Find your path.....(for absolute beginners)

Share your ideas with fellow Playground users!
SJunior22
Posts: 110
Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2016 4:04 pm

Find your path.....(for absolute beginners)

Post by SJunior22 » Thu Feb 20, 2020 12:44 pm

Hello Fellow Pianists!

(TL/DR) : Start with the Rookie Bootcamp, mix in as many relevant courses along with praticing the rookie bootcamp.
Be sure to practice your scales from the point you learn them. Practice your scales as a warmup each and everyday you practice.
While you are on the journey of getting the basics down, keep in mind of what genre you are gravitating towards (jazz, pop, classical, blues, etc). Start turning your focus on that genre you're interested in as you complete the Bootcamps (i.e. score better in relevant songs/lessons than the ones you arent so into).
Once you have the bootcamps complete, its time for full-length songs. Depending on your confidence and skill after bootcamp, you might want to start at a song that has a "Rookie or Intermediate" designation in the song store.
You are on your own at this point. Its up to you to interpret and translate the music (unless you get a song that has a video accompanyment). I suggest you get a song that you know very well and that is not too long (less than 50 measures from start to finish).
Good Luck!! :)


I've seen this question appear once in a while and I was in the same situation when I began with Playground Sessions. I would like to share how I found my path to becoming the piano player that I want to be and hopefully help someone out there who feels lost or has no direction towards their goal.

I started with the beginner bootcamp lessons because I thought it meant "start here for the fundalmentals and basics". I didnt pay any attention towards the courses area until about 10 lessons in. I felt I wasnt progressing enough to being comfortable with the piano (to know at least where the keys were without staring at them as I played).The bootcamp lessons weren't always clicking in my mind (some modules I'd pass at the bare minimum of 80% and I wasnt happy with that). It was then, that I looked into the courses.

Here was my solution to becoming more comfortable with the piano. The courses I had at the time to choose from were "Scales", "Staff Notation", and even famous melodies. I wanted to drill 1-octave scales into my mind because I felt it was the best way to knowing all the keys. Ever since then, I've warmed-up with 1-octave scales at every practice time (See my topic "How I improved my coordination...." for addtional tips on what I did when I incorporated the 1 octave scale course into to my daily practice). As I've progressed through the bootcamps (I'm halfway through the intermediate bootcamp as of this post), there have been more courses "unlocked" and I've included them with related bootcamp lessons per practice time.

In short, I've found that using the certain courses to supplement bootcamp lessons in the same practice time works best for me. I try to keep the overall lessons (bootcamp and courses) relatable and easy to understand. If I have trouble with any part of the lesson plan, I'll extend the time until I feel competent. Some of my lesson plans can last days/weeks and I've only went over 1 module in a bootcamp lesson and 1 module in a course lesson (See my topic on "How to Practice effectively..." on tips and details of how I approach my practice periods).

I hope this post helps someone out there and I wish you ALL the best of luck and enjoy the journey. :D
Last edited by SJunior22 on Thu Jan 13, 2022 12:43 pm, edited 2 times in total.

andrewwegierski
Posts: 783
Joined: Fri Apr 06, 2018 4:37 pm

Re: Find your path.....(for absolute beginners)

Post by andrewwegierski » Mon Feb 24, 2020 1:49 pm

Thanks for the post! Cheers!

Andrew
Andrew Wegierski

Customer Support Representative
Music Arranger

support@playgroundsessions.com

lucidmusicinc
Posts: 26
Joined: Thu May 30, 2019 1:14 am

Re: Find your path.....(for absolute beginners)

Post by lucidmusicinc » Tue Feb 25, 2020 10:59 am

Not trying to toot my own horn but I started--not as an absolute beginner in terms of knowledge--but a very weak player sometime last summer in 2019. Now I'm a level 46, logging about 72 hours in app. I've completed the rookie bootcamps and courses and I'm working through the songs. The point is I'm still in Rookie level and it's CHALLENGING! I have started the intermediate bootcamps and it quickly ramps up. My goal is to get star level in all the rookie songs (I have all the classical freebies) before attempting the intermediate. I predict it's going to take me a few months because the rookie songs are at a very high tempo. Point being, Playground makes you work hard which is why I'm confident that if I stick with it and get through the Intermediate I'll be at a level I can be happy with. I just wish they'd integrate the youtube videos more with the app.

SJunior22
Posts: 110
Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2016 4:04 pm

Re: Find your path.....(for absolute beginners)

Post by SJunior22 » Wed Feb 26, 2020 11:32 am

Greetings lucidmusicinc!

