I’m an accomplished guitarist, but don’t really know much about playing keyboard instruments beyond playing the cadences that were required in college. I’m interesting in building my skill set, particularly as it would apply to playing a monophonic synth. So far, I’ve been working through Bach’s Inventions. That has been really useful for suggesting fingerings and building my dexterity.
What are some great resources/books for learning to play this instrument with some proficiency?
Well I think that any instructor worth their salt would try to push you in the direction of the Piano Method, developing both hands and getting the fundamentals of Music Theory down, learning chords and scales and excercises to gear you towards reading music so that you can take those that you have learned and adequately apply them to your monophonic technique.
I think thats the wisest course of action but its not the quickest and it certianly won’t provide you with any instantaneous gratification.
Just for clarification, the keyboard is not my primary instrument and I have extremely limited theory training, so I can’t even practice what I preach.
If you like the Bach stuff, then maybe you can find a classical teacher, learn the stuff on the piano then apply it to the Moog.
THe instructor of the Jazz band in high school told me that I needed to learn the rules before I break them.
I should also mention that I’m a guitar teacher and have a degree in music (composition and theory). I’m self-motivated, so things that I can do on my own are probably best.
I really need things that will develop the mechanics of my keyboard playing. Scale studies, arpeggio studies, fingering exercises, etc. I always come back to Bach when learning a new instrument, as it is both musical and helps to build technique. The sheet music of the Inventions that I have is very useful, as it gives fingering suggestions that I wouldn’t have come up with, but feel ‘right’ after I do them for a bit.
Ahh so thats what you mean by “accomplished” lolol.
No im just teasing.
Well in that case why can’t you learn all the chords you can on the kbd and then learn all the scales that go with all the chords.
My father is a classically trained Jazz pianist with a teaching degree. He has a lot of resources..i can ask him about books on developing finger dexterity and proper fingering, and workouts that can be applied to the monophonic synth.
Since you can already read music, then whats stopping you from learning jazz solos and such?
I saw a Learning Synthesizer book at Sam Ash once. I don’t know if it’s still in print, but I’m sure you could find something similar on Amazon. I’m not sure if learning by applying piano is a good idea for a monophonic instrument, but I know nothing, as I can’t read music too good. I recall some spam on this site that was about learning the keyboard…if you could find that on the General Topics forum. Hope this helps!
For my two cents, I’ll offer that if you’re going to embark on deliberate practice to gain chops, use a keyboard with some physical resistance.
A piano or weighted action is good.
Also consider that while you may learn right and left hand skills on any reasonably sized keyboard, one that’s 5 octaves or more will allow greater results.
You’ll be able to learn scales and arpeggios in octaves where your wrist would normally not be positioned had you a shorter keyboard.
when I get stumped or when I’m looking for new scales I turn to looknohands.com (no I am not spaming for them) but they have every chord and scale for keyboard and guitar. It gives you picture diagrams and plays it back to you so you know what it supposed to sound like. There are a few different instrument sounds to chose from and ithink they even have synth sounds
And as for exercises I go to youtube. Pretty much any instructional video can be found there plus other very accomplished musicians give their two cents, and some not so accomplished one too.
Alright these are the books my father reccomended:
Complete School of Technic for the Piano (Isidor Phillipp)
The Virtuoso Pianist (C. L. Hanon) T
“The Phillipp has all the scales and arpeggios with fingerings, plus a lot of good exercises. This is one of the best books to help your chops. The Hanon is strictly mechanical exercises designed to strengthen all your fingers equally.”
Now I did mention to him that you had brought up including that you liked to use Bach as a tool and that your application of these techniques were for the monophonic synth.
I got the Hanon book and have been working through it and the Bach Inventions. My keyboard skills are increasing rapidly. Thanks again for the recommendations.
