What are some good recommendations for someone wanting to learn piano/keyboards?

I can play guitar and would like to challenge myself to learn a new instrument. Any tips would be helpful along the way as well

A lot to unpack here. Keyboards are difficult instruments to play, and it'll take time. So, first off, don't buy the most expensive keyboard. A cheap one will do for now.

1) ALWAYS practice with proper form. Keep your back straight with good posture, and always have curvature in your fingers. My parents used to say that I had dinosaur eggs under my fingers that would be crushed if I played with straight fingers. Of course, the kid me couldn't allow that to happen;

2) You'll probably get the most benefit out of being able to follow chord changes as opposed to developing technical mastery, so study the circle of fifths, and be able to play the chords. Then, practice cadences to cement the chords and most common chord changes of 1 sharp or flat up or down;

3) Play scales in whatever style of music you want to play, e.g. major and minor, blues, etc.;

4) Try to play songs you like either by transcribing them for keyboard or playing the exact notes if there's a keyboard part in the song. The more you do this, the more instinctively you'll be able to play by ear.

I hope this helps, and please give updates on your progress!

Use a metronome when applicable. Especially scales.

I keep putting off relearning to play.

Buy a full 88-key piano with weighted keys.

Do NOT buy a smaller keyboard with non-weighted keys. You need to have access to all the keys and control of your finger pressure.

In my opinion, the best cost effective keyboard manufacture is Yamaha. I bought my Yamaha Keyboard for around $700 with built-in speakers and 88 weighted keys. I also found the Yamaha had the best sounding keys.

If you are a guitar player, you should have a basic understanding of keys and scales. Start there and just learn the keys. They are easier to learn than the frets on a guitar. To this day, I use the method I learned when I was taking lessons when I was 8 Years old.

It really wouldn't hurt to take real lessons so you don't fall into any bad habits like how you sit and your form.

The hardest part will be learning to play with both hands. A tip I would give you that I was taught by my grandfather was to not play the 3rd in the middle of your chord when you are below middle C. It will washout and make the chord sound muddy. With your left hand, play the root, the 5th, and the octave instead. To spice it up, roll the root, 5th, octave, and then cross your 3 finger over and play the 3rd as the highest note.

Really, it's not any different from guitar. Learn your scales, chords, and arpeggios. Learn your circle of 5ths so you can add great stuff to your playing. Learn songs you want to learn.

DallasTeleAg said:

---

Buy a full 88-key piano with weighted keys.

Do NOT buy a smaller keyboard with non-weighted keys. You need to have access to all the keys and control of your finger pressure.

In my opinion, the best cost effective keyboard manufacture is Yamaha. I bought my Yamaha Keyboard for around $700 with built-in speakers and 88 weighted keys. I also found the Yamaha had the best sounding keys.

If you are a guitar player, you should have a basic understanding of keys and scales. Start there and just learn the keys. They are easier to learn than the frets on a guitar. To this day, I use the method I learned when I was taking lessons when I was 8 Years old.

It really wouldn't hurt to take real lessons so you don't fall into any bad habits like how you sit and your form.

The hardest part will be learning to play with both hands. A tip I would give you that I was taught by my grandfather was to not play the 3rd in the middle of your chord when you are below middle C. It will washout and make the chord sound muddy. With your left hand, play the root, the 5th, and the octave instead. To spice it up, roll the root, 5th, octave, and then cross your 3 finger over and play the 3rd as the highest note.

Really, it's not any different from guitar. Learn your scales, chords, and arpeggios. Learn your circle of 5ths so you can add great stuff to your playing. Learn songs you want to learn.

---

Great advice. Would just add, you should spend $800-$1300 for a new keyboard piano worth learning to play on. Roland is a good introductory brand too.

I like the feel of a real piano and have found great deals on Craig's list for real console pianos under $400 that just require tuning and can be moved by 3-4 people easily multiple times. I will probably buy a digital piano at some point though so I can play with headphones in and not wake up the rest of the house.

Don't mean to derail, but I posted something similarly on the Nerdery Board looking for online resources for my 7 & 8 year old to learn to play. I imagine any online resources can be used by both adults and kids so this shouldn't be too much of a hijak .

https://texags.com/forums/30/topics/3253942

Quote:

---

Hello, we're strongly considering getting the Roland Piano package from CostCo for the family for Christmas and are struggling with how to teach our kids how to play. I know how to play, but am hardly a teacher. Also where we live (Alaska) there aren't many teachers, there's only a few in town and there's a long wait list to get them signed up.

I'd expect there to be a ton of material online/youtube but it seems that most of the content are samples built to pull you into their "online training programs". With that said, as an adult I could probably fumble my way through and learn similar to how I did a guitar (for which there is a lot more free content, why so snobby piano?!). My kids are ages 7 & 8 so it'd have to be easy/fun to keep them entertained. I'll for sure be there to supplement and help keep them going however as I learned during COVID, they don't learn from us parents very well.

I appreciate any recommendations before paying fees and committing to a training program. Thanks.

---