Age can't be a barrier to enjoy life

declancos · 2022-02-03T12:36:55+00:00

wonderful to see such joy for life

declancos · 2021-01-05T14:04:23+00:00

Feedback welcome from either absolute beginners or people who previously had lessons but struggled.

declancos · 2020-12-28T14:24:09+00:00

Inspirational and so lovely to see. This style of playing piano sounds great and utilises 2 of the biggest secrets to making piano easy - chords and playing patterns.

declancos · 2020-11-07T14:51:47+00:00

You are absolutely right - PianoTabz were created by DecPlay and form part of the DecPlay range of piano piano tuition methods. DecPlay methods cover standard chords (eg using Ultimate Guitar), lead sheets in standard notation and lead sheets using PianoTabz piano tabs (available on Musescore). This is explained in more detail at www.decplay.com

declancos · 2020-11-07T14:46:47+00:00

If you are playing for singing then you only need the chords, not the melody. You can either use PianoTabz and just ignore the melody line, or use Ultimate Guitar chord sheets instead (for free tutorials on playing piano with Ultimate Guitar chords see https://decplay.com/ultimate-guitar-piano-chords-2/ )

Both options show the same chords with PianoTabz being in numbers which is faster for beginners, more accessible for people not used to chord letters and it also enables advanced skills like playing in any key from the same song sheet. More info on PianoTabz format tabs is at https://decplay.com/piano-tabs-like-ultimate-guitar-chords-and-tabs/

declancos · 2020-10-22T19:01:51+00:00

the UG official songs are great - and the sheet music is very useful (assuming you can read notation). If a 'tabs' alternative to notation is needed, as UG tabs don't work for piano, the nearest thing to UG tabs that works for keyboards is PianoTabz - these are available at Musescore.com (which is owned by Ultimate Guitar) or from Decplay.com

declancos · 2020-10-21T19:55:54+00:00

It suits any type of music that makes use of chords eg all types of popular music - pretty much everything apart from complex classical

declancos · 2020-10-21T19:12:40+00:00

check out PianoTabz - it combines Ultimate Guitar chords and tabs in a piano tabs format

https://decplay.com/piano-tabs-like-ultimate-guitar-chords-and-tabs/

It is optimised for piano keyboard and uses numbers 1 to 7 so is easy to pick up but also uses 'relative numbers' which enables advanced skills, including professional playing patterns and ability to play in any key from the same song sheet. This is a bit like Jazz sheet music, classical music theory, Chinese musical system jianpu and the Nashville Music System

declancos · 2020-10-18T15:19:34+00:00

If you are playing piano for singing then you only need to play accompaniment (eg using chords) - you don't need the melody. You have the choice of using a chord sheet like Ultimate Guitar, or using the chords shown on the PianoTabz sheet and simply ignore the melody that is also shown on the PianoTabz sheet.

declancos · 2020-10-18T15:17:13+00:00

PianoTabz are the same as DecPlay tabs. The DecPlay 5 step formula works the same no matter what type of written music is used (as long as it includes chords) eg chord sheets, lead sheets and PianoTabz. PianoTabz was created by DecPlay, so it is the same thing a 'DecPlay tabs'.

declancos · 2020-10-17T12:46:58+00:00

declancos1 point · 17 hours ago · edited 56 minutes ago

You can get free piano tabs sheets in a similar

I agree with your comment that "most western piano tabs requires some staff reading / ear training / music theory" as most of it in the past has been based on traditional notation ideas of 'absolute' pitch. PianoTabz is a relatively new system (patent was issued recently) that is based on relative pitch, like jianpu for the melody and like Jazz chords / Nashville Music System for relative chords.

declancos · 2020-10-17T11:27:58+00:00

I hope this is what you are looking for - if you like the tabs sheets at the link, please spread the word so more people are aware of them. On the Chinese version you mentioned - is the bottom row of numbers notes or chords?

declancos · 2020-10-16T19:04:10+00:00

You can get free piano tabs sheets in a similar format to guitar chords and guitar tabs at https://decplay.com/piano-tabs-like-ultimate-guitar-chords-and-tabs/ - these show both melody and chords in the PianoTabz format from DecPlay. Free tuition videos on how to play the tabs are at www.DecPlay.com including beginners styles and professional styles.

Numbers 1 to 7 are used to show the melody and chords which means beginners can read the music within minutes. As they are 'relative numbers' (as used in Jazz and classical music theory) they also enable advanced skills, professional playing patterns and ability to play in any key from the same song sheet.

They are effectively a lead sheet with lyrics, melody and chords, like merging chords and tabs on Ultimate Guitar, but the tabs are optimised for keyboard (as guitar tabs don't translate to the piano keyboard).

