you learn a piece, you usually learn left hand first, then right hand, and then you put it together somehow. You can record one hand and then practice the other hand to the sound of the first. Easy to use, very useful.

Incredible bang for the buck:
https://www.roland.com/global/products/fp-30x/

A word on headphones. They need to match the power output of the source. Phones with high Ohms will not get loud if being used on a small MP-3 player. Phones with low Ohms will explode if being connected to a stage amplifier. For the keyboard I use, anything in the range of 35-45 Ohms should work allright. And the difference between consumer and studio/monitor headphones. The latter are being used for production, and there you have a need to not add anything to the sound of the given instrument in recording, nor take away anything from it. You want a neutral and realistic sound, only then the sound engineer who mixes the sounds can assess how good the used settings are. Thats means these headphones, moiitors/studio, sound very flat and thin when you listen to a full orchestra, I do not like their sound at all, its terrible - BUT: when using such a phone on a single keyboard only, it is brilliant! Thats why I have two headphones now: one for the keyboard, a monitor for 35 Euros, again by Roland, and a fuller, complexer phone for actually listening to music from orchestra. The differences can be extremely immense, do not underestimate them. I am happy with the Roland RH-5, its specs seem to match the keyboard's output well. Phones with more Ohms than this seem to not make every keyboard player happy, I read.

On Roland company and why its e-pianos are so good. They do some important details differently... The moderator obviously is a salesman, but he hits valid markings. The E-piano of my parents is a Yamaha, it has a better key action than home organ or a keyboard synthesizer, but it feels not as real as mine. The smaples used also are n ot as good. So, there are differences even within the same price segment.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqqYs99ZMS4


Via app I can also use many effects and accoustic background noises, from natural sounds like flowing water and wind to machinery, explosions, rotors, weapons, etc. Even laughter. I like the applaus. The library has around 370 entries, only 56 of these can be accessed directly from the keyboard, for the rest you need an app.

[mapuc]

How could I forget. Many years ago I had a synthesizer who I bought from my nephew. I tried to learn playing on it..only with my right hand..I really tried to learn to play with both....but my left hand did the same as my right hand.

Secondly when I got Tinnitus and more Hyperacusis I could not play on it anymore.

Can't remember what happened with it.

Markus

[Skybird]

Of no use to me, but it is stunning how simple it is these days to set up your own virtual band - with nothing more additional to your piano than just a device smaller than a musical notebook. Technology can be a marvel.

Android has stuff like that app, too, but thery are not as enriched in features, I playfully fooled around with one of them some weeks ago. Handling these apps is more like a game than a working app.

For pro musicians the to-go-to tablet is iOS, not Android.


It must not be that exact e-piano. Any keybopard allowing MIDI connection should work.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ra_YdjeQzH0

[Aktungbby]

Of no use to me, but it is stunning how simple it is these days to set up your own virtual band - with nothing more additional to your piano than just a device smaller than a musical notebook. Technology can be a marvel. Jeeze! U could start your own band: the Misanthrope Mozart Miscreant Mambos :O: :yeah:

[Skybird]

The Keyhackers Suicide Squad! The Tinnitussis! The The Noisy Perforators! :D

[Moonlight]

If you practice a lot over the next year or two Skybird you might get an invite from Alice to come and play with her and her sister, it would be a dream come true for you to play the piano with those two talented ladies. :D

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSjcgbqDN8U

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJqeNhsu_2g

[Skybird]

If you practice a lot over the next year or two Skybird you might get an invite from Alice to come and play with her and her sister, it would be a dream come true for you to play the piano with those two talented ladies. :D

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSjcgbqDN8U


And here we see very, very, VERY broken brains that are completely out of order!

I mean they pose with their tricks under ideal circumstances, but the question really is whether they could also do this while wearing mittens and being cooked in a big boiler by African cannibals?

They can't...?

You see what I mean. Braggerts, all of them!

