Anyone good at piano/keyboard?
I would really like to know how to play the theme to Monkey Island 2 on piano/keyboard. I used to do lessons, but I'm really rusty. I can still read music, but I can't figure out what position to play it in. Here's the video of the piece:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QDnbpfkbaA It gives a link to download a pdf of the notes. Any good tips would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
Thanks.
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Ahem...
ADVICE: Take it reaaaally easy, step by step. Note by note. Start off with the right hand, then learn the left one, then combine them. If you really like this tune, you'll learn it...but bare in mind that it was written for a midi-file-thingie...thus if you find it too difficult in some places you can simplify it. No one will kill you for that
TIP: Lots and lots of patience.
Question: What do you mean "what position to play in"?
Ok, thanks. What I mean by the position to play it is whether its C position, F position, etc, like where to put my fingers on the keyboard so reading the music will make sense.
P.S just watched your week 1 and 2 vids, brilliant.
The original piece is in the key of E-minor, which isn't too bad to play in (one sharp). For some reason on the pdf file they've not written in the key signature, but no worries because they've put all the sharp signs in the right places.
When the melody comes in, it starts on an E (on the octave above middle C). There's a bit of an introduction before the melody though!
How are you with reading music? I prefer to play by ear myself (I find sightreading easy when playing the clarinet, but am hopeless with the piano - give me more than one note to read at a time and my brain explodes). But like SWP said, have a go at playing what's on the pdf file and definitely take his advice. It's very good advice!
Anyway, good luck with it! Be patient, keep practicing and you'll get there!!
Thanks! I really needed to know the key. Oh, and as far as the music reading goes, I use the FACE and All Cows Eat Grass method. I know that's kind of childish, but it helps to remember.And btw, how do you do those really fast bits where the notes just zip really high? I don't see how that's possible. My hand-eye co sucks on piano/keyboard when playing with 2 hands, so combining the two parts is going to be really tough. Thanks for the help anyways.
When I was a kid I wanted to play a wind instrument but wasn't allowed to because of my asthma.
Now I want to give it a try since my asthma's under control and stuff.
Does anyone have some advice for me? (I can already play the recorder lol so I'm not counting that
I'm just wondering which I might want to try, you know. Keeping in mind I know nothing about music.
I know, it's not a question about pianos. But it's about music!
Also, I might want to learn to sing. I realise voice is a chord instrument, not a wind one, but my asthma was preventing me to go far with that, too, so... Any advice to get started with singing?
(Don't worry, I don't need to be able to do both at the same time).
I have a slight touch of asthma (it's never been serious though) and I play the clarinet. It might be worth seeing if there's a way you can try learning a wind instrument before purchasing your own. (I don't know if anywhere does teach you before you buy an instrument yourself, so this might not be so helpful.)
But the first thing I was taught when I took up clarinet lessons was the correct breathing technique. I have friends who have had singing lessons (I've sung in stage shows and choirs before, but never had real lessons myself) and my friends have said that they learnt all the right breathing techniques in singing lessons too. I actually found that learning the clarinet helped me to have more control over my breathing while singing.
If you can control your asthma now then I don't think it will be an issue with singing, especially if you have proper lessons. But depending on what your asthma is like, I wouldn't know how difficult it would be for you to learn a wind instrument.
@OzzieMonkey -
No problem, glad to help! Yeah, the notes are all over the place in that music! Like Silverwolfpet said, the piece was written as a MIDI. It was intended for a computer to play, not a person.
The best advice I can give is basically to take SWP's advice; simplify it - a lot! Concentrate on the most important parts of the music (if it helps, the melody starts with the right hand in bar 14 of the sheet music) and as for the accompaniment, make any changes you need to make, and take out notes if there are too many or if they are in awkward places.
The problem would be finding actual classes, since I'm in such a small down. And singing on your own doesn't really help you improve if you can't do it right to begin with, I find.
Do you think there is any way I can learn the breathing exercises without it being in person? That doesn't seem likely, but if I could learn at least that from a distance, that would probably help.
Anyway, thanks for your help.
I'd recommend the tuba, for no other reason than tuba is freaking cool and that the world needs MORE tuba players.
Can't help you there thou, i'm a complete stranger to all those instruments except maybe for the occasional try at butcherin the blooz with a harmonica, and i barely know what i'm doing when i attempt to sing.
Not so relevant, but i kinda remember something about clarinet being harder to play than the saxophone... Basically, if you could play one, you could play the other, but a clarinet player would have no trouble getting a good sound on a sax while the contrary was quite more demanding.
So if one was hesitating between those two, i'd say go for the clarinet, since it'll be easier to show off like you can play anything afterwards
Now I'd just be curious to give one a try. It just feels like everyone plays the guitar or the piano, I thought I could try something different, you know?
The trombone or euphonium are the two easiest wind instruments to learn, in my opinion. Then again, I'm not very experienced with reed instruments, so I'm a bit biased. Whatever you do, just don't try the french horn if breathing is a problem. That thing's a lung killer.
Good luck with choosing.
The righthand part is great, especially for someone who wants to pick up playing piano again. The lefthand part is (almost) impossible, though.
It has a very fast irregular rhythm, and sometimes the distance between to notes are insane. For example when you have to play a G and a much higher B together.
Being a pianist myself, I think you should try to play the righthand the way it is written and make some sort of riff (bass) for the lefthand or play the chords. That way, you will have a repeat-able underground you can rely on.
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So make it a little easier for yourself (I'm not trying to discourage you, btw). Of course I would be really amazed if you actually can play this. But I think that this only can be achieved by Asian people or people with really large hands and an extra finger.
(sorry for my bad english)