My notes for the intrepid adventurer!
- Piano and Guitar - Notes on how to learn to play a musical instrument
- Index
- Description
- Music theory
- Ear training and sight singing
- Psychoacoustics - Audio Illusions
- Guitar
- Finding a good and economic guitar
- Solutions for the big hands or the fat fingers problem.
- How to tune your guitar
- Sight Reading with the guitar
- Good Books for guitar
- Youtube excellent guitar performances
- Youtube guitar courses or lessons
- Youtube to learn to play songs
- Especially good lessons
- Nice Youtube guitar channels in Portuguese and Spanish
- Guitar forums
- Piano
- Adult piano learning
- How to start learning the piano even if you don’t have a piano, the paper piano
- Finding a good and cheap piano or MIDI Controller that works on Linux
- Finding good sound fonts or SFZ's for the piano that work on Linux, Windows, Mac and Raspberry Pi.
- Sight Reading with the piano
- Good Books for the piano
- Discover good music for piano of all periods
- Good youtube channels and sites
- Good youtube videos
- Piano forums
- Finding a good and cheap Audio Interface that works on Linux
- Finding a good and cheap microphone for vocals and classical or acustic guitar
- How to record or play live an Acoustic Guitar from a piezo pickup - Impulse Response
- Configuring all things to work on Linux (Ubuntu / Debian) with open source software
- Disclaimer
- License
- All my other guides
- Have fun!
This are my notes, that I gathered from my search in the world of learning to play the piano and the guitar (Classical and electric).
I speak about music theory, I speak about sight reading, I speak about practice, about good books, good Youtube channels and about configurations on Linux. I leave in Portugal and also tried to find the best cheap solution for piano and guitar, the best bang for the buck. All products have to works well on Linux and my localization impacted my choices, they were the best solutions for me, but maybe aren't the best solutions for you. But there is a really good and solid info here about learning to play those instruments.
The objective of learning to play an instrument, should be, the enablement of the production of beauty in the world though music.
It’s the foundation of all music, you can learn an instrument by ear and imitation or by a more profound and better way, you can learning music theory, by books or trough a teacher. In here, I’m looking on the more economic side of things so I’m not talking much of getting a private teacher because they can be several times as expensive as the initial cost of an instrument. So not accessible to all. Music theory is the foundation of all music, is it’s alphabet and it’s grammar. So my main resources for are primary books, Youtube channels and sites.
-
Harmony and Theory: A Comprehensive Source for All Musicians
by Keith Wyatt -
Music Theory: From Beginner to Expert 3rd Edition
by Nicolas Carter -
Music Theory For Dummies
by Michael Pilhofer, Holly Day -
Berklee Music Theory Book 1
by Paul Schmeling -
Berklee Music Theory Book 2
by Paul Schmeling -
The Jazz Theory Book
by Mark Levine -
Twentieth-Century Harmony: Creative Aspects and Practice Hardcover
by Vincent Persichetti -
The Complete Musician: An Integrated Approach to Theory, Analysis and Listening
by Steven Geoffrey Laitz -
Tonal Harmony
by Stefan Kostka, Dorothy Payne, Byron Almén -
Reharmonization Techniques
by Randy Felts -
The Jazz Piano Book
by Mark Levine -
Basic Materials in Music Theory: A Programmed Approach, 12th Edition
by Greg A Steinke, Paul O. Harder -
Harmonic Materials in Tonal Music: A Programmed Course, Part 1, 10th Edition
by Greg Steinke -
Harmonic Materials in Tonal Music: A Programmed Course, Part 2, 10th Edition
by Greg Steinke -
The Study of Counterpoint: From Johann Joseph Fux's Gradus Ad Parnassum
by Johann Joseph Fux and Alfred Mann -
Contemporary Counterpoint: Theory & Application
by Beth Denisch -
Hearing and writing music professional training for todays musician
by Ron Gorow -
The complete idiots guide to songwriting
by Joel Hirschhom, Joel Hirschhorn
-
Casey Connor - All Music Theory
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL618khw0A-t5A7TyZmxAux_v_C3O7rO2l -
Play List - Music Theory - Music Matters channel
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5j5H06QkhxE0RK-Ormp3zgf5SGJ28zsj -
Understanding Music Theory in One Hour - Animated Music Lesson
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvGYl8SQBJ0 -
Beato - Music Theory Everyone SHOULD KNOW - Chords, Progressions and Keys
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heAcV-kqKrQ -
Beato - Basics of Music Theory
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kax-bxN3T8E -
Understanding The Chord/Scale Relationship
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kbygf3axmAE -
Beato - Music Theory Lecture - What Every Pro Musician Needs To Know
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5SmcH11kUk -
In Portuguese - Curso completo de Teoria Musical em 1 hora - Milo Andreo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYFcEyne4xc -
In Portugues - 20 termos musicais RAPIDAMENTE explicados - Felipe Scagliusi
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dD66sy2pAMA
- musictheory.net
https://www.musictheory.net/lessons
Ear training is an important thing to work on because it helps a lot in the process of learning a musical instrument, it helps to understand more the music we listen and it helps our singing. But sight singing also helps ear training, the tree things give positive feedback to each other and that is always a good thing. After that you can go on to music analysis.
-
First Steps to Ear Training
by William Curtis -
Ear Training for the Contemporary Musician
by Joe Elliott, Carl Schroeder, et al. -
Music for Ear Training
by Michael Horvit, Timothy Koozin, et al. -
Music for Sight Singing
by Thomas E. Benjamin, Michael Horvit, et al. -
Music for Sight Singing, 10th Edition
by Nancy Rogers, Robert Ottman -
Music for Analysis: Examples from the Common Practice Period and the Twentieth Century
by Thomas Benjamin, Michael Horvit, et al.