And if I had such an expensive piano, I could play like that as well! Its all about money. :D




Serious, she is a marvellous pianist. It takes all life to get to that level. Tragic to know she suffers from MS. The Pavane is one of my favourites in classical music, but I did not know her version - its probably and easily the best version I have ever heard, an excellent and emotionally engaging perofmance that nevertheless is not even close to the risk of getting overly expressive and by that: kitschy. Superb! Thanks for posting it!

[Skybird]

I'm still at it, hacking the keys every day 2 or 3 times, every time 40-50 minutes or so. Things, timetables now have become more routine, but also more difficult, the old brain of mine finds it heavier than in past years to learn and memorize new stuff, think I need twice as long as before... :haha: First implementation of attempts at rythm, and improvising simpe slow melodies with simple triad chords and sevenths add the needed change from the more technical monotonous training needs and excercises I run every day. And sometimes, for half a minute or so, things fall all into their right places, and for a couple of - improvised - bars things suddenly sound great and beautiful and I wonder "Wowh, was that really me?" I think it is also important to fool around with just random "improvsations", just so that the brain can map the sound of chords to certain parts of the keyboard, hopefully later finding them again more intuitively, right now I must often break and think whether this or that combination might be closer to the chord sound I have on mind. Sometimes the left hand starts to move all by itself and finds the right chords that match what I do with the right hand, all without thinking, but after a few chords it all collapses again, like a house of cards,. and I sit there, clueless, and needing to resort my mind again. But these moments are rare, still, but are an immense motivation boost. And every playing of mine of course is at very slow pace. I sometimes combine grand piano sound with soft pad sounds, that adds a volume with pressed sustain pedal that deceives me into believing there is more substance and complexity in what I do than there actually is. :D I am VERY satisfied with the instrument I chosed, the keyboard action feels fantastic. Just five years ago or so this keyboard action was used only in their high priced models.

So, having my fun, and definitely staying engaged, but it is difficult.

Also following the course material I got, slowly, as I said earlier, it pulls me through, is good stuff. And no "Für Elise" anywhere, what a damn relief! :D

[Skybird]

Slowly progressing, and I am nearing completion of book one of nine. Were the past 7 weeks or so more a success or more a failure? Well, when I lived with my parents as a boy and teen, there was always a piano in the household (fun fact: my e-piano today sounds a lot better...), and sometimes I just spent some time fooling around with it a bit, even had one or two small pieces of simple melody in my "repertoire". Thats was nothing, just fooling around. After this time spent now I can say that the course I use makes a tremendous difference. It has led a basis for the later books to come, focussing on basic rythms, chords, simple triads, and kind of prioritizing triads over melody. That is not helpful if you want to learn more classical piano - and very helpful if you want to aim more at the ability to improvise. You would be surprised how many profesisonally trained pianists admit that despite their technical skill they find it hard to play without notes, playing free improvisations. My mum too simpyl cannot play without sheets, she gets stuck with whatever she tries after a few bars. Mind blockade, and lacking experience with free improvising chords - she cna only play with sheets. Its two VERY different worlds. The course, Piano for all, lends itself perfectly to the one world, and not too well to the other.

A basis has been laid on which to improve. Its difficult because my brain is not as fast anymore, but the pace nevertheless is right for me, and repetitions over time make any exercise I try easier and more automatic over time. I practice almost evey day, and on most days two or three times, 30-50 minutes. And i like whats going on. What keeps me engaged is that from week to week I see not giant, but undeniable progress. Piano is a very complex affair to get engaged with, and maybe best advise is to not think about reaching a final goal, but to understand that the way is the goal - and that this way can (and must?) be walked a whole life long, and certainly so at my advanced age.

