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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

#121

Post by kranner »

alisonkisk wrote: post #104
gjulianm wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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…

$100 vs $1000+ is a big deal.

Digital pianos around the $500 mark are pretty good these days.

Re: The Mayron Cole Piano Method is now free

#122

Post by adidar83 »

dghughes wrote: post #113

On my resume I like to put everyone that plays piano isn't a Beethoven. There is a range between expert and those who don't even play. This is my excuse for being in IT but not well in programming.

You actually place this on your resume? I'm wondering the response from hiring managers. Thanks

Re: The Mayron Cole Piano Method is now free

#123

Post by gjulianm »

XCSme wrote: post #95
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 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 posi…

> Yes, the app does constantly reminding you to have the correct position,

That's not what I meant by position, I meant hand position, finger curving, etc. If you did it well at the start that's nice, some people don't (in fact there's a guy in this same thread saying that he has finger cramps when playing).

> so the app wasn't that bad and the stuff that I learnt was actually correct and usable.

That's great! I'm not saying it's useless, only that has limitations, the same thing that you noticed when you started with a teacher.

> I still think it's good enough for learning how to play.

As long as it's weighted it's decent, and 61 keys for starters is not too bad either. When the parent said 'cheapo midi keyboard' I was thinking of one of these small cheap keyboards that almost looks like a toy.

> 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

I know that. I'm talking precisely to that people, because I'm one of those people. I'm doing that with the clarinet right now in fact. If you really want to play a few songs by yourself and improvise a bit, you're taking it seriously enough to the point I do think it's worth it to go to a teacher.

Re: The Mayron Cole Piano Method is now free

#124

Post by trianglem »

actuator wrote: post #6

Has someone here picked a musical instrument seriously for the first time in their 20s and managed to self learn? If yes, it would be helpful if you could point to resources that were helpful to you and any daily practice schedule you followed? I have tried learning piano and I found a lot of stuff irritatingly hard to get right and got bored. Like for some reason I am not able to transition to other keys well when I…

I did. I was able to self learn the guitar and can play relatively well. I used Justin guitar for the basics a long time ago and then jumped right into learning songs. Using a metronome is the most important thing since it puts pressure on you. You have to do a “performance” every so often and that works for some reason. Initially it was my roommates but later in life it was my wife :) The interest to grasp theory for me came a lot later and I know a lot of it but don’t do much in the way of composing or using it too much so there’s that. But I’ve heard that the recommended way is to get a tutor from many many people.

Re: The Mayron Cole Piano Method is now free

#125

Post by mike_h »

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…

Even the cheapest midi keyboards are velocity-sensitive. Weighting is nice, but the choice isn’t between button-presses and expression.

Re: The Mayron Cole Piano Method is now free

#126

Post by peterkelly »

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…

Apps can be useful but there is simply no replacement for having an experienced person observe your playing and giving you feedback. A good teacher can pick up on problems early and correct them, saving you hundreds of hours. They can also answer certain types of questions very easily that you might never be able to find via google.

Re: The Mayron Cole Piano Method is now free

#127

Post by powersnail »

simias wrote: post #116
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 think it's like using an app for language learning. If you think 10 minutes of Duolingo every day is going to make you fluent in Chinese you're deluding yourself, but it doesn't mean that it can't be a good entry point and a good way to build discipline and gauge your progress. I've been learning the saxophone for a few months (ask my neighbours) and have used a bunch of different methods. I find that even bad prac…

> that even bad practice is good practice

May I try to persuade you otherwise?

Bad habits are often linked to repetitive injuries in the long run. This is something that you don't really notice several months in, but will bite you when you start to play a lot.

If you really want to self-teach, I would suggest at least take some classes in the beginning to properly form your posture.

Re: The Mayron Cole Piano Method is now free

#128

Post by ekonine »

komali2 wrote: post #69
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.

Really? I find myself surrounded by self taught programmers, musicians, and visual artists all the time. Yes. Nobody I know will play in the London philharmonic. But we figured out enough to play a cover band in highschool, and I'm figuring out enough to learn passable music production. On that note, from what I've learned from their interviews, many of the biggest producers have never taken a music lesson. This isn'…

Learning music theory is different from correctly playing an instrument. If your goal is to produce then your method is probably good for dipping your toes in the water if you have literally no music experience whatsoever. Most digital production doesn't require you to play complicated passages for a long period of time, so you'd succeed in realizing your goals on that front.

But if your goal is to perform; sure, you'll be able to play simple compositions, but anything complex will pose a challenge without a teacher (or even good material that makes you aware of what to look out for). I think that's what your critics are trying to point out.

The real problem here is you're equating learning music theory with 'learning the piano'.

Re: The Mayron Cole Piano Method is now free

#129

Post by JKCalhoun »

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…

Calling it gatekeeping is a stretch. It is more likely simply how they learned.

Re: The Mayron Cole Piano Method is now free

#130

Post by jacquesm »

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…

> Sorry but I have to disagree a lot.

And I have to disagree a lot with you. I had a piano teacher when I was young and that person put me off piano for the next 45 years or so. A good teacher will help you, a not so good teacher may well cause you to lose interest.

Right now I'm practicing on my own, when I want, without a set schedule and without the goal of getting good enough to satisfy my - nonexistent - teacher.

Likely a good teacher would help. But good teachers cost money, have their own schedules to keep and their goals may not overlap with mine. So this time around I'm taking it as slow or as fast as I want, when I want, learning pieces that are probably way above my level but that keep me motivated because I like to play them.

If at some point I feel that I hit a plateau then I might go for a teacher for a while with the express goal of getting unstuck.

Finally, not everybody learns in the same way and not everybody has your budget. I love learning by doing, not by being told how to do it and there is as sense of pride in learning a skill by yourself instead of having it handed down, it also allows you to develop your own style rather than to become a carbon copy of what your teacher considers to be 'proper'. There is room for all of this and yours as well but I don't like the way you are all over this thread proclaiming the 'one true way', there are as many ways as there are people and what works for one person could easily be someone else's nightmare. It would be nice if you at least acknowledged that you have not taken into account the goal of whoever you have in mind as your hypothetical piano student and that not everybody will fit that image.

We agree that there are not shortcuts and that there is no magic method, but I think everybody that is somewhat serious about any instrument would agree on that.

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