Learning on a keyboard or a real piano? 16 posts

Joe,
There are so many varieties of keyboards. The acoustic piano's advantages are an infinite amount of dynamics, however you strike the keys will result in the loudness or softness of what you play. There's also more warmth and touches that you can employ and certain "inside the piano" techniques available.

Keyboards range in their sonic possibilities. They have a range of different sounds they can make. Some are touch sensitive. Some have notes that are bendable that can mimic the way guitars bend notes. Some are full length. There's also polyphony, how many notes that can be played simultaneously. 64 and over is a good amount. Then there's the whole Garage band possibilities and MIDI controller functions and other programs that can notate and arrange.

There are acoustic electric pianos. Yamaha makes a few of them. They are acoustic pianos but also electronic and offer the best of both worlds. In fact, Yamaha makes a vast range of acoustic and electronic pianos and I've found their quality to be excellent.

So, you can learn on a good $700 digital 88-key piano or invest in a good console or upright acoustic piano and make wonderful music with either. I'd recommend playing a few at a piano store and see which ones you feel drawn to and then trying a Sam Ash type store for keyboards.

Joseph,
Ultimately, you want to learn how to make music. An instrument is a tool for your music. Acoustic or electronic keyboard, singing, drumming, these are all flavors of sounds available. What's motivating you to want to play? What do you need to learn and explore to achieve it? What would be the most natural means toward doing what you'd like on an instrument?

Your most natural tool is your ear. To make musical sounds, your voice and hands. And what are the various sensations you experience around music? What is it all saying to you?

Kat,
I'm not sure if the weight of keys on keyboards can be adjusted but I wouldn't be surprised if some can be. And, absolutely, yes, there are different weights for keys on the "digital piano" variations of keyboards. There are some that have no weight, the same weight per key, and the best ones simulate acoustic pianos going progressively from heavier in the lower registers to lighter in the higher registers.

Acoustic pianos are "voiced" and the action can be adjusted. Acoustic pianos vary much in "action", the weight and response of the keys.

Of course, Joseph (and everyone else), you don't want to miss this 'most excellent' How to Buy a Piano article :-)

http://www.teachstreet.com/piano/articles/dave-schappell/how-to-buy-a-first-piano/pb-28docxog

Full Disclosure -- it was inspired by Anita!

And there are pianos with some resistance to the keys rentable, is that a word, at music stores. I teach children a combo of music fundamentals and 3 years piano from 7-9. And the store will usually throw in a bench, bag, music stand and such for the same rental price.
My preference is a short trial period of pianos that don't include "weighted keys" because my students learn first by ear, where they sing the chords arpeggio in solfeggio (do mi sol, tonic chord, is what they would sing/or V7/IV) then play in any key that way. I'm sure similar to many teachers.

So they will be playing at least a 2-note chord with the first month, albeit with a fairly simply song.
But I think that, after my husband lost his job, I got a whole new look at what "necessities" mean, and I am not worrying as much about the weighted keys.

I appreciate your article, and I would love to have you join some of us (musician/performers, music teachers, some of my students' parents) at an orientation to Musikgarten and Edwin Gordon, who spent his life researching how children learn music. How? Before age 9, aptitude or "potential to learn" is based on environment and musical input, where after 9 the concept of "talent" comes in.

June 16 and 24 at 7pm with root beer floats, too. Wiki on Edwin Gordon has a quick and dirty explanation of how children learn music in these early years JUST as they learn language literacy, from birth, immersion, imitate without comprehension, with comprehension, add labels, hear the word or in this case solfeggio tonal pattern in isolation then in a phrase, etc.
Yea, forgive me, I'm reviewing my talk, as concise organized thought isn't usually an easy thing!

Join us or come visit the studio for a quick look around sometime. Near Northgate Mall.
Katy
www.katysmusikgarten.com Edwin Gordon has his own website -- remarkable, succinct

Made my day. I am a people person but I work alone in my studio. So hearing other teachers' views is a major treat. Plumps up my tools.
Katy

I love these different ways of thinking about it! I must say that I have been gleaning from my families, over the years, that children like to practice more on a decent keyboard. This is truly a personal decision for the family, finances, etc.
My ultimate vote is to rent a nice digital piano, with fully weighted keys, for about 50-75 per month. Children are really challenged to begin this discipline, and I still tend to believe that all of my students should be playing on something that strengthens their fingers.
Hands are made up of mostly muscle, and to play on something that doesn't strengthen the fingers UNTIL they decide, well, kind of a chicken/egg thing. Just brainstorming/processing myself, but I like to at least present the likely brainstorm, so parents can even know the questions to consider.
Thanks, Bill! So many piano teachers and students in the world, and many ways to do it successfully. Some just say "stick with it for 3 mos", then we'll get a better piano. So starting with a Casio then moving to a rented digital, then STEINWAY. Oh, sorry, I was having a fantasy moment.

You made my year. I actually worry that I am setting too high a standard, but I am armed with your thoughts now. I do think parents want to do the right thing and they also don't realize, how could they if haven't taken piano, how it's not easy to develop the discipline.
I feel that piano is one of those endeavours where give even a little and great rewards, whether my youngest child or oldest adult. And kids can progress quickly when happy with the experience which is all the more a reason to get them a piano with weighted keys. Their hands need to be ready for two hands and for keeping up the stamina for practice time itself.

For anyone who is interested in how children learn piano by ear and by music, birth to 9 (when every child can), I'll remind of my one hour orientation tonight of these 9 years in a hands-on class where our we experience one song in five age levels and how familiar songs are learned to train the ear then facilitate the eye for reading.
www.katysmusikgarten.com Northgate. A couple spots left. Free adult group piano class for attending, and you may bring a friend to that, even if they don't attend tonight OR NEXT WEDNESDAY at 7pm. studio directions are at the bottom of each page. By the way, arrive 30 minutes ahead of the 7:30-8:30 orientation, if you'd like a root beer float or diet root beer.

Happy Tuesday,
Katy
P.S. I'm new to this, so if you are the one receiving this, Anita, that's fine!! I'm having some SMTA teachers this week and next, who never learned to play by ear and can't teach their children to play by ear. I think 50% of my passion is education along with teaching now. I shyed away from orientations, as my brain is a bit random and organizing was like pulling teeth, as far as being brief enough, organized, etc.
But doing the music class to explain seemed to be the ticket. We'll meet one of these days! I'm jealous of all those gleaming grands in your studio. Great!
Katy