Old guy here – 55 – need advice on how to learn to play the piano – have learned a bit on my own from a few internet tutorials (I play Clocks by Cold Play reasonably well) but that’s it– don’t know how to read music (have tried to learn how a couple of times and my brain just doesn’t seem to get it) – not sure how to progress. Have a 15 year old keyboard (Technics KN400)– keys aren’t full size. Was thinking of getting a full size electronic keyboard (need the keyboard scenario – so I can play with headphones so my wife doesn’t have to listen)- something pretty inexpenisve like the Yamaha P85.

If I hear an easy tune, I can usually figure out how to bang out the melody with my right hand, but I am clueless with my left hand. Not really sure I have any talent, but I do enjoy trying to figure stuff out. In an ideal world, someone would show me how to add left hand chords to right hand melodies.

I’m not sure I have the patience to learn how to read music. But I do have the patience to practice. Learning “Clocks” was a painstaking experience since it is truly the first time I tried to learn something with both hands. The internet tutorial shows you key by key and finger by finger how to play it – piano for dummies…..It took forever to coordinate my left hand playing with my right hand, but now when I play it – it seems easy (can pretty much play it with my eyes closed). On the other hand, if I try and learn another song, its back to piano infancy - one note at a time. For example, since my kids are now grown up, there is no one to play heart and soul with, so I just figured out (slowly) how to play both parts by myself. Pretty simple song, but I’m at the stage - where playing a song with both hands participating - is truly amazing.

The songs below are the kinds of songs I would like to learn how to play (rock and roll favorites). I do not aspire to play classical music. I cant read music and I don’t know how to improvise, so how do I get from where I am (one step above no where) to where these players are below (realizing of course the players below have probably been playing for years)?

Bryan Adams Summer of '69 - improvised?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guSAngfwQgQ


Bob Seger – Old Time Rock N Roll - improvised?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLSA1fMI0Yg


All Summer Long - improvised?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Z8LXDwxr58


U2 - With or wWithout You
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTLZGvGG-0w


Sweet Home Alabama – improvised (this kid seems pretty talented to me).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Gn-uO7PZQs


Titanic Theme Song
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYFYOBDKZGg


Pulp Fiction Song - this guy seems pretty amazing to me
and is probably more than I could ever handle - but it sounded
cool
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBcQFZbe5NE


I used to play the 5-String Banjo so I’m not a total musical dummy and my fingers are reasonably coordinated.

I've talked to two instructors. One said, bite the bullet and figure out how to read music and it will really open you up to a whole new world. The other one said, lets look at the songs you want to learn how to play, break them down and figure out what they are doing, and teach you how to play them.

Any advice?

Say hey, Alamo. I'm older than you

You sound like you might be a candidate for pianomagic. It's a play-by-ear web site that many many ABFers participate in, and they do wonders. I'm sure that many of the folks there play the kind of music you're looking for. Mike, the proprietor, starts you off with the very basics of the sound and takes you thru how to add chords, and different left-hand styles. If you go to the Recital thread that's pinned at the top of the ABF you can listen to mahlzeit, Seaside_Lee, DeepElem, Rosanna, all of whom are pianomagic folks. There may be others there, too. While these are not the style of music you're looking for, they all learned to play by ear, and the techniques they used will be applicable. You can do a search on pianomagic (or piano magic) and many threads will come up. Or you can click on Seaside_Lee's blog (it's in his signature - you can find him in the User List at the top of this page) and read about his journey and find a link to the pianomagic site.

Having said that, I'm not a piano magic member, so I don't have personal experience - I just know what the members have learned to do.

A couple of folks who might chime in here, however, *do* play very much what you're looking for, and perhaps they'll have better input. Look for Rickster and b528nf7 (Bill), both of whom post videos, either in their own threads or as part of the Piano Bar threads. I'm sure you can get some encouragement there.

You'll like the ABF - it's a great place with friendly and helpful folks.

Cathy

Hi Alamo,
You are still very young!

I am one of those in Pianomagic - been there 1 year - my only play-by-ear learning. (Played by score for 10 years as a kid, but what I learn at PM is totally different and new.)

Anyway, for learning how to find chords and advanced harmony, not only do I highly recommend PM, I would say that most so-called play-by-ear courses don't really teach that, at least not from the ground up. PM is quite unconventional in its approach, and I find it experiential, logical and enjoyable.

In terms of how to "decorate" the LH, PM gives you various basics and then encourage a great deal of experimentation and exploration based on those basics. It doesn't get into "101 techniques" that are shown to you step-by-step. Many people thrive on that (like Seaside_Lee), but it's difficult for some people (like me) - I guess it's a personal learning style issue.

For how to play the LH if you are already given the chords (like in lead sheets), then there are many more choices of methods.

Thanks for the ideas - I wandered over to PM and I'm defnitely tempted.