Music: Keyboard

For music today I learnt a new tune.


The Simpsons theme tune.

The notes for it are...

C E F# A G E D A F# F# F# G F# F# F# G A C C C C

I think that it is quite easy to play.

Music - Instruments

This has a great interactive page where you can click on each instument and hear it.

http://www.musictechteacher.com/quiz_help_instrument.htm

Music: Keyboard - Ode to Joy

This is a really excellent website. I am busy learning this tune on my keyboard and it helped me a lot. It shows the sheet music, the section of keyboard with option of showing the note names. You can play the tune and watch the sheet music. The individual notes flash as they play. Its brilliant¬

http://www.musictechteacher.com/flash_piano_lesson_ode_to_joy.htm

An interesting thing is that my keyboard has a facility that 'teaches' one how to play a few tunes but the keyboard was showing the tune in E and the link shows the tune in B.

It sounds better in B, really but wonder if the keyboard is showing the tune wrong or what?

So, here is me playing 'Ode to Joy' on my keyboard for a handful of tries. Don't expect much because I just started and I have not practiced it - just, just learnt to play it about 5 minutes ago. I'll do a better version later and some of the others I have been learning.

Learning to type

I am learning to touch type.

I write a lot on my blogs and am also writing a book so it will help me a lot.

Touch Typing means that you learn which keys to press without looking at your keyboard. By practising repetitive exercises everyday, you train your brain to remember which fingers are supposed to press which keys.

I have already learnt the home row last week.

The left hand pressed asdfg and the right hand presses ;lkjh.

You can try it yourself:

Place your fingers as follows: little finger left hand on a. Then each finger in sequence on s d and f. The finger that we all learn in the rhyme as 'Peter Pointer' presses both f and g.

The same for the right hand. Your right little finger goes on ; and then the other fingers in sequence on l and k and j. The Peter Pointer of your right hand presses both the j and h.

These keys: asdfg and ;lkjh are known as the HOME KEYS and where your fingers rest when they are not pressing other keys. They always return to their home keys.

The practice exercises go something like this

aaa asa aaa asa aaa asa aaa x 3
sss sds sss sds sss sds aaa x 3

as you can see they are repetitive but very simple. It trains you to remember which finger is for which key. You first check your hands are above the right keys and then you only look at the exercises. You only look at your screen at the end. Then its easy to see your mistakes and which ones need more practice.

Today I was learning r.

Music - Keyboard - Sharps and Flats

A black key to the right of a white key is called a #(sharp).

Black keys to the left of a white key are called a flat.

This is easy to remember because the left side of the keyboard is descending (Going down) and the right side is ascending (Going up), therefore the black keys to the left of a white key are on the 'descending side' and called a FLAT - kind of logical and easy to understand.

Check out this webpage, it has a good diagram explaining this: http://www.musictheory.halifax.ns.ca/3keyboard.html

Learning to play the keyboard

I have a keyboard and I've been meaning to learn how to play it for a while. Because we are very isolated, there are not any local tutors or anything so its been a bit...

Today I decided to have a look at Youtube.

Have a look at this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGEeBFdGwdg

So that's his opinion and it sounds pretty cool, but other people use the white keys.

Here's one that teaches you to play an easy tune. I watched the video clip and wrote down the keys he pressed and the sequence. then I tried it on my keyboard. So cool.

Try it yourself:

EDCD

EEE
DDD
EGG
EDC
EDCD
EEE
DDE
DC

Yes I know that one should play by reading music but in the absence of a piano tutor, its pretty fun to figure it out playing easy keys.

I have some scales to practice to develop my hand co-ordination and can already read music and I have learnt to play the fiddle but this keyboard thing I want to do this way. It's more interactive and interesting. So over a few sessions, we will see what I come up with :)

Anyone who's got some interesting links, feel free to jot me a note using the comments :)

I also found these websites:

http://method-behind-the-music.com/theory/notation

http://www.free-online-piano-lessons.com/piano-notes.html

They give you a good idea of the other side of things

Cheers, I am off to play my keyboard...