Hello,

Im totally new to keyboarding and got an Xp-60. Ive picked up really fast, its most likely due to my skills typing. My fingures are fast (my left is quite a bit slower). I can pound away and improvise to make something to sound pretty good but what id like to know is there any online practice guide to keyboarding? Im having a hard time having my left and right had to play in sync because my right is so much faster.

Thanks!

Phil

You must be right handed. You will need to exercise your left playing skills by concentrating on your left hand playing. Put some effort into it. If you can, try and increase your left hand skills by playing an extra hour or more devoted to your left hand playing. You may need to use just your left hand during this time. No right hand playing at all.

Here is a good site that has free Piano and Keyboard lessons with the option of getting the full version lessons on CDROM/DVD and also even from the web site I believe.

Play Piano Today

Happy playing,
Mike

[This message has been edited by keybplayer (edited 12-22-2004).]

Phil,

To keep things super simple for you, the BEST way to improve your left hand is to practice your scales. You must practice with both hands, all twelve keys, start at 60 bpm or slower until you can navigate the keys and the scale perfectly without making a mistake. Get a hold of a good all around beginner piano book and learn the fingering for the scales. If you practice this 1 hour a day, you will improve your fingering and synchronization of both hands dramatically.
Don't be discouraged if it doesn't happen in 2, 3, or even 8 months. You have to have the mindset that keyboard playing is for the long haul. If you want to get up to speed quickly, then you must practice your scales 4-6 hours a day (this was quoted from my teacher!).

Good Luck and Have Fun
Al

..... and in the words of my accordion teacher who started me on this wonderful music journey MANY years ago ...
"Practice doesn't make perfect ... only PERFECT practice makes perfect"
t.

I would only like to add a general practice comment; Practice what you can not do now. Don't practice what you can do. You want improve that much. I fell(fall) into this trap. When I first started learning I couldn't play anything but I was determined to learn. I kept playing the same things over and over until I mastered them. Mostly this was sheet music. I'd be careful to play every single note written in the proper timing. I had to play a very slow tempo until I could get it right. But once I was able to play pieces quickly, that's all I did. I stopped challenging myself. Oh I enjoyed playing. But I should have been getting better and I wasn't. It's only when I'm forced into something I'm uncomfortable with, that I learn.

So to continue improving, practice things you can not do. Set a time aside for practice. Like 30 mins a day or an hour a day, or what ever you have to set aside. I mean to seperate your practice sessions from you rehearsal sessions. To me rehearsal is going over the songs I'll be doing for an upcoming gig or worship service, but practice is playing things I can not do. And practicing scales is a great way to practice!

Bob
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I was thinking about this thread over the holidays. What a great philosophy from Bob (RW). If you don't challenge yourself, you won't grow. "So to continue improving, practice things you can not do."
Sorry for resurrecting this old post.
Starkeeper

Interresting topic. I thought I had it all figured out when I was playing on much smaller and less complicated keyboards. My left hand knew all the chords (with a little help from my good friend the Transpose Button) and I didn't have to think about what I was supposed to be doing. But then I got into more complicated keyboards. And all of a sudden my left hand wasn't only for playing chords anymore but had to do things like trigger fills and multi pads and all the other things Yamaha places on the left side of the keyboard. But after much practice I mastered that too.

In a way it's like learning a new language, at first you have to translate every word in your mind, but later when it 'clicks', you stop thinking about it and just speak naturally.

So ... just like anyone else here said... don't give up and practice practice practice (and have FUN doing so!)

Don

I believe that the ONLY method of practice that really works is to play each excercise (at ANY tempo)till you can play it 100% correctly. My clarinet teacher taught me that way and it works. Take a phrase that's difficult or new to you and play it at ANY tempo that you can get through it .... even if it's 5 BPM! It doesn't matter how fast at first, but get it right, or don;t move on. Once you DO get ot right .... start increasing the tempo till you get it up to the correct speed.

This follows that "perfect practice" technique that was mentioned earlier. Follow Billy Joel's advice - "Get it right the first time, that's the main thing"

Pennywizz6...here is a good link that may be of value to you...http://psrtutorial.com/
go here and click on to the lesson link...I'm
sure it will be usefull to you....