- Play List - 42 Audio Illusions & Phenomena -- Psychoacoustics
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL618khw0A-t51dsZ8DQK5fYkwrowtFYKn
The beautiful string instrument :-D
The guitars that I like that are good and economic are from:
-
APC Instruments – António Pinto de Carvalho
Fantastic quality instruments at low prices, made in the north of Portugal, in Braga.
https://apc-instruments.com/ -
Thomann's own name range of classical guitars brand and the other Thomann's brand, the Harley Benton’s, good and economic guitars
https://harleybenton.com/ -
And Yamaha C70 Classical guitar
https://europe.yamaha.com/en/products/musical_instruments/index.html
I live in Portugal and APC Instruments - António Pinto de Carvalho - that is the largest European Luthier, it's headquarters and production are in the city of Braga in the north of Portugal. They do guitars by hand, they make guitars and wood string instruments of all types, shapes and sizes at good prices. A typical classical guitar nut is 52 mm and for large hands or fat fingers, that can be too small. But if you ask APC they will take there normal line of 7 (60mm nut) or 8 strings (70mm nut) guitars and apply a 6 string custom bridge and a custom nut in the factory, so that you can have a large string inter-distance in a 6 strings. They do this for just, a really small amount. They made an incredible high quality guitar instrument for me at a very low price.
- APC Instruments – António Pinto de Carvalho
https://apc-instruments.com/
Use a tuner or a tuner APP and tune to the following mnemonic notes for each string.
Eddie - Higher string position
Ate
Dynamite
Good
Bye
Eddie - Lower position string
Higher position string ____ E - A - D - G - B - E ____ Lower position string
Sight reading requires that you read at least 4 to 5 pages, of different guitar sheet music every day, for several months. And it’s a skill that if you stop practicing you will be worst at it, so you have to always keep practicing it. The best book for guitar sight reading that I know of is the:
- A Modern Method for Guitar: Volumes 1, 2, and 3 - Berklee
by William Leavitt
It’s 424 pages of gradually increasing in difficult guitar sheet music in a large font.
A good video to learn sight reading is this one:
- The Piano Sight Reading Tricks You Need to Know for Easier Playing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3A6NcbSJpHU
The most difficult part of playing the guitar is to memorize all notes on the fret for the 6 strings.
For sight reading, there are the following techniques (see the piano section for more details):
-
First you will have to start by memorizing a music peace (first parts, then all the music) because you can not sight read it fast enough in real time at the beginning.
-
You will start to recognize patterns in the structure of the music, parts that repeat and parts that are similar in form, so that you can more easily localize yourself on the music and compress the music more easily in your mind. Recognizing what is the same and what only has little differences, it’s patterns.
-
You have to know the notes on the G clef by heart, and the upper and lower 4 to 5 ledger lines, but that is really simple, with the book I recommend in this section, from Berklee. We have to know this process, but it is slow to do in real time, so wee will have other tricks to minimize it’s use, but it’s the foundation.
-
You have to learn to read music not by each note name or value, but by it’s interval in regard to the previous note. That will make you read much faster and will allow you to find patterns in music and patterns in the repetition and moving of the intervals in consecutive notes. The normal process is to detect the first note in the horizontal lines of the staff and then the others, you will try to detect it’s intervals in regard to the previous note. First is a C, next is upper 3º, lower 2º, upper 5º, lower 7º. Normally you only have to remember by heart the 1º, 2º, 3º, 4º, 5º, 6º, 7º and 8º (octave) intervals. And them pattern in the consecutive notes, example the next 4 notes are pairs of 2 notes with an interval of 2 between them and they are going up in steps of interval of one along the staff.
-
After learning to recognize the intervals instantly, you will need to do the some for chords. Example, you will determine that the root position of the chord is a C and then you will learn to see that the upper two notes are in intervals of 2. This makes the recognition of the chords much faster.
- The Piano Sight Reading Tricks You Need to Know for Easier Playing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3A6NcbSJpHU
See all the videos from the music Youtube channel LeCheileMusic
-
We have to be looking always a little bit in front of what we are currently playing to have time to sight read the music sheet and to have time to process it.
-
We have to learn the fret board by heart, see the book and do scales:
- Guitar Fretboard Workbook 2nd Edition
by Barrett Tagliarino
- We have to practice a lot, in order to we can use muscle memory to place and move our hands on the fret board rapidly and almost without looking, so we can look at the sheet of music continually.
-
Sight Reading Trainer
by Robert Kay -
Improve Your Sight-Reading! Piano Grade 1, 2 e 3
by Paul Harris
-
Best video to learn to play a music from sheet music
Advise: See all the videos from this lady, they are really good.
Le Cheile Music - Beginner Repertoire Tutorial: Allegro No 3 by Alexander Reinagle
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CN5loa4FOgM&list=PLxWg_0QwEt83v1S_tMChdNJx-wWqcDRQV&index=2 -
musictheory - For free web apps that train you to identify notes, intervals and chord in the staff.
https://www.musictheory.net/exercises
-
Larry McDonald - To define the student's level of development for the left hand, right-hand, rhythm, and musicianship.