With mistakes a lot, and at slow pace, and sometimes needing to take a second of break to think out my next "move", I can do simple, meditative impovisations already, simple melodic frames with the one hand, and matching triads with the other. I mmust nio longer randonly press keys to find the next amtchign sound, but start to have a feeling for where the next matching sound is located, and I hammer the key(s), and it sounds nice. The hands and muscles seem to get a memory of their own that keep information where this and that sound is to be found on the keyboard's landsacape, maybe a bit like in sports (muscle meory), I dont know, but maybe it indeed is just brain stuff getting rewired. The number of mismatching chords or notes that break the melodic bow, has started to drop, I produce less "garbage" and less "random" notes, it more often than five weeks ago results in something you can actually listen to without getting ear cancer. :) Simple, lovely, uncomplex tunes, improvised, maybe a bit naive and somewhat childiush, but hey, I am an absolute beginner, every time I play them they sound different, but there is less disharmonic error and more harmonic order in it all now despite that I improvise it every time I play. That is a tremendous motivation to stay engaged! :up: Not the great art, but pleasing.



Where I struggle, is quick repositioning of the hands on the keyboard and so missing the next correct keys, also my tempi are all over the place and the wish to add rythmic structure collides with my need to be slow and even pause for a second at times to find the next matching triad and sevenths or a pleasing continuation of the melody I improvise. That is to be expected, I suppose, I am a beginner, and I can only cure this problem with practice, practice, practice.

The material I practice with, was the best choice I could make, I tried Skoove and Flowkeys meanwhile, and did not get along with them too well, maybe in a year or two, but for a beginner, it is not the right thing, at least not for me. I felt being turned into a robot. It killed the joy and the motivation. PianoForAll so far has not left me in need for a real teacher, because I had no questions. And I can recognise my faults myself, and know where I struggle especially. The teacher of it is a professional player, and he does some things differently - and better - than other piano computer courses. And as I see it, that difference is for best effect in the student. I absolutely intend to complete the full course. One book almost done, 8 more to follow, more diffcult than what I had so far. See you by the end of next year at the earliest. :D

My initial doubts have been answered, I think, after seven weeks I dare say so: whether this shot into the blue would be just a brief episode, or will turn into a long-time hobby. Well, the answer is: the latter. :yeah: I love it, and a day I did not get to the keyboard starts to feel kind of incomplete. Anbd I ove the instrument I have chosen, it sounds and feels so very nice - even more so for that price. My father bought a cheaper one with less sophisticated keyboard and plain, smooth pastic keys, and he complains about the keys now in the heat feeling greasy from his fingertips sweat. A problem I do not share, mine, also plastic, feel like a piano, and feel like keys made of wood with a wooden (or as they say: ivory) surface. Sweating is a complete non-problem.


Interested to start your own thing? : For 40 coins, this is a steal, you cannot go wrong, you just cannot.

https://oldtimemusic.com/piano-for-all-review/

https://www.digitalpianoreviewguide.com/piano-for-all-review-can-you-learn-piano-via-ebooks/

[mapuc]

Looking forward to see you post some beautiful piano music in our Music thread :D

Markus

[Skybird]

Dream on. :)

[Aktungbby]

Dream on. :) :Kaleun_Sleep: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEMgNMNeBr4 :arrgh!:...and a little Igor Levit inspiration fer ya! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSyJNWyRZ8Y

[Skybird]

:Kaleun_Sleep: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEMgNMNeBr4 :arrgh!:..


I eyed to perform that for next christmas' Germans got talent show, but then decided to postpone it until my next life if then I can't get myself some Japanese war drums first.

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YN0tRAviS9A

[Skybird]

You guys are funny - and obviously never have tried to learn piano, eh? :)

Well, I have far more moderate and realistic goals. And even from these I am still a felt lightyear away. If I could ever make it to the level like in the following example, I already would have acchieved my objective, and more. And I think, one day I can get there: its slow, and not complex in structure. "Simple". Well, not really, but you know what I mean.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40fulS_olU8

I feel like aiming at Jupiter and beyond - but so far have just crawled into Earth'S orbit. Next comes docking to the station. Then the Moon base. Then the Mars base.

