Engineers and learning piano playing?

[Bill]

There are things "engineering types" are good at and things they are not
good at...

With me I'm not good at learning to play a piano / reading music!

I'm reading about "music notation" and it makes no sense whatsoever to me!

It is like a computer keyboard without the letters written on the keys!
Or a calculator without the numbers written on the keys!

So that was the first thing I did, was write the letters on the keys.

Then I found music which is a list of letters. Like this...

Batman... d d c* c* c c c* c*(x 3) d d c* c* c c* d g g f* f* f
f
f* f* g g f* f* f f* g d d c* c* c c c* c* d d c* c*
c c* d a a g* g* g g* a g g f* f* f f* g d d c* c*
c c* d (fg) (fg)

The above make a lot more sense to me???????

Suggestions?

 

[James Sweet]

There are things "engineering types" are good at and things they are not
good at...

With me I'm not good at learning to play a piano / reading music!

I'm reading about "music notation" and it makes no sense whatsoever to me!

It is like a computer keyboard without the letters written on the keys!
Or a calculator without the numbers written on the keys!

So that was the first thing I did, was write the letters on the keys.

Then I found music which is a list of letters. Like this...

Batman... d d c* c* c c c* c*(x 3) d d c* c* c c* d g g f* f* f
f
f* f* g g f* f* f f* g d d c* c* c c c* c* d d c* c*
c c* d a a g* g* g g* a g g f* f* f f* g d d c* c*
c c* d (fg) (fg)

The above make a lot more sense to me???????

Suggestions?

That's funny, I once did something similar, put labels on the keys and
then found I could learn to play basic tunes really easily by just
memorizing the sequences. I have no musical talent to speak of, I can't
listen to a tune and then play it back, but I can play something if
learn the particular sequence.

My brother on the other hand got very little of my engineering ability
and apparently all the musical talent and plays a number of different
instruments proficiently. There's an interesting program out there
called Piano Booster. It's free and combined with a MIDI keyboard gives
you something of a Guitar Hero type game concept only with a piano.

 

[Rich.]

That's funny, I once did something similar, put labels on the keys and
then found I could learn to play basic tunes really easily by just
memorizing the sequences. I have no musical talent to speak of, I can't
listen to a tune and then play it back, but I can play something if learn
the particular sequence.

http://www.evilgenius.net/asciibin.html
01010100 01101111 00100000 01100101 01100001 01100011 01101000 00100000
01101000 01101001 01110011 00100000 01101111 01110111 01101110 00101110

 

[Bill]

I found a solution to this problem. I even started playing a bit of piano
tonight!

There is a thing called "piano tabs" which is simply a string of characters
you type on the piano like this...

3|--------c---c---c---|-c-----c---c---c---|-c-----c---c---c---|

You just press the piano key "c" for the above. The above is the beginning
of the "Wedding March".

Then there will be several lines if there are multiple keys to press at the
same time like this...

3|--g----g---g---g---g----g----|-
3|--e----------------e----e----|-
3|--c----------------c---------|-

However I've improved on the above system! The existing system uses groups
of 7 keys on the piano and the number 3 above indicates this is the 3rd
group of 7 keys (aka octaves). And that you would press the "c" in that 3rd
group of 7 keys.

Here is a picture of the way to label the keys on the piano using the above
system...
http://tabnabber.com/documents/keyMaps/49keymap.gif

Note that the letters repeat themselves. (c, d, e, f, g, a, b)

So I just labeled each set of letters on my piano keys so each group looks
separate. The first set of letters is smaller and higher up on the keys. The
next set lower. The next set larger letters. The next set higher up, etc.
(Whatever to distinguish the sets.)

So you can clearly see where each group of 7 keys starts and ends.

Then I numbered the sets with numbers above each letter. 1 above each letter
for the first set, 2 above each letter for the second set, etc. (Instead of
writing 1a, 1b, 1c, etc.)

Next I took highlighter pens and colored the piano keys for group 2 yellow
and all the piano keys for group 4 blue.

Then on the "piano tabs" music, I can now highlight the rows of letters to
be played in the 2nd yellow section yellow and the rows of letters to be
played in the 4th blue section blue.

The white 3rd section would be in-between yellow and blue highlighter. And
the white 1st and 5th sections above or below the yellow and blue
highlighter.

So EZ to see which section in which to press the key now!

