Thursday, March 5, 2020

Where do you start with an electric piano

Where do you start with an electric piano Learn how to play the electric piano ChaptersDifferent learning methods for the electric pianoWhat’s the best electric piano for performing?Looking forward: learning to play the electric pianoJust as prestigious in the world of music as boxing is in the sporting world, the piano is the preferred instrument for musicians and composers around the world.It’s the 2nd most popular instrument in France - just after the guitar, and far ahead of the violin and saxophone - and also boasts the largest number of players of any instrument, when you combine together everyone playing acoustic uprights, keyboards, electric, and digital pianos.Piano music also seems to have a much longer shelf life than the average pop song - Beethoven was the most played artist in the world in 2016. To general surprise, it also turns out that Vladimir Putin is a pianist and can bust out some old Soviet songs when sat on a piano bench.While we’re still finding hidden treasures in old acoustic pianos across the pond, it’s generally electric pian os on which piano students are discovering chords and octaves for the first time today.In this article we’ll walk you through what you need to do to learn to play an electric piano, list the best electric pianos to buy now, and talk about the future of this popular (and fairly high tech!) instrument. LouisPiano Teacher £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AlisonPiano Teacher £32/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ErenPiano Teacher 5.00 (6) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors BarbaraPiano Teacher £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors Chi yuenPiano Teacher 5.00 (5) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors TomPiano Teacher £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ValtiePiano Teacher £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors DanielPiano Teacher 5.00 (5) £37/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsDifferent learning methods for the electric pianoThe famous guitarist Jimmy Hendrix never learned to read music!There are many ways to lear n to play the piano - you can find free online classes, sign up for evening lessons, or enroll in a summer program.The traditional way to learnLearning the traditional way often includes learning some music theory, and a bit about the history of the piano. This is a common curriculum for those learning how to play the piano, and is generally the way courses at music schools and conservatories are taught. Music teachers at these schools generally have a degree in music.Alternative ways to learnAlternative learning methods usually still include a mix of theory and practical exercises, but the teaching is more hands on during piano lessons, with the goal of progressing the student quickly.When you're beginning piano, you can find paid and free online piano lessons for the budding musician that focus on:the keys and learning the notes by namesimple pieces of music to learn and breaking down piano scales and chords one key at a timethe correct posture and hand position to adopt when faci ng a pianoThe height of the keyboard - learning to position yourself properly and find the right keys - and work on your fingeringLearning your first chords and how to play multiple notes at one time, especially using your left handAn introduction to piano history - from the first acoustic pianos, right up to today’s digital pianosLearning how to use the piano pedals, especially the the soft pedal (or una corda), the sostenuto pedal, and the sustaining pedal (or damper pedal)Learn the different variations on the notes including sharps and flats, how to recognize a wrong note, and learning to play by ear.A method based on inspirationIn contrast to all the other ways to learn the piano this method is often used to free its players of stress and depression via music or piano therapy.It allows the player to express their feelings through music, and to share what's on their mind (and in their hearts) without first taking a class in music theory.This method can be summarized in 3 words: PlayChangeAnd play againThis innovative method places the creativity of the student as paramount and helps them compose their own pieces of music. Without any constraints, the players are freed to let their imagination and hands run free on the keys and work on their improvisation.However, its worth noting that this method would not be appropriate for anyone who’s hoping to become a virtuoso or study classical music. You won't really be learning about reading music, major scale progressions, notation or octaves, so it’s more a way to learn piano for people open to any style of music.Would you like to learn how to play the grand piano?What’s the best electric piano for performing?Can you start playing piano without knowing how to read music?Once you’ve been introduced to the electric piano, your level of playing can quickly progress from beginner to professional, and you'll usually start to want to share your music with others, now that you're a proper piano player.It’s wor th keeping these future performances, concerts, or even jam sessions in mind when you’re considering what kind of piano to buy.Just like with acoustic pianos, there are good and bad electric pianos. Some are perfectly good for playing the piano and practicing in the house, but play poorly in large spaces when their