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Show HN: Piano Trainer – Learn piano scales, chords and more using MIDI

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41–50 of 60 posts

Re: Show HN: Piano Trainer – Learn piano scales, chords and more using MIDI

#41
post #2

This is cool. I am wondering if anyone knows if there is a game like Guitar Hero (old playstation game with a custom controller), but for piano and with MIDI input support, something to practice the mechanical skills, preferably with a library of beginner-friendly charts?

Check out Synthesia (has MIDI support and a large library of songs with difficulty ratings) and Pianote (more structured learning but with game elements). Both have beginner-friendly content and visual feedback similar to Guitar Hero.

Re: Show HN: Piano Trainer – Learn piano scales, chords and more using MIDI

#42
post #39
post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One version of Rock Band came with a real 25 key piano midi controller that you used in the game.

I still have and use that keyboard. It is a nice little midi controller that works just as well as any other midi keyboard I have (within the limits of 25 keys of course)

Rock Band 3 pro mode.

Re: Show HN: Piano Trainer – Learn piano scales, chords and more using MIDI

#43

I'm appreciative of people attempting to help others learn music, so first of all thanks! I'd suggest people really focus on their ear training though over visual feedback. Just play your scales through the circle of fifths -- set a metronome at 60, go for both hands, two octaves, parallel and contrary motion. Start with major and then move on to the three types of minor. The thing you're developing is internalizing…

I have a decent grasp of theory and have seen the value of grinding scales on other instruments. With piano, I'm never sure which fingers I'm supposed to be using or when to move my fingers up the keys. Do you have any guidance?

Re: Show HN: Piano Trainer – Learn piano scales, chords and more using MIDI

#45

I'm appreciative of people attempting to help others learn music, so first of all thanks! I'd suggest people really focus on their ear training though over visual feedback. Just play your scales through the circle of fifths -- set a metronome at 60, go for both hands, two octaves, parallel and contrary motion. Start with major and then move on to the three types of minor. The thing you're developing is internalizing…

I have a decent grasp of theory and have seen the value of grinding scales on other instruments. With piano, I'm never sure which fingers I'm supposed to be using or when to move my fingers up the keys. Do you have any guidance?

You know, I can't totally remember how my first teacher taught it (I was 7), but I do know that a lot of the fingering was outlined by CPE Bach back in the 18th century [1]. Just glancing on the Internet (and quickly playing through my scales just now), it seems like I tend to play them closely to this outline: https://pianoguidelessons.com/fingering-scales-on-the-piano/

But, as my current teacher likes to point out, there's no "true" way. He's a bassist, and has mentioned to me a few times some old survey asking pro players to write out their fingerings for some famous passages -- the results were all over the place, as everyone brings their own approach.

[1] https://archive.org/details/BACHCarlPhilippeEmanuel.EssayOnT...

Re: Show HN: Piano Trainer – Learn piano scales, chords and more using MIDI

#47

I'm appreciative of people attempting to help others learn music, so first of all thanks! I'd suggest people really focus on their ear training though over visual feedback. Just play your scales through the circle of fifths -- set a metronome at 60, go for both hands, two octaves, parallel and contrary motion. Start with major and then move on to the three types of minor. The thing you're developing is internalizing…

I have a decent grasp of theory and have seen the value of grinding scales on other instruments. With piano, I'm never sure which fingers I'm supposed to be using or when to move my fingers up the keys. Do you have any guidance?

Thumb on white notes. 4th finger on black because it is weaker than 2,3. But these are rules of thumb(!)

Re: Show HN: Piano Trainer – Learn piano scales, chords and more using MIDI

#48

I'm appreciative of people attempting to help others learn music, so first of all thanks! I'd suggest people really focus on their ear training though over visual feedback. Just play your scales through the circle of fifths -- set a metronome at 60, go for both hands, two octaves, parallel and contrary motion. Start with major and then move on to the three types of minor. The thing you're developing is internalizing…

I have a decent grasp of theory and have seen the value of grinding scales on other instruments. With piano, I'm never sure which fingers I'm supposed to be using or when to move my fingers up the keys. Do you have any guidance?

Hi, when you say you don't know which fingers to move do you mean within the context of a piece of music, or just the scales themselves? For the latter, I can give you some advice (though if you search something like "piano scale fingerings" on Google images, you can probably get some fairly standard fingerings for both hands).

Each diatonic (major, minor or modal) scale consists of 7 distinct notes, and the fingering is always 1-2-3 1-2-3-4 in one direction, and the reverse in the other direction, however, you need to find where this sequence starts within the scale. The more black keys there are in a scale, the fewer the possible comfortable positions. Always put your thumb on a white key, and prefer putting your 3rd and especially your 4th fingers on black keys, if possible. (Fun fact: for the major scales, once you have your right hand's fingering, you can imagine mirroring the keyboard and your hand around the D or G# key and you get another major scale with a good fingering for the left hand).

DO NOT start with C major if it's your first time learning scales. Maybe start with E major (4 sharps) as it is comfortable and you can use the mirrored fingering in the other hand.

Re: Show HN: Piano Trainer – Learn piano scales, chords and more using MIDI

#50
post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You'd be surprised how many famous pop piano players didn't just have lessons, they had advanced training. Elton John studied at the Royal Academy of Music. Alicia Keys is classically trained. Lady Gaga had lessons from the age of 4. Even someone like Vangelis - nominally self-taught, and not a reader or writer - had lessons when he was starting out.

There are many many examples on both sides. That you can cite many who have had a lot of classical training doesn't disprove the point that many others have had minimal training.

Right, I'd argue that the people without training are going to be way more surprising.
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