How to practise?

[kongwee]

FYI in future, the 2th finger is important when is fall in the 5th note of the chord. I'm talking about left hand. You will encounter 1 e & a beat. My instructor call 16 beat rhythm. go that like 1 e & a 2 e & a 3 e & a 4 e & a.
The 2th finger will hit the last a of the 4th measure. a of 2nd measure is common too if there are two chord in a bar. Do not practice right now.Not Now! Follow your instructor. It is very very very advance. Got it wrong you rhythm will be a big mess. This is for your info.

 

[pf]

See! I told you your fingers would memorise the movements. Now you understand why I said to practice not stopping, isn't it?

And you have learnt something about yourself too in the process of learning the piano.

 

[dylan2510]

OHHH Glad to know you too!!! Chinese PoP scores? Do you buy them? What songs for example? Mind to share?
关怀方式?

yeah i can play simple version of tat song. can play xiao jiu wo in c key also. used to learn cai hong but stop playing it for some time and forget already. Anyway where u learn ur lesson from ?

 

[pianomankris]

I think this is what I've be practising for the whole week.

My teacher taught me C-G-C in class. I have been doing the following chords for my practices.

1x2x3x4x (4 beats), the last note = 3x4x
C: C-G-C
Dm: D-A-D
Em: E-B-E
F: F-C-F
G: G-D-G

(I am playing the above with a simple tune, a Chinese oldies )

However, I don't use the 5-2-1 fingering. I cheat I use 5-1, and move a finger to find the last note (my mind says it is the same as the first note, but it is an octave up) Using this method, I can find the notes very quickly, but if I use 5-2-1, I cannot find the middle note! :-D

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

This is waaaaaaaaaaay too much for a first lesson.

First lesson you should be working on purely learing to identify the notes on the piano, and ways of doing this, and maybe a few basic chords in closed position.

This is ridiculous!

You are going to end up being put off the piano because of a teacher who is moving way too fast.

Sounds like your teacher knows how to play, but not how to teach how to play. No offence or anything. But what you have - to learn in a week - this is just crazy.

I'd give it a few weeks and see how it goes. If things are the same, i'd get a different teacher.

You're going to end up being put off playing piano as you'll think it's too difficult and your own skills are inadequate.

God, I hate it when this happens!!

PS check this out - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPz3YaIJkjQ

(Anna Nalick - 'Breathe')


Your teacher should be working towards things like this (if being taught pop piano, that is). If taught properly, you would be able to play this song in the space of 4 or 5 lessons. I mean the full song - the actual piano part, and not an arrangement.

What you have been given is what you should be doing once your basic chords are secure. Not before.

Do me a favour - just tell your teacher they are going too fast, and you need things explained in more detail. If they get ratty and annoyed, just walk.

PS this is trying to help you. Don't think i'm being evil or anything here


PPS i'm not trying to float my own boat here, but have a look over the beginner's pop piano lessons I posted. They may help you a little.

 

[noinimod]

lavender: Great that you're changing that habit. You'll find that as you play long enough, your fingers find the right spots automatically when you switch chords etc. So your good habits now will pay huge dividends next time. Keep pressing in

 

[kongwee]

Nowaday, the instructor could not control their student. When I take up a dizi, I was heavy scored by a professional instructor. I never give up but I did find good a master to understudy. He is very firm but no as fierce as my previous. Now I learning piano,I have to be firm as my instructor belong the "new school" of teaching. If I happen to teach, I will use the "old school" type of teaching.PIAK!:mrgreen:

 

[pf]

lavender, I don't know if your interest will wane after you found that it is not easy to learn to play the piano. But what pianomankris highlighted is true. You have to cultivate your interest at this point in time. Learning is a long process. If you keep the interest, you will continue to learn no matter how slow or difficult it is for you.

Hope you enjoy the learning process as much as you like playing the piano.

 

[lavender]

[QUOTE=pf

Haha, don't worry, I know it is not going to be an easy, right from the start. No pain, no gain!!
This applies to everything in life, doesn't it? ))

Thanks Kris and pf~


We are built to conquer environment, solve problems, achieve goals, and we find no real satisfaction or happiness in life without obstacles to conquer and goals to achieve. - Maxwell Maltz

 

[lavender]

[QUOTE=kongwee;

OUCH!!


Wow dizi, very lovely!!

 

[lavender]

[QUOTE=noinimod

You're right, good habits are important. My fingers are starting to remember the new fingering. For yesterday and today...I was only practising the chords.

 

[lavender]

Hi Kris,
Thanks for your detailed reply. I have visited your lessons They are very well-written and useful! Thanks for the effort! Are you a piano instructor?

Yes, my instructor knows that he is moving relatively fast. Hmm, he said that I do not have much problems with the RH tune, my main problem is coordination and timing. So, for that, I do practise a lot at home. Class time is limited. Only 45 minutes a week.

Yeah, it is kind of fast, but I think this pace is still acceptable so far. Yeah, I do need things to be explained to me in more details. He gave me an easier song this week. I cannot take anything faster than this. AND I would like to play songs I like..

