Hi guys,

Maybe a bit OT :-) Recently I installed an Egosys Wavelab 2496 professional soundcard in my videobox - hooked up a midi keyboard and .... Right - I can't play! When in front of a piano it feels like I'm fitted with 11 thumbs, all of them in the middle of my hands <g>

I have some nice software ( like Cubase SX v2.03 and Reason ) - I also have Halion ( sw sampler ) - so I got eveything, except the knowledge! So now I'm looking for some good CD tutorials for the absolute beginner. Starting with how to hold the hands, reading notes - taking the first steps etc etc - and I'd like YOUR input! Do you know about any good piano/keyboard step-by-step guides?

What I've found:
http://www.arcmedia.com/products/products.asp?id=876
http://www.voyetra.com/site/products/tmp/serieshome.asp

As always, your input is highly appreciated!

Best regards,

Lazze Z

Hal Leonard has a large number of books that are DVD enhanced. Your local music store (musician's store) and BORDERS, Barnes and Noble, etc will carry them.

Hi.

Thanks DSE!

Finally I ordered this product:

http://www.keyboardcoach.com

It was reasonably priced at Amazon - will give a short review when it arrives!

// Lazze

If you're interested in learning to play popular songs so that you can be a hit at parties etc., get the sheet music (it tends to be expensive) and just practice, practice, practice. But I think this might be the hard way to go about learning piano.

If you're interested in songwriting, jamming, or just noodling around, buy yourself a great big encyclopedia of chords and scales and memorize all the natural majors and minors and the dominant sevenths and as many of the others as you can stomach. You'll be sounding--well, at least in tune--in no time.

Learning an instrument is, above anything else, rewiring your brain for the encoding of a large finite set of body positions/movements corresponding to a large finite set of sounds you want to hear. This really takes years of time and practice, no matter what your instrument--except, perhaps, kazoo...

Hello Robert,

My main goal is just being able to make some nice backgrounds for my video - as you say - mostly harmonizing and chords. I have played some before - and I feel that this should be a good time learning to read notes/scores ( so I can understand the books that teaches impressive chords :-) and also too help my now 1.7 years old daugther - who knows, in a year or two maybe she will start to play an instrument and then it would be great being able to help her.

I've been studio/techie for a band a few years ago, so I have rather alot "hands on" training playing the keyboard and setting all the stuff up - now I need to fill in the missing basics :-)

// Lazze