Computer Piano keyboard/lessons

[lisaann]

I've seen a couple of piano keyboards that you hook up to the computer and teach you how to play. I would be interested in something like this for my kids (we don't have a piano) but I'm not sure if they are worth the money.

Practical Homeschooling magazine had a review of My Piano Pack , by eMedia Music Corp., this past month that was less than stellar. One of the major complaints was that there was a latency between striking the note on the keyboard and hearing the sound on the computer. That would drive me buggy!

Have any of you tried anything like this and if so what are your thoughts?

I personally took piano for 8 years (hated every second of it and have no personal interest in it all all ) but I'm glad for the musical education that it gave me. I think my 8 yo dd would be the most interested in this. My mom is currently teaching her some piano but since we don't have a piano or keyboard ourselves she isn't able to practice. I like the thought of her being able to fire up the computer and learn while she's at home when ever she wants. If she's musically inclined I want to make sure she gets the education that she wants but I don't want to shove it down her throat, like it was mine, so that she ends up resenting it.

Here is a link to the one that I mentioned above:
http://www.emediamusic.com/mypiano.html

[NewWorldOrder]

I don't know anything about the ones you use on the computer. I went ahead and signed my 9 year old up for piano lessons with a private instructor. She has a masters in music, and she teaches out of her home for $70/mo. I didn't think that was too bad considering other instructors charge much more. I'm just going to get her a little electronic keyboard to practice on, then if she decides she really likes playing and gets proficient enough, then we'll buy a piano.

She's been bugging me for piano lessons for a while. She just seems to have an ear for music. She learned how to play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star on her harmonica without anybody teaching her, she just figured it out. Then she was playing with some online piano and figured out how to play the same tune, no effort. Then, she figured out how to play London Bridges on her little guitar, so, yea, it's time for music lessons.

[Lucy]

My son taught himself to play the piano with a Casio ctk-573 model keyboard. This model has a 3 step program that works with the unit. This is an older model but the newer model is pretty much the same. We got ours at Sam's and it came with the stand for about $150. Walmart carries them around Christmas each year.

[terrilynn]

I have a Master's in Piano Performance and have been a piano teacher for over 20 years----the answer to your question is really in how serious the student is going to be. If he or she is just wanting to learn to read music and tinker with playing the piano just for fun--these gadgets work fine--but if they are serious piano students and plan to be proficient and good pianist I say save your money for a good used piano. You cannot get a sense of touch from these gadgets and I will not teach a serious piano student who only has a keyboard--the touch is just not the same on a true piano. I do understand not wanting to invest in a piano until you know if your son or daughter will like and stick to the demanding process of learning to really play the piano--and for those I recommend renting for a year. I hope this helps.

[NewWorldOrder]

I have a Master's in Piano Performance and have been a piano teacher for over 20 years----the answer to your question is really in how serious the student is going to be. If he or she is just wanting to learn to read music and tinker with playing the piano just for fun--these gadgets work fine--but if they are serious piano students and plan to be proficient and good pianist I say save your money for a good used piano. You cannot get a sense of touch from these gadgets and I will not teach a serious piano student who only has a keyboard--the touch is just not the same on a true piano. I do understand not wanting to invest in a piano until you know if your son or daughter will like and stick to the demanding process of learning to really play the piano--and for those I recommend renting for a year. I hope this helps.

Well, for one, I have an extremely limited amount of space. Two, I'm not going to invest in something that could cost hundreds to thousands of dollars to buy, and possibly $100 or more per mo to rent, until I know if my child will actually stick with it. I understand where you are coming from, but most of us homeschoolers are on a shoestring budget.

[lisaann]

Thanks for the input so far. My dd is 8 and so far is notorious for getting into something and once she's done it she's ready to move on to something else. (I don't know where she gets this from ) That's why I'm looking for something that will satisfy her interest and teach her something without breaking our budget. My mom has a piano and is teaching her when she is over there but dd (and myself) are not to the point where we are ready to commit to regular lessons.

I would love to hear from someone who has actually tried one of these computer keyboards.

