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