tm21
08-11-2009, 01:16 PM
Hey guys,
I'm new to the forum, but the site is fantastic. There is so much information and Willie presents it all in such a relaxed and informal manner. He is far and away the best teacher I've ever seen. At times I feel like he's a mindreader because he totally anticipates the exact problems I'll have and then addresses them.
I just wanted to get some advice/opinions from the good people here about learning piano. I'm working my way through the Blues and Boogie series and suddenly it dawned on me that I'm playing exclusively in the key of C. The blues series is done entirely in the Key of C and I would not expect Willie to show us how to play the blues in all 11 keys. But does anyone else feel hugely intimidated by the fact that there are 11 other keys, each with a major and minor pentatonic scale, a major diatonic scale, a minor diatonic scale, a harmonic minor scale, a melodic minor scale etc etc. Not to mention the huge number of chords AND chord inversions. I mean with inversions you have three, four, five even more different hand positions to remember just to play one chord! While I may be able to perform the mental gymnastics required to figure what notes are in a needed chord or a scale, I can't imagine how a gigging musician is able to automatically do these calculations instantaneously, for smooth, seamless playing.
I know most of you guys are seasoned pros, but does anyone have some advice on working through these keys for an adult beginner with about half a year of playing under his belt? For instance, are there a few commonly used keys which I should really try to nail down? As a guitarist I know that a ton of blues songs are in the keys of E, A or D. Are there similarly frequented keys for piano (other than the key of C)? I just really wanna know what things a "respectable" piano player should know to get by - a survival guide of the essentials I guess is what I'm after. I'm at a point where I can play all the major diatonic scales, but I'm not sure where to go next.
I know this has been a long-winded post about something rather vague, but any help will really be appreciated. Thanks everyone!
I'm new to the forum, but the site is fantastic. There is so much information and Willie presents it all in such a relaxed and informal manner. He is far and away the best teacher I've ever seen. At times I feel like he's a mindreader because he totally anticipates the exact problems I'll have and then addresses them.
I just wanted to get some advice/opinions from the good people here about learning piano. I'm working my way through the Blues and Boogie series and suddenly it dawned on me that I'm playing exclusively in the key of C. The blues series is done entirely in the Key of C and I would not expect Willie to show us how to play the blues in all 11 keys. But does anyone else feel hugely intimidated by the fact that there are 11 other keys, each with a major and minor pentatonic scale, a major diatonic scale, a minor diatonic scale, a harmonic minor scale, a melodic minor scale etc etc. Not to mention the huge number of chords AND chord inversions. I mean with inversions you have three, four, five even more different hand positions to remember just to play one chord! While I may be able to perform the mental gymnastics required to figure what notes are in a needed chord or a scale, I can't imagine how a gigging musician is able to automatically do these calculations instantaneously, for smooth, seamless playing.
I know most of you guys are seasoned pros, but does anyone have some advice on working through these keys for an adult beginner with about half a year of playing under his belt? For instance, are there a few commonly used keys which I should really try to nail down? As a guitarist I know that a ton of blues songs are in the keys of E, A or D. Are there similarly frequented keys for piano (other than the key of C)? I just really wanna know what things a "respectable" piano player should know to get by - a survival guide of the essentials I guess is what I'm after. I'm at a point where I can play all the major diatonic scales, but I'm not sure where to go next.
I know this has been a long-winded post about something rather vague, but any help will really be appreciated. Thanks everyone!