Bernie, let’s kill the confusion. I am guessing that your main thought is playing an arranger keyboard, and piano for enjoyment.
“I do not have a Steinway piano – hard feel keybed”. Right, but the same exercises will still help you get more freedom when you play the keyboard.

Playing music that is written for piano, again for enjoyment.

Left hand. Important. I try to play LH chords (IIm7 IV V7 I) in the same area, regardless of the bass root thing. If you have a sound in your LH, keeping the chords in the same area generally sounds better; and it is faster.

My thought of the LH:
For Big Band type of playing, and some others, the LH sound is very important. It answers and leads the RH. If I am using a solo trumpet my LH might be a sax sound working together with the trumpet solo. Picture a live Big Band, that is what’s happening.

What I learned form my guitar days. If I am playing a song like All of Me, my LF pulsates or held. If I am playing Misty, it adds color to the song by moving a single note, or adding color tones to the chord.

Enough, I get lost when I am sharing this kinda stuff.
Take care my longtime friend, John C.

Hi Rikki

I am speaking of full keyboard piano. I presently use full left hand on my split setups with accompaniment,embellishing the style being played. Initially,straight piano and maybe adding simple brush type rhythm,not dependent on chords. I have always loved piano by itself,and knowing it is too late to master it,I can learn enough to supplement my keyboards.

Your welcomed questions lead me to be more focused on how I intend to use this skill,and you are right,it determines what route I take. I could take the easier route and learn the fake book chord approach,or the more difficult solo approach. The advantages of the former would allow me to use familiar material and not have to read left hand.

I have a tendency to bite off more than I can chew,and think maybe I should get out my "Learn To Play Piano From A Fake Book"

I would hate to fly off in the wrong direction and waste my time.

Everyone's help is appreciated.

Bernie, I'm no expert, believe me, but this is my experience. I say this because you have a background as an organist. I play three different (types of) instruments; piano, (jazz) organ, and Rhodes. And although the keyboards are the same, my approach to playing each is totally different (the action on my SEVEN is so heavy, I couldn't play it like a piano anyway - weak organ/synth hands ). Generally speaking, for piano I like a lot of 'runs' and chord phrases rather than single chords; for Rhodes, it's strictly LUSH chords with very little solo action; for jazz organ, it's more about the 'groove' and the interplay between bass and chording. After all these years, it's not something I consciously think about; it's like, the instrument itself dictates the approach.

As for your situation, I agree with you 110%; forget about becoming Franz Liszt and break out your "Learn To Play Piano From A Fake Book". In fact, that is probably the approach that will have the side benefit of improving your arranger playing. Another tip; play a recording of the song you're working on and just play PIANO along with it (using whatever approach you've decided to take).

Everything's harder as we get older, BUT NOT IMPOSSIBLE. There is probably never a time in your life when you can't get better at something.

chas

Chas, nice post, one of your best, John C.

++++++1

Here is some info on fingering and various scales.

https://www.pianoscales.org/fingerings.html

Jerryghr

Thank you Jerry. It looks very useful.

Chas

Your kind advice has tipped the scales for my basic method. You have accurately sized up my situation,and very succinctly and clearly showed me the reasoning. In addition,I plan on working on my fingering,great clef reading,and theory. That should keep me from being bored.
Thank you Chas.
Bernie

basically what I decided to do also except not from a book, but online lessons.

Some of the students are in their 60’s /70’s /80’s,

I can read Treble and Bass clef , but learning to play something note for note is a mind numbing exercise for me nowadays. The memory isn’t all that great.

Having far more fun learning tips and tricks and doing my own simple arrangements ,
which can be built on as I progress.
I find it so much easier being shown what to do, rather than reading it.


Bernie,
not sure if this might help, but, Chas suggested recording the song , and then playing
the piano part.
While I was playing around with the notation feature in Band in a Box the other day,
I discovered something I hadn’t realised before, I was aware the the individual tracks show up as notation for the “midi style “songs, but I hadn’t realised the notation also shows up for the “audio style “ songs.

Thinking maybe piano track could be muted, and piano part could be played live.
One would get a rough idea of what the left hand pattern could be , even if not , note for note.

Please remember the meaning of --K.I.S.S.

The playing/studying piano is for the enjoyment, exploring something new. You my improve your keyboard skills, but that us second. If I were in my 40’s the story would be different.

Let’s share the joy we are receiving from the piano, maybe something new we learned. The fun part.

IMHO, John C.

John
Yes, that is in line with what Chas and others were implying. I re-read your post from yesterday
regarding LH bass root. This would save a lot of jumping around.

Rikki
I wondered about incorporating BIAB and/or Powertracks into this venture,but haven't gotten around to using it since I bought it. It is an interesting thought,however. Also,you mentioned your on-line coarse; which one is it?