Why I wrote the keyboard lessons solos .What to expect when you learn keyboards

[admin]

hi and welcome

You dont have to read every word here, but it WOULD help you understand what to expect and what not to expect. This means youre less likely to set yourslef up and expect things of yourself that will dissapoint you. But if you want to rush on   

Then rather go here if youve had less than 8 lessons or are a complete beginner

or here   to see what you will also be able to access  once youve got beyond that stage


What does "beginners"  mean here ? And what can you expect on your journey of learning the keyboard ?

By "beginners" I mean those learning in their 1st 1 to 3 years of playing.
 
There is more than enough keyboard lessons and solo sheet music in rock , classical and various styles in his forum to to download and see if it helps you get going as well as hopefully find a whole lot of new material if youve been playing a while already . There is a variety of levels of material covering the first 3 years of learning.

The way I teach is my beginner pupils complete about 30 smallish pieces a year and a few bigger ones .  I have about 120 pieces to upload in digital format ( sound files/ notation files/ Optional Casio lighting files/PDF sheet music ) besides those here now on the boards below this.. You can see my Beginner keyboard book titles here

These pieces I created because commercially available songs such as those at the main digital sheet music stores are really graded only from about about Grade 3 upwards and my pupils really struggled with them, yet would like to learn in contemporary styles as wellas classical styles

Beginner Books of keyboard music lessons  generally are compact and are designed to cover all two years of beginners. But they have about 15 pieces most and despite the "assurances " of the music publishers there are HUGE gaps in between with few excpetions.

The gaps are usually not in the information in the keyboard music lessons . They are in the execution of that information.

In the first 2 years a beginner needs the variety and at least a new easy to handle  piece a week ( about 80 pieces over 2 years )  BUT at the same time only handling each week a SMALL  NEW aspect technically ( like ONE or TWO new rhythms , ONE new note ) so that the student feels confident and not overwhelmed.

When youre learning 12 new things at once believe me it isnt possible to sit back and enjoy what youre learning . Its  just a "challenge " but that isnt the same as ENJOYING the sound and the feeling of fluidity as your finger play . Why do people start music in the first place ? Isnt that why ? to ENJOY the SOUND of what they play!

If you choose to learn entirely by well known commerical  songs you will soon end up in " ONELY CHALLENGE" department rather than the "ENJOYING" department because of the technical complexity of your average ( even "easy" ) pop song.

 Green day , Eric clapton etc etc are not the only people in this world who write music enjoyable to play , depsite what music publishers would have you believe. Most "big name bands or solo artists" dont write their music at all. Its the quiet songwriter behind the scenes that does it . Did you know that the songwriter for some of Back Street boys songs' is Scandinavian ? ,,,and the list goes on . What I'm trying to say is yes they perform really well , but there are 1000's of musicians writing music just as well , but in the world of mass marketing of a chosen few they will never be heard.

Publishers simply publish those Top 40 beginner pop  books because the lure , they know well , will tempt you to think that in 6 months in an EZ play book you can sound like eric Clapton . And yes you will but in 2 years time if you work consistently , Not in 6 months Also they would rather hire less arrangers and market them on worldwide cscale as "big names" .Why are there about a dozen well known beginner "methods" for each instrument and yet literally 1000's of professional music teachers like me arrnaging songs for their pupils EVERY DAY ?

The best example of this is when we go back and see that Vivaldi Bach Mozart were all essentially MUSIC TEACHERS. Almost EVERYTHING they ever wrote was intended for their pupils. Later on the big music publishing companies came along and made a fortune that none of them ever saw out of thier music. In the realm of classical music things are changing because all of that music is copyright free and no longer do  publishers amass such large fortunes as digital websites publish it mostly  for free.

Its a pity contemporary artists have never bothered to explain to people that their music SHOULD NEVER be transcribed into EZ play versions for people who have learnt for less than a year . ( With a few exceptions ..One of them is "Tears in Heaven " .Only a VERY few pop songs are technically simple like that one.  Classical composers would have been horrified ( worried for the students sake)  to see EZ play versions for their pupils as they wrote everything for their pupils to suit the EXACT skill level they were at.

The artists make more money it's true ,,LOL Id better be carteful what I say as I know were all there fans too including me

Trying to teach these commercial versions even the EZ Play to my pupils I found that there were just too many new  fingering positions  and new counting and new notes in each "average pop song. They were designed to be sung anyway .  Its a lot easier jumping around high and low and in complicated rhythms when singing, rather than fingering these notes on a keyboard or piano, as singing comes naturally to everyone than asking your fingers to move around like that  !

So my message is the most unpopular one . be patient .

It is possible to play keyboard music in contemporary styles as a beginner but years of teaching from books made me as it has all music teachers continually look for more contemporary styles in easier beginner arrangements.

But even EZ play books and playing with the accompaniments are tricky.

I could find very little over the years that beginner students didnt struggle with to play in time . And that was when I started writing keyboard sheet music solos in print now see here  for music lesson purposes. these are becoming digital now to adapt for online courses, with sound ,,better explanations and so on

But Id suggest you visit around here  .

write to me when  youve seen and tried out a little of  the material at the site. If youre keen as soon as you have a problem let me know rather than waiting and getting confused !

Enjoy.