FINGERING VS LETTER OF NOTE NOTATIONS

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Susanab
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Joined: Wed May 29, 2019 4:10 pm

FINGERING VS LETTER OF NOTE NOTATIONS

Post by Susanab » Mon Sep 23, 2019 4:16 pm

I like having the feature to turn on or off the left hand, right hand or both hands in the menu bar of lessons & music to practice.
In addition when I'm working on new material,
I also wish that I could turn on or off or both: the number to fingering vs the letter of the note in the notations.
Currently I lose a lot of time in my practice bouncing back and forth reading lettered notes in the treble clef,
& back to numbered fingering in the bass clef.
How do others feel about this?

andrewwegierski
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Joined: Fri Apr 06, 2018 4:37 pm

Re: FINGERING VS LETTER OF NOTE NOTATIONS

Post by andrewwegierski » Tue Sep 24, 2019 11:17 am

Thanks for the post. Making them visible at the same time is definitely something we are considering for a future version of the app.

Andrew
Andrew Wegierski

Customer Support Representative
Music Arranger

support@playgroundsessions.com

kgnebba
Posts: 1
Joined: Sun Jan 19, 2020 6:33 pm

Re: FINGERING VS LETTER OF NOTE NOTATIONS

Post by kgnebba » Sun Jan 19, 2020 6:35 pm

Agreed! It would be very useful to have the option to view them both at the same time.

rj3711
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Joined: Tue Nov 19, 2019 7:31 pm

Re: FINGERING VS LETTER OF NOTE NOTATIONS

Post by rj3711 » Tue Jan 21, 2020 9:30 pm

Awesome! I was thinking the exact same thing this week and was about to make a post. I'm glad I read this one first. I'd definitely be interested in seeing both the finger numbers and the note names at the same time. I've been good with the treble clef since I had played another instrument many years ago that used treble clef, but and horrible with the bass clef. I'm finding that by the time I get the fingering down and switch to using note names, I've already got the finger muscle memory and am not really reading the notes and names, but playing from memory.

Thanks!

FlatPanda
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Joined: Fri Jan 03, 2020 11:56 am

Re: FINGERING VS LETTER OF NOTE NOTATIONS

Post by FlatPanda » Wed Jan 22, 2020 3:30 am

I know it's not a solution, but maybe it's still helpful (although you would "waste" a lot of paper doing this): you can always print the sheets yourself, mark them with numbers and letters, and play by sheet, not from the screen. For this, of course, you already need a pretty good sense of rhythm.

What I actually mean is: you start the music on screen, but you don't watch the moving bar on the screen, you play from the sheet.

@Andrew:
This is why it would be awesome, if we could import our own sheet music into PGS, because then I'd play by sheet and at the end I'd see how accurate I was ;)

TRo
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Joined: Sat Apr 25, 2020 4:19 pm

Re: FINGERING VS LETTER OF NOTE NOTATIONS

Post by TRo » Sat Apr 25, 2020 4:28 pm

I was just getting through that last few lesson of rookie tour, and i feel the same way. Once you learn the hand movements, you dont really need both anymore, but it definetly would save time when first learning the song or lesson. I also feel like, it would help us rookies, get our fingering back on track, if you have lost your fingering.

Thank you dev team at PGS, you have created a great program.

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Westman77
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Re: FINGERING VS LETTER OF NOTE NOTATIONS

Post by Westman77 » Fri May 01, 2020 3:44 am

I think i am to stupid to play the piano.

i am in week 4 now and still can´t play even easy songs with both hands.

even with the finger lettering i really struggle to hit the right key with the left hand (1 5 3 4 left and 3 2 5 1 for example ends in my head like ????????)

if i imagine turning it off..... i would play at 1BPM or so lol. NO WAY to read and play same time for me. i feel like i am useless....
Bloody Beginner - Kawai CA-58

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sw1tch73ch
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Re: FINGERING VS LETTER OF NOTE NOTATIONS

Post by sw1tch73ch » Sun May 03, 2020 9:30 pm

Don't feel useless Westman77. It takes time and practice. It is easy for people to forget that. The only person you are racing is yourself, and even that isn't necessary. You do want to push yourself to do something you haven't be able to before, but you don't have to be able to immediately.

