3 Weeks and I'm Done!

A place to discuss Playground's main curriculum, the Bootcamp.
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Richard
Posts: 31
Joined: Sat Apr 23, 2016 5:54 am

3 Weeks and I'm Done!

Post by Richard » Wed May 11, 2016 2:57 am

I started out on 23rd April and was hoping that I would be here for some while, but 3 weeks have passed and so has my time here.

This was overall a good starting point, an introduction to the ideas behind music and playing the piano. For me it was like a Wiki experience... just gives you enough to want to know more.

With the first sessions I moved from one to another hoping for support and progression, but mainly it was a bit of information and then a go at hitting the notes at the right time, to get a good enough score to get a tick and there is a lot of this stuff already out there on the net. This basic format didn't change and the exercises in the Advanced section didn't do anything to develop my understanding, or playing. The video information was good, but that was the end of each session.... such a shame!

This place has the potential to be so much more! It could build on this basic framework. What I needed was more support material to each lesson and additional tutorials on particular aspects of playing the piano.. and not just reading music ie, left and right hand exercises, patterns and riffs, progression exercises, beginnings, fillins and endings etc. A weekly input of new songs, or snipits and tips for the week.. something to get the place moving.... this I'm sure would improve the forum use too! I tried to have a bit of a say here, but if it wasn't for Draco... I wouldn't know anyone else was here! So thank you Draco!

Quincy got me here... as a big fan of a very talented man... I was hoping for a bit of Soul.. of Quincyness.. but sadly this was nowhere to be found.

I'm now going to give time to developing my ability to play each of the most common keys... C, G, D, A, F, Bb and Eb. The scale, chords and their inversions, right and left hand independence etc. I think a full week on each should get me started and while I'm doing that, I can check out my next step.. search online resources etc. So any ideas would be gratefull recieved!?

I've found a site that I think is very useful... Hooktheory.com.. good place to develop understanding of how music works.

I've enjoyed my time here, so thank you David for getting me started on my journey with the keyboard!

All the best to everyone else! Happy Playing!

davidsides
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Posts: 749
Joined: Thu Sep 25, 2014 4:07 pm
Location: Los Angeles, CA
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Re: 3 Weeks and I'm Done!

Post by davidsides » Tue May 24, 2016 11:44 am

Hi Richard,

Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts about the program and your experience. As you've pointed out, we've built a pretty solid program but we also have a lot more we can do with it. We're in the process now of creating some technical exercises (scales, arpeggios, etc.) designed to give more practice to the material that is taught in the Bootcamp Tours. And the Advanced Tour is poised to be full of more complex topics, along with the "Quincyness" you're looking for. :)

There's a lot more on the way so I hope that you continue to check back with our lessons as we include new lessons. And as always, continue to voice your opinion about things here in the forum. Getting feedback directly from our users in a "town-hall" like setting is extremely valuable to us.

johhanna
Posts: 9
Joined: Sun Aug 28, 2016 1:05 pm

Re: 3 Weeks and I'm Done!

Post by johhanna » Mon Jan 02, 2017 1:36 am

My subscription ran out and I am considering renewing but I am on the fence between this and some other programs. One thing I like in a few programs is the fact that you can practice exercises without going through lessons, the type of thing you mentioned in the post to Richard. Since that was in May, I am wondering what sort of changes might have come about since then? Will/are these exercises embedded in the lessons or are they available as a different section? I really love this program but that has definitely been on my wish list :)

Bob2.0
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu Nov 23, 2017 12:06 am

Re: 3 Weeks and I'm Done!

Post by Bob2.0 » Sat Nov 25, 2017 10:54 pm

Although I have not been around long, I've purchased a year membership and I am really enjoying the Playground so far. I would love to see an answer to this question too. Are the PS folks not keeping up with forum questions and posts, or was this one just missed?

Thunderbass
Posts: 6
Joined: Wed Jun 07, 2017 5:02 pm

Re: 3 Weeks and I'm Done!

Post by Thunderbass » Sat Dec 30, 2017 10:48 am

mmm this thread got me thinking a little.

I have been trying to get to grips with Piano since February, at the time I could no longer play Bass guitar, due to a finger alergy reaction. The site/program, for me doesn't cover everything about learning a new instrument, but then I wasn't expecting it necessarily to do so. Aside of the odd lesson with bizare hand/finger position shifts, I have found it has seriously improved my ability to shift hand and finger positions in time with the beat.

It has also helped to force me to use the weaker fingers and stretch where I might not have done so without a piano teacher on my shoulder.

The theory side of anything to do with music is Cavernous in scope. So in my humble opinion, it would be a shame to hide what the program excells at by trying to cover to much in one bag of tricks. That said; Links to qualified partner sites might be of some help, as would some form of theory (tree?) like the badges idea where particularly important points are expanded on.

What will keep me coming back for more is the transcription of songs in a program that alows the flexibility to slice and chop, speed up and slow down. Provided the Library continues to grow sufficiently.

I haven't turned off the finger numbers and forced myself to read the notes as steps, skips from a key note as a proper sight reader would. That is coming later as I use a rival site for the sight reading practice.

I would like to understand a little better how the hand positions are derived in the first instance, this still seems like magic to me. (As an engineer I like to know how things work, or to find reason in the pattern. I accept with music there is a little faith required with questions like why does it sound good.... because we have been programmed that way for hundreds of years etc... but the stock answer for hand positions is to minimise movement? perhaps though that is for another thread.)

In summary, the program is great at making your hands articulate around the keyboard.

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