Fundamentals!

[Shonsteez]

Yo i nver thought id be in a piano class or any music class for that matter since i was a kid takin guitar lessons back in tha day, but here i am and its actually pretty dope!...At first i felt outa place, and then once tha semester started to roll - it jus started to feel natural.
Im actually looking foward to what i can gain now from this class since music is my choice of profession. Anyways, jus thought id say whats goin down lately, and hopefully ill be able to apply my new knowledge in future music to come!

STEEZ

 

[classic]

Great man welcome to the pianst club. Make sure u get a book and practice you "hannon" exercises. Get at me if u need any info.

class.....

 

[Shonsteez]

Yeah thanks Class...Im actually more inclined to learn pentatonic and blues type ish. But all info is really needed at tha stage im at so...

 

[MadScientist]

any kind of musical training in my opinion only helps you with your craft ..... I was in the drumline all through high school and I learned so much ..... I also thought about learning piano but never could find the time ..... keep it up steez.

 

[Sacred One]

is it a way u can learn with out going to classes, cuz u kno I am poor and out of school, so help a brotha out if u kno like any programs or anything.

 

[StressWon]

Thats dope Steez,,,stay with it,,,ya got the talent already!

 

[classic]

hannon

Yeah thanks Class...Im actually more inclined to learn pentatonic and blues type ish. But all info is really needed at tha stage im at so...

well, actually this would be the best stage to practice hannon exercises. Its something u can do own your own. It really has nothing to do with music theory at all or classical music at all. Its more like strength training

Hannon is basically a group of set scales that you play in progression. Each scale has a sligly different pattern. The purpose of this is to strengthen you fingers and improve you independent finger movement as well as hand movement. it also helps your finger placement with chords

So u see, it goes hand in hand with what your learning now. I’m not trying to be a know it all or anything but this is something that ALL pianist practice, from jazz to classical.

This is also, the number one reason why most people quit playing the piano. They practice all day on simple notes and chords(which is good) but they dont stregthen their fingers. So there fore they can never move on to more advance music(even after years)

You ever wonder how those jazz. blues or classical pianist play those fast ass riff's or scales.
its those hannon exercises!!

Hope this helps

Class….

 

[classic]

is it a way u can learn with out going to classes, cuz u kno I am poor and out of school, so help a brotha out if u kno like any programs or anything.

it is possibe but honestly its extermly diffcult. inorder to learn the piano properly (IMO) i think u need some sort of formal training. U dont have to meet everyday but u do need somebody to teach you fingering,chourdstucture,scales etc.

Now if you have musical training with another instrement (not including drums)u may be able to get away with it. But if this is your first musical instrament u need some sort of musical training.

class....

 

[Shonsteez]

Cool thanks Class!...I really havent been introduced yet to Hannon scales, but im sure ill get to do some soon,...ill do a google search for them so i can fuck with it on my own time tho, thanks for tha pointer!

STEEZ....ps thanks for tha support Stress.

 

[SpinDoctor]

yo im starting to learn the piano too soon, im booking some lessons today

 

[benny beatz]

im takin music theory 1 this semester... also taking another class ur required to take with it, called musicianship... 1st day was yesterday, we did like a test to see what we knew and i definitely have a long way to go... i really barely know the music notation from when i played piano in elementary school... i wish FL Studio had like the the traditional staff in it so it could help me get up on my knowledge of the treble and bass clefs... im also takin 3 other full classes with mad reading and writing so it looks like im gonna be workin pretty hard this semester

 

[Shonsteez]

Yer kinda on tha same path as i am Benny...What university are u attending?

 

[classic]

just a little info about theory....

im takin music theory 1 this semester... also taking another class ur required to take with it, called musicianship... 1st day was yesterday, we did like a test to see what we knew and i definitely have a long way to go... i really barely know the music notation from when i played piano in elementary school... i wish FL Studio had like the the traditional staff in it so it could help me get up on my knowledge of the treble and bass clefs... im also takin 3 other full classes with mad reading and writing so it looks like im gonna be workin pretty hard this semester

Thats great man

But i tell this to everybody. No amount of music theroy or practice is going to substitute for talent. And there is a big difference between playing music and creating music

For example cats in my old music classes could play bach,chopin,etc with there eyes closed. They knew everything about cationic scales to schornburges 12 tone scale system. The could quote relative majors and minors all the key signatures. But if you ask them to come up with a melody on there own, they would suck.