[Wally]

Just a note,

My FiL used to search the paper looking for used pianos and frequently found nice spinnets and consoles for $0 to $100, people just wanted to get rid of them. They will most likely need a tuning once put in place but some really good beginner pianos are out there.

Yamaha, Baldwin are the better names, but many small companies made nice small pianos - Gulbranson is ours.

[Chopin's Ghost]

Well I'm a pianist (if you couldn't guess by my username) and I wouldn't recommend teaching on a midi keyboard no matter how much of a beginner the student is. The reason is, the action of the keys and very different from a real piano and they will not be able to learn proper piano technique (and may even develop some bad habbits) due to the difference in touch.

It would probably be great for teaching ear training or music theory, but not piano-playing.

Just my 2 cents

[Wally]

CG, My favorites are the railroad Polonaise in A #6 (Heroic) and Barcarolle. I would sit silently and listen to my mom play her Steinway -Chopin, Brubeck, Joplin, Gershwin are my favorites.

Good choice. Mayde some Vince Giraldi too?

[Chopin's Ghost]

CG, My favorites are the railroad Polonaise in A #6 (Heroic) and Barcarolle. I would sit silently and listen to my mom play her Steinway -Chopin, Brubeck, Joplin, Gershwin are my favorites.

Good choice. Mayde some Vince Giraldi too?

My favorites are the etudes and nocturnes. I also love Fanz Liszt.

[BelovedChild]

I purchased a used piano from a friend at church and had my girls taught for a number of years. i also learnt for two years. my idea for the piano was that this is something that will carry over into old age. Sport will only do for a certain number of years, etc.

I have recently picked it up again this year. My youngest DS is also learning, plus eldest DGD. When I decided to restart lessons and Rebekah was due to start, I decided to ask Stephen if he wanted to learn. I explained that he would have to practise and he had one day to think it over. He decided to learn.

Any learning on the piano is not lost. Adults can go back to it or can begin learning if you never had the chance when you were a child.

Explain to your child the costs and the time needed. Give them a period of time to think it over. If they still want lessons in 3-6 months, go for it. By then, if it is only a superficial interest, he/she would have movedon to something else.

[Praise Warrior]

In addition to the cost of the piano and space, there is also the issue of tuning. My family has a piano and we've had to hire someone to come over and tune it every few years or so.

I think it would mostly matter what type of piano that is wanted to be learned regardless of seriousness. If you're interested in popular or contemporary music, a keyboard synthesizer might be more appropriate to learn on, or it may not matter. Classical piano would probably be better on a real one.

[Sing4Him]

I have a Master's in Piano Performance and have been a piano teacher for over 20 years----the answer to your question is really in how serious the student is going to be. If he or she is just wanting to learn to read music and tinker with playing the piano just for fun--these gadgets work fine--but if they are serious piano students and plan to be proficient and good pianist I say save your money for a good used piano. You cannot get a sense of touch from these gadgets and I will not teach a serious piano student who only has a keyboard--the touch is just not the same on a true piano. I do understand not wanting to invest in a piano until you know if your son or daughter will like and stick to the demanding process of learning to really play the piano--and for those I recommend renting for a year. I hope this helps.

Listen to this gal!

(would you accompany me? degree in voice here!)

[Diane 1611]

I have an Assoc. degree in music - I was going to be a music teacher but married my first husband and never got to complete my degree, nor was ever able to go back to school.

I have not tried a computer keyboard, but they probably don't have all 88 keys and like other posters have mentioned, the keys are not weighed, so the touch will be different. The quality of construction is probably not going to be as good as a keyboard or an acoustic piano either. I do have a couple of suggestions, however.

Check out Craigslist in the free or the music instrument categories. There are people who will give away their pianos or sell them cheap because they don't want to move them or they're too cheap to have them properly tuned.

I played on a keyboard at Best Buy on Saturday that I fell in love with. If I win the lottery or come into some money (), I'm buying this one. It is a Yamaha with all 88 keys, and the keys are weighted like a real piano. It has the MIDI inputs/outputs that allow it to be used with a computer. It had a great tone and the touch was just like an acoustic piano. It doesn't have a high back (like a spinet would), so it would fit in more places. It also has foot pedals like a real piano. Here is the link to it on the Best Buy website: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1215818566589. It's only $999.00, which is a lot cheaper than a new spinet.