Here is the "piano tabs" music for the Wedding March"....
http://tabnabber.com/view_Tab.asp?tabID=6668&sArtist=Misc&sName=Wedding+march

Here is the instructions for using the piano tabs notation system
(simple!)...
http://tabnabber.com/documents/howtoreadtabs.asp

Following is all about the regular music notation system which is impossible
to understand. In the very first part of the following, it says "When only
one part (or voice) is written on the staff...".

Well it lost me right there! What is a "staff"? And it goes on to use all
sorts of terms which I don't know the meaning of! (Explain these things
please!)
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/19499/19499-h/19499-h.htm

Then the link below explains the details of what everything with regular
music sheets means, but I would have to spend quite a bit of time
"translating" all these symbols to say the least!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_musical_symbols

 

[James Sweet]

Learning piano and learning to read music notation
is like learning to touch type.
Putting labels on the keys is the wrong way to do it.
You need to learn the names of all the keys by sight
and touch, some Grade 1 music theory, and practise scales
(eg. C major first). Get some lessons.
After many hours you will gradually improve,
like learning any musical instrument.
The hard part is letting music become part of
your psyche. That's when you can recognise
sequences of notes and different types of chords
when listening to music on the radio or TV.

HTH, Glenn.


on a keyboard without looking at the keyboard.

I guess it depends on how serious one is about really learning.

I learned to type by looking at the keyboard, then eventually I had to
look less and less until I didn't have to look anymore at all. Instant
messaging is really what did it, these days even little kids are doing that.

 

[J. B. Wood]

There are things "engineering types" are good at and things they are not
good at...

With me I'm not good at learning to play a piano / reading music!

I'm reading about "music notation" and it makes no sense whatsoever to me!

It is like a computer keyboard without the letters written on the keys!
Or a calculator without the numbers written on the keys!

So that was the first thing I did, was write the letters on the keys.

Then I found music which is a list of letters. Like this...

Batman... d d c* c* c c c* c*(x 3) d d c* c* c c* d g g f* f* f
f
f* f* g g f* f* f f* g d d c* c* c c c* c* d d c* c*
c c* d a a g* g* g g* a g g f* f* f f* g d d c* c*
c c* d (fg) (fg)

The above make a lot more sense to me???????

Suggestions?

Hello, and unless you are devoid of any musical ability (like some of the
current crop of pop singers?), it really dosn't matter what your day job
is. Stop "engineering" your musical training. And if you really want to
become a good musician don't DIY. Find a good piano teacher and practice,
practice, practice. The teacher can correct your bad habits before they
become ingrained. I'm an EE by profession but I don't try and mix that
and music theory and musicianship. BTW the usenet groups
rec.music.makers.piano and rec.music.theory can at times be useful.
Sincerely,

John Wood (Code 5550) e-mail: [email protected]
Naval Research Laboratory
4555 Overlook Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20375-5337

 

[Bill]

I found something else I can understand. Music notation for computers!

This is my language! Logical and scientific...

It is called ABC music notation...

Tutorial Part 1...
http://www.lesession.co.uk/pf/abc_notation.htm

Tutorial Part 2...
http://www.lesession.co.uk/pf/abc_notation_part2.htm

ABC Music Example: Take Me Out to the Ball Game...
http://back.numachi.com:8000/dtrad/abc/TAKEBALL.abc

 

[Archimedes' Lever]

AS AN ENGINEER YOU CAN PLAY THE BASS INSTRUMENT IF YOU ARE A HANDS ON
TYPE

That leaves you out.

IT IS LIKE A GUITAR BUT DEEPER

You wouldn't know

THOUGH COMPUTERS HAVE COME A LONG WAY

You wouldn't know.

JUST DESIGNING AND MAKNG MUSIC WITH A COMPUTER IS INGENIOUS ENOUGH FOR
A PROFESSIONAL AS SUCH

A perspective you will never have.

I AM PROTEUS

You are a goddamned group abusing retard.

 

[Bill]

BUT INSTEAD I SEE YOU ONLY ENJOY THE DEEP ANAL

PROBING...

Check out poster "Fast Larry" on rec.sport.billiard

He accuses others of similar things...

 

[Archimedes' Lever]

YYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
ARRRRRRRGH

I AM RETARDEUS

**** off, Retardeus

You hate what you do not understand, which basically leaves you hating
the entire world.