Midi piano lessons for beginners

[odiug]

I'm taking my first traditional piano lessons (three months up to now), do you have any suggestions to take advantage of some features of cvp (score, guide, velocity) to improve my learning? I was thinking, for example, if there are around midi lessons for piano beginners.

[Carlo]

You may refer, for example, to:

Alfred's Basic Adult All-in-one Piano Course - Level 1, containing two General MIDI Disks

which combines theory and practice, and includes two floppies with a number of songs for you to play along on a CVP.
(By the way, this Alfred series is also available in an Italian edition).

I would use them, however, just as a supplement and not as a replacement for the "canonical" path (Bona, Beyer, Duvernoy, Hanon, Lebert&Stark, Pozzoli, Czerny, Clementi, Cramer, etc.), which lays the solid foundations of a pianist.

Best regards,

[odiug]

carlo,

I'm studying using Beyer and (some) Hanon. I do agree that midi things could never substitute a teacher, just, I guess, having some midi files could help to improve, especially for keeping the time. Even if I use the metronome, still it's much better to have a guidance given by a midi file.
Thanks for your suggestion, could you please give me the name of the Italian edition?

guido

[Carlo]

Guido,

I'm sorry I can't give you the exact title of the Italian edition, for I possess the English one.
I've just noticed it in a bookshop.
See my private message on where you might find it in Rome.
Best regards,

[Neuron]

Hi odiug!

I've just received my new Clavinova CVP-307, and I am practicing the Hanon exercises (Hanon, the virtuoso pianist) with the left/right hand feature of the CVP. Simply excellent!

I've just ordered the book "Alfred basic adult all-in-one piano course",but unfortunately does not come with the midi files.

Anyway, I would not mind to share a copy of the exercises. They are 20 midi files which correspond to the 20 exercises of the book.

If you would like to practice with them, Just let me know.

[wally]

Also, don't forget the CVP Made Easy tutorials from Simon Smith. You can order them directly from the CVPUG home page.

[Neuron]

This is a good suggestion as well. Thanks

PS: Congratulations for the CVPUG site, and thank you very much for this excellent forum!

[hpeterh]

Hi Neuron and all,

I prefer this Site: http://www.mutopiaproject.org/. The nice thing is, they have sheet music and the corresponding midis in most cases. It is very good quality but without cost.(Public license)
Most popular classic music should be there.

I am also member of http://www.musikbibliothek.de, they have also classical music, Lieder and Midis. However the midis need some tweeking before they work with the clavinova. (All controlchange events for controler 7 must be deleted). They charge a yearly fee.

(To edit the midis I use Rosegarden running under Jacklab-Linux http://www.jacklab.org which is my preferred desktop OS.)

I use the sheet music and the midis to learn separate hand, supported by the clavinovas guide lamps and other faetures.

Ok, I have my CVP 96 for 2 weeks now and I am more than happy to have it. I got it in a defective condition on ebay and I repaired it, and now I try learning a little bit piano.

So I was also interested In Alfred's all in one course for adults.
So far I found, Midi or CD-audio disks are not included they are available separately.
The midis are available from Yamaha and - somewhat cheaper - from Alfred Publishing, but I dont know where to buy in germany.

The only dealer that -to my knowlegdge- has all of these products is http://www.music44.com/ but until now I hesitated to order because I dont know if additional german customs taxes will be charged. If anyone here is experienced with this matter please tell - thanks.

Ok, this was also my first post and introduction here, thank -especially Wally- you for this forum and regards to all.

Peter

[Neuron]

Peter, thank for very much for the information and for the very useful links!!!

Welcome to the forum, and congratulations for your new CVP-96. I started to learn piano with something very modest (no comparable to your CVP-96), so you'll find the CVP-96 excellent. You will love it!

