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New member here. I am 41 with an 11 year old finishing her first year of piano lessons. I just bought her a used Yamaha P85 to replace the 61 key "toy" type keyboard she had been using at home.

During my research to find a reasonably priced practice keyboard I found myself catching the bug to learn to play myself. Last night I had the house to myself and had a blast sitting down at the keyboard with one of her early Alfred books for a couple hours.

I played first chair trumpet through Junior High, but have not picked up an instrument since. I have a strong OCD component to my personality that generally has me pursue an interest obsesively before moving on to the next passion.

Some purists may hold their nose when reading this question, but what I'd like to know is what teach yourself material or methods would you reccommend for someone who wants to learn to play pop/rock songs in a relatively short amount of time. I'd like to be able to sit at a piano and play my wife a cheesy love ditty when I get in the dog house. Or to be able to bust out "Home Sweet Home" by Motley Crue in a month.

Are there any reccomended books out there that use rock tunes in place of traditional songs right from book 1? I understand that there aren't any short cuts to becoming a good pianist. I'm OK with being a lousy player but having fun along the way.

Hello Bakammer and welcome to the forum!

Normally it takes a newcomer only minutes or an hour (depending on the time zone) to be warmly welcomed and encouraged, but it seems that everybody was scared away by your unorthodox question. Because essentially you are asking how to become a lousy piano player.

I think piano pedagogy, methodology, teachers, publications, etc. are not well prepared to confront such a challenge, as their goal has been always the opposite. I don’t have any experience in helping people with such a demand, either.

However, what comes to my mind is that you might buy, instead of a piano method book for children, a “keyboard method book”. I don’t know how such publication might be titled in your country. In my country, such books are sold in the shops with electronic keyboards (in contrast to piano method books available from music bookstores which sell sheet music, CDs, etc.).

The differences between the piano method book and the keyboard method book are that the latter: (a) reduces the theory to absolute minimum and covers only pop chords (there is a big difference between pop chords and classical music chords in terms of notation and approach); (b) omits all technique-related matter, as well as any technical exercises, scales, arpeggios, etc., but goes directly to popular tunes (easy at first); and (c) it presents only the rock/pop genre.

Perhaps it will help.

Edited to add: What is OCD?
http://www.acronymfinder.com/OCD.html

Thank you for your response J.A.S. I will look in to getting a "Keyboard" learning method book rather than Piano.

I can see how some could be put off by the content and context of my post. Not my intention to understate the complexity of the instrument. Quite the opposite, I am in awe of those who play well, and knowing my own shortcomings, realize I have a low ceiling as a pianist.

To answer your question, OCD Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

I referenced this not in the clinical sense, more of a figuritive reference. Meaning I tend to focus intensely on one hobby for a period of time, spending many hours a day immersed in in it. Then I shelve it and move on to something else. Not the personality type suited for mastering any instrument, let alone the piano.

Hello, and welcome to PW Bakammer, I totally missed this post! Thats exactly what I've spent the last 2yrs doing, learning pop songs using easy methods, although now I'm taking it much more seriously, learning scales, theory etc.

Can you read sheet music at all? (even just knowing what letters the notes are)

I found this useful also: http://www.free-online-piano-lessons.com/index.html
(Its worth downloading the free book, you just have to register your email, I did and only recieve the odd email)

May I enquire Wayne, just how odd are the emails?

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Will you lend me $197 Rostosky, oh and can I borrow your phone

I have had several adult students who began by self-teaching themselves, with their goal essentially that of the OP, i.e. "I just want to play a few songs for fun".

After they have done that, they all have wanted to go further. Every one of them. The same bug that bit them to start playing the piano now wants more.

Each of those students sought a teacher because they hit a wall with their playing.

This wall consists of a mixture of the following: Poor hand posture, little or no proper technique development, virtually non-existent tempo control ("I hate the metronome"! or "What is a metronome"), little or no knowledge of scales, chords, and theory, and usually poor sight reading, especially with the bass clef.

When these folks came for lessons, basically we had to unwind everything they learned, start from the very beginning, and go forward, because the foundation upon which they stood was weak...and to play anything beyond the simplest, you need more than a weak foundation.

I know some people will disagree with this, but that is my experience as a teacher.c

I suggest you find a teacher, and get established for 6 months or so, then re-evaluate. You may find you are not interested in going beyond, which is fine. But if you notice that you want more, then you have the proper foundation upon which to build.

Cheers rocket88, thats like saying:

"Wayne32yrs has poor hand posture, little or no proper technique development, virtually non-existent tempo control ("I hate the metronome"!), little or no knowledge of scales, chords, and theory, and usually poor sight reading, especially with the left hand."

