I achieved many goals last year but their is one that I put to the side that has been on my goal list for years, Playing the piano (or in my case keyboard). The thing that made me originally give up and start stamping in notes on the piano roll was how awkward my hands felt. Now, what do I mean by that? My hands feel stiff, pinkys feel weak, I always press the keys to hard, bad timing, i can't play shit with my left hand (I'm right-handed) and doing simple little progressions just feels awkward. Now before you guys tell me that repetition will get me the results I want, it just takes time, I understand that (I'm really into personal development stuff and understand that more then most people). I guess my question is what advice can you give me to make the journey of learning to play the keyboard more natural? I'm not expecting a miracle or some answer that's going to make everything instantly better, Just a little help. Thanks

Note: I do not have a keyboard with weighted keys, currently using a Miditech i2-61 but am saving for a decent keyboard.

 

I had exactly the same problem two years ago. I'm a guitarist, but I needed to learn keyboard in order to compose better (MidiGuitar can never be a full replacement for a keyboard.) This is what I did:
1. I confined myself into two scales only (C and Am) to avoid the black keys (not altogether, of course.) Whenever I have to use another scale, I transpose my keyboard.
2. Playing triad chords with the left hand and melody with the right is easy.
3. Synthesia (if you don't know what it is, google it)
4. Komplete Kontrol light guide (you need to buy at least Komplete Kontrol S61 to play piano)
5. Mandatory: A sustain pedal (very cheap on eBay). If you don't have one yet, use Bitsonic Keyzone Piano (free, 32bit only). It has always the pedal on, so it gives the full sound (Not good, but better than playing Alicia's Keys with no pedal.)
6. A good piano library, in order to improve your dynamics by hearing the sound (I use Alicia's keys, Air MiniGrand and the free but excellent Piano One / NeoPiano.) Also, Arturia Piano V has a visual representation of your dynamics while playing.
7. Arrange an easy progression in Chord Pulse and play along. Or start a rhythm in a drum machine (I use Addictive Drums 2) and do the same.
I hope this helps.

 

Last edited: Jan 21, 2017

There are still good old fashioned lessons with a well qualified instructor. A good teacher can help speed you along the learning curve faster by focusing your practice on the things they notice you need most help with.

 

Good thread..I feel you on the stiffness thing. i'm learning as well right now. I find that my fingers get really tense and i always have to stop and crack them and stretch them again...it makes playin piano painful at times. Must be something i'm doing wrong.

 

get a real piano (dead cheap if bought used), even the cheapest is better than a keyboard, and take lessons.

 

I am classically trained pianist and was teaching piano full time to children for 8 years (until I got sick of it :/).

Getting a used upright is a great advice, get one if you can... but keyboard with weighted keys is also a good option... as you are into DAWs and producing definitely more practical one. Same for a midi controller with weighted keys and a great piano library, just make sure that the latency is low.

Getting an instructor (not online) is another great advice, it just goes a long way along with the faster results. He/she would introduce you with good starters books which is very important.

An alternative to instructor is getting a starters guide book and going through it alone (assuming you know to read music). Here i mean on classical guide books, not pop stuff with chords in left. One of these books is very common in Europe music schools, Vladimir Nikolaev: Russian School of Piano Playing, and you can get it in English, there are pdfs online.

Classical lessons will train your hands from start to behave in more relaxed way, both left and right, along with your-own constant reminding about relaxing them. These guide books are very easy, pieces are very basic and short (a few bars even), if you know to read music (if not, just learn it, it's also easy) you could jump right into it, piece by piece... there's no reason not to start right now with your soft keys keyboard until you get other, there are other things to learn beside a touch feel... just do it, success is inevitable!

 

Last edited: Jan 19, 2017

A piano (real) as suggested, is the ideal solution... seems logical: if You wanna learn to play piano. than buy a piano ?!?

But good alternatives are Digital pianos with good keys...
To get a good feeling on the fingers, quality keys are the most important thing.
The cheapest DP with excellent feel on the keys is the old Roland A-90 (it works also as a master keyboard controller), but hard to find them in pristine condition (around 250 - 350 € is the price on the used market, at the moment)
Try on a shop a difference between Roland, Yamaha, and a few other DP keys, and see what feels ok to You.


Than it comes to how do You start learning...
If You have some kind of background in writing music (like You have), than the most common difficulty is to sinc Your hands and to maintain a steady groove.
Both have to do with motorics ... so practice is the key.

I`d suggest starting with both hands together... and develop the muscle memory, first to learn the "grips" (chord shapes) and than to find some time to slip a short fill or solo between the chords (always accompanied by a bass groove in the left hand.

From zero, it will probably take a Year till You are able to play a simple Jazz song on piano (a Pink Panther theme or something similar)
In 2 - 3 months You should be able to play some classics like "Imagine" and similars

Complicated pieces will take even a few Years to master, and some You will never be able to play, but who cares... the most important thing is that You learn to get over the initial frustration and enjoy the learning process. (I play piano for over 40 Years, and still learning... and there are many compositions that I can not play even today )

Good Luck!

 

I'm no pianist, just a hobby player. And pretty rubbish at it too. I wouldn't suggest buying a piano (unless you're loaded, have plenty of space etc).

I would suggest finding music you really like, and try to really enjoy attempting it. Clear, simple, beautiful stuff - like Satie, Moonlight Sonata, Philip Glass Metamorphosis etc.......

I've never managed to get anywhere near as good as I wanted to, but persistence meant I could do ok - and then I can clean it up and refine it in the piano roll (MIDI). Can't clean-up the score from a proper piano, right?

Self-directed learning, paying attention to one's weaknesses especially, gets great results.