About Alfred's adult books ...I went through the book very fast, though I can only recommend it for absolute beginners. It has lot of information all together, which took me months to collect. You're right, in Germany you can only acquire the floppies or CD's separately. Even the English version of the book is only accessible via Amazon (there're German and Italian version which only it contains the pieces to practice, without technique and theory).

You can find the Alfred Book level 1 for maximum 11,45,- € here (http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/0882848186/028-7107653-5128553)

I was really glad to read that you use GNU/Linux!!!! I am a Linux enthusiast, but I was not able to configure Rosegarden properly. I have no experience with MIDI

Please, do not hesitate to contact me for any details regarding this mail. I will contact you privately.

Nin

[hpeterh]

Hi Nin,

I know from various forums that earlier rosegarden versions where buggy and difficult to setup, even for experts.

I did no setup at all. Rosegarden is contained and preconfigured in the jacklab distribution (or in the connected repositories)
It ran out of the box. (Ok, it fulfills my humble needs, but of course there are bugs)

I have a SBValue Soundcard and that was recognized automatically. Serial Midi worked out of the box. (I made the adaptercable myself, but they are available in stores also)
USB Midi with my prokeys 88 keyboard (that is going to ebay now) also was automatically recognized and worked. So, if the CVP 307 has USB to-Host-Midi, there are chances that it is automatically recognized at plugin-time and no other hardware is required.
And not to forget: Jacklab is a SuSE branch and all SuSE packages can be used (excepted the specially configured realtime kernel) It can also be installed on top of SuSE.

Try to preinform in the jacklab forum and try their live-dvd.
I am also glad to help, but would need specific information.
It would be the best to do that in the jacklab forum, because the regulars there have much more skills than I have ;-)
Of course there are still many problems, mainly with USB&Firewire soundcards and Windows software that are unsolved but this is also true for windows, especially for vista;-)

best regards,

Peter

[hpeterh]

Hi,

I discovered another possibility to get sheet music with matching midi files:

http://www.capella.de

This is a german company, if you want english text click the US flag. (The GB flag will not give much information)

Capella is professional music software thats very popular here in germany and is reasonably priced.

There is a sheet-music ocr program, "capella scan".
Today I tried cappella scan (trial version). Results where phantastic! I used my digital camera to get an image from paper-sheet music.
The image was far from optimum.
Recognition was better than 95% and hand editing was very easy. I also tried pdf-sheet music. Recognition rate was better than 99%! (Only some pause signs where misinterpreted)
It also recognizes text and it recogniced the small finger-setting numbers too!
I am very impressed.
It can export Midi, Music XML and the native Capella format and of course it can print. It can import almost any image format and pdf and it interfaces directly to scanners.

So I was very impressed and I intend to purchase this.
Of course I am still open for other recommendations....

regards,

Peter

[Neuron]

Hi Peter,

Thank you for sharing! The program looks very good and I will consider to get a copy if I keep of using MIDI's to learn. Unfortunately it's only available for Windows(R). In I am looking around how to use MIDI's with GNU/Linux and the Jack server is a pretty cool feature.

:)

[hpeterh]

Yes,

thats windows only. Unfortunately.
Currently I am on windows because I need the sibelius plugin and when I purchase capella then I am on windows more often and will start linux in a vmware box for critical transactions (paypal, banking ... ;-)

best regards,

Peter

[Kaye M]

I'm currently using Alfred's Basic Adult Piano Course, Level 2 (because I had it from years ago) with the midi files (I recently bought) to learn. It's fun and it really helps me progress because I know what the song I'm trying to learn si supposed to sound like. I practice both hands separately with the guide, then together with the guide and then with no accompaniment at all. I check in with my piano teacher friend once a month or so and she's amazed at my progress.

Here's the book I use:
http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/store/smp_detail.html?item=3659240&cart=34020982421909829

And the GM disks:
http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/store/smp_detail.html?item=3541288&cart=34020982421909829

The next book in the series is level 3, but I have the Alfred's Adult All-In One Course instead of the older version. I just need to buy the disks for it.