Sounds like you are on the way to those "star" ratings you crave. I would say the difference between the intermediate and rookie bootcamps are like "night and day". I wouldnt get too caught up with the "rookie scores" if you are familiar with the piano enough to know where each key is without looking at them more than 50% percent of the time. Some intermediate lessons I've come acrossed require that familiarity because chords / inversions along with syncopations (in some pieces) will make you choose to stare at the sheet music and "guess" or stare at the piano and memorize the piece.

I've gone back to some of my favorite pieces in the rookie bootcamps that I had initial trouble with, and scored higher because of my time in the intermediate camp.Good luck on your path, lucidmusicinc! Thank you for the post! :D

jgtmd
Posts: 12
Joined: Wed Jun 03, 2020 2:59 pm

Re: Find your path.....(for absolute beginners)

Post by jgtmd » Wed Jun 03, 2020 3:18 pm

SJunior22...

I've just gotten started and trying to figure out how to progress through the material (I wish PGS provided some kind of guidance !).

So if I understand you correctly, you are moving sequentially through the Boot Camp sessions, and then picking and choosing Courses as they become unlocked?

Thanks... Jim

SJunior22
Posts: 110
Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2016 4:04 pm

Re: Find your path.....(for absolute beginners)

Post by SJunior22 » Thu Jun 04, 2020 10:16 am

Hi Jim!

Yes, correct! I mainly focus on bootcamp modules and mix in courses wherever applicable. I was a complete beginner, so I started from lesson 1 on rookie bootcamp and went through the entire catalog. I think of the bootcamp as the fundamentals and the courses as supplemental.

There really isnt a specific path since we all learn differently and there are different levels of pianists joining PGS. PGS tries to be versatile for all kinds of pianists. So you can jump around and work on specific weaknesses and such.

Thanks for reaching out and I wish you well on your journey!

jgtmd
Posts: 12
Joined: Wed Jun 03, 2020 2:59 pm

Re: Find your path.....(for absolute beginners)

Post by jgtmd » Thu Jun 04, 2020 10:43 am

.
SJunior22.... Thank you !

Regards... Jim

St8kout
Posts: 15
Joined: Sun Jun 30, 2019 4:52 am

Re: Find your path.....(for absolute beginners)

Post by St8kout » Tue Sep 01, 2020 3:56 am

One of the best ways to make progress with learning anything, such as learning to type or play guitar, piano, whatever, is to practice EVERYDAY. Even if it's only for a short time, do it EVERYDAY. Don't skip days thinking you'll make up for it by practicing harder/longer on other days. It just doesn't work as well. Your finger muscles as well as your brain will remember more and faster by practicing daily.

If you've ever 'crammed' for a test in school, you know that it just doesn't work very well, and it's a really bad habit. So don't 'cram' your practice on some days then slack off on other days.

markb1@bezeqint.net
Posts: 1
Joined: Fri Oct 16, 2020 12:07 am

Re: Find your path.....(for absolute beginners)

Post by markb1@bezeqint.net » Fri Oct 16, 2020 12:15 am

I am a 63 year old real beginner and have been going through the bootcamp rookie level
Two months ago I did not know the names of the keys are where they were on the keyboard.
I have tried to play all the lessons without using the numbering or letter feature- I by reading directly from the blank staff sheet. This gets complicated . I am sure it would be easier just to play by numbers but my feeling is that one does not learn to read like that.
But it gets frustrating at times.
Any advice at this early stage?
Mark

SJunior22
Posts: 110
Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2016 4:04 pm

Re: Find your path.....(for absolute beginners)

Post by SJunior22 » Mon Oct 19, 2020 9:59 am

Hello Mark!

I would reccommend lowering the learning curve for yourself and use the numbered or note indicators as provided. Rookie bootcamp is meant to lay down a solid foundation so then you can evolve to the level you're trying to acheive ahead of time. As you advance within the intermediate (half-way thru), I'd advise you to then slowly implement what you are trying to do now. You'll want to have a solid foundation - make that the priority, even if your ego gets bruised a bit (speaking from my own journey).

I started as a complete beginner myself - didnt have a clue to the notes on the grand staff or where they were on the keyboard. I used mainly the numbered indicators and taught myself the repeating 12 notes (A-G with sharps and flats - thru scales practice) as I progressed. I've completed every bootcamp and am able to look at sheet music without indicators. However, there are still times where I will use either the numbered or note indicators on songs I'm trying to learn within a short time; even being an advanced player.

Hope this helps a bit and I wish you all the best on your journey!

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