Learning Keyboard / Piano

[Creativemind]

Hi Everyone!

Can anyone recommend a good set of tutorials for You Tube to learn the keyboard / piano please?

Any other tips would be handy too. I did try a few years ago doing daily practice but gave up after a week or so. The first things I can still remember are that the hands have to be relaxed, I was told, you have to imagine holding a hamster out in front of you and you obviously don't want to squeeze it and hurt it so that's how relaxed your hands have to be. Also gonna start memorising what note every key is, so I know them all off by heart, I currently only know C and A. Do you think it's worth labelling the keys with stickers?

Thanks!

[Aosta]

Here are a few youtube channels I follow

https://www.youtube.com/@contemporaryschoolofpiano

https://www.youtube.com/@PianoteOfficial

[Creativemind]

Here are a few youtube channels I follow

https://www.youtube.com/@contemporaryschoolofpiano

https://www.youtube.com/@PianoteOfficial

They aren't really beginner courses though.

Just been practicing and my left hand is really stiff.

[Aosta]

Those channels are for all levels.

[Benedict]

This is a course on Harmony which is hand-in-hand with the ivory-tickling thing.

Start right at the beginning. Playing is a knowing-feeling thing, NOT a technical thing. "Technique" players (often called showoffs) are a dime a dozen yet never achieve much past some oohs & aahs on Instaham. Once you feel how the structure of Harmony works, it starts to flow.

https://benedictroffmarsh.com/2023/08/0 ... effective/

[Creativemind]

Those channels are for all levels.

Good first video there. I have that C scale with both hands almost totally fluent now.

[Mistro17]

Back in 2017 when I decided to get serious about learning how to play the keyboard, I got started by watching Bill Hilton's videos and they helped me get started. His teaching style is straightforward and easy to follow. Fingering position helps a lot to not be all over the place making playing through chords much easier.

I watched a few others too including some listed above. But what really got me going was learning music theory fundamentals. Understanding the circle of fifths really opened up the keyboard to me and everything started coming together once you know how it all is relative. Like stop looking at the notes on the keyboard as fixed sounds and think more in terms of intervals (relationships between pitches). Any note can be anywhere on a scale for example a C can be the tonic in the key of C (1st) or it can be a 4th in the key of G or it can be a 5th in the key of F etc. Then when making chord progressions, think in terms of 1-7 or 1-8 (an octave) Example 1-5-6-4. Use some dice (like 2-6 of them) to play a game and play the chords according to the dice order. That's just a few tips at the top of my head atm.

And for me personally, I find it helps not to get too technical about it. Once you understand the fundamentals, just have fun.

[WOO]

I find this youtubers videos helpful. Search for martin finn piano on youtube BTW he has videos geared toward beginners.