classical

TangTangTangTan · 01-11-2003, 01:02 PM

Hello there. I was wondering if you guys had some advice for a beginner piano player who wants to play classical (Bach, Beethoven).

thanks

Nathanael · 01-11-2003, 08:10 PM

Get a music teacher, get a book of JS Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier, do the exercises, and practice practice practice!

MVP · 01-13-2003, 03:52 PM

and learn your scales really, really well (especially for Beethoven and Mozart)

TangTangTangTan · 01-13-2003, 07:28 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by MVP
and learn your scales really, really well (especially for Beethoven and Mozart)

ahh....my piano teacher person is having me do this.

PianoMan · 01-20-2003, 11:14 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by TangTangTangTan
ahh....my piano teacher person is having me do this.

good! Another thing to do is get a book full of 1-2 line runs and play 1-2 a day, and only go on if you have played each of them perfectly. Great way to build up some sight reading skills which will help immensly later on.

Nate · 01-24-2003, 09:42 AM

Get a piano teacher. Get Hanon's Virtuoso Pianist in Sixty Exercises and start going through a couple of the exercises. Learn ALL of your scales in ALL keys - major, natural minor, harmonic minor, melodic minor, and maybe even major and minor pentatonic. Learn ALL of your chords in ALL keys - major, minor, augmented, diminished, minor seventh, dominant seventh, major seventh, suspended fourth, suspended second, added ninth. Learn HOW to form a chord that you haven't learned yet. Learn HOW to play a scale that you haven't memorized yet. Learn what makes up each kind of chord/scale. Learn what "Key of C", "Key of Am", etc means. Learn your key signatures. Analyze some of the music that you like and figure out what kind of chords and chord progressions it uses.

That ought to get you started.

In His love,
Nate

smitty2622 · 01-24-2003, 01:24 PM

That ought to get you started.

Yea for about ten years:klol: :klol:

Peace

PianoMan · 01-24-2003, 03:07 PM

Don't get discouraged by all that - its helpful but not absolutley nessesary. I only know the basic major, minor, and interval scales and the major and minor chords, but i'm still considered very advanced. All that stuff is essential mostly if you are doing inprov (though it is good to know it)

Nate · 01-24-2003, 07:09 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by smitty2622
Yea for about ten years:klol: :klol:

Awww.. c'mon, Smitty. I've only been playing about four or five years and I've already got at least 90% of that stuff under control.

In His love,
Nate

P.S. to TTTT,
Seriously, don't let this discourage you. I know it sounds like a monumental task at first, but stick with it and I promise you will see improvement. Of course, the most important thing to do is practice.

FIForever · 02-04-2003, 09:52 PM

I use the Royal Conservatory of Canada books (no I am not Canadian and I do not live there). I have found them to be very good for classical piano. If you can get these I would recommend playing the Introductory and 1st grades. I'm in Grade 9 out of 10 in that program just to prove that you will get better! lol. Don't expect too much when you're just starting and to second everybody else: get a good teacher! I cannot stress that enough, it can make or break your piano experience.

most of all just have fun!