https://www.classicalguitardelcamp.com/viewtopic.php?p=1374654#p1374654 -
Hal Leonard Guitar Method - Complete Edition: Books 1, 2 and 3, 2th Edition
by Will Schmid, Greg Koch -
Video Play List - Hal Leonard Guitar Method Book 1
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMFLV1svOUsTnZiH9Zo9PkNwJMFljRNuA -
Video Play List - Hal Leonard Guitar Method Book 2
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMFLV1svOUsQ3eGQmLTvtrQKzUUAD2ZOj -
A Modern Method for Guitar: Volumes 1, 2, and 3 - Berklee
by William Leavitt -
Video Play List - A modern guitar method for guitar
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLx1YuLLmpyHvTwAGXZm52kdOClq-TRb6- -
Solo Guitar Playing - Book 1, 4th Edition
by Frederick M. Noad -
Video Play List - Solo Guitar Playing, Vol 1 - Frederick M. Noad
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5F9C3995AE36CDAE -
Video (Full Album) - Frederick M. Noad - Solo Guitar Playing vol 1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOBbBgWuRJs -
Solo Guitar Playing - Book 2, 3th Edition
by Frederick M. Noad -
The Complete Idiots Guide to Playing Guitar
by Frederick M. Noad -
Julio S. Sagreras - Guitar Lessons: Books 1, 2 and 3
by Julio Sagreras -
Video Play List - Jesus Hilario Hernandez - The First Lessons For Guitar, Julio S. Sagreras
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-ZkhVVp9xcO6qIgWZTHuLRuC_3oPKYN9 -
Video Play List - Norbert Neunzling - Julio Sagreras - Primeras Lecciones de Guitarra (Book 1)
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBBEBA9C754C7320C -
Video - Enrique Cabrera - Las Primeras Lecciones de Guitarra - Lecciones 1 - 36 - Julio S. Sagreras
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPrv3sQuzTQ -
Video - Enrique Cabrera - Las Primeras Lecciones de Guitarra - Lecciones 37 - 52 - Julio S. Sagreras
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUu7AMBW8Sk -
Video - Enrique Cabrera - Las Primeras Lecciones de Guitarra - Lecciones 53 - 86 - Julio S. Sagreras
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpqNi0RnvYI -
Julio S. Sagreras - Guitar Lessons, Books 4, 5 and 6 - Advanced Technique
by Julio S. Sagreras -
Hal Leonard Classical Guitar Method
by Paul Henry -
The Bible of Classical Guitar Technique
by Hubert Kappel -
The Christopher Parkening Guitar Method - Volume 1: Guitar Technique
by Christopher Parkening, Jack Marshall, David Brandon -
Video Play List - Brian Margell - Christopher Parkening - Classical Guitar Method vol.1
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLya38jTwaDy1hbjyLBLwt9WlHWSa6OLjk -
Video Play List - FranklinYipMusic - The Christopher Parkening Guitar Method, vol 1
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLN2VWWlQZtfVUoXwXIf5tZW0CJgvEJmrf -
The Christopher Parkening Guitar Method - Volume 2: Guitar Technique
by Christopher Parkening, Jack Marshall, David Brandon -
Video Play List - Several - Christopher Parkening - Classical Guitar Method vol.2
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3W_yhCYJ7-50gE4--AKtm6sqJE8PIwjJ -
Flamenco Guitar: Basic Techniques
by Juan Serrano -
Guitar Fretboard Workbook 2nd Edition
by Barrett Tagliarino -
Pumping Nylon: The Classical Guitarist's Technique Handbook
by Scott Tennant -
Video Play List - Pumping NYLON classical exercised Scott Tennant
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7PVo0LEsqfS-I5eOHa_216eVkICES8Vp -
The Classical Guitar Companion
by Christopher Berg -
Guitar Aerobics: A 52-Week, One-lick-per-day Workout Program for Developing, Improving and Maintaining Guitar Technique
by Troy Nelson -
Video Play List - Adrian Colin - Guitar Aerobics by Troy Nelson
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-eSLbraVsjo4uu58mQuyPD2Dn0O4aRVW -
Video Play List - Adam - Guitar Aerobics by Troy Nelson
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLpxkNwUwbnTd0zbHIF6PHklTs5ympQWmZ -
The Guitar Handbook
by Ralph Denyer -
The Advancing Guitarist
by Mick Goodrick -
To obtain free sheet music and ear it - IMSLP - Petrucci Music Library - Sharing the world's public domain music
https://imslp.org/ -
100 Most Popular Songs for Fingerpicking Guitar: Solo Guitar Arrangements in Standard Notation and Tab
by Hal Leonard -
50 Easy Classical Guitar Pieces
by Jerry Willard -
Video - GuitarBasement - 50 EASY Classical Guitar Solos - Lesson by Jerry Willard
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_dLBWixdbw -
Video - Music - 50 Easy Classical Guitar Pieces 1-25 arranged and edited by Jerry Willard
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGHQf2gt8Mc -
Video - Music - 50 Easy Classical Guitar Pieces 26-50 arranged and edited by Jerry Willard
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPA9_f_OsbE -
100 Graded Classical Guitar Studies: Selected and Graded by Frederick Noad
by Hal Leonard Corp., Frederick Noad -
Video Play List - Ivo Classical Guitar - 100 Graded classical guitar studies - Frederick Noad
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfsVk10loIkyH4Oh_Lsm246DuiRRplpyi -
The Classical Guitar Compendium: Classical Masterpieces Arranged For Solo Guitar
by Bridget Mermikides
-
History of the Classical Guitar in 16 minutes with 100 Pieces - Microtonal Guitar - Tolgahan Çoğulu
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPR38BvVvNM -
Siccas Guitars - The world's finest guitars - Classical guitar videos weekly
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCR39sLAZ5wS_vrMo4tRylHw -
This is Classical Guitar - Video Play List - Classical Guitar
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVzwBH6y7aM76c6yXmYKV0eh0mw-8phVN -
100 Classical Guitar Videos in 100 Days. Compilation of Classic Guitar Repertoire. - Gallery of Guitar
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tw_5AH33SI -
The History of Guitar - Rob Scallon
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjK4GVR1EcE
-
This is Classical Guitar - Free Classical Guitar Lesson videos and books
https://www.thisisclassicalguitar.com/lessons/ -
Justin Guitar free course
https://www.justinguitar.com -
Guitar Lessons 365 - free lessons
https://guitarlessons365.com/free-lessons/ -
Ben Eller - This is Why You Suck at Guitar
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLetEpa_0rdYDSO9rll4ymDoAFT-qnrOnW -
Your Guitar Academy free course
https://yourguitaracademy.com/courses -
Thu Le - Guitar Techniques
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDJ0fHPNiMcLd90fcTfmcrygNfdm8mVJc
- Guitar Lessons 365 Song
https://www.youtube.com/user/GuitarLessons365Song
-
Bradford Werner - 10 Classical Guitar Lessons for Beginners
https://www.thisisclassicalguitar.com/10-classical-guitar-lessons-for-beginners/ -
5 DIY Guitar Hacks - Hannah Murphy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xh0O_5dlumk&list=PLKwssySZ-oocYh1JVRSdpznzRRSkrS2BU&index=4 -
This Should Be Everyone’s First Guitar Lesson
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4a2ge9N31E -
10 Things ANYONE Can Do To Get Better At Guitar Faster
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkN9ZX6rW3E -
How to learn the notes of the guitar FretBoard - Music Theory For Guitar
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJddQ6Q0UDo&list=PLxg569q1AjpNhvvkiq1n3bJOL2nJ9T5UZ&index=4 -
How to visualize the freeboard - The Most Powerful System I Know - TOM QUAYLE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhwix_UAkm0 -
Classical Composer Reacts to Icarus' Dream Suite, Op. 4 (Yngwie Malmsteen) - The Daily Doug Ep. 122
See also the next entry.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVTNnFAHvHw -
Classical Composer Reacts to the "Real" Icarus' Dream Suite Op. 4 - Malmsteen - The Daily Doug
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byGN7fGx75U
3 Freely available guitar ebook resources from there respective sites
-
Classical Guitar Method Book Volume 1 by Bradford Werner
https://www.thisisclassicalguitar.com/free-classical-guitar-method-book-pdf/ -
Guitar Habits - The 150 Essential Chords
https://www.guitarhabits.com/guitarhabitsebook/The150EssentialChords.pdf -
Learn and Master Guitar Lesson Book
https://www.learnandmaster.com/resources/Learn-and-Master-Guitar-Lesson-Book.pdf -
Learn and Master Spotlight Series Blues Guitar Lesson Book
https://www.learnandmaster.com/spotlight-series/blues-guitar/resources/Spotlight_Blues_Guitar_LessonBook.pdf -
Music Centre - Free Guitar ebooks
https://www.musiccentre.co.uk/free-guitar-ebooks -
Nice review channels on gear with really good music and improvisation
EytschPi42
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrPHxHPnSvHzNNYbJlYoyGQ -
A really nice life story to inspire you.