:PIANO:

[Neuron]

Hey Kate!

I am currently doing the Alfred's series and I am with the book 2 too. I have the CD of the book 1 (just let me know if you would like some samples), and it really helped me a lot. Unfortunately I don't have the midis of the book 2, but I am trying to read the scores without knowing the music or checking in youtube.

I completely agree with you, the Alfred series provide an amazing way to improve at the piano. I noticed that my sight reading improved considerably, and my friend agreed as well.

[Kaye M]

I really like the Alfred series. I didn't know that youtube had alfred videos. I'll have to check that out. There are a couple of samples of book 1 midis that I'd love to get from you to see if I want to buy the whole disk. Email me privately and we can talk. I don't want to violate any copyright laws.

I wish I could find a set of midi files with the scales. I know it sounds silly to look for scales, but it would really help if I could study them with the follow lights. Do you have any idea where I could find something like that?

[hpeterh]

Hello,

recently I got the Alfred book Vol. One too.

I would not pay for the Midis.
All of the exercises are based on royalty free popular traditionals, so far I can see. (It is clear that Alfred Publishing themselfe dont like to pay royalties ;-)

So it is easy to find the Midis via google or via Midi search engine.

As long as the creator offers these for download, it is no copyright violation to download and use these.

As for the scales: Play them once on the clavinova, save as Midi and transpose or adjust speed if needed.

brgds,

Peter

[Ian J. Evans]

I really like the Alfred series. I didn't know that youtube had alfred videos. I'll have to check that out. There are a couple of samples of book 1 midis that I'd love to get from you to see if I want to buy the whole disk. Email me privately and we can talk. I don't want to violate any copyright laws.

I wish I could find a set of midi files with the scales. I know it sounds silly to look for scales, but it would really help if I could study them with the follow lights. Do you have any idea where I could find something like that?

Kaye

As you live in the US you just might find what you are looking for at:

www.jazzbooks.com

Don't let the word "jazz" scare you, they have an exhaustive catalogue of music books, CD's and DVD's that might be worthwhile checking out.

Ian

[hpeterh]

Hello,

recently I got the Alfred book Vol. One too.

I would not pay for the Midis.
All of the exercises are based on royalty free popular traditionals, so far I can see. (It is clear that Alfred Publishing themselfe dont like to pay royalties ;-)


Sorry I must correct my own statement.
For example "Happy Birthday to You" on page 75 is still copyrighted because one of the composers died between 1940 and 1950.
The copyright and the permission is explicitely declared at the bottom of the page.
(They did not mention the names of the composers, what a shame ;)

In a Wikipedia article I read that the current copyright holder still gets 2000000 $ per Year for license fees. (They purchased the rights for 20000000 $)
If we download this we have a copyright violation *g*
Better to compose something like this!


SCNR,

Peter

[Kaye M]

Hi Peter,
Thanks for your reply. If I *could* play the scales and record them, I would already have done that. :cool:

Hello,

recently I got the Alfred book Vol. One too.

I would not pay for the Midis.
All of the exercises are based on royalty free popular traditionals, so far I can see. (It is clear that Alfred Publishing themselfe dont like to pay royalties ;-)

So it is easy to find the Midis via google or via Midi search engine.

As long as the creator offers these for download, it is no copyright violation to download and use these.

As for the scales: Play them once on the clavinova, save as Midi and transpose or adjust speed if needed.

brgds,

Peter

[Kaye M]

Thanks for the link, Ian. :)

Kaye

As you live in the US you just might find what you are looking for at:

www.jazzbooks.com

Don't let the word "jazz" scare you, they have an exhaustive catalogue of music books, CD's and DVD's that might be worthwhile checking out.

Ian

[Ian J. Evans]

Thanks for the link, Ian. :)

I forgot to mention that Jamey Aebersold used to send out a free jazz handbook that gave good examples of scales and how to practice them. You just had to ask for it.

Ian