Hi everyone, Just thought i would update you all on my self teaching on piano. I bought me a self teaching adult piano couse by Alfreds. It is a good book for beginners. Working on my c scale and Beetoven's 9th sympthony. Practiceing about 30 min. a day i think i will be alittle better after i complete this book. I will keep you all updated. Also have notice that it says to keep your fingers curled my 2nd and 3rd fingers don't want to stay curled will have to work on that.

Gregg

The Alfred books seem to be very popular on this forum. I don't have them, just a few online piano courses and some books I got from a local library. I also watch a lot of YouTube videos.

Finally I've been trying to play from sheet books a few pop, rock and jazz songs, with little success though. Think I have to work more on some basic techniques and rhythms, because they are always showing up in those songs, in one form or another.

Good luck!

There is an exercise of a famous violin teacher to train cq warm up the curling of the fingers when the fingers are not flexible.

Place your fingertops vertical on a table. Then press the inside hand palm against the table while keeping the fingertops vertical, so that the fingers are curved and make a half circle.

Then repeat a few times. How closer the hand palm to fingertops, the more curving and tension you feel in your fingers. Don't know if this helps for a piano player, but you can always try.

Welcome to the forum, Gregg! I'm glad to hear that the self-teaching is working for you. If you can, try to make regular recordings of your playing. The best cure for whenever you start feeling discouraged about your progress is to haul out an early recording and listen to how much better you've gotten.

That little pinky in the air thing is tough to beat. Don't ask me how I know.

Congratulations, Gregg!

I too have focused on playing in the key of C major... I can play pretty much anything I've ever heard in the key of C (to some degree ). I can also play fairly confidently in F major and G major. I'm starting to learn to play some in the sharps and flats. I particularily like the key of C# or Db (6 one, half-a-dozen the other ).

I think it is true that if you learn to play confidently in the key of C, the other keys are not quite as difficult.

Also, I'm learning that intervals and hand shapes are important, as well as practicing scales and arpeggios.

Learning to play the piano is a lot of fun!

Keep up the good work!

Rick

Good for you sounds like you are making a good progress. It's nice to hear peoples learning formats.