Brian Johnsons A Life on The Road Mark Knopfler
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEvnoYWWuQ4
-
Um café lá em casa
https://www.youtube.com/user/umcafelaemcasa -
Kiko Loureiro
https://www.youtube.com/user/kikoloureiroofficial -
Alexandre Almeida
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC9QlaCk8fNJVn2H0rgIR5w -
Pituquete
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4-ASKOhkRM-GfLGXrqlNzw -
Jeronimo de Carmen
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6AkZwMrK5BuhfgH1FyuDyA
- Forum - Classical guitar Delcamp forum
They have a free multi level course on classical guitar with free materials, free exams and exams reviews from the members.
https://www.classicalguitardelcamp.com/
The king of all instruments :-D
It’s never to late to learn tom play the piano :-D
To play the piano you will use all your brain capacity, all your sight, all your earing, all your movement coordination, and the best thing is that this training and practice will make your sharper, mentally more active and more in control of your abilities. It will also sharp your senses and make you see the world in a different way. You will see even more beauty in the world.
To see the different difficulty levels of piano music, see:
- My piano progress in 10 LEVELS (12 Years of piano lessons)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygti-AuiXPw
To see the different complexity levels of music in the perspective of a composer, see:
- 16 Levels of Piano Composition: Easy to Complex | WIRED
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6buIdQacoM
To excite you, so that you can learn to play convincing piano even with little knowledge, see:
- How I Learnt To Play Piano and Sing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywiSy49yhyU
To see examples of the first year evolution of a person learning the piano, see:
-
1 Year Piano Progress - Adult Absolute Beginner
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSVBUCKtfQ4 -
Learning Piano for 1 Year - COMPLETE Beginner to GRADE 3 Progression ( 500 HOURS )
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m022kIx7TCE -
My 1 Year Piano Progress as an Adult Beginner
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXseopMHF5s
And now for advice from the great pianist Lang Lang, see:
- Lang Lang’s 8 golden rules for learning to play the piano
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFA_R32cVdM
An hilarious but very real diagnostic of the problems that adults have while trying to learn the piano.
- In Portuguese - Felipe Scagliusi - 7 erros que adultos cometem ao aprender piano (e como evitá-los) - 7 mistakes that adults do while learning the piano (and how to avoid them)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t19SN9LgjeQ
Even if you don’t have a Piano, and even if you don’t have a 50 dollars MIDI Keyboard Controller connected to a computer (Linux, Windows or Mac) or mobile phone, you can also start to learn how to play the instrument. Just draw a paper keyboard layout on two or tree sheets of paper and put tape between the sheets. To now the correct keyboard measurements of an octave, then it repeats to the right and to the left, see:
“Modern piano keyboards ordinarily have an octave span of 164–165 mm (6.5–6.5 in), resulting in the width of black keys averaging 13.7 mm (0.54 in) and white keys about 23.5 mm (0.93 in) at the base, disregarding space between keys.”
And then play with with your fingers with the paper piano, along this play list:
- Play List: Sight Reading Piano
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBtP3vO-40hUTXZ5L-KOMovkqWg3koLqn
And see here a really cool technique and to see how useful it is even if you have a piano.
-
NewJazz - The Bad Tapping Habit Pad
The SECRET to become FAST & STEADY on the PIANO
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0GK-TMLYpg -
In Portuguese - Felipe Scagliusi - O que treinar sem ter um piano - What to practice if you don't have a piano
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVMDuS9EJ-I
To see that even good pianists can start this way see:
- Playing a Paper Piano
http://makememusical.blogspot.com/2011/02/playing-paper-piano.html
-
If money isn’t a limitation, then go wild and get your self a good grand acoustic piano, from the best brands: Steinway, Kawai, Yamaha, Fazioli, C. Bechstein, Petrof, Steingraeber, Grotrian, Blüthner.
-
But money is always a limitation :-D The second best thing is an upright acoustic piano. But they are also not very cheap and require that you call a piano technician, to tune your piano 2 times a year, so they have high maintenance costs. Your have all the normal brands like Kawai and Yamaha and others. And if you leave in a apartment, you cannot play at earlier or late hours in the day, because a piano is something loud. No phones syndrome :-D
-
The next best thing, is to find, what in my humble opinion, are the best 2 digital pianos in terms of keybed and in terms of sound, but not very cheap:
-
Kawai CA99 (furniture home piano)
https://www.kawai-global.com/product/ca99/ -
Kawai MP11SE (very heavy stage piano, built like a tank)
https://www.kawai-global.com/product/mp11se/
- The next best thing, is the cheap KORG D1 that has the very best keybed even when comparing to the sub 1200 euros range of pianos, and this piano is for the price of the most entry level pianos on the market. But has the same keybed that the KORG Kronos at 7x times the price and the same that the KORG Grand Stage at 4x it’s price tag. The sound is good, but for the best sound you can connect it to a computer or a Raspberry Pi and use the free and high quality piano sound fonts that I list below. It has a MIDI DIN Out that you can connect via a cheap 5 bucks converter to USB computer. It weights 16.5Kg and is built like a tank. See the video below.
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Korg D1 Digital Piano - Better Music
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_j5YEw9SjKU -
One example of a MIDI to USB adapter that is class compliant and works on Linux.
