Eeveryone pretty much knows me and what i can do but there is a problem:
I am 34 years old with probably 20 years of music experience, recording,
programming and stuff...i consider my self and advanced keyboardist but
thats as a single hand fast solo player, i cant do $%it with 2 hands, probably
few things and thats about it. My question on the advice is:
I decided to take some Piano lessons, there is good teachers in here, on top
of my knowledge of music would those lessons help me transfer some of my
knowledge into 2 hands playing and actually reading some music?
Reading is not as important as actually playing techniques, there is a lot of
basic tricks of hand techniques and manipulations i dont know, once someone
opens a door for me and show me things i dont know and actually make it easier
would that help me at all achieve some? I like a lot of Classical music which i can
do a little and also a lot of BogeyWogey (Fats Domino) Style...???

Thank You

Some of the best pianists in the world still have lessons and they never stop learning..

So every dime spend on something that makes you better in what you want to do most is a well spend dime...

What are your goals... what would you like to do with your playing? First, realize that I am not nearly as good as you, haha, so, what do I know?

But... if it's simply to become a more proficient player... I am intrigued with the concept taught by David Sudnow. (www.sudnow.com). Basically, his teachings revolve around... 90+% of everybody who learned to play music by reading... canNOT play by ear. And 20 years after they quit playing, they can't even read well. So, to enjoy playing music... to him, the ultimate is playing by ear. Which I tend to agree with.

I have no idea if his teaching would be a fit for you but it's worth looking into.

Other than that, you could also take lessons to learn to sight read. The combo of that and better "playing by ear" might be a good combo.

One of the easiest things you can do is to take some of your RH licks, and simply try to play them with your LH. It's going to be frustrating at first, but you have to keep reminding yourself how long it took you to get the RH up to its' present level.

I'll often give myself 'mirror' setups to play tunes with. Either with a full band, or on sequences, if I am playing a comp in my LH and brass parts in my right, I'll make a setup with brass in the LH area and the comp sound in the RH. I try to think of myself as having two RH's

For regular full piano parts, then yes, a LH and a RH are the way to go. But as a gigging keyboardist, you are usually called upon to cover a LOT of parts at the same time, and having one hand weaker than the other is a definite drawback. Breaking free from the same 'LH comp, RH solo' habits, and forcing your LH to take on some of the RH's duties can make for a good way to get a practical use for the LH...

Just remember, it's not going to come overnight. But even without a teacher, your RH already knows what to do. Simply work your LH up to mirror it.

My son learns all of his songs on piano off youtube.He watches the person showing how to play the song over and over. Many times he'll take the laptop over to the piano and watch and learn.

Maybe you can find some tunes you want to play and find someone teaching that song on youtube.

In effect, you just described the Sudnow method which I posted about above. He uses "dot songbooks" to teach you how to play pretty elaborate standards right out of the gate. He says that if you learn enough of these standards in this manner, your brain and fingers "learn" how to play intricate pieces by ear... over time. Such as six months to a year or so.

Nedim, assuming the "right" teacher and method, the answer is a resounding YES.

Sounds to me like you need the Czerny studies, the Hanon studies, the Schmidt studies and a daily practice regimen with a teacher to isolate those things that we don't know so that you don't learn bad habits.

Go. For. It.


--Mac

Hello Nedim,

To improve your lefthand technique(I assume it's your left hand) classic piano is an excellent way to go, since you'll be forced to use both hands a lot and learn to play the hands independedly from each other in very different ways.
Whether you need lessons or not depends of your own disciplin and how good your technique is.
Lessons mean that you are more or less forced to practice since you don't want to look stupid each time you have your lesson and did not practice.

About reading music:
Personally I usually play by ear, but on some occasions you can't hardly do without.
F.i. classical peaces of a certain length are difficult to remember completely.
It's also time saving if you need to play a completely unknown song to you.

I agree with most of us here that to give your playing a certain dynamic and emotion you better play by ear.
Also there are riscs with playing from paper..

Years ago I sat in as guitarist in a jazz combo in an outdoor play.
Suddenly the piano stopped, while immediately filling in the gab I looked over my shoulder and saw the pianist crawling over the ground looking for his music sheets which were blown away by the wind (I had big troubles to keep my face normal, since this was so hilarious)
The audiance did'nt notice by the way at all...

Another example:
About 40 years ago I wanted to play some classical guitar pieces. (Several pieces from JS Bach - like chaconne etc..)
To do this I bought the music sheets and learned these pieces note for note and by listening to Andres Segoiva.
While I am not a good reader at all, untill today I cannot play these pieces without having the sheets in front om me.
So once you learned a piece from paper somehow your brain says you need the sheet music...at least if you don't play these kind of music daily...

Overall I would say that for classic music you can hardly do without when learning a piece.

While performing you better do without sheets and play by ear, since it will be very static and will lack emotion if played from sheets.

If you play Jazz, Boogie, Blues etc... FORGET sheets.

Greetings
Fred

As an experienced piano teacher I think that finding the right teacher is crucial. I would suggest talking to someone at the local college level maybe. They could at least point you in the direction of a good fit.

Good luck,

Jeff

To be honest, Nedim, at your age, I am not sure I would recommend starting a classical regime. If you are looking for a teacher, I would start by trying to find one that is on YOUR page when it comes to the music you WANT to play. A straight ahead classical teacher knows very little about the needs and demands of a pop or jazz musician, or has much respect for what YOU want to do, sometimes.

But it is quite possible to check out if any teachers in your area actually gig, and if they actually gig, what stuff do they play, and maybe go out and listen to them. At which point, you might be able to decide for yourself if THAT teacher is the one for you... If they got great chops but can't swing their way out of a paper bag, how's that going to help? But maybe if they are a BIT less technical, but their playing affects you emotionally, that might be your best bet.

When I first started piano lessons, I had about a year or so with a strict classical martinet. But I KNEW that that wasn't what I wanted to play. So I got my parents to hire a local cocktail pianist that played in one of their favorite restaurants. He taught classical as well, but wasn't a GREAT player. But he knew about chords, jazz voicings, improvising, playing by ear, all the things that classical players never tech you. But he had enough classical training to know what exercises WOULD be needed, and which were just overkill.

That man put me on the right path, and I never looked back. Sure, I can't rip off a bunch of Rachmaninoff off the top of my head. But I've made a living playing music at some quite high levels based on the practical stuff he taught me.

It's not easy for adults to go back to square one and re-do everything. I think, at this point, studying under someone that shares your musical views is possibly a better path than studying with the best classical teacher in the world...