Not TOTALLY true I'm sure

http://youtube.com/wayne26yrs

I'm not saying I'm even good but I can play about 50 songs like that, and other stuff, plus I know a bit about stuff! (So it's not been a complete waste of time)

Wayne, I am referring to my experience with the adult students who have come to me for help. They sought me out because they could not play the piano like they wanted to. Their self-teaching path did not take them where it promised.

If none of this is true for you, fine!

Have a nice day!

At the beginning levels, there is no way to play rock & pop from a book. What you can do is learn traditional songs from a book and figure out some other songs on your own, OR decide that you aren't going to use books till you get better.

Rock & pop played by absolute beginners is embarrassing to everybody, that's why it's not done much. A beginner playing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star badly is OK. That same beginner playing Motley Crue songs badly, stinks worse than you might think.

no comment

Ah Wayne, this is whats called "Pianospam" It's like "normal" Viagra spam, except it involves making folk believe they can play the piano overnight with a new "easy method" for Just X amounts of dollars or pounds sterling. I feel confident there will be one in Euros soon, but haven't seen it yet.

Some of these "methods" are advertised in an almost evangelical way, which is very disconcerting, as nothing can be further from the truth, its wrong to sell folk misconceptions.

Rocket88, we cannot have a nice day its pouring down with rain in the UK!!

Bakammer, there are a few books out there and info on the internet, that will teach you left hand chords, allowing you to play the melody of your choice with your right hand and "vamping" the chords with your left, allowing you to at least get some enjoyment out of most "POP" songs.

,

?

??

I decided against getting into this conversation any further!

Bakammer, if u want any "unhelpful" advice from me, PM me.

I think I understand now! Wayne, I cant be 100% but I dont think Rocket88 meant anything personal..

Anyways, Bakammer, you said you played Trumpet, so therefore I take it you can allready read music for an instrument that plays one note at a time.

Therefore, if you learnt some chords, there should be nothing stopping you being able to play a multitude of pop songs quite quickly.

As you said this is all you want to do, and as you didn't say you wanted to become a proficient classical pianist, I do not see a problem.

Anything, Anything at all that gets someone sat down at a piano and or interested in the piano has to be a good thing.

MY own Mother gave up lessons, because in the days of jerry lee lewis and little Richard, her teacher would not help her learn this type of music.
This type of behaviour is not to be applauded, as it is sad my mum gave up.
All she wanted to do was learn the music of her time,the music she loved dancing to.

If her teacher would have said, "I dont approve, but look at this score for 'whole lotta shakin going on' can you see how over the top of each bar there is a guitar chord?
well, you can play that guitar chord on the piano with your left hand, AND play the melody with your right hand"

My mam would have gone away and learnt to play pop songs of her own accord,
Maybe more importantly, her respect for her teacher would have intensified, and she would have carried on with the "standardised" lessons, AND tried even harder at them.

She would in effect, have spent many many many more hours at the piano, happily figuring things out.

Soon she would have noticed the connection between those guitar chords, and what is written in the bass clef quite often anyways, as being one and the same thing, or a variation on the same theme.

This would have been a healthy addition to learning and not a distraction from it...

After all what guitarist would not want to play chords AND the melody at the same time if it was possible on a guitar?

So, if it is acceptable for a guitarist to just play chords in a rock or pop band, what makes it so bad if someone who just wants to play pop on a piano, learns chords AND the melody?

The point of primary importance has to be this: If the interest is kindled, and the fire of desire to learn lit, then everything else can follow, fingering, learning scales, posture/ etc.

However, if that fire is extinguished with a bucketfull of ice cold imutable dogma, then it may never be lit again, and that surely has to be avoided.

(for posture read postulating, who walks round with books on their heads these days to correct bad posture? we all have bad posture, when we walk, when we sit, but this doesnt stop us walking or sitting does it?)

Posture can be corrected, if it can be corrected for 18 year old girls at finishing school by walking round with books on the head, then that proves that as they had been walking round for 15 years incorrectly or with "bad posture" its still possible to sort it. And walking and sitting in the meantime should not be avoided.

Well said Rostsosky

I can see this happening with me to an extent. As much as I’ve achieved in learning to play the pop songs and the oldies R&R tunes from the 50’s and 60’s, (not that I can play all that well) I want to go further with my playing ability.

I just wish Rocket 88 was a little closer to my location… they guy is a really good piano player!!! Thing is, he can play traditional classical as well as the blues and the boogie!!

And Bakammer, let me also welcome you to the PW forums! This is a fun and an educational place!

However, I don’t think learning to play the piano at any level is quick and easy, but you can accomplish your goals if you set your mind to it!! Familiarize yourself with the keyboard, scales and cords with all the different variations.

All the best!

Rick