Swissonic MidiConnect 2
https://www.thomann.de/swissonic_midiconnect_2.htm
- The next best thing, is a MIDI Keyboard Controller, you can choose a heavy weighted keys MIDI Controller or a synth keys MIDI Controller. In this regard, I have search so many controllers but my current best option for a good controller, at a low price, that as a solid solid built and is USB Class compliant, so that it can work well with no drivers on Linux. The touch of the keys is nice for the price. They are:
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Swissonic EasyKey 49
-
Swissonic EasyKey 61 (I would choose this one) 5.6 Kg Aluminum chassis
https://www.thomann.de/swissonic_easykey_61.htm
See the following video:
-
Video - J:ME PLAY 61 TEST ----- Swissonic EasyKey 61
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DenKy_LGOHk -
Video - Fynn Kliemann - Twingo Piano Cover (Lucas Pretzel) - Swissonic EasyKey 49
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Osc6tMl2cIE -
Swissonic ControlKey 88 Semi-weighted - 11.6 Kg Aluminum chassis
To generate the piano sound, you can connect to your computer and use it’s internal audio interface or use a good and cheap external USB Linux compatible audio interface like the following two alternatives, and use the speakers or the headphones:
-
Swissonic UA-2x2
https://www.thomann.de/swissonic_ua_2x2.htm -
Behringer U-Phoria UMC202HD
https://www.thomann.de/behringer_u_phoria_umc202hd.htm
Good quality and comfortable the headphones, that can go down to 16 Hz so that you can ear, with easy, even the lowest piano music note the A2 – 27 Hz:
- AKG K-92
https://www.thomann.de/akg_k_92.htm
Then for a good piano sound, use the free and really good piano sound fonts, that works even on Linux or Raspberry Pi (and windows and MAC). See the section below.
To see how to configure all this on Linux, see the corresponding section below.
- Lower price that this, you can have a paper piano that you can see as a really interesting option to start to learn the piano, if you can’t afford a 50 dollars MIDI Keyboard Controller, but you have access to a internet connection or a mobile phone. See the previous section.
There are 2 ways to produce a good piano sound with a computer or an electronic device, you can record many wave samples at different velocities (from quieter to louder) that will be played when you press a key or you can physically model and simulate a piano with mathematics and physics.
My criterion for a piano sound font is that it should be free, it should be a high quality piano sound and that it should work on Linux. If it works on Linux, it also works on Windows and Mac and Raspberry Pi.
You can see several free SFZ Piano instruments in here:
The huge Salamander piano
Yamaha C3, C5 e CF-3
Steinway model D, model B and others
Clav ... and Rhodes
Wurlitzer EP203W electric piano
Yamaha CP80 Electric Grand
Hohner Pianet T
- Instruments | Pianos
https://sfzinstruments.github.io/pianos/
There is also an incredible community, that makes good sampled virtual pianos and have that have several high quality free pianos, see for example the UpRight Spring Piano of Schimmel and others.
- pianobook - Comunity
https://www.pianobook.co.uk/library/category/pianos/
Or the great and beautifully sampled piano with a binaural 10.000 dollars microphone:
- FAMILY GRAND, it as 4.8 stars in 5, in 18 reviews
https://www.pianobook.co.uk/library/family-grand/
This is the best quality method for the highest realistic piano sound that you can have, but currently there is no open source software to generate a modeled piano, in my opinion the best modeled or simulated pianos are from:
- Modartt: Virtual instruments, physically modelled
Pianoteq
https://www.modartt.com/pianoteq?tab=instruments
Then you can always develop one that will be open source, to know more about how a piano is physically modeled see the online books:
- Physical audio signal processing
For virtual musical instruments and audio effects
Julius O. Smith III
https://ccrma.stanford.edu/~jos/pasp/
and for context the following…
-
Mathematics of the discrete Fourier transform (DFT) with audio applications, Second edition
by Julius O. Smith III
https://ccrma.stanford.edu/~jos/mdft/ -
Introduction to digital filters with audio applications
by Julius O. Smith III
https://ccrma.stanford.edu/~jos/filters/ -
Spectral audio signal processing
by Julius O. Smith III
https://ccrma.stanford.edu/~jos/sasp/ -
The Scientist & Engineer's Guide to Digital Signal Processing
by Steven W. Smith
http://www.dspguide.com/ -
Introduction to Signal Processing
by Sophocles J. Orfanidis
https://www.ece.rutgers.edu/~orfanidi/intro2sp/
Sight reading requires that you read at least 4 to 5 pages of different piano sheet music every day for several months, and it’s a skill that if you stop practicing you will become worst at it, so you have to always keep practicing it.
The best video to learn sight reading is this one:
- The Piano Sight Reading Tricks You Need to Know for Easier Playing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3A6NcbSJpHU
The most difficult part of playing the piano by sight reading, unlike the guitar, is not the memorize of all notes on the fret for the 6 strings. In comparison to the guitar, the piano keyboard layout is much simpler, your only have to know one octave, and after that the mapping of notes repeats lower and upper in the register. But in the piano, you will be juggling with many more thing at the same time, first you have the staff lines for the clef off G and the clef of F, then you have two independent rhythms, independent notes and times for each hands 5 fingers. And you have much more notes on the ledger lines to memorize.
For sight reading there are the following techniques:
-
First, you will start by memorizing a music peace (first parts, then all the music) because at the beginning you will not sight read it fast enough in real time.
-
You will start to recognize patterns in the structure of the music, parts that repeat and parts that are similar in form in the music sheet, so that you can more easily localize yourself on the music and compress the music more easily in your mind. Recognizing what is the same and what only has little differences, it’s patterns.
-
You have to know the notes on the G clef staff and on the F clef staff by heart, and the upper and lower 4 to 5 ledger lines. We have to know this process, but it is slow to do in real time, so wee will have other tricks to minimize it’s use, but it’s the foundation.
-
You have to learn to read music, not by each note name or value, but by it’s interval in regard to the previous note. That will make you read much faster and will allow you to find patterns in music and patterns in the repetition and moving of the intervals in consecutive notes. The normal process is to detect the first note in the horizontal lines of the staff and then the others you will try to detect it’s distance interval in regard to the previous note. First is a C, next is upper 3º, lower 2º, upper 5º, lower 7º. Normally you only have to remember by heart the 1º, 2º, 3º ,4º, 5º, 6º, 7º and 8º (Octave) intervals. And them the pattern in the consecutive notes, example the next 4 notes, are pairs of 2 notes with an interval of 2º and they are going up in steps of intervals of one along the staff lines.
