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The Mayron Cole Piano Method is now free

freepianomethod.com

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Re: The Mayron Cole Piano Method is now free

#91

Post by vict00ms »

komali2 wrote: post #60
c03 wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I must agree. op comment is the worst advice i have seen on HN on any subject, it reads like an impatient child wishing to avoid to study just to be able to perform. But then again, it comes down to what you want to achieve. If you just want to mind numbingly press buttons, knock yourself out.

I liked the advice because I always wanted to learn piano but every time I approached stage 1, people were saying similar things. "Oh, just to get STARTED, you're going to need an 88 key weighted keyboard, that'll cost you 600$ and take up an entire wall of your studio. Ok now spend 100$ on books, and now you have everything you need to spend 200$ a month and an hour every week on a teacher. And you better practice f…

I taught myself how to flatpick on guitar. Three years later, I found out that I held the plectrum incorrectly. Though I've learned the proper way (and will switch to it in order to tremolo a la Dick Dale), twenty-five years later I still can't shake it.

Re: The Mayron Cole Piano Method is now free

#92

Post by martin_vejmelka »

torben-friis wrote: post #65

If any of you is fluent in Spanish and want to learn to play piano, I can't recommend Jaime altozano enough (he's on YouTube). He's the best music teacher and communicator I've seen in any language, I would compare him to what threeblueonebrown is for math. He also has some paid courses available in https://www.musihacks.com/ but just the free content is already awesome to understand modes, scales, pregressions, etc

Awesome tip, thanks for that!

Re: The Mayron Cole Piano Method is now free

#93

Post by tonystride »

amelius wrote: post #76
tonystride wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm working on something like this right now. Pieces that are accessible but not boring. Getting into jazz early can be tough, like how will you understand an extremely basic 3-6-9 voicing and how it connects to a 7-3-5 voicing in a circle of fifths progression if you haven't studied your basic triads, basic 7th chords and the circle of fifths? And not just reading about them but spending enough time to absorb them i…

> Getting into jazz early can be tough I think that depends. The student may have been listening to jazz for their entire grownup life. To them, starting with "Jingle bells", etc. like some piano methods do can be very boring or off-putting.

Yes and no. There is an art to reaching someone with talent who is untrained. It's like their innate sense of music is a reservoir behind a damn and the damn is their facility on the keyboard. There's no shortcut to bringing that damn down no matter how much water is in your reservoir an often times the ones with the most water have so much pressure that it affects their ability to be patient and thoroughly build a channel through the damn. Sometimes my most successful students are the ones without much prior learning because, yah know, tortoise and the hair. But regardless, I'll do my best to connect to any student and help them build that channel.

Re: The Mayron Cole Piano Method is now free

#94

Post by _jal »

komali2 wrote: post #55
gjulianm wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sorry but I have to disagree a lot. An app is not the best way to learn piano. Piano is not just about pressing keys. Does the app correct your position (important if you don't want to get fatigue and cramps), your volume, fingerings, etc? Does it tell you how to practice the parts where you're struggling? > connect it to an el cheapo midi keyboard Please don't do that. I mean, if you just want to give it a try to pi…

I understand why you're frustrated to hear someone I suppose cheapen something you're really passionate about, but what is more valuable to you: less people learning piano because the barrier to entry is thousands of dollars of equipment, lessons, and books, not to mention time and space, but when they play they have good velocity management, or, tons more people enjoying the instrument, but not really playing it as…

To digress a bit, I hate this way of thinking.

You're emphasizing boosterism over honesty. If "we" "want" something to be more popular, we should encourage shallow engagement with it, not correct poeples' bad habits, and just shout, "yay! More people in my thing!"

Bullshit boosterism chases me off, and I know it chases others off, too. It tells me you have an agenda that treats me instrumentally, which is an excellent way to make me just ignore you.

Re: The Mayron Cole Piano Method is now free

#95

Post by XCSme »

gjulianm wrote: post #39
sandGorgon wrote: post #18

I just started learning piano in the COVID lockdown. The best and cheapest way to learn is use an app: Simply Piano(android+ios), Piano Marvel(ios), etc and connect it to an el cheapo midi keyboard. this allows you to spend the next 6 months learning without anyone getting disturbed..while the app gives you realtime feedback about which keys you are pressing. you wont miss the lack of a teacher...especially during th…

Sorry but I have to disagree a lot. An app is not the best way to learn piano. Piano is not just about pressing keys. Does the app correct your position (important if you don't want to get fatigue and cramps), your volume, fingerings, etc? Does it tell you how to practice the parts where you're struggling? > connect it to an el cheapo midi keyboard Please don't do that. I mean, if you just want to give it a try to pi…

I have used SimplyPiano for about 1 year now and I'm really happy with it. I did learn of lot of piano theory and I can easily read sheet music and learn/play simple songs (left hand chords + right hand melody) in a few minutes.

> Does the app correct your position (important if you don't want to get fatigue and cramps), your volume, fingerings, etc?

Yes, the app does constantly reminding you to have the correct position, shows fingering but does indeed not test for volume. It's obviously not as good as having a teacher constantly watching you.

