"starting" keyboard/piano

[JoshH]

Im thinking of atarting playing keyboard. I like metal alot but im also into a lot of blues/jazz. Ive been wanting a keyboardist in my band for a long time, i used to tell my bandmated "man, you can do almost ANYTHING with a keyboard" so now i want to start. I have a rather crappy one, and we also have a piano. I just wanted to know if there were any sites that really help to start learning keyboard, or if there are any good books to learn from... i know where the notes are but im pretty slow, id like to learn fast to play fast.

also- are keyboard tabs any good? are they easy or hard?

is there a site like cyberfret for keyboard?

[JoshH]

also- the keyboard tht i have is not touch sensitive and doesnt have the best tones, it does have a midi out though, if i use the midi out will it have the tone i use on the keyboard or will programs on the computer be able to change the tone?

[Det_Nosnip]

Well, what I've been doing to develop greater fluency and control have been

A) Practicing scales. Lots, lots, LOTS of scales.
B) "The Virtuoso Pianist" by Hanon. Basically THE piano book...it's pretty killer. Very old and simple publication....cost me like $7 on Amazon.
C) Http://www.musictheory.net/

[Hells Bells]

Well, what I've been doing to develop greater fluency and control have been

A) Practicing scales. Lots, lots, LOTS of scales.
B) "The Virtuoso Pianist" by Hanon. Basically THE piano book...it's pretty killer. Very old and simple publication....cost me like $7 on Amazon.

Since I quit lessons so early, scales are really the only technical excercises I know. They're a great way to start off practicing, you play pieces much more smoothly afterwards. I was also looking for books or websites that would be able to give me something other than scales, and this one doesn't look bad. I didn't want to go back to the Conservatory books because they are (a) very expensive, and (b) if you wanted to get through them all it would take you a long, long time.

[Det_Nosnip]

Oh, wait.....

http://www.musictheory.net/

Anyways, yeah...practicing scales is nice. Not only does it help familiarize you with how the scales sound and feel, but it really helps with working out natural, comfortable fingerings. I've found that when I practice any given scale for a long period of time, my hands naturally adjust themselves until they find an optimal way of playing the scale...it's all about pushing the click. :cool:

[bball_1523]

I have question for you guys, how much do you practice scales specifically? Like 10 reps of one sequence? I really need specifics because I often here people saying "just practice lots of scales or chords," yet they don't specify what scale, sequence, how many times, for how long, etc.

[crazyguy832]

When I practice scales (especially ones I'm bad at), I usually start slow (~80bpm) and increase my speed every time I go back up (increments of ~5-10) until I reach the breaking point (can vary wildly with the difficulty of the scale and what I'm specifically doing). A good idea would be to play a scale for a minute solid, rest for 15 seconds or so, then move on to another scale. Don't forget to do all the different exercises, though (arpeggios, solid/broken triads, etc. etc.) at varying speeds before moving on.

EDIT: About playing fast, I'm sorry, but that comes with time. I've been playing since I was 4 and there's still quite a bit that I wish I could play just the tiniest bit faster.

:rolleyes:

If you practice scales dilligently (ESPECIALLY arpeggios... what a workout at high speeds), your speed will increase.