Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum Alfred's Basic and ALL in One Adult Piano Course Book #1

Sounds cool. Geek away

Ive been to a few guitar workshop weekends and if its anything like those you'll get a lot out of it.

What I like the most about places like that isnt nessecarily what I'll learn and take away from it but just being around other like minded people !

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M-Audio Prokeys 88sx

Hit a huge, solid and very real brick wall with "The Can Can"

smokestacklightnin,
I like your new signature. Keep at it, I think that the "Can Can" came easier than BTMD, so if you got that, you can do the Can Can. It doesn't help that the song never manages to sound nice, regardless of who plays it (every once in a while I ask my teacher to play my pieces, the ones that I think sound ugly despite hours and hours of practice. While most frequently, they sound ugly because I, a beginner, am playing them, the Can Can sounded ugly when she played it too, she agreed).
I referred to it the week I played it as the "can't can't."

The cant cant lol, I like that.

I was telling myself that it was similar in feel to BTMD but then I was in the mindset of "1..2..3..1..2..3" and kept forgetting the 4th beat!

I'll get it eventually but I think im gonna use this as a turning point and go back a bit and review a lot of the previous pieces that need polishing. a lot of polish. gallons infact.

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M-Audio Prokeys 88sx

"There is much pleasure to be gained from uselss knowledge" - Bertrand Russell

Smokestacklightning that is EXACTLY what my piano teacher says. She really thinks I will get a lot out of it.

My teacher also says SHE hates Blow the Man Down. She keeps hoping Alfred will revise the edition and take it out. :)Maybe all those students struggling with it has gotten to her.

I spent Saturday and Sunday reviewing Book One and BTMD finally sounds like it's supposed to.

Kim in IL

KBS> you'll be looking forward to October then I imagine.

Its a similar feeling you get when you attend a Star Trek convention. you feel like your with your "own kind" and dont need to be afraid or hide who you are. or something like that lol

as for BTMD I can see why people have such a problem with it. Its quite difficult to learn compared to the pieces that come before it. that and the fact that its not a very popular tune with most people so you cant even say the extra hard work to learn it is rewarded with playing a nice piece of music. its a song that drunken sailors used to sing !

fingers crossed your teachers hopes see the light of day !

Im still having trouble with the chord in bar 5 of 'Got Those Blues' and could use a word of advice ?

My pinky hurts after that stretch between the Eb and the C, is that normal with a stretch like that ? and because of the stretch I have to play the little 3 note bit in the middle really high up on the keys, is that a problem ?

would appreciate any help on this

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M-Audio Prokeys 88sx

"I've never let my schooling interfere with my education" - Mark Twain

Hey all

Haven't updated for ages since my initial posts - I've been making slow, steady progress in the last few weeks that probably hasn't really merited a post.

Yesterday however, I bit the bullet and bought myself a better keyboard than the terrible old Yamaha toy thing I've been using. I managed to get a Casio CDP 100 (I'm on a tight budget ...) ex-display for £150 off retail, which was a bit of a bargain.

It's true what everyone's been saying there's a *world* of difference between a properly sized, weighted keyboard and the unweighted type that I was playing before.

So much so that last night I went right back to page 1 and worked away for a few hours redoing everything on the new piano. I came upon a particular problem though that I was wondering if anyone had any tips / advice etc on how to get around. Unfortunately I don't have a piano teacher and geographic (and budgetary) restrictions make it unlikely that I will, so I can't ask one ...

Since this keyboard is actually touch sensitive (unlike the old one I was using) I can now try to play the dynamic markings properly. Unfortunately, I'm having the Devil's own job with some of the pieces that specify different dynamics for both hands (eg piano for the left hand, forte for the right). I haven't had a problem so far with independent timings on both hands, but I just can't seem to manage to press the keys with different levels of force with both hands.

I realise that this is the sort of thing that will take time and practice to master, but I was wondering if anyone could suggest specific excercises or pieces to play, or tips on how to get this type of thing down - I'd be really grateful for any pearls of wisdom that members may have.

Cheers.

Congratulations on your new piano, sorenlorensen!!! I think dynamics are very hard. It is something that I think comes with a lot more experience...at least this is what my teacher says. Keep at it, it will come (or some close approximation of what it is supposed to sound like). Which specific piece are you referring to?

Smokestack: Yes, play that measure with your fingers further up on the keys than you normally do. Later pieces will require that you do that a lot. I just replayed the piece, while I don't recall pinky pain with the stretch in measure five, it did feel really awkward when I was learning it.

There is no stretch for me to reach between those keys. Just press the keys up higher than normal. Try to keep your hands and arms relaxed as you play.

sorenlorensen, glad you were able to make an upgrade on your keyboard. The dynamics will come in time. Just keep watching them and do the best you can. My teacher has been a stickler for everything including dynamics. I tend to work on the dynamics after I have a piece down pretty good. I've noticed it doesn't take as much effort now to put the sustain pedal and dynamics into play when doing a song. It just takes practice.

