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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

#211

Post by gjulianm »

sandGorgon wrote: post #194
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…

So I'm just giving you perspective after about 9 weeks of SimplyPiano. Im very far away from being able to control the nuances of volume. Im still at the point, where I'm learning to use my left and right hands independently and play without looking. And that's what SimplyPiano gets you to - it's a structured program+game that teaches you to read music and gain hand independence using an app. Im pretty self aware tha…

Out of curiosity, how does the app make you enjoy the process? I took a quick look and it seems to have the same basic progression that most classes have, I assume the paid courses are different and better but I can't see them.

Re: The Mayron Cole Piano Method is now free

#212

Post by ben7799 »

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 worked on Piano in my 20s and a bit in my 30s and had several different in person teachers. I did almost no music as a kid.

Sometimes you just picked the wrong instrument.. The day I officially gave up piano (with RSIs from piano even) I bought a guitar as a consolation "I didn't really give up" thing.

That was about 6 years ago.. I've taken guitar lessons the last 4 years and have had great success compared to piano. I would say my guitar teacher is a much superior teacher than the piano teachers I had though.

Sometimes you just picked the wrong instrument. I don't miss piano at all really. I still love the piano but it wasn't for me.. and guitars are far more affordable which is very nice.

Re: The Mayron Cole Piano Method is now free

#213

Post by danaur »

jancsika wrote: post #210

If you want to learn the acoustic instrument-- either upright or grand piano-- pay a teacher to show you how to learn. There are just so many parts of piano-playing that are counterintuitive. At the same time, if you learn them early and practice a little bit, it's not difficult to develop healthy habits that will make everything you play sound more natural and beautiful. It's a bit frustrating because at least in th…

Paying a teacher is very expensive and a large time commitment, could you elaborate why the things a teacher can show you are not covered by online or self study

Re: The Mayron Cole Piano Method is now free

#214

Post by nonamenoslogan »

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…

This is the same drivel people who consider themselves "purists" in the watercolour scene spew whenever a new person expresses interest in painting. "You MUST spend $10 a tube minimum to REALLY be painting." "If you don't use 400lb cold press linen paper, you're really wasting paint." Blah.

As someone who started out painting with a $10 set of Daler-Rowney on a $4 block of paper from Walmart, I can say wholeheartedly, one can experiment at the cheap end and then be pleasantly surprised at the top end while learning and enjoying themselves. $200 worth of colours you never use because you don't enjoy painting that much is a waste of money. $20 worth of paint you fill every notebook and sketchpad up with doodles is worth every penny. As you progress (and decide if the hobby is even worth doing), you pick up some of those $10 a tube paints and realize the purists weren't wrong, they DO paint better, but they won't make you a better painter.

Personally I have a $99 AKAI MPC-Mini with only one octave worth of keys and have only dabbled a bit with it connected to my PC, but its infinitely better than Smule on the iPad and eventually with an app or through lessons on Youtube, one could absolutely learn the skills needed to play a composition an actual piano--all as the GP said, from the comfort of your own home, at your own pace.

Re: The Mayron Cole Piano Method is now free

#215

Post by sandGorgon »

gjulianm wrote: post #211
sandGorgon wrote: post #194

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So I'm just giving you perspective after about 9 weeks of SimplyPiano. Im very far away from being able to control the nuances of volume. Im still at the point, where I'm learning to use my left and right hands independently and play without looking. And that's what SimplyPiano gets you to - it's a structured program+game that teaches you to read music and gain hand independence using an app. Im pretty self aware tha…

Out of curiosity, how does the app make you enjoy the process? I took a quick look and it seems to have the same basic progression that most classes have, I assume the paid courses are different and better but I can't see them.

So it doesn't "teach" you. Like I didn't even know it was teaching me to "read music".

For me, it was just "hitting a few symbols". Suddenly in 2 weeks, I was reading music. It uses exactly the same tactics as any videogame lets you figure out game mechanics.

Suddenly, you're playing another state of the game...and oh hey it's THAT song.

This is hard to conceptualize for someone who can already play. But you have to understand that in October, I had no clue I would be reading music in December.

Re: The Mayron Cole Piano Method is now free

#216

Post by sandGorgon »

mrandish wrote: post #199
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…

> An app is not the best way to learn piano. To many beginners starting out, the term "learn piano" can be used in a generic way and could mean anything from becoming a classical concert pianist, a Rick Wakeman-esque rock keyboardist, a Daft Punk-like synthesist, a digital composer creating symphonic cinema scores out of virtual software plug-in orchestras - or they may want to target the flexibility to "do it all."…

>tablet-based, gamified MIDI app that reports practice frequency, accuracy, speed, timing variance, etc stats back to the teacher

Which app is this ?

Also, curious to know..do you think virtual pianos are good enough for smartphones (iOS/android) or do you still need laptops?

Re: The Mayron Cole Piano Method is now free

#217

Post by ebiester »

verroq wrote: post #59
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.

The problem is that if you decide to continue you've already spent a year learning bad habits that could have been easily corrected if you had a teacher with you.

I upvoted you even though I disagree, for a few reasons.

First, a lesson where I get Covid is a really expensive lesson. A lesson where I give Covid to a teacher is a really expensive lesson for them, and I don't want to be responsible for potentially killing someone for lessons.

Second, there is a wide range in the quality of teachers today. While it is true that feedback will accelerate learning, I've been able to learn a fair amount from teachers on the web, taking their knowledge and adapting it as I need.

Am I progressing as fast as I would if I had a teacher? Of course not. Will I get a teacher eventually, after Covid? I'd like to. But it's a luxury at this point and the ability to learn is better than procrastination.

Re: The Mayron Cole Piano Method is now free

#218

Post by dehrmann »

cesaref wrote: post #172
alisonkisk wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

$100 vs $1000+ is a big deal.

If you've got the space, you'll find that you can get a real upright for free in most cities in the world. Sure, it won't be the best instrument ever, but if you ask around you'll find someone chucking one out.

After a few tunings, you might wish you bought the keyboard.

Re: The Mayron Cole Piano Method is now free

#219

Post by dehrmann »

ebiester wrote: post #217
verroq wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem is that if you decide to continue you've already spent a year learning bad habits that could have been easily corrected if you had a teacher with you.

I upvoted you even though I disagree, for a few reasons. First, a lesson where I get Covid is a really expensive lesson. A lesson where I give Covid to a teacher is a really expensive lesson for them, and I don't want to be responsible for potentially killing someone for lessons. Second, there is a wide range in the quality of teachers today. While it is true that feedback will accelerate learning, I've been able to…

Too bad no one teaches Piano over Zoom /s

Re: The Mayron Cole Piano Method is now free

#220

Post by dehrmann »

palimpsests wrote: post #188
wizzwizz4 wrote: post #155

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Calculus in practice involves a lot of symbol manipulation, so it's important to understand the symbols. Jazz in practice involves a lot of playing an instrument, so it's important to understand… Fill in the blank. I don't know about you, but I don't fill it in with “music theory”.

... how to use music theory to develop efficient practice routines for your instrument(s), goals, and current abilities. — jazz musician of 25 years (this calculus metaphor is pretty far off - music theory in practice, by a working jazz musician, doesn’t involve “manipulation of symbols”, at least not in the same way as one works mathematical problems and proofs. it involves a lot of time on your instrument, applying…

It's more akin to reading and writing than to calculus.
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