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Touch Pianist

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Re: Touch Pianist

#111

Post by coldtea »

tuzemec wrote: post #88
johtso wrote: post #23

Great choice of song! If you ever have access to a piano, I highly recommended trying to fumble your way through Beethoven's moonlight sonata, even if you don't know how to play piano. Not quite sure how to put it into words, but it's absolutely exhilarating hearing your own fingers produce these huge sounds and intense chord progressions. Every time I managed to find the right chord I'd get such a rush. "Oh no he di…

When I started taking piano lesions a few years ago, one of the first rules that my teacher established was: "No Moonlight Sonata" ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ My guess is that it resembles in a way playing "Smoke on the water" in a guitar shop.

Smoke on the water is great starter song - and given that amateurs and new players are a large part of people buying guitars, makes sense as a guitar shop song too!

Re: Touch Pianist

#112

Post by volkk »

erikpukinskis wrote: post #97
volkk wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

that's sad. a yearning musician should be able to learn and play whatever they want and whatever makes them feel a certain thing. moonlight sonata evokes something in me i can't explain (which is probably why it's a legendary piece). having strong opinions on what to play when learning feels so gatekeepy. i would have dropped that teacher quickly

Yes, but a teacher I think has the right to decide that after teaching the same song 500 times they never want to hear it again. I think people can be allowed one song they are tired of.

a major rule should instead be: "choose the song you love and let's learn it" -- tells me a lot more about the kind of teaching they do than off the bat shooting down songs. sounds obnoxious. teachers can do whatever they want ofc. doesn't make them good teachers

Re: Touch Pianist

#114

Post by johtso »

globular-toast wrote: post #110
johtso wrote: post #23

Great choice of song! If you ever have access to a piano, I highly recommended trying to fumble your way through Beethoven's moonlight sonata, even if you don't know how to play piano. Not quite sure how to put it into words, but it's absolutely exhilarating hearing your own fingers produce these huge sounds and intense chord progressions. Every time I managed to find the right chord I'd get such a rush. "Oh no he di…

I can't not cringe slightly when someone calls something like Moonlight Sonata a "song".

Reading back my comment now, I know what you mean! I guess "piece" would have been a better word, or even just "music".

Re: Touch Pianist

#117

Post by mikepurvis »

volkk wrote: post #93
tuzemec wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When I started taking piano lesions a few years ago, one of the first rules that my teacher established was: "No Moonlight Sonata" ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ My guess is that it resembles in a way playing "Smoke on the water" in a guitar shop.

that's sad. a yearning musician should be able to learn and play whatever they want and whatever makes them feel a certain thing. moonlight sonata evokes something in me i can't explain (which is probably why it's a legendary piece). having strong opinions on what to play when learning feels so gatekeepy. i would have dropped that teacher quickly

My kids just started piano lessons last night and definitely I was a little unsure to hear one of them starting out with I Like Coffee ("the knuckle song"), but I quickly went through this same thought process myself: it's great they're off to a good start doing something that is fun and exciting for them.

Re: Touch Pianist

#118

Post by krumpet »

tuzemec wrote: post #88
johtso wrote: post #23

Great choice of song! If you ever have access to a piano, I highly recommended trying to fumble your way through Beethoven's moonlight sonata, even if you don't know how to play piano. Not quite sure how to put it into words, but it's absolutely exhilarating hearing your own fingers produce these huge sounds and intense chord progressions. Every time I managed to find the right chord I'd get such a rush. "Oh no he di…

When I started taking piano lesions a few years ago, one of the first rules that my teacher established was: "No Moonlight Sonata" ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ My guess is that it resembles in a way playing "Smoke on the water" in a guitar shop.

Nobody should work with a pompous instructor who decides what is / isn't acceptable on an instrument. As a former guitar teacher, I would help my students learn whatever they wanted - Van Halen, Brittany Spears, Garth Brooks, whatever.

All music has something of merit if you're willing to look for it.

Re: Touch Pianist

#119

Post by krumpet »

coldtea wrote: post #111
tuzemec wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When I started taking piano lesions a few years ago, one of the first rules that my teacher established was: "No Moonlight Sonata" ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ My guess is that it resembles in a way playing "Smoke on the water" in a guitar shop.

Smoke on the water is great starter song - and given that amateurs and new players are a large part of people buying guitars, makes sense as a guitar shop song too!

Agreed! And a skilled teacher would start by teaching Smoke on the Water with dyads (two-note chords) and then use that as a starting point for two discussions. First, one about barre chords and second, one about the same chords in their open format.

If the student is into classic rock, it's easy to expand this lesson into Cat Scratch Fever, Rock You Like a Hurricane, and Iron Man which are all similar to Smoke on the Water.

Re: Touch Pianist

#120

Post by shimonabi »

Can someone suggest some good piano learning software? I really don't like subscriptions.

Many years ago I used Voyetra Teach Me Piano Deluxe which ran on Windows XP, but gave up after some time. I think I'd have to create a virtual machine to run that again. My town is so small I can't find a piano teacher.

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