And then, maybe, Jupiter. :D

Somebody said its full of stars notes.

[Skybird]

I got a motivation boost, because in the past 2-3 days I suddenly had a big jump forward in trying to get used to move both hands' fingers independently without them two always falling into synch sooner or later. The result was that I now, within one week, learned to play my first two little songs: Little Trinketry from the video above, and the famous Milton's Tower Theme from What Remains of Edith Finch. Nothing spectacular (but beautifully fragile), two simple, "easy" pieces and hardly a reason to brag about - but what is not noteworthy for mankind, is nevertheless a big step forward for my slow learning brain. I maske a lot of mistakes, and cannot keep the loudness with every key as is needed, and in Trinketry the huge octave grabs cause me to hit the wrong key more often than I like (or better the little finger huts not one, but two keys) - but the "partition" is in my mind, and while the execution still lacks, I know what it should be like, and can correct myself. Miltons Tower I can get through without mistake if I concentrate, Trinketry I can get through but do mistakes from mistypings (after twenty years in this forum you are expecting this from me, I assume...) , in the left hand, those octaves are killing me still. I play slower, however, and the tempi are sooner or later getting a bit out of tact. :) Lets not discuss artistic impression and interpretation... :O:

There is a deeper effect from it, I can see it and experience it. You cannot imagine how difficult I found it to learn to do chords with the one hand, and a totally different simple meldoy or improvisation with the other hand, the brain flipped out. Short time after my last post I was so frustrated from uselessly trying and trying that I almost gave up. But for some reason I tried on, 3, 4 times a day, again and again and again and again. And suddenly some switches flipped over inside my brain, and the two songs worked. In the aftermath, there is an effect beyond these two songs: I suddenly find it much easier to operate my two hands independently from each other, its as if a wall has crumbled that I slammed my head against long enough. And I mean not only in these two songs, but in general its easier now.

Proof of progress! :yeah:

At the other front however the battle has frozen in place: my attempt to learn reading notes fluently, so far stalls again and again. I need to decypher every single dot individually and its time consuming, I know the verses that should help you to memorize which note is on what line and in what space, but all that takes seconds to process (per note!), and when I made sense of one note, the music already is ten bars further down the sheet. LOL I just cannot memorize the notes psoitions on nthe lines, and that now is extremely frustrating after six weeks without visible progress. Maybe I must refocus and adapt to my brain's limits there, learn music by sound and use the notes only as a visual help to remember the structure of the rythm at which the memorised sounds must drip down into the fingers. Hard, very hard this notes stuff all is, its the most difficult of all challenges in my ambition. And I hate it with passion. :arrgh!: Only understanding the need that a certain minimum of understanding these things is inevitable, helps me to keep on trying it. Apparently now this is a wall which I need to slam by head against for much longer before it will crumble, and probably with more furor...

On the good side of this unsatisfying situation is that I find it surprisingly easy to learn music not by notes, but by listening. I can memorise the partition just from listening. My father says that is remarkable, and it makes things a bit easier for me. Maybe my blind chess playing from my youth helps... :)

With both hands now slowly unlocking their sychronous acting, it starts to make fun trying simple improvisations. Nothing spectacular, just a light-hearted playful toying around. I did that before already, very slowly, but now all by itself I noticed that I started to not just hit the key and get the sounds, but that I started to hit the key in rythms. I was not even after it, it happened all by itself. Now that is a pleasant thing to happen! The course I also still follow, focussed until here just on leanrign chords and ryathms, and this suddnely poppwe up all by itself here. So, may autodidactic approach to all this seems to bear fruits.

So I am still at it, and all in all I enjoy it, almost every day and then 2-3 times per day. Progress comes very slow - but it comes. It has started to seriously pick away from my computer time.

And if there may be a blackout, I must not worry: the piano sucks only 15W, and my battery holds 2 kW/h - that should keep me going for quite some days.:haha: Winter, where is your terror, blackness, where is your threat? :D