I have also recently started some lessons with a piano teacher for more in-depth music theory and checking my current progress, she didn't have too much stuff to correct, so the app wasn't that bad and the stuff that I learnt was actually correct and usable. One thing that the teacher was a lot better at than the app was explaining how more complex musical concepts are linked together and how focusing more on the basics is more important that learning specific things/progressions.

> connect it to an el cheapo midi keyboard

I use the Yamaha NP 12 (it costs around $200), it sounds amazing but it does have only 61 keys and it's semi-weighted. I still think it's good enough for learning how to play.

One thing that you might be missing is the fact that most of the people wanting to learn the piano don't plan on becoming a professional, they just want to be able to learn and play a few songs or improvise a bit. In order to do this usually "good enough" is good enough, you don't need the best equipment or the perfect technique. It's also important, as you mentioned, to know what to expect and what you are missing out on by using the learning methods you do.

Re: The Mayron Cole Piano Method is now free

#96

Post by vixen99 »

Worth mentioning for anyone who happens not to know about it that there's a massive repository of out-of-copyright (either by time or decision of the composer) music scores and recordings for all instruments by a huge number of composers. Using the 'genre' section is useful for finding music of an appropriate level for performers.

https://imslp.org/wiki/Category:Composers https://imslp.org/wiki/Main_Page https://imslp.org/wiki/IMSLP:View_Genres

Download is free but delayed by 15 seconds unless you pay a small yearly fee.

Re: The Mayron Cole Piano Method is now free

#97

Post by squeaky-clean »

jdironman wrote: post #71
verroq wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Let's not kid ourselves, the chances of any normal person learning by themselves without a teacher to any kind of mastery is zero. Most won't have to the drive to continue even after two weeks. "Starting" doesn't mean anything, anyone can "start". It's trivial to start.

Who taught Bach?

His father Johann Ambrosius Bach; his older brother Johann Christoph Bach; his uncle Johann Christoph Bach (yes, same name); Georg Böhm is likely but there's no direct evidence; he studied at the Michaelisschule for several years; and was a court musician of Johann Ernst where he likely received further training.

Re: The Mayron Cole Piano Method is now free

#98

Post by XCSme »

_jal wrote: post #94
komali2 wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I understand why you're frustrated to hear someone I suppose cheapen something you're really passionate about, but what is more valuable to you: less people learning piano because the barrier to entry is thousands of dollars of equipment, lessons, and books, not to mention time and space, but when they play they have good velocity management, or, tons more people enjoying the instrument, but not really playing it as…

To digress a bit, I hate this way of thinking. You're emphasizing boosterism over honesty. If "we" "want" something to be more popular, we should encourage shallow engagement with it, not correct poeples' bad habits, and just shout, "yay! More people in my thing!" Bullshit boosterism chases me off, and I know it chases others off, too. It tells me you have an agenda that treats me instrumentally, which is an excellen…

So if someone wants to play table-tennis I should constantly remind them of the how they should get a $100 custom bat before they can do anything, use the correct technique by using their body and legs and sweating a lot instead of just letting them have fun? I am always happy when someone joins the club, even if they are good or not, it's their decision how much time, money and effort they want to invest in correcting their technique and improving their skill.

Re: The Mayron Cole Piano Method is now free

#99

Post by dsr_ »

gjulianm wrote: post #61
mike_h wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This advice is debatable anymore. If your goal is to really go deep on acoustic, traditional piano then sure. But if you just want to make music in a modern way (on the computer), or even just want to try it out for a year or two before deciding this is a lifetime hobby to invest thousands of dollars and hours into, then cheap midi keyboard plus app is more than fine. Especially if the app makes it fun for you.

> even just want to try it out for a year or two If you're already thinking about trying it for a year or two, you're serious enough that a teacher will be far more helpful than an app, and a cheap, small, non-weighted midi keyboard will limit you a lot. > But if you just want to make music in a modern way (on the computer) Acoustic or digital, music is more than a series of button presses. All the things I mentioned…

There's a place for BASIC and LOGO turtles and Python, and also for $35 32-key button-smashers.

And then it turns out that Python is actually quite a useful language, and that the keyboard-shaped thing is better than nothing.

Re: The Mayron Cole Piano Method is now free

#100

Post by dade_ »

sandGorgon wrote: post #18

I just started learning piano in the COVID lockdown. The best and cheapest way to learn is use an app: Simply Piano(android+ios), Piano Marvel(ios), etc and connect it to an el cheapo midi keyboard. this allows you to spend the next 6 months learning without anyone getting disturbed..while the app gives you realtime feedback about which keys you are pressing. you wont miss the lack of a teacher...especially during th…

People can disagree with you all they want about the app. I figured out how to play with both hands at the same time with Simply Piano. To me, that is magical. Also, it's fun. I am using a M-Audio keyboard, which senses speed and was good to get started, and now I feel proficient enough that I want to buy a digital piano. Looking at Kawai, but can't visit a music store showroom because of COVID lockdown.

Maybe in time I will change my mind, but I think it makes perfect sense to use a basic MIDI keyboard to learn the keys and notes while deciding if it is something enjoyable and worth a substantial financial investment.

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