The Clog from OzPiano - Just About Hitting The Right Keys at The Right Time
November 19th 2006 23:46
"There's nothing remarkable about it. All one has to do is hit the right keys at the right time and the instrument plays itself" - Johann Sebastian Bach
Easier said than done Bach! Learning the piano isn’t as difficult as many instruments because, as Bach suggests, it’s just about hitting the right keys at the right time. But learning something like the cello or violin with no idea where to put your fingers is much more difficult. I’ve played the piano for many years and now can sort of teach myself on the cello as I understand the basics of playing music but remembering where to put your fingers exactly is quite a task! With the piano, one key is clearly a different key to the one next to it and the pretty black and white pattern across the keyboard is a great help too. But with stringed, non-fretted instruments it seems more trial and error.
But to get to the ‘just hit the right keys at the right time’ stage of the piano requires a lot of practice. And although when you’re young it’s the best time to learn an instrument, it’s also the best time to want to protest any extra-curricular learning and not understand the benefits of such activities. Lucky for me, my hardworking discipline (not the brutal force of my parents which is just plain wrong) got me to almost top level piano, where I realised I could teach myself and gave up lessons. But unfortunately, like most others I’ve almost abandoned it for other grown-up things like uni and work.
But I will keep trying with the cello though. All I need to do is hit the right area of the right strings at the right time in synchrony with the movement of the bow and the instrument should play itself!
Image part of Public Domain
Easier said than done Bach! Learning the piano isn’t as difficult as many instruments because, as Bach suggests, it’s just about hitting the right keys at the right time. But learning something like the cello or violin with no idea where to put your fingers is much more difficult. I’ve played the piano for many years and now can sort of teach myself on the cello as I understand the basics of playing music but remembering where to put your fingers exactly is quite a task! With the piano, one key is clearly a different key to the one next to it and the pretty black and white pattern across the keyboard is a great help too. But with stringed, non-fretted instruments it seems more trial and error.
But to get to the ‘just hit the right keys at the right time’ stage of the piano requires a lot of practice. And although when you’re young it’s the best time to learn an instrument, it’s also the best time to want to protest any extra-curricular learning and not understand the benefits of such activities. Lucky for me, my hardworking discipline (not the brutal force of my parents which is just plain wrong) got me to almost top level piano, where I realised I could teach myself and gave up lessons. But unfortunately, like most others I’ve almost abandoned it for other grown-up things like uni and work.
But I will keep trying with the cello though. All I need to do is hit the right area of the right strings at the right time in synchrony with the movement of the bow and the instrument should play itself!
Image part of Public Domain
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