So, one step at a time. Four weeks - just a single month. While maybe some people can break free at one month, they are the exceptions. It took my from late 2016 to late 2018 to get through the Rookie Course. Then they added new material that I went back to do, so it really took me into 2019 to really get through Rookie Boot Camp. But then I worked on courses and songs along the way, so it wasn't all just the boot camp, but still, picking up a new song isn't easy for me.

I didn't even try my first song until six months in. "Lean On Me" by Bill Withers.

So, I have a progression I like to recommend. It includes study, though. When you first open a lesson, don't just dive in and start playing. Look at it, see what the notes are you'll be playing. In the early lessons, there is a guide for you at the bottom that overlays the piano keys on the screen. The finger numbers for the notes and the ones you're playing are highlighted. Look at those on the screen and find them on the piano keys of your instrument. And take your time to make those associations. Then place your fingers as numbered on the piano, 1 is always THUMB, regardless which hand. Get that down. Then roll the fingers over those keys, just play the keys and hear them, listen to the sounds they make. Play bottom to top, top to bottom, just the keys in that lesson. Finally, play the lesson at a slow tempo. Maybe you can do full speed right away, but take the time to do the slow speed first, finger numbers still on and hear the sound pattern they make. Practice until that is smooth before speeding up. You don't have to go straight for full speed either.

When you do get to the full speed, play it once, twice, or three times through with the finger numbers, to be sure you got it. Then switch to the Letter names, and study them again. Say the note names out loud as you play them, sing them even. Do this at the slow speed again if you need to. Since you just finished with the finger numbers, your fingers should still "remember" where to go. Play the keys with the letter names, paying attention to where in the lines and spaces they are. Make it a point to say the letters and see where those notes are in the sheet music. Remember the note position where your thumb is so you can find it easily, and where that note in the music is. Don't worry if you haven't memorized them yet, just know that you can turn the letters on any time you need to remind you. But pay attention when you do. Don't do it "Mindlessly" - this is a learning opportunity - so take it!

Then before you consider the lesson mastered, play without the finger numbers or the note letters turned on. Take your time and repeat as needed. Slow the tempo down too, going slow is a very good exercise, even if you know something well, practicing slowly is important to getting the right notes played at the right time, which will pay massively over time as you speed back up.

Also, use the tools in the app. Play the demo for the lesson to hear what it should sound like, how long the notes are held, when they are played and which notes play together and which not together, hear the rhythms and the sounds and mentally study them. This isn't magic, you won't absorb and learn the lessons but flying through them. Go at the speed right for you. Don't be afraid or worried if you have to play "crazy" slow to start a lesson. I do that a lot. Even play "off the clock" just finding the notes and their sequence can take time and it is good to take that time.

There was one lesson that I spent over three weeks on, getting it right, playing it slowly and working my way up to full speed in tiny steps in tempo.

Finally, you can go back to any lesson and repeat them. You might pick something up you missed the first time, and you might also find the lessons you've done before are easier, but make for a nice warm up before jumping back into new material. I do that alot, too.
== Just keep playing. Just keep playing. Just keep playing, playing, playing! ==

-- jbs --

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sw1tch73ch
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Re: FINGERING VS LETTER OF NOTE NOTATIONS

Post by sw1tch73ch » Sun May 03, 2020 9:30 pm

oh - and Wetsman77 - nice avatar icon.
== Just keep playing. Just keep playing. Just keep playing, playing, playing! ==

-- jbs --

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Westman77
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Re: FINGERING VS LETTER OF NOTE NOTATIONS

Post by Westman77 » Mon May 04, 2020 11:49 am

Thanks for that motivating post!

Yeah i just was a little frustrated but i quickly realized that 4 weeks is nothing :D
atm i practise 1-2 hours a day (more on the weekends, sometimes the whole day) and i feel stuff is gettin easier and i understand more.

maybe one more question someon can answer me.

i did alot of note learning (apps, books and writging notes down and so on) and i noticed one thing.
i dunno if that´s a good or a bad thing.

when i sight read little easy pieces i notice i rarely look at the note names itself.
i just see the note and know what key i need to press (its like automation).
i really don´t think about the names ABCDEFG most time except i got stuck.

Is that a good thing or should i focus more on WHAT note it is?
Bloody Beginner - Kawai CA-58

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