Starting Basic - Keyboard

Kintarō Hattori

Hey Folks,

I've always liked the idea of playing a piano but no-one in my family was ever musically inclined and at 38 I'm wondering if it'll be like trying to teach an old dog new tricks? I know it takes years and lots of practice but where would I begin? Do I get a basic keyboard like the below:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/YAMAHA-PSR-F50-Portable-Keyboard-Black/dp/B00JKKI8AA

and get a good book. Practice that as much as I can and then move onto lessons? I'd really appreciate a little guidance on whether it's too late/never too late/where I should start.

Many thanks.

Rigsby

I dont play keyboards but can offer some general advice.

First of all...it's never too late to start learning an instrument. If you practice regularly you will make progress. With regards practicing, little and often is the key. What I mean by this is that a half an hour every day is better than five or six hours at the week end. Play for short periods (no more than an hour at one time) and then take a break and return.

I cant really give much advice on what keyboard. When I first picked up the bass guitar, I got a cheap one, and later upgraded.

With regards lessons/books...I'd go the opposite way to what you suggest. IMO when you are starting from zero, even a half a dozen lessons (more if you can afford them) will get you off to a good start. Better still, get the teacher to recommend a book and then have him/her go through it with you. You will learn quicker with a teacher than on your own. Later, when you have a few lessons under your belt, you can then try going it alone and return now and then for a.. "top up/kick start" if you wish.

Finally, as you said yourself, to become proficient on any instrument takes a lot of time and patience. So be easy on yourself, make sure it's fun, and take things in small bite size chunks. Trying to cram in too much too soon will only result in frustration, which can sometimes lead to a person packing it in altogether, which would be a shame.

Hope this is of some help and best of luck with it.

martinedwards

If you want to learn piano, get a piano.

you can pick up a used acoustic on the likes of freegle and freecycle for free. we did.....

electric pianos are good as you never need to tune them and you can plug in headphones so your family don't have to suffer the ordeal of listening to you practice!!

Yamaha Clavinova has been about for 30 odd years and show up on ebay from €300 or so.

DO NOT buy an "electronic keyboard" if you want to learn piano. you need weighted keys. as a parallel, a tractor has 4 wheels and an engine, but it does a totally different job to a F1 car.......

Kintarō Hattori

martinedwards wrote: »

If you want to learn piano, get a piano.

you can pick up a used acoustic on the likes of freegle and freecycle for free. we did.....

electric pianos are good as you never need to tune them and you can plug in headphones so your family don't have to suffer the ordeal of listening to you practice!!

Yamaha Clavinova has been about for 30 odd years and show up on ebay from €300 or so.

DO NOT buy an "electronic keyboard" if you want to learn piano. you need weighted keys. as a parallel, a tractor has 4 wheels and an engine, but it does a totally different job to a F1 car.......

Hmmmn I understand what you're saying but is it as really right or wrong as that? I'd happily pick up a piano but like a lot of people space would be an issue. I simply wouldn't have anywhere to put a piano, does that rule people like me out from trying to learn somehow.

noby

Most people would suggest an electric piano with full size weighted keys.

But, FWIW, I went with something similar to what you linked to. OK, not weighted keys, but at least they're full size.
My reasoning were:
They're not a huge financial outlay, so at least you can get a keyboard into the house, to have a go to see is it really for you before making a bigger investment.
For a beginner that gets bored easily, having the option of different sounds can make it interesting for you (learning Whiter shade of pale? - stick on a basic organ patch). None of these sounds will be world-beaters, but are fine for home practice.
Headphones for silent practice, as mentioned above.

I got a Yamaha too, and it comes with a book , and in-built lessons. I didn't get actual lessons, but would recommend getting a couple starting off to set you off on the right foot.


Now that I have a basic knowledge of chords etc., I'm on the look out for a piano, that I know will be more than just a big ornament. Sure, the weighted keys will be new to me, but I have chord shapes etc. to get me started.