With all instruments I identified this issue: you can get better results by bodging it as opposed to doing it properly, but you will pick up all sorts of bad habits and likely never be better than a bodger. If you are seriously committed, do it properly and don't allow yourself to cut corners. Bad habits die hard. OTOH, bodging it means you will pick up your own quirks and maybe even a certain unique style.

I've always cut corners for quick results. Bane of my life, really, as it's quite a personality flaw. But I'm never held up by perfectionism. :D

 

Hey friend this is how i am doing it.I started a few months ago by watching youtubers.THe key for me is practicing every day songs that i like and i have already made a couple of little songs.You must have patience and practice every day so that it wiil become part of your routine

 

The only thing that I will add is that, you may want to take a little time out of your day-to-day schedule (maybe 20 minutes or so) and run the scales (both left & right hands). This will help to strengthen your Flexor (forearm) muscles, and your finger strength will follow. However, don't overdo these exercises (the last thing you need is to develop tendonitis). I know, I know, playing beginner scales can be very boring, but if you want to gain a level of comfort with your piano playing, I strongly believe that these exercises are necessary. When I first began taking lessons as a young child, I spent hours running the scales, and I hated every minute. However, as I grew older and began playing for longer and longer stretches, I'm grateful that my first teacher was such a demanding task master. (Really no shortcuts -- even for modest players).

Since you're a devotee of "self-improvement", here is an interesting article that you may find helpful as you pursue your pianistic objectives:
http://www.flowkey.com/en/7-exercises-your-fingers-rock-keys. Good luck and keep on pushing. In the end, you'll certainly be rewarded.

 

Last edited: Jan 19, 2017

First of all: every instrument feels weird at first. Doesn't matter when you start or how. The body isn't used to the movements to the entire task. My pinky is mostly useless while playing guitar except for chords and on the piano it's the other way around.

I was able to play on the Steinway Upright in the house of my in-laws until these fullblown idiots (they are anyway this is an unrelated statement) sold it. Since then my fiancée and I use my Studiologic 990 Pro...the action feels good enough way better than the ones that are labeled 'weighted'. Cheap (paid 199 Euros) and absolutely great quality.

Apart from that: despite being an absolute autodidact everywhere else I used a series of books (German withouth English equivalent srry..) which are quite close to lessons and as my fiancée had lessons for years she explained and watched my positioning. Which is really important on piano. Some things felt really unnatural to me but after a while I noticed it's easier to play this way. Whatever you go for in the end: check your position. Like bodyweight exercises: position is key (no pun intended). And speed is a byproduct of precision.

Also check the dynamic settings. My Studiologic has 9 settings in the end and the 'most dynamic' is impossible to play without a hammer or sth. else to smash the keys...

 

Hello.
To learn to play piano on a spring-mounted keyboard is not a good idea. Keys will stick to the fingers, and the slick, narrow black keys are impossible to play correctly.
A weighted keyboard, that comes very close to a real one, is necessary. Yamaha 575 and/or Casio 1200 piano-type kbs are good. Cheap ones are a waste of money, you don't get that key balance that makes it feel like the real thing.
About practising... If you have a lightweight kb, keep it on your lap and practice it anytime, watching tv, etc. BUT take an hour a day the time to study at very slow speed, all the correct finger motions. I recommend this to be done with the fingers medium-tensed, in order to impose the muscles the right amount of control. Don't worry If it goes worse after you get tired. Do not strain your hands till you get tendinitis, but keep practising each day till your muscles hurt. Don't worry, everything will sound better the next day. Anyway, do warm up before studying, squeezing lightly a tennis ball. You can also get a finger trainer for guitarists.
A good advice when playing a midi kb - don't keep your attention on the kb, but on the speakers. Tweak your velocity curve carefully. I use a sound module for practising, with velo at 50, and offset at 70. See what values work best for you. An easy to play vsti, like Pianissimo, helps a lot.
Do not expect overnight results though, the muscles, nerves, joints, they all have to adapt to the new task. Get carbohydrates and protein in your diet. Rice and peanuts are very good. And, as with any physical effort, drink a lot of water. A good old hot bath every evening gets all your body in good condition for musical performance - no joke intended.
Good luck, and happy keyboarding...!

 

Last edited: Jan 20, 2017

What is the purpose? What should one be looking for in the velocity and offset?

 

Hi, G String.
The purpose is to set a narrower dynamic range, because a beginner's fingers cannot handle coherently the 127 steps of midi dynamics. Set this way, it sounds better, plays easier, and avoids extreme dynamics leaps.
The offset sets the minimum volume for the most delicate notes (to avoid mute or very silent notes), and the velocity setting value ensures the hardest hit notes do not exceed a certain level. Since the sampled pianos sound different according to velocity, you can set the tonal range of your choice this way (softer, mellower, harder, etc.).

 

Last edited: Jan 20, 2017

Great tips here. Thanks guys! Any advice on the hand/stiffness?

 

Exercise your forearm (squeezing some type of ball) as well as soaking your hands in very warm water with Epsom Salts prior to playing. Also, perform the exercises based upon the link I inserted. If you do this regularly, the "stiffness" should dissipate over time.

 

Thanks for the tip. I'll give it a shot.

 

Cool. Keep me posted.

 

do not think about it; just remember to stop when it starts hurting.
and remember: You don`t have to become Mozart... You just have to learn to play, as many have done before You.

It is not hard... in a matter of facts it is very easy, just that it takes a bit longer

Look at the kids how long they need to learn to bring a spoon to the mouth in a controlled manner

 

hmm, wonder if that proggie will be released? looks nice http://www.flowkey.com/en