acoustics are complicated by the noise of an audience.Besides the sound, it’s worth considering how easy an electric piano will be to move and cart around to live performances.Discover how to choose the right piano for your playing style...The electric piano Clavia Nord Stage 2 EXConsidered one of the best portable digital pianos for performances, the Nord Stage 2 EX is made by the Clavia brand. And it takes up much less space than a grand piano.This model includes a range of different piano recordings, as well as an additional gigabyte of storage. The factory bank includes:5 grand pianos7 upright pianos11 electric pianosClavinetHarpsichordOrganand a bank of recording s including choral, folk, and string instruments.Looking forward: learning to play the electric pianoMusic teachers must always keep the pleasure and joy of music as their top priority.Whether it’s sports, administration, or journalism, computers have changed and continue to change the way people communicate and work, and improve productivity.Music, and more specifically, pianos, have also been touched by this sea of change, and whether you’re taking music classes at a music school, conservatory, or with a private teacher you’re sure to run into some of the new technology as you begin to learn to play piano.Like any form of teaching and learning, music and piano are now in version 2.0, with some traditional methods being tossed aside for the new and exciting. Before you get too excited though, it's worth pointing out that no new technology can eliminate the need for regular practicing until you can play with your left hand and right hand seamlessly in tune, running across the white and black keys.These technologies include:More interactive - with all the new touch screens now filling our bags, it’s easy to download a piano app for your tablet or cell phone.More analysis - thanks to all the data that’s been accumulated by digital instruments and digitized music.More freedom - which makes it easier to teach yourself. Thanks to online classes, it’s much easier today than it used to be to teach yourself how to play piano.More immersive - all these new technologies help you immerse yourself in the music, whether it’s artificial intelligence, augmented reality, or virtual reality.In order to really understand the sea change that’s taken place, check out some of the new innovations and apps that are reinventing the way we approach music and the electric piano.Would you like to learn how to play the digital piano?SpeechiTouchSpeechi makes those giant interactive learning screens you often see in classrooms, similar to Smart Boards, and they’ve made h elping to teach music one of their key goals. Using their tools a musician can learn:how to read noteswork on their ear for musiclearn about the keybed and keys of a piano.By using their One Smart Piano, which is a physical ‘smart’ piano, learning to play the piano becomes fun, easy, and interactive. One of the One Smart Piano's novel points is that you can connect it to an app on your smart phone or tablet to access even more features while you play, and help you really learn all about octaves, basic chords, and identifying middle C.Teomirn - when augmented reality can immerse you in learning the electric piano.Learning music theory will give you a wider scope of music to choose fromIt’s still in the development phase, but the Teomirn project has the possibility of changing everything about the way we learn and play the electric piano today…It’s the kind of thing that would make Beethoven, Mozart and Chopin turn in their graves!It’s also probably not something for techn ophobes, as it’s the first project which has ever used augmented reality to teach music.It’s being made by a Japanese team, and the electric piano and its associated app offers two different ways to layer 3D elements over your piano keyboard.A ‘watch’ mode, where you can learn how to play the piano through observation. You watch a short piece that you’ve chosen be played by a pianist, and the different keys on the piano are highlighted using different colorsA dynamic mode, in which a virtual keyboard and pair of hands appear on the screen. The Teomirn technology, helps you shadow the hands of the professional, and work through the notes of the piece of music you’ve chosen.It’s important to keep in mind that while Teomirn is focused on making it easier to learn instruments, and specifically how to play the piano, the team behind the app doesn’t have any plan to also include the traditional theoretical part that normally accompanies the practical study of piano, so pia no players will still need to learn how to read sheet music and sight reading on their own.This method may please beginning pianists, but it does fly in the face of the traditional emphasis placed on music theory by music teachers.This project has received considerable attention from budding pianists of any age - adult or child, as well as music fans and technology enthusiasts. It was recently demoed in a YouTube video - learn to play the piano - using Microsoft Hololens.However, the project isn’t yet commercialized and the head of the project Ayato Fujii, is currently searching for investors and partners. So for most of us, it’ll be months and probably even years before we can start learning to play the piano through augmented reality, so it might be a good idea to find a piano teacher in the meantime.Now find out which model piano you should buy for your youngest players...

