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Piano Lessons Begin This Week


I am trying a couple of things related to the piano. One is semi-regular piano lessons with a local teacher. The other is online jazz piano/theory lessons with a jazz pianist and teacher.

Yesterday evening was the first of my lessons with the local teacher. I mainly want someone to oversee my progress as I learn the classical/romantic/baroque/etc. pieces I want to learn, starting with Chopin's Nocturne in F minor (Op. 55, No. 1).

Trouble in Paradise ... Already

From the moment I played my first note at yesterday's lesson, I knew something was wrong. The piano felt wrong. The sound was wrong--almost out of tune. Everything was wrong. But I went through the lesson and cringed my way through the nocturne I've been working on. There was no evenness, and often there would be no sound at all, even though I was pressing down on the keys.

I made it through, and after that, I asked if I could play some of the other pianos at the piano store. Sure, they said. So I went to a Steinway, and then to another Steinway, and then to a Young Chang grand that I'd fallen in love with a few months ago.

Same thing. Unresponsive keys, slightly out-of-tune sound.

And I realized something terrible: Working on a digital has wrecked my "feel" for a real piano. Even though the keys on my digital are weighted, they don't have near the resistance of an acoustic piano, so I've become accustomed to using a certain amount of pressure to effect certain ranges of sound.

I had planned to blog about my lesson today, but all I can think about is how foreign the real piano felt to me, after just a couple of months of playing on a digital. I'm sure I will get the feel back ... someday. But I'm not going to be able to afford a real piano for a couple of years at least.

I think the digital will still be great for learning jazz theory and harmonies, and for learning to improvise. But it's going to be a challenge for learning Chopin, Schubert, Mozart, Bach, and Liszt. I may have to find a back-up piano, maybe at a local church, that I can practice on from time to time.

About Yesterday's Lesson

It was mostly an introduction and a discussion of goals (which I'm still trying to figure out). I will continue working on the Chopin, and the teacher would like me to pick another piece, one that I can learn quickly and have under my belt in just a few weeks. I told him I'd love to brush up on either The Entertainer or Maple Leaf Rag -- not easy pieces, but I've learned them both in the past, and my main issue for now is that they're just very sloppy. I'd also like to work on Vince Guaraldi's "Linus and Lucy," one of those pieces I've always wanted to learn but have never even tried. I have a feeling it's not as easy as it sounds. I guess I'll find out, if that's the piece I decide to do next.

And that's about it. Tomorrow night is my lesson with the jazz pianist!


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old lady said…
Yikes!
2:04 PM
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