Music Banter - View Single Post - Want to learn piano
View Single Post
Old 01-10-2010, 10:06 AM   #4 (permalink)
bandteacher1
Le professeur de musique
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Mass.
Posts: 66
Default

Alright Sugar, this is definately my area of expertise. I've only been playing piano for 30 years.

What she said about learning all your scales is correct. Start with your stronger hand, learn all your scales, to the point that you can fluently play each one very quickly, at most temi. Then go to your other hand, and do the same thing. At this point, you're only using one hand at once.
The next step is to combine your two hands. Start with CMaj and work your way around, moving both hands in time together. Force them to work has a team. Now, take your stronger hand alone, and play 8th notes, going up and down the scales. Then your other hand. Now combine the two, playing 8th notes going up and down. What you're doing is you're teaching your weaker hand what to do.

Now split to the two up. Start with simple, simple subdivision. Have your weaker hand play whole notes, and your stronger hand play half notes. 4 beats per note. Now switch them. Have your weaker hand play half notes and your stronger whole notes. Once that is pretty strong, subdivide it again, and start all over. Have your weaker hand play half notes, and stronger hand play quater notes. Then switch. Then have your weaker hand pplay quaters and your stronger 8th notes. Then switch. Do this until both hands are fairly equal with each value.

Up until now, you've been playing the same now. Now it's time to change notes. Start by plying the scale with your strong hand going first, in half notes. Then your weaker hand follows, a measure later. What happens is you get a major triade without the 5th. Speed it up until both hands are able to do this, switching back and forth every now and again.

Now it's time to play two independent notes and rythems. We'll say CMaj just as an example. It works for all of your scales. Start with your weaker hand playing C in the bass range. Whole notes will be fine. And your stronger hand (in the treble range) play half notes, moving up and down the scale. Switch these back and forth as you subdivide into smaller and smaller divisions.
What you've done is you've thought your hands to work as a team, and independently. You will have split your mind into two, so that your left side works with and against your right side.

Now you can move on to more complex divisions. Take a very easy piano piece. Learn the treble part first. Then the bass part. Take it a section at a time, and make each hand fluent in it's own part. Then combine them. Once both hands can handle their part fluently or to your likeing, move on and do the same thing.

Always start slow and speed it up.


Now as for the reference, it'll come, don't worry! It takes years of practice for your fingers to be able to do that. I can do so, very fluently, but I have a lot more exprience.

Oh, and remember, pianos are in C.
__________________
Dr. Lea Moudlian
Director of Music
Clear View Regional High School
Home of the Firebird Marching Band
cvrhsmusic@yahoo.com

Quote:
Music is expression
bandteacher1 is offline   Reply With Quote