My update, got passed on Top of Old Smokey. Almost passed the Can-Can. Was assigned Marine's Hymn and Why Am I Blue. Worked on some in my Hanon book, and some in my classical book. Passed off a song in my sacred book and she assigned me a new one there.

Played 4 pieces I have memorized for the recital. Standing in the Need of Prayer, Sweet Hour of Prayer, Waltz of the Young and Rock-a My Soul. There is one measure in Waltz of the Young that I don't think I'm going to be able to master.

Left hand dynamics are a problem for me too. I definitely play too hard with the left. All the time I do that. Even during when even dynamics are called for. I have to work hard to keep my left hand in check, so that it does not dominate. So I really have a time of it when the left-right dynamics differ. In general, I always have to make a conscious effort to back off the left. And that is difficult.

In The Stanger, there is an 8va taking the right hand up to one higher octave. That one is really a balancing act for me. That higher octave is supposed to be dynamically louder than that same phrase just played in the lower octave. There just isn’t as much natural force or volume on those high octaves when played at the same dynamic intensity. I am really pounding those keys to overcome the left hand. That is, quite obviously, the wrong compensation. It is the left hand that needs moderation. The right hand needs to be forceful but still legato. I am plinking the heck out of them the way I do it.

Sorry I don’t have an answer for left hand dynamics. But at least I share the problem. Misery loves company. So at least you got me for that sorenlorensen.

I have a thought as to why playing in learning sessions is so difficult compared to private practice. When practicing I try to focus and eliminate external distractions. I am mentally tuning out the world around me and diving with full attention into the music. When I get into the training room, now I have to make a mental change to open up receptors to the teacher, to feedback, to accepting inputs. It is especially important to have the thinking cap on to absorb new concepts. That is sooo not practice like. I had this thought today as I was almost run over by someone on a cell phone. They never even realized I was there in the cross walk. That mental focus we have at home is not what we use inside the studio. So I have another issue or situation I can describe – but again have no solution to offer.

I got more of those wonderful problems without answers, but that may not be so helpful or interesting to anyone.

We did Greensleeves in session this week and I did pretty good. Pat on my own back. My teacher showed me some left hand patterns to play underneath it. The basic chording in Alfred’s being somewhat (understatement) simple. So I am going to keep working on that one with some left hand variation this next week. Picked up Go Down Moses. I am also doing supplemental from Jazz, Rags and Blues. Those are just fractionally more advanced than the AIO material. They are a step up, but I am doing adequately with them. I project finishing Book 1 in May. Who knows? I seem to have quit caring about an actual end date.

Captain Zero, I just looked ahead in my book at Greensleeves. Oh yeah, nothing to that left hand part. I just played through it once. I can see I'll need to really concentrate on the right hand fingering.

I'm hoping to finish the book by mid June, but I'm not sure that is possible. I don't really care either.

sorenlorensen,

re dynamics. It just takes time. Be patient. Go sloooowwwwwly.

as an exercise try this.

hold down one key with left index finger, no sound, just hold it down and keep it down. Now start to play one note with your right index finger. Play it a few times slowly but firmly. Now ease up on the left finger and play one soft note at the same time as the right hand note. After you can do this for one note try it for two..... rinse, and repeat. Switch hands and do it the other way. You get the idea.

Jim

Worked my way up through "Happy Birthday" this week, and decided to start jumping ahead a little (mainly to find more interesting pieces). And after reading about how everyone has trouble with "Blow the Man Down", decided to give it a go. Surprisingly I found I actually enjoy it. I don't know why everyone hates it so much, but something about it is oddly appealing.

Also decided to start learning Allouette and Silent Night from the Christmas Book. So we'll see how those go.

Congratulations on "breezing" through "Blow the Man Down". I struggled mightily with it, but it was fun to play once I got the hang of it.

Good idea to learn Christmas songs now - pick up a few more and you will be all set for December. :-)

GlassLove, GracieCat> thanks for the advice with Got Those Blues. I'll keep at it and playing higher up on the keys definetly helps. just wasnt sure that was correct technique. sometimes there are serious disadvantages to teaching yourself from books!

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"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic" - Larry Niven

Hi Smokestack,
Have you tried looking at Alexpianonoob's hands while he plays on youtube. That might help too.

You see this is why your a woman and im a man. This did not occur to me lol

Great progress everyone! I've taken a break after Greensleeves to catch up on some of the supplementals in the Greatest Hits spin off book.

Well done You arent too far from the end of the book now. I love Greensleeves. looking forward to trying it.

is the Greatest Hits book good ?

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"Your pregnant with twins. Your practically a mini-van !!" - The West Wing

Greensleeves was probably my favorite piece in Book 1.

The "Greatest Hits" book is more difficult than the lesson book, the pieces are more fun to play, but they are still very simplified versions and not the complete versions. I'm just working my way through it now, as I found them too difficult before. However, many people work in it simultaneously with their AIO book, so it is doable. I'm also working through the "Pop Songbook".

Another supplementary one you might enjoy is "Alltime Favorites". It has a combination of classical, popular and folk tunes. I sometimes wish that I had purchased that one instead of the other two.

Good luck with Greensleeves. I think you will like it.