-
After learning to recognize the intervals instantly, you need to do the some for chords, example you determine that the root position of the chord is a C and then you learn to see that the upper two notes are in intervals of 2. This makes the recognition of the chords much faster.
- The Piano Sight Reading Tricks You Need to Know for Easier Playing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3A6NcbSJpHU
See all the videos from the music Youtube channel LeCheileMusic
-
We have to be looking always, a little bit in front of what we are currently playing to have time to sight read the music sheet and to have time to process it.
-
Like with a PC keyboard, if you can already type fast, you can type without looking at the computer keyboard. The same happens, with time with the Piano, and this is very important because to sight read at normal speed you have to keep your eyes on the music sheet and not on the piano keys. This is very important for speed. So, how do you train yourself to not looking at the piano? You can make a “aparatus” out of cardboard that covers the piano keys giving you a small distance for your hands movements. And at the beginning try to find your location, with the sense of touch, from the different block of black keys in the octave. With time you will learn it by heart and you will not remove your eyes from the music sheet. See this process here:
- PIANO Sight Reading with my "Eye Trainer" (Practice Session 1 year + 5 months)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXS4PBd59BE
- You have to practice a lot, so we can use muscle memory to place and move, the right and left hand and fingers to produce the respected interval between sequence notes and chords without looking at the keys of the piano.
- Play List: Sight Reading Piano - 10 lessons to follow
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBtP3vO-40hUTXZ5L-KOMovkqWg3koLqn
-
Sight Reading Trainer
by Robert Kay -
Improve Your Sight-Reading! Piano Grade 1, 2 e 3
by Paul Harris
-
Best video to learn to play a music from sheet music
Advise: See all the videos from this lady, they are really good.
Le Cheile Music - Beginner Repertoire Tutorial: Allegro No 3 by Alexander Reinagle
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CN5loa4FOgM&list=PLxWg_0QwEt83v1S_tMChdNJx-wWqcDRQV&index=2 -
musictheory - For free webapps that train you to identify notes in the staff, intervals and chord.
https://www.musictheory.net/exercises
-
Adult Piano Adventures All-in-One Piano Course Book 1
by Nancy Faber, Randall Faber -
Video Play List - Faber Piano Adventures - Adult Piano Adventures Book 1
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLROQq1cZUMn_XJFiAh1KHMTpwTc1jX_Qz -
Adult Piano Adventures All-in-One Piano Course Book 2
by Nancy Faber, Randall Faber -
Video Play List - Faber Piano Adventures - Adult Piano Adventures Book 2
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLROQq1cZUMn__fEA5c1D-D1uGVEXmKaiv -
Adult Piano Adventures - Classics, Book 1: Symphony Themes, Opera Gems and Classical Favorites
by Nancy Faber, Randall Faber -
Video Play List - Faber Piano Adventures - Adult Piano Adventures Classics Book 1
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLROQq1cZUMn_tJxX2UelnAkgxlQRdfZRs -
Adult Piano Adventures - Classics, Book 2: Symphony Themes, Opera Gems and Classical Favorites
by Nancy Faber, Randall Faber -
Video Play List - Faber Piano Adventures - Adult Piano Adventures Classics Book 2
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLROQq1cZUMn8vTb9RKSo_h1eL81v4J9tu -
Adult Piano Adventures Popular Book 1: Timeless Hits and Popular Favorites
by Nancy Faber and Randall Faber -
Video Play List - Faber Piano Adventures - Adult Piano Adventures Popular Book 1
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLROQq1cZUMn_18r2SJZU8ajbrBJmeHYMW -
Adult Piano Adventures Popular Book 2: Timeless Hits and Popular Favorites
by Nancy Faber, Randall Faber -
Video Play List - Faber Piano Adventures - Adult Piano Adventures Popular Book 2
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLROQq1cZUMn8VCV0z8lzPcDoBvUJB4Xfm -
Alfred's Basic Piano Adult All-in-One Course, Book 1
by Willard A. Palmer , Morton Manus -
Video Play List - Lets Play Piano Methods - Alfred's All-In-One Course Level 1
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8hZtgRyL9WRWJLlIUPl-ydiDc8CZ_SJK -
Alfred's Basic Piano Adult All-in-One Course, Book 2
by Willard A. Palmer, Morton Manus, Amanda Vick Lethco -
Video Play List - Lets Play Piano Methods - Alfred's All-In-One Course Level 2
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8hZtgRyL9WRMcePG1b7usEZOVcy_QvWR -
Alfred's Basic Piano Adult All-in-One Course, Book 3
by Willard A. Palmer, Morton Manus, Amanda Vick Lethco -
Video Play List - Lets Play Piano Methods - Alfred's All-In-One Course Level 3
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8hZtgRyL9WQbPTxeasLAuqs0swKni3uZ -
Elementary Method for the Piano, Op. 101
by Ferdinand Beyer, Gayle Kowalchyk -
Video Play List - UIPianoPed - Ferdinand Beyer, Elementary Instruction Book
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4226BDA9FDA47716 -
Video Play List - Jane - Ferdinand Beyer, Elementary Instruction Book
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPllVFTXjCbBMo5Hjm__ajzB2sdeIzNcF -
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Playing Piano, 3rd Edition
by Brad Hill -
The Piano Handbook: A Complete Guide for Mastering Piano
by Carl Humphries -
Video Play List - The Piano Handbook - Carl Humphries
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8hZtgRyL9WTuZ_eNpJXqxKDyi6_cEtWc -
The Complete Book of Scales, Chords, Arpeggios & Cadences
by Willard A. Palmer, Morton Manus -
Hanon: The Virtuoso Pianist in 60 Exercises - Exercises book
by Charles-Louis Hanon, Allan Small -
Practical Method for Beginners, Op. 599 - Exercises book
by Carl Czerny -
Schmitt Op. 16: Preparatory Exercises For the Piano - Exercises book
by Aloys Schmitt, A. Knecht -
Rational Principles of Piano Technique: Piano Technique - Exercises book
by Alfred Cortot -
Muzio Clementi: Gradus Ad Parnassum - Exercises book
by Muzio Clementi -
Sonatina Album: A Collection of Favorite Sonatinas, Rondos, and Other Pieces for the Piano
by Louis Kohler, Allan Small -
Piano Pieces for Children (Everybody's Favorite Series, No. 3)
by Maxwell Eckstein, Albert Barbelle -
Jazz, Rags & Blues, Book 1
by Martha Mier -
Jazz, Rags & Blues, Book 2
by Martha Mier -
Jazz, Rags & Blues, Book 3
by Martha Mier -
Jazz, Rags & Blues, Book 4
by Martha Mier -
Bartók's Mikrokosmos - Progressive pieces for piano
by Béla Bartók -
Piano Repertoire: Baroque & Classical
by Keith Snell -
Piano Repertoire: Romantic & 20th Century
by Keith Snell -
Twenty-Five Easy and Progressive Studies for the Piano, Op. 100
by J. Friedrich Burgmuller -
The Library of Easy Piano Classics 1
by Amy Appleby -
The Library of Easy Piano Classics 2
by Amy Appleby -
The Giant Book of Intermediate Classical Piano Music
by Hal Leonard Corp. -
Easy Classics to Moderns
by Denes Agay -
Classics to Moderns in the Intermediate Grade
by Denes Agay -
The Real Book - Jazz
by Various -
The Jazz Piano Book
by Sher Music and Mark Levine -
Metaphors for the Musician Perspectives from a Jazz Pianist
by Randy Halberstadt -
The Giant Book of Pop & Rock Sheet Music: Easy Piano
by Dan Coates -
Coldplay Sheet Music Collection
by Coldplay -
To obtain free sheet music and ear it - IMSLP - Petrucci Music Library - Sharing the world's public domain music
https://imslp.org/ -
Lang Lang Piano Book
Featuring all 29 pieces from the album Lang Lang Piano Book, this is a collection of the most significant pieces from Lang Lang's personal musical journey.