In learning, I do not depend on lessons alone. Of course, it is a big part of the learning process but I always believe we can learn something from everyone, anywhere. I've learn A LOT from this thread alone

Actually I do not know of any good teachers (I don't mean that my teacher is not good now). In the future (when I learn more), if I do change teachers, I would like someone more inspiring and......more to my type of music. Hahaha. For now, I will continue to be a good student~

Thanks a million, Kris...

 

[pianomankris]

Hi Kris,
Thanks for your detailed reply. I have visited your lessons They are very well-written and useful! Thanks for the effort! Are you a piano instructor?

Yes I am Piano and guitar teacher, and a performer/composer.

Yes, my instructor knows that he is moving relatively fast. Hmm, he said that I do not have much problems with the RH tune, my main problem is coordination and timing. So, for that, I do practise a lot at home. Class time is limited. Only 45 minutes a week.

But if he is moving so fast that coordination is a problem, then that in itself is too fast!!! There is moving fast and moving fast. Moving fast should never be at the expense of the student struggling with the material given. There is having something difficult to work on, and having something beyond you.

And by what you have been saying, it seems like what he has given you is beyond you, rather than just being a challenge.

That is the sign of poor tuition (IMO).

Who knows - they may be reading this very thread lol. Watch what you say.......

In learning, I do not depend on lessons alone. Of course, it is a big part of the learning process but I always believe we can learn something from everyone, anywhere. I've learn A LOT from this thread alone

Exactly. And a good teacher will do the same - they will learn from each student a new way of approaching teaching, rather than forcing a particular 'method' that they think will work on their students. This isn't to say that there is no such thing as a 'method', but rather, that there is no such thing as a 'fixed' method that each and every student should adhere to. All hands and minds are different.

A great advocate of this was the famous classical teacher Theodor Leschetizky. But i'm biased, as one of my teachers was a pupil of Moiseiwitsch, who was one of Leschetizky's pupils lol

If you're interested in this kind of thing, you should read a book called 'the pianist's hand', by Marie Von Unschuld. That is, if you can get a copy of it anywhere. It is very rare. But a good read nonetheless. My copy was passed down to me, so I don't know where you would get a copy, to be honest. But it is worth looking out.

Actually I do not know of any good teachers (I don't mean that my teacher is not good now). In the future (when I learn more), if I do change teachers, I would like someone more inspiring and......more to my type of music. Hahaha. For now, I will continue to be a good student~

Thanks a million, Kris...

I'm coming to Singapore in a few weeks, but it's just to buy a holiday apartment lol, So I won't be teaching whenever i'm there - just getting drunk hahaha

What about contacting the music school when you get a little better? They will have (i'm assuming) the best teachers in Singapore (with regards to classical playing anyway).

 

[kongwee]

It is important that you should master your first song very firmly. It built a lot of confidence and interest going for a next one that you dunno about the difficulty. Pop Chinese song is not difficult in general. But you could make a simple song into very complex arrangement and very personal too.

 

[lavender]

It is important that you should master your first song very firmly. It built a lot of confidence and interest going for a next one that you dunno about the difficulty. Pop Chinese song is not difficult in general. But you could make a simple song into very complex arrangement and very personal too.

Yes, still practising
Kongwee, which Chinese pop song/s will be good and "playable" for a beginner?
I like sentimental songs

 

[kongwee]

Generally, a lot of chinese ballad is easy to play. I just learn to play accompaniment for Luo Zhi Xiang 's Wo Bu Hui Chang Ge. It is in C key. The difficulties is only passing chords on the 3 measure of a bar. You will face a major and a minor progression. There is only a D major chord that is not fall within the scale.

Ok now the example of what I say:
Example of a simple song(not so):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIqwtWBIJFg

Super advance version of that song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OF-EeipcRBM&feature=related

 

[amethyst]

Hi all, im also a beginner in pop piano and i actually just quit from the prevous music school which i learn pop piano from. kinda disappointed in myself because seems like my progress is really slow. i been learning there for abt 6 mths. after reading some of the threads here get me motivated again and so i decided to search for a new music school and try again. earlier on i actually posted a topic on which music schools to choose and i reaally gt a lot of advice from you ppl. thanks you guys so much.
i had actually kinda decide on which school already but seems like the only slots which im available starts only on june.

anyway i have not been practising piano for sometime, jus worry that i will go rusty. so Kongwee, can i ask where u learn those chinese ballads like the one u mention below, Luo Zhi Xiang 's Wo Bu Hui Chang Ge, i like this song too but i only can find the music score for it which i think its too difficult for me. is there any easiler version for it?

 

[kongwee]

Actually, you just read from the chords. That song is not difficult at all.In my case, my instructor will design some LH style. RH need to know how to harmonize melody with chord. It is important to know the styles and different harmonization as much as possible. You could even change the melody a bit. It is not necessary to follow scores. If you have been following piano sheet, you need to get out of it.Like that it is no different from learning classical.

 

[pf]

amethyst, have you analyzed what is it about your learning process that has disappointed you?

 

[dylan2510]

hey ame which sch did u learn from was it a group or private lesson ?

 

[lavender]

hey ame which sch did u learn from was it a group or private lesson ?

I personally prefer private lessons. It might be more costly but it is much better...at least for me.