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Old 11-17-2017, 01:35 PM
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Default Uh oh I decided to start playing piano again

I had not been feeling motivated to play my guitars for a while, and had felt some frustration with rustiness as a result. When I would pick up a guitar, it just was not that exciting.

So, I traded in an old Yamaha P80 digital piano for a new Yamaha workstation that was a lot lighter and more technically up to date.

After three weeks of playing, with my Ipad hooked up to stream my favorite songs and play through the keyboard speakers, I am in heaven.

While I am not new to piano, I signed up with an online teacher (Piano in 21 Days) who is showing me how to play current pop songs through a focus on chord progressions, inversions, arpeggios, and so forth. It doesn't hurt that I play by ear, because after I figure out the chord progression, I can pretty much sit down and play whatever I want.

Maybe I will be inspired to pick up my guitar again soon, but in the meantime I am truly having a ball. When I hit a key or chord, it sounds like it is supposed to, and not with the kind of frustrations in technique that can come with trying to master a stringed instrument.
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Old 11-17-2017, 01:47 PM
downtime downtime is offline
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I can relate to going through cycles where excitement wanes.
Learning a new song or new genre can boost it back up, or best yet, a NGD!

Like you I bounce back and forth between guitar and piano, it's nice to have another musical outlet to switch focus to.
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Old 11-17-2017, 01:55 PM
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Well, at least when you go into the music store and tell the salesman you have "PAS", he'll just tell you to come back if you change your mind.
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Old 11-17-2017, 03:32 PM
tbeltrans tbeltrans is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Blueser100 View Post
I had not been feeling motivated to play my guitars for a while, and had felt some frustration with rustiness as a result. When I would pick up a guitar, it just was not that exciting.

So, I traded in an old Yamaha P80 digital piano for a new Yamaha workstation that was a lot lighter and more technically up to date.

After three weeks of playing, with my Ipad hooked up to stream my favorite songs and play through the keyboard speakers, I am in heaven.

While I am not new to piano, I signed up with an online teacher (Piano in 21 Days) who is showing me how to play current pop songs through a focus on chord progressions, inversions, arpeggios, and so forth. It doesn't hurt that I play by ear, because after I figure out the chord progression, I can pretty much sit down and play whatever I want.

Maybe I will be inspired to pick up my guitar again soon, but in the meantime I am truly having a ball. When I hit a key or chord, it sounds like it is supposed to, and not with the kind of frustrations in technique that can come with trying to master a stringed instrument.
You do realize that such an admission can put you in guitar jail.

Funny you should mention going from guitar to piano. I have found that the music I want to make seems to be piano music. I have several really nice guitars, but most of my music time seems to be spent more and more on my piano.

I have a Roland V-Grand, which is their best digital. Also, I have several piano courses that I work from as well as figuring out stuff off recordings by ear. The advantage of the piano in that regard is that every pitch occurs on just one, and only one, key. The piano usually does not get retuned in various ways as the guitar does with all the open and alternate tunings.

However, I have found that after playing piano for a while, I can go back to the guitar with a fresh musical perspective. So, it seems to me, it is all good. If anything, being able to play more than one instrument broadens our musical horizons.

Tony
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Old 11-17-2017, 03:58 PM
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Originally Posted by HHP View Post
Well, at least when you go into the music store and tell the salesman you have "PAS", he'll just tell you to come back if you change your mind.
So I guess that means if you then decide you like guitars again, that would be PAS- GAS
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Old 11-17-2017, 04:01 PM
FLRon FLRon is offline
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Piano has always been my favorite instrument. Right now however I have several guitars and no piano. We gave ours to a nursing home prior to moving after I retired last year.
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Old 11-17-2017, 05:53 PM
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Originally Posted by tbeltrans View Post
You do realize that such an admission can put you in guitar jail.

Funny you should mention going from guitar to piano. I have found that the music I want to make seems to be piano music. I have several really nice guitars, but most of my music time seems to be spent more and more on my piano.

I have a Roland V-Grand, which is their best digital. Also, I have several piano courses that I work from as well as figuring out stuff off recordings by ear. The advantage of the piano in that regard is that every pitch occurs on just one, and only one, key. The piano usually does not get retuned in various ways as the guitar does with all the open and alternate tunings.

However, I have found that after playing piano for a while, I can go back to the guitar with a fresh musical perspective. So, it seems to me, it is all good. If anything, being able to play more than one instrument broadens our musical horizons.