When I was in college (many moons ago), I took out a loan and I was going to buy a brand new spinet (they cost about $2,500 then). Unfortunately, my dad died and I had to use that money to help support my mom. I haven't been able to get a new piano since. Hopefully when we get to Heaven, there will be a new piano with my name on it.

Chopin's Ghost, I have not played much Chopin, but I'm a big J.S. Bach fan.

[lisaann]

I've come up with a solution. My mom has an old keyboard that still works fine down in her basement. With a little rearranging, and getting the Christmas tree out of the living room , I think I will have a good spot to put it in. I don't know why I didn't think of this before

This will give her something to start with and test her interest/talent level. We have a lady in our church who gives lessons and turns out very accomplished pianists. I'm not sure if she will teach kids who only have a keyboard but even if she doesn't I feel competent enough to teach her for a year or two. By then I would know whether this is her 'thing' or not.

I've appreciated all of your advice.

[Meadow]

I am a pianist. I perform, accompany, and teach for many many years now. I personally won't take a student that is practicing on a keyboard, unless it's a full size digital piano. I normally don't take kids that have learned on a keyboard. It's way too hard to correct all the bad habits that happen. And playing a keyboard as a piano can actually cause injurys. If you have a keyboard....take keyboarding lessons, not piano lessons.....they are two different things. Most kids who start on a keyboard decide it's not *their thing*, because they become discouraged with the results a keyboard gives.
That is my opinion. I think renting a piano for a year is a good option for most people who don't know if they want to buy a piano yet or not.

[paul_answers]

I am a pianist too and I would only play on a touch responsive keyboard or a regular piano..Just saying..

[tokmik]

i really don't think that you can get near the amount experience from a computer rather than someone who teaches piano...you won't get nearly as far through a computer, but that's just my opinion.
Piano lessons will help. But if you're dedicated, then you'll get really good. I love playing piano and i have passions on it. Good luck everyone!

www [.] findpianolessons [.] com/providers-San%20Francisco-CA [.] html

[lisaann]

Update

We've had to compromise a bit but for now it's working out well. We brought my mom's old keyboard here to our house and she practices on that here at home. About 3 times a week she goes over to my Mom's house and practices on the "real" piano so that she learns the feel of it. She is doing very well and enjoying it a lot. Thank you for all of the advice.

[mannydango]

Hello all. I was looking for info on the My Piano software and googled it. I came upon this site in doing so. I see the last post was 2.5 years ago. I had to comment. I have been playing guitar since I was 15 and just doodle on the keys just enough to add keyboard to songs.

With ALL due respect, I do not agree with the teachers or accomplished pianists that comment on not using midi keyboards early on. First, you can buy some of these with touch sensitivity identical to a real piano. They, however, cost more. Also, that touch sensitivity is not necessary in the beginning and a child can adopt super easily to the change from one to the other. In fact, those heavier presses can only help to discourage a very small, weaker child. My little guy has just turned five and is of a thin frame.

When I got my first guitar at 15, I thought I had a super nice guitar because it was made to look like the real thing. Little did I know when I got a better guitar that I was playing on a great looking piece of junk. It was more difficult to play the more complicated things I had learned because the strings were way too high off the fretboard. Playing on the new guitar fixed the problem but only after adjusting to it. True, I had to adjust to the new guitar. That took about 3 weeks only. Touch sensitivity is not one of those habits that are hard to break as others that do exist. Not only that, you are basically forced to adapt to the new touch so it's not a mistake you make without realizing it. It sounds obviously bad and you are forced to put pressure the correct way.

Again, please don't take my post above as attacking those that opined differently. I know people would google stuff and come across this the way I did and I feel my opinion is valid as is yours. One more important comment is what was mentioned in the posts above. Most kids are just not going to stay with it. In fact, most will drop the piano idea within months. You then have an upright in the house you want to get rid of just like those people that basically give them away because they want them out of the house.

God's blessings to everyone.