by Lang Lang -
Video - Lang Lang discusses 'Piano Book'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38vA2gIWVps -
Sheet music for the beginner piano student.
Piano Sonata No.16 in C major, K.545 "Sonata facile" (Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus)
https://imslp.org/wiki/Piano_Sonata_No.16_in_C_major%2C_K.545_(Mozart%2C_Wolfgang_Amadeus) -
Lang Lang - Mozart: Piano Sonata No. 16 in C Major, "Sonata facile"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rxdhNTXPx8 -
Sheet music for the beginner piano student.
Minuet in G major, BWV Anh.114 (Pezold, Christian), previouslly attributed to Bach
https://imslp.org/wiki/Minuet_in_G_major%2C_BWV_Anh.114_(Pezold%2C_Christian) -
Video - Lang Lang on Petzold: Minuet No.2 in G Minor
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hw19cy5bV6E -
Sheet music for the beginner piano student.
6 Piano Sonatinas, Op.36 (Clementi, Muzio)
https://imslp.org/wiki/6_Piano_Sonatinas%2C_Op.36_(Clementi%2C_Muzio) -
Video - Muzio Clementi The Six Sonatinas Op 36 for Piano Complete
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42qx4zVyjmw -
In Portuguese - Video - Felipe Scagliusi - 9 exercícios de Chopin para iniciantes de piano - 9 exercises from Chopin to the starting piano student
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIs4bodYEu0 -
Sheet music for the 9 exercises from Chopin - Felipe Scagliusi.
https://www.aprendendopiano.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/9-Exercicios-Chopin.pdf -
In Portuguese - Video - Felipe Scagliusi - Para intermediários de piano: Tchaikovsky - Álbum para a juventude - For the intermedite piano student - Concerto for the youth - Morning prayer
Note: The author adverts that this video sound quality isn't in the best, unlike all his other videos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvhuwOLo-ag -
Sheet music - Tchaikovsky - Prey of the morning
https://www.aprendendopiano.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Oracao-da-Manha-Tchaikovsky_Album_para_a_juventude.pdf -
In Portuguese - Video - Felipe Scagliusi - Para intermediários de piano: Schumann - Álbum para a juventude (Op. 68 Kleine Studie Schumann) - For the intermedite piano student - Concert to the youth Op. 68
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAmFSf8ddNQ -
Sheet music - Schumann - Concert to the youth Op. 68
https://imslp.org/wiki/Album_f%C3%BCr_die_Jugend,Op.68%28Schumann,_Robert%29 -
In Portuguese - Video - Felipe Scagliusi - 3 livros de partitura para intermediários no piano - 3 sheet music "books" For the intermedite piano student
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlCPx3NWHO4 -
Regarding the above Felipe Scagliusi video of sheet music fo the intemediate student:
Bach - Preludes
https://www.aprendendopiano.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/IMSLP492402-PMLP797208-bachzwolfsechskleinepraludienscore.pdf -
Regarding the above Felipe Scagliusi video of sheet music fo the intemediate student:
Il mio primo Beethoven
My First Bethoven
https://www.aprendendopiano.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/IMSLP558952-PMLP900676-Il_mio_primo_Beethoven_Spartiti_per_pianoforte.pdf -
In Portuguese - Video - Felipe Scagliusi - Músicas clássicas pra afundar na depressão - Musics to get into depression.
See video description for memorable and complete performances.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4AKMBN9AzI -
In Portuguese - Video - Felipe Scagliusi - Músicas clássicas pra SAIR da depressão - Musics to get out of depression.
See video description for memorable and complete performances.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Lsykl-5Qow
See the video description to know the music / composition that is being played and then go the next step and find on youtube the best interpretations or recordings of each music, compositio or concerto.
-
Two Hours of Happy Piano Music - Dan Musselman
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCHMqrkoyFA -
100 Classical Piano Pieces - HalidonMusic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dA4Tnq1cALY -
Piano Solo: Chopin, Debussy, Liszt, Mozart, Beethoven...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJL_mVgT0Ao -
The Best of Classical Piano: Chopin, Debussy, Liszt, Mozart, Beethoven...
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEq3VOBVaak]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEq3VOBVaak() -
The Best of Piano - 50 Greatest Pieces: Chopin, Debussy, Beethoven, Mozart...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuxB2zACza0 -
Top 50 Best Classical Piano Music
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAr-PKUyo7Q -
In Portuguese - Felipe Scagliusi - 10 músicas que TODO estudante de piano DEVE conhecer...