Tony
I bought a Yamaha PSREW400. It's very versatile and can do more things that I will get to in a lifetime. But I mostly use the grand piano to play along with. When I am feeling really adventurous, I switch to DJ pattern mode and go crazy with the dials and buttons and present rhythms can be called up on the fly.
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Old 11-17-2017, 07:02 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Blueser100 View Post
I bought a Yamaha PSREW400. It's very versatile and can do more things that I will get to in a lifetime. But I mostly use the grand piano to play along with. When I am feeling really adventurous, I switch to DJ pattern mode and go crazy with the dials and buttons and present rhythms can be called up on the fly.
The V-Grand only has modelled (not sampled) piano. Its "claim to fame" is that it acts like a real piano in ways that most digital pianos don't. The main thing I noticed, since I am not an accomplished pianist, is that the pedaling acts like a "real" piano, while every other digital I have tried seems way too forgiving of poor pedal technique.

For the "going crazy" fun stuff, I also have a Yamaha - PSR-S970. It is completely self-contained with its own speakers and has a lot of fun stuff in it.

Tony
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Old 11-17-2017, 07:16 PM
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I am using a VI piano , more and more in my recordings, triggered from a midi keyboard
Personally I think piano and guitars sound great together
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Old 11-17-2017, 09:59 PM
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What really sounds good together to me are an acoustic guitar and a nice pad underpinning for it. I agree that guitar and piano go together well too, as do nylon string guitar and flute.

I recently got a Roland Boutique series D-05. This is a complete implementation of the Roland D-50 synth, including all the extra card content and full midi implementation, in a small package and very affordable. The D-50 was one of my favorite synths for pads and that sort of thing, and it works well with any midi keyboard. I have it connected to my V-Grand.

www.roland.com/global/products/d-05/

www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/D05


Tony
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Old 11-17-2017, 10:35 PM
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I love piano, and have been playing it for 32 years. I currently have a Yamaha dgx650 and M audio midi controller. Agree completely that guitar and piano sound great together.
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Old 11-18-2017, 09:07 AM
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....I have several really nice guitars, but most of my music time seems to be spent more and more on my piano....
Haha. I've played keys for, oh, 60 years or so. Most of my music time is spent more and more on my guitars.
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Old 11-18-2017, 10:59 AM
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Could you post a sample of your playing today and another a month from now. I'd like to know how the 21 day piano lesson works for you. Might try it myself. Thanks!
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Old 11-18-2017, 11:04 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tbeltrans View Post
You do realize that such an admission can put you in guitar jail.

Funny you should mention going from guitar to piano. I have found that the music I want to make seems to be piano music. I have several really nice guitars, but most of my music time seems to be spent more and more on my piano.

I have a Roland V-Grand, which is their best digital. Also, I have several piano courses that I work from as well as figuring out stuff off recordings by ear. The advantage of the piano in that regard is that every pitch occurs on just one, and only one, key. The piano usually does not get retuned in various ways as the guitar does with all the open and alternate tunings.

However, I have found that after playing piano for a while, I can go back to the guitar with a fresh musical perspective. So, it seems to me, it is all good. If anything, being able to play more than one instrument broadens our musical horizons.

Tony
Tony I couldn't agree with you more. It's funny, I have wanted to play again for years but never got around to it. I had bought the Learn & Master piano course (and sold it), but I got the motivation again when technology improved allowing me to play in a way that makes sense for me. Now I can't stop. In the past three weeks, I have learned to play these songs:

All of Me - John Legend
Imagine - John Lennon
It Will Rain - Bruno Mars
Hello - Adele
Wagon Wheel - Darius Rucker
Superman - Five For Fighting
Stay - Rhianna
Adventure of a Lifetime - Coldplay
Too Good At Goodbyes - Sam Smith

These are not difficult songs for piano but I just follow the chord progressions and then vary my playing with chord inversions, arpeggios, and bits and pieces of the main melody here and there, and then when it makes sense in the song, I improvise a solo.

I could not really do this a month ago. In addition to the 21 Days piano course I am taking, there are many You Tube videos that teach in a similar way.

Today, I am going to figure out one of my childhood favorites: I Say A Little Prayer For You by Aretha.

I am having so much fun I am getting little else done.
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Old 11-18-2017, 11:14 AM
Big Band Guitar Big Band Guitar is offline
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Default Piano

Guitar is my first and main instrument.

Piano is my go to instrument for theory concepts.

I am currently taking beginning piano lessons to get the fingering right, along with other music courses at our local community college.
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