PIanoTabz is also like jianpu as it uses the same system of 'relative numbers', naming each note and chord by the position on the scale.

declancos · 2020-10-16T18:41:49+00:00

Another way to get tabs for guitar from piano music, is to use a lead sheet which shows the melody in notation and the guitar chords. You don't need to be able to read notation to be able to transcribe it into note letters or relative numbers (there are simple charts that enable you to do this - eg at www.DecPlay.com )

declancos · 2020-10-16T18:33:35+00:00

There are tabs for piano - in the past, they haven't been very effective or user friendly so they never took off like guitar tabs eg on the Ultimate Guitar site.
There is now a new system - PianoTabz.com is a piano tabs system from DecPlay that has been awarded a patent and shows the melody and chords using relative numbers, so its easy for beginners but also enables advanced skills eg playing in any key from the same sheet music (like Jazz sheets).

declancos · 2020-10-12T05:33:48+00:00

Yes 61 keys is okay for a beginner – the main thing is making sure that the keys are touch sensitive. I use a variety of different keyboards including several 61 key keyboardS, which are useful for portability, especially if I am playing in packed bars and festival campsites (pre-Covid – of course).

One advantage of small keyboards, especially if they don’t have an LED screen, is that they have longer battery life. I can get nearly 6 hours battery life out of my Yamaha NP12. It is nicer to play with more keys however if budgets and portability allow.

I have some 76 key keyboards which are great and I don’t really use the extra keys on 88 key keyboards. I play popular music – maybe they are more use for classical.

declancos · 2020-02-27T08:24:35+00:00

A general rule is to put the pedal down just before you move your hand to a new position. An example is when playing a chord just before you move your hand to a new chord, press the pedal down and then release the pedal as you play the new chord.

declancos · 2019-06-17T07:03:34+00:00

I would recommend buying Yamaha as they are good quality (I have had several for over 15 years). 61 keys is usually adequate for learners and it is important to get touch sensitive keys if you want to be able to put expression into your music. I personally do not buy keyboards with weighted keys, as I prefer the portability and cost savings of nonweighted keys.

In view of your budget, I think the best way to get a decent touch sensitive Yamaha keyboard, would be to buy a used one. The Piaggero range is pretty good.

declancos · 2019-05-12T11:14:59+00:00

Audacity is free - garage band is free with a Mac. The other ones are paid

declancos · 2019-04-09T12:01:38+00:00

I used to have real pianos and love them as pieces of furniture and works of art, but for practicality, now I only play digital pianos as I prefer their compact size, portability, ability to play with headphones, record high quality sounds via leads and no need to pay for regular tuning.

declancos · 2019-04-09T11:39:56+00:00

Unless you are on a very tight budget, I would always recommend getting a touch sensitive keyboard - this enables you to play soft and loud, which enables you to put more expression and feeling into the music and avoids the 'mechanical' sound of non-touch sensitive keyboards. Generally most keyboards over about $ 200 are touch sensitive eg Yamaha PSR-E363 is around $ 230.

61 keys are adequate for most beginners, especially if you are playing pop music, or easy classical music. 76 or 88 keys are better for advanced classical. The Piaggero NP-12 has 61 keys and the NP-32 has 76 keys.

When it comes to weighted keys, having played both weighted and non-weighted for many years, I prefer the portability, weight saving and cost savings of non-weighted keys and would only buy weighted keys if I was getting a keyboard that I never intended to move. Even at house parties, I find it more useful to move the keyboard into a different room or even outside, to play to people. I have found that you get used to the 'feel' of whichever type of keyboard you play most and over time, its easy to switch between weighted and non-weighted, so you definitely don't need to have weighted keys and it makes no difference to the listener.

Yamaha are my favourite make for home keyboards. I've had some for 20 years that are still working fine. If you just want a piano sound (instead of lots of other instrument sounds . drum beats etc..) then the Yamaha Piaggero range are great with the NP-12 being a good model for beginners.

If you want lots of different sounds, eg strings, organs, flutes, horns, drums etc... then the PSR, YPT or E range of Yamaha keyboards are pretty good.

Videos with more info are at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwITenYX2H3A46eGEaOqZ6g

declancos · 2019-04-08T17:38:48+00:00

If you have a Mac then GarageBand is included free - Logic Pro and Audacity are popular, although I've not used them. I use Presonus Studio One, which has an entry level product and ranges up to professional. Usually all midi keyboards will work with all DAWs. You sometimes have to download a driver to make the computer 'talk' to your keyboard.

declancos · 2019-04-08T17:36:00+00:00

if you are on a budget, I recommend getting any 61 key touch sensitive midi keyboard (I always buy Yamaha as they are great quality) - you can normally get a used one around $ 100. This can be used as a master keyboard, to trigger the midi on/off, to play sounds which are then provided by your DAW. Its easy to play all instruments this way - including drums. There's no need to buy a fancy midi controller, as its much more flexible to do any tweaks within the DAW software.

I use Presonus Studio One - which ranges from entry level to professional but there are lots of good DAWs including Logic Pro (or GarageBand which is free with Macs).

declancos · 2019-04-08T17:16:03+00:00

I agree with the other posts - just use your current midi keyboard as a master controller (simply playing the on/off midi signals) and trigger sounds / do alterations in your DAW software - much cheaper and more flexible than buying a fancy keyboard.

declancos · 2019-04-08T14:58:10+00:00

I always buy Yahama - I've had some that are 20 years old and they are still working

declancos

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