10 pieces that you should know
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fD8r1CMwSN8 -
The Best Of YIRUMA - Yiruma's Greatest Hits - Best Piano
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Z5EjAmZS1o -
Classical Music - Piano Concertos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEdGz6zNV3E -
Top 10 Piano Concertos
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLN1stNazrrSeahrCE6ei4GFstmRdcCu7Y -
5 Great Piano Concertos - Beethoven, Rachmaninoff, Tchaikovsky, Liszt, Saint-Saens
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ojhTmnwz6I
-
Free Online Piano Lessons
https://courses.pianovideolessons.com/ -
Felipe Scagliusi - Aprendendo Piano - Very good but in Portuguese
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6dBcWaF9icBxe55tT8zKcg -
pianoTV - Bringing classical music back
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCz0PmHG0RvQHazlEsFU-4uQ -
NewJazz - Improvisation
https://www.youtube.com/c/NewJazz/videos -
David Magyel - Jazz and Blues
https://www.youtube.com/c/DavidMagyelPiano/playlists -
Lets Play Piano Methods - Plays almost all book methods - Very good
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIeSnI-BmRMkxURGZ7nHtzQ -
Site - kunstderfuge - The largest resouce of classical music in .mid files
http://www.kunstderfuge.com/ -
Site - pianu
https://pianu.com/song-library
-
LeCheileMusic - 5 Sneaky Ways to Build a Regular Practice Habit
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0fPoyONZt8 -
NewJazz - The Bad Tapping Habit Pad
The SECRET to become FAST & STEADY on the PIANO
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0GK-TMLYpg -
In Portuguese - Felipe Scagliusi - Como os grandes intérpretes auxiliam no aprendizado de piano - How the study of great piano players help us to learn the piano
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcwrADtAcVo -
Regarding the above Felipe Scagliusi video on the great interpretations: Vladimir Horowitz - Chopin: Barcarolle Op. 60
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JKv2FyvJ8I -
Regarding the above Felipe Scagliusi video on the great interpretations: Arthur Rubinstein - Chopin Barcarolle, Op 60
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9umBE2Gn7Q -
Regarding the above Felipe Scagliusi video on the great interpretations: Richter - Chopin Barcarolle, Op 60
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOZl9HXT1a0
-
Site - Piano World
https://pianoworld.com/ -
Forum - Piano World forum
http://forum.pianoworld.com/
To generate the piano sound, you can connect to your computer and use it’s internal audio interface or use a good and cheap external USB Linux compatible audio interface like the following two alternatives, and use the speakers or the phones:
-
Swissonic UA-2x2
https://www.thomann.de/swissonic_ua_2x2.htm -
Behringer U-Phoria UMC202HD
https://www.thomann.de/behringer_u_phoria_umc202hd.htm
They also have a headphones output with volume control and you can connect to them a instrument Hi-Z Jack (example Electric Guitar or Acustic / Classical Guitar internal sound system). Or externally you can connect a Condenser Microphone (2 channels XLR with 48V fantom power to up to two microphone) to record directly you acoustic guitar sounds or tour vocals.
In the market there are very good and very expensive large diaphragm condenser microphones, one of the best of the not incredible expensive ones is the:
- Rode NT1-A Complete Vocal Recording
https://www.thomann.de/rode_nt1a_complete_vocal_recording.htm
From what I can search and in my opinion, a good one on the cheaper side of things is the:
- the t.bone SC 400 + Popkiller
https://www.thomann.de/the_tbone_sc400_popkiller.htm
The sound from the piezo isn't a real replica of the sound of the instrument that you listen directly from the instrument. So you will need to record some WAV files from it and from a condenser microphone simultaneouslly. Then calculate with a small program the impulse response (IR) that will transform the linear "distorted" piezo output into the sound that the instrument acustically produces, and that you can listen to. The IR is then applyed to the guitar recording track, or you can use a IR speaker simulator like Two Notes Torpedo C.A.B. M+ Speaker Sim, this will enable you to apply it in real time to your sound and make the transformation (convolution of the IR). The ToneDexter from Audio Sprockets does this in a one stop solution. But you have the option to choose between the three possibilities ... apply the IR on the computer, realtime on a IR speaker simulator. or use the ToneDexter that does all the process. But read on the technical details about the subject, because they are really interesting.
-
Acoustic IR
http://acousticir.free.fr/ -
Jon Fields open source algorithm
http://acousticir.free.fr/spip.php?article136 -
Doug Young IR comparisson
https://www.acousticguitarforum.com/forums/showpost.php?p=6278203&postcount=12 -
For realtime processing you can load the IR - Impulse Response into the Two Notes Torpedo C.A.B. M+ Speaker Sim.
-
James May Interview with Aaron Short Music
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLjzz35wt_751gL6LJIs_1KPZ2WcCSM0t -
ToneDexter - Audio Sprockets
https://audiosprockets.com/
To see how to configure all the open source programs, study the following web pages and youtube videos:
-
Ted's Linux MIDI Guide
http://tedfelix.com/linux/linux-midi.html -
Video - How do I prepare Debian for Audio Production
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HkV8d6_vBc -
Add also the repositories for Debian / Ubuntu of KXStudio
https://kx.studio/Repositories
to have access to the applications and plugins that don't existe or are more recent, or are compiled with optimizations, when comparing with the normal Debian repositories.
For the Raspberry Pi, see:
-
Video - Using a Raspberry Pi as a Salamandra piano quick demo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xm18IZvC8IY -
Video - Zynthian - DIY Linux Raspberry PI synthesizer setup tutorial and sound demo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aq9Bavd7OqY -
zynthian
https://zynthian.org/#concept
See also my notes on how to learn linux:
- How to learn modern Linux
A simple but long path to the intrepid adventurer.
https://github.com/joaocarvalhoopen/How_to_learn_modern_Linux
I talk about diferente products, because after a long and dificult search for good solutions that are low cost but have quality, those ones, where the ones I choose for me, I payed them with my money and they are not a payed advertise. The fact that for me they all have to work on Linux is another parameter that I have always in my mind when choosing a product. Normally, the manufactor, doesn't tell you, that it works in Linux or that it is USB Class Compliant, a sign that it will work, so you have to dig deeper into forums, reviews and the internet in general. That was what I did heavilly.
The text of this notes is on Creative Commons License.
They are only my notes and may not be 100% accurate, so double check them, use them only as an indicator, not has something written in stone.
- The links to all my guides are in:
Guides on Linux - Programming - Embedded - Electronics - Aeronautics
https://github.com/joaocarvalhoopen/Guides_Linux-Programming-Electronics-Aeronautics
Best regards,
João Nuno Carvalho