Essential Equipment for Tutoring Singing Lessons

Essential Equipment for Tutoring Singing Lessons What Equipment do I Need to Become a Tutor and Start Teaching Singing ? ChaptersDo You Have to Play an Instrument to Teach Singing?Why a Good Collection of Parts is Essential to Vocal CoachingWhat Equipment do I Need to Teach Singing?Useful Software for Singing LessonsAs a singing teacher, you will know that singing is about far more than making music. Singing is a means of expression and communication that brings joy to many.For many music students, singing lessons offer a stress-busting session where they can come out of their shells and work on their own personal singing style.This is why it is essential that singing teachers recognise the individuality of each of their students and use their personal traits to help create their unique singing style.However, in order to be successful in doing this, there are some pieces of equipment that singing teachers cannot do without. 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If you can accompany your student, the process of identifying their tone qu ality and musical ability is significantly easier.Providing an accompaniment can make all the difference ¦ source: Pixabay - Free-PhotosLearning to sing with a musician playing the piano puts the student into a performance environment and helps to prepare them for performances and auditions in the future as they can gradually overcome any stage fright or nervousness. Creating an atmosphere that is optimised for progress in vocal lessons is key to achieving singing success.Being accompanied by an instrumental helps each vocalist to situate themselves and better understand their role within a piece. Accompaniments also help with training the singer’s musical ear as they get used to chord sequences and cadences.Some singers also play an instrument themselves, so practicing their pieces with an accompaniment may help them to overcome the challenge of singing with an instrumental accompaniment before they attempt to play it themselves.If you’re an aspiring singing teacher but you do n’t play an instrument, don’t worry! Playing an instrument isn’t essential to your success as an instructor and you can always download accompaniments from the internet instead.Why a Good Collection of Parts is Essential to Vocal CoachingWhen you’re delivering vocal coaching, having a good stock of pieces and songs for your students is essential.Ideally, you should have pieces for all musical genres, styles and vocal ranges so that there is something for everyone.If you’re leading a choir, you should be paying particular attention to the way you plan your rehearsals and make sure that you always have plenty of parts for your singers!Thanks to the internet, getting hold of parts isn’t as difficult as it used to be, and you can download music as your choir grows.Knowing how to read music makes learning pieces significantly easier for students, as they can attempt to sing through songs that are totally new to them and begin to work on the performance sooner.However, as a si nging teacher, you’re certain to encounter singing students who have never learnt to read music.In this case, there are two possibilities:Introduce them to musical notation and basic music theory during singing lessonsAdopt an alternative working method which is based on listening and musical ear trainingIdeally, you should offer each student pieces which suit their vocal style and personal tastes which they will be able to perfect more easily.What Equipment do I Need to Teach Singing?So, now you have a good selection of pieces and maybe a piano to work with, you’re almost ready to get going!The humble metronome is the backbone of singing rehearsals ¦ source: Pixabay - swooshedEvery teacher has their favourite gadgets for their voice lessons which complement their teaching style, but there are some tools which really are essential.The Essentials for Voice CoachesIf you teach in your own home, you will probably have the most professional tools at your disposal.These will most li kely include:A metronome  to keep the rhythmA music stand  to keep your hands free of music and maintain a good postureScores to use in rehearsalsA digital audio recorder so that students can listen to themselves singingThese four simple things are fundamental to a successful singing lesson. Once you have acquired these items you can start to think about other equipment you think could be of use to your students.For example, you may wish to invest in a good-quality microphone and recording system to create a sort-of mini studio in your home. This will give your students a good opportunity to learn to sing as if they are performing and get used to the equipment.Using Computers in Singing LessonsIt seems there is nothing modern technology can’t help us with. Laptop computers can be useful for singing teachers offering online tutoring jobs in a variety of ways.Not only are laptops easy to transport, but they can also:provide an accompaniment to their performance from musical download s or by playing a CD recordingrecord the student singing to show them their progress over timefilm students while they perform to help them work on their posturehold software for organising teaching schedulesOf course, the way in which you choose to use your equipment will vary according to the needs of each of your students, however, it is always a good idea to have tools available, even if you don’t always use them.For example, a student who is aiming to master their own voice and develop their talent will not have the same needs as a student whose goal is to become a professional performer.It’s up to you as the teacher to adapt your lessons to the individual needs of each student, whether they need to work on their self-confidence, tone quality, vocal exercises, breath control, vibrato and other vocal techniques.Discover what qualifications you need to become a singing teacher.Useful Software for Singing LessonsThe advantage of using a laptop is that you can connect a microph one and headphones as well as downloading software, however, smartphone applications can be just as useful to singing teachers.Use software to help students understand their singing ¦ source: Pixabay - florantevaldezAn additional advantage to using a mobile phone application for recording students is the increased portability, which is useful for teachers who teach outside of their homes.There is a wide range of music software available to download. Two of the most widely-known include:Vocevista: to analyse the voice in detail by viewing pitch as a frequency for exampleAudacity: this software is very useful for removing the vocals from a recorded song and editing recordingsThere is a multitude of software which is simple to use and relevant to specific aspects of learning how to sing.If you want to give your students something to work on between classes, there are plenty of singing applications available which can help them explore their talents.Sometimes it can be difficult to be motivated to sing outside of lessons, so a mobile application can be a lifeline for any lonely singers who need a virtual duet partner to make practicing fun.Here are two examples of useful phone apps:Sing Sharp: This app has pretty much everything when it comes to learning to sing. Aside from learning the fundamentals, Sing Sharp can teach you all you need to know about vocal warm ups and supporting your notes with your diaphragm.Swiftscales: This is probably the most professional app, however, it’s not always easy for beginners to use. Nevertheless, Swiftscales encourages students to accentuate their good qualities to become a well-rounded performer.As a voice coach, it’s up to you to use your equipment effectively for the benefit of your students as well as giving them the means to explore their own talents by themselves so that they can blossom into confident performers.  Learn how to set your rates for Singing lessons  or find singing tutor positions around the UK including tutoring jobs London, Manchester and Birmingham.