Recently started playing the piano. Any tips?

bootlegger10

I know Pearl Jam is guitar driven but anyone on here play the piano? I've learned a few songs so far (Karma Police, Nightswimming, Metamorphosis II minus the fast parts) but just memorizing which keys to hit is a slow process. I need to learn the chords and read music so I can learn songs faster. If anyone has any tips or some good resources to teach yourself piano it would be great to hear about them.

It is interesting that it took me many, many years to appreciate the piano. I was surprised after playing guitar over the years how tough it still was to play with both hands at the same time on the piano. Now I'm concerned as I don't pick up the guitar much at the moment.

mfc2006

Patience...and a lot of practice. My wife started teaching me piano about 6 years ago. Being a guitarist made learning the piano a bit more difficult for me, I think. What helped me was to write a couple of (very) basic songs using major chords so I always knew where my "home" was.

bootlegger10

Thanks for the advice. Definitely need to get some basic teaching books to not start off with bad habits. I really just want to be able to sit down at the piano like I pick up my guitar and just mindlessly play whatever comes to mind. Gonna take a while. Once I get decent I'm going to attack the Nick Cave catalog.

gimmesometruth27

i buddy of mine is a piano teacher. he recommends learning music on piano. it is easier to transition from piano to other instruments. i screwed up and learned on guitar so that has made trying to learn piano more difficult. i would recommened getting an instructor and taking some lessons to learn the basics. i think playing piano forces you to learn theory, which is something that took me forever to figure out on guitar. like anything else it is going to take time and practice, two things that i don't have a lot of right now. keep at it.

bootlegger10

Time is short right now for me too. Lessons would be a good idea this summer.

PJ_Soul

I have played since I was 7 years old. Your best option is to just really learn how to read music, as you said, which just takes time, practice, and patience. Once you really learn how to read music, the rest kind of falls into place, assuming you're working at it. Although the fingering is important when you play too. Using the right fingering makes a huge difference to how what you're playing sounds. There are a ton of video tutorials on this on youtube, along with a pile of good training exercises.
Also, I would recommend that you pick up some classical books to learn with. What you're playing is great, but that kind of music isn't the best for learning IMO. If you start with classical repository beginners books (including the chord guides, theory books, etc) and work up from there, you will learn what you need to know to play all the modern stuff. And as a bonus, it's really cool to be able to sit down and whip out some Mozart or Beethoven. It impresses people.
And don't forget your scales (with the proper fingering)! The boring exercises like scales are what promote your muscle memory for playing. That kind of regimented training is actually REALLY helpful for learning to play.

mace1229

Play everything in the key of C and you don't have to use the black keys.