Hey, so its my first post here so sorry if i'm breaking any metas!
So im really interested in learning piano, I've been for the last 2 years but only for about 8 months or so have I been really dedicated on learning (Im mostly interested on Jazz, but i recognize that learning classical music is a great exercise to master the piano). I only have a keyboard, nor i have i ever had piano classes sadly, but this summer im buying a digital one + getting a teacher.
I actually have a bunch of questions regarding my current practices and i'd love to receive criticism.
I try to learn as much theory as i can, out of interest and with the hopes of it complementing my piano skills. For that i've recently started reading The Complete Musician, by Steven Laitz, currently done with appendix 1, even though i knew more less how to read a sheet, i wanted to be sure there was nothing i was missing from the basics, plus it helped increase my reading speed. I did almost every exercise, getting started to initiate chapter 1.
Piano itself i practice by doing the following: -Choosing a song i find fitting for my skill, often its not a very long one, a question of minutes, and practice it until i am fluent. -Try to improvise, either over a song (which mostly goes off) or solo. When solo i usually pick a key, think about something i'd like to practice (Modulation, extended chords, etc) and try to incorporate them in my improvisation. I usually practice everyday about 30 mins to 1 hour.
So, without further ado, here are my questions:
1-What is the best way to pick a piece to practice? I seem to always pick either stuff thats way to hard and often lead to disappointment in my skills, or songs that are too easy and i pick them just so i learn something. I feel like i needed something that pushed me, but didnt seem impossible that i have to basically just remember the notes and play it mechanically.
2-About remembering notes, it is common for pianists to play just by memory? I cant read sheet fluently enough to play on the go, not even at half-tempo, so i mostly read 1 or 2 chords, then memorize them, which makes me feels cheap and not like im improving.
3-What are some good resources on improvisation? Is it better just to go for a teacher? Or a book? Blind practicing? Or a mix of everything?
4-About teachers, im actually quite nervous about getting a teacher, im 19, and going there to say i dont have a clue about how to actually play piano sounds a bit discouraging, i understand not being honest to a teacher is basically lying to yourself, but i really dont know what to ask, should i just ask to start from the beginning? Also, should i get a typical teacher, or a jazz focused on? Sorry i really dont know how it works.
(edit): 5- So my current budget for a piano is about 800 euros (around 900 dollars, though amazon and thomann often have big price differences, so i dont even know if its that much money), Ive heard that r/piano's guide to buying pianos is a bit outdated, what would be a recommended piano for around that price?
My bad if it was an extra long post, just thought it was better to get advice from others than to try and do everything myself, decided to be completely honest, hopefully none of you take it wrong!
Submitted May 20, 2019 at 05:59PM by AleXShi1 https://www.reddit.com/r/Learnmusic/comments/br19cv/getting_started_on_piano_looking_for_criticism/?utm_source=ifttt