Basically it has to be in you. Most of the time when people learn music theory etc. It just explains what your already doing naturally. Another example of this is afriuqe, i was listening to one of his beats and i noticed that he has excellent progression as well as perfect bridges that always correspond to the relative minor of the key signature that the beat is in.

I asked him if he knew he was doing any of this and basically said " i just do it till it sounds right", That pretty much sums it up man. U have to have the natural ability in the first place in order for learning theory to help.

“You can train your whole life to be a world class sprinter but speed is something your born with”
--Carl lewis

Creating music and composition skills work the same way. You can learn all the theory in the world but it dosent mean its going to make u a “better” compser of musican

I see and hear a lot of cats on here(as well as other places) thinking that learning the piano or theory is gonna be there “magic wand” to make them better producers. Well ,im sorry to say but its not.
Basically u have to have the talent and compersiton skills naturally in order for the theory to have any effect on you.

I don’t want u guys to think I am being negative or anything I just wanted to state my experinces

Classs…..

 

[Shonsteez]

Word up Class.

 

[Dysphuncktional]

classic, we are so on the same wavelength with this shit. The only thing i didnt completely agree with was having to have formal training to learn piano. Prince, Stevie Wonder, and Tori Amos to name just a few played godlike even before/if they ever got formal training, know what im saying. That does correspend with what you said about having to have it in you, though I too have recently learned how to play piano (well, that takes mad years, but you know what i mean, i know my chords and scales and some finger techinques and shit, lets jus say i got at least the *basics* down lol). Music theory alone helped me alot with this (and i am just a very fast learner) plus years of learning/playing guitar on pure feeling helped too.

I so agreed with you about the necessity of the combination being necessary to make good music. I have so many discussion with talented (yet very naorrowminded and ignorant) musicians, who refuse te learn theory, and imply that I am using 'premade' chord progressions (this is not true, it is is not prescribed, but it is described, get what im saying, playing basic 1-4-5 or 2-4-1 or whatever progressions helps your ass learn piano), and they think it is a bunch of rules taht will limit them. i get mad pissed of at these cats first of all for implying that i am some kind of lame petty ass conformists who relys on some theory (i learned theory quite recently, fucked with music for mad years) and second of all for being so arrogant as to think that centurys old constantly expanding music theory will have nothing new to teach them. i mean people who do the natural thing as you say can get very far and make nice shit, very nice shit, but music theory tought me a bunch of new shit i didnt even know about, know what i mean? and it is fun to see after learning theory how well your music actually conforms to theory even before you knew about, like your example of afrique. i had that same thing. anyway , ican rant at this shit all day long im out!

p.s. word up on the hannon excersises, im gonna look that up and practice, been wondering what i could do to strengthen my fingers.

 

[Shonsteez]

Dammit Class, yer pissin people off already in my humble thread here!!...lol....I got what u meant Dys, no worries.

 

[SyN]

any kind of musical training in my opinion only helps you with your craft ..... I was in the drumline all through high school and I learned so much ..... I also thought about learning piano but never could find the time ..... keep it up steez.

yo mad... what did you play on the drumline... i did the same thing... i used to be on the Quints/Tenors... I MISS THAT SHIT!!!

 

[benny beatz]

i dropped my theory class already... the other class that went with it was so wack. like learning basic beats and singing do re mi and shit

 

[SyN]

benny... maybe that is something that can help you further your career as a producer? or do you already know all of that stuff already?

 

[Ominous]

I am all about cheating.

I bought one of those Big Gag Books of Piano CHords. It has pictures of hand positions and highlights the keys you play. I plan on learning how to play but for now I am all about cheating.

I wanted to learn how to play the guitar so I was gonna by my girl one of those Estaban Guitars I see on TV all the time. But then someone told me that was the crappyiest sets of strings you can buy...