I’ve always thought of the idea “When can you say you know how to play the piano”
If I know all the correct keys to hit for 1 song? 2,3,4 songs…
If I can read any sheet music and play
If I can come up with my own music
For example my brother can sit down at the piano and play the Fur Elise. He cannot read sheet music and I’m sure it’s not done technically right all the way through. But can he play the piano? When does he get to say he can play the piano? 15 songs? Guitar players do not have to learn to read sheet music and if a person could play 15 songs on guitar you’d probably would say they could play the guitar fairly well.
I can bake cookies from my favorite recipe, I just don’t understand the food science behind it. Just like not understanding all the music theory behind a piano piece
Kind of like if you gave a master piano player a piano with a single broken key and told them to play a song. (With my limited music understanding) they could play the song using a different “key” to avoid the broken key.
A master chef could do something similar where it’s like “I only have this type of flour, I better adjust…”
Yo-yo Ma could only play while reading sheat music until he was forced to improvise by Bela Flek like maybe 20 years ago. Yo-yo Ma has been one of the premier cellists for like my whole life and I’m 50.
I can barely read music, but I can play about 20 different instruments well enough by ear and feel to jam with total strangers in lots of different styles and not feel awkward or fuck up the vibe. Does that put me anywhere near Ma’s level of musicianship? Oh hell no. But I damn well claim I’m a musician.
Guitar players do not have to learn to read sheet music and if a person could play 15 songs on guitar you’d probably would say they could play the guitar fairly well.
in general guitarists read tablature more than sheet music. i mean guitar was the fifth instrument i learned and while i read music just fine, i play guitar better when i’m reading tab.
If I could play the piano by coloring notes and keys and treating it like guitar hero. Is that being able to play the piano?
I use to play handbells and I’d color my notes for my different bells. It was basically exactly like guitar hero. I wouldn’t really say I could play handbells, I can manage 4 or 5 large bells that ring a couple times here and there. Like a solo part with a ton of little bells and stuff, nope.
Sheet music in front of me with my notes circled in respective colors. For example, my F# bell would be blue. So when a blue note would be coming up I knew I needed to get my F# bell ready and ring it when the time comes.
If you removed the colors I couldn’t begin to play. Well, I could figure it out because I know some basic music theory now. But I’d definitely want to color them after I figured out which bell was which.
The way I played handbells was equivalent to like a dozen people sitting at a piano and each getting only a handful of keys to play when they come up. If I only had to worry about hitting 4 or 5 piano keys when they came up in a piano song I could do it lol wouldn’t say I could play piano though.
I know the proper way to ring and hold a note for handbells. I have very good rhythm and I can keep time without a metronome perfectly. But none of it is really knowledge on why I am playing a F#.
Like can I play handbells, yes. But do I really know how to play them. Not really.
Nope just random photo on internet I could find with my sized bells ha
i mean if you’re in the bay area the guy who taught me to ring is putting together a 5-octave group to start ringing in january and potentially gigging starting june or september
I’ve always thought of the idea “When can you say you know how to play the piano”
If I know all the correct keys to hit for 1 song? 2,3,4 songs…
If I can read any sheet music and play
If I can come up with my own music
For example my brother can sit down at the piano and play the Fur Elise. He cannot read sheet music and I’m sure it’s not done technically right all the way through. But can he play the piano? When does he get to say he can play the piano? 15 songs? Guitar players do not have to learn to read sheet music and if a person could play 15 songs on guitar you’d probably would say they could play the guitar fairly well.
I can bake cookies from my favorite recipe, I just don’t understand the food science behind it. Just like not understanding all the music theory behind a piano piece
Kind of like if you gave a master piano player a piano with a single broken key and told them to play a song. (With my limited music understanding) they could play the song using a different “key” to avoid the broken key.
A master chef could do something similar where it’s like “I only have this type of flour, I better adjust…”
Yo-yo Ma could only play while reading sheat music until he was forced to improvise by Bela Flek like maybe 20 years ago. Yo-yo Ma has been one of the premier cellists for like my whole life and I’m 50.
I can barely read music, but I can play about 20 different instruments well enough by ear and feel to jam with total strangers in lots of different styles and not feel awkward or fuck up the vibe. Does that put me anywhere near Ma’s level of musicianship? Oh hell no. But I damn well claim I’m a musician.
in general guitarists read tablature more than sheet music. i mean guitar was the fifth instrument i learned and while i read music just fine, i play guitar better when i’m reading tab.
If I could play the piano by coloring notes and keys and treating it like guitar hero. Is that being able to play the piano?
I use to play handbells and I’d color my notes for my different bells. It was basically exactly like guitar hero. I wouldn’t really say I could play handbells, I can manage 4 or 5 large bells that ring a couple times here and there. Like a solo part with a ton of little bells and stuff, nope.
like these ones or just in the sheet music?
Like those.
Sheet music in front of me with my notes circled in respective colors. For example, my F# bell would be blue. So when a blue note would be coming up I knew I needed to get my F# bell ready and ring it when the time comes.
If you removed the colors I couldn’t begin to play. Well, I could figure it out because I know some basic music theory now. But I’d definitely want to color them after I figured out which bell was which.
The way I played handbells was equivalent to like a dozen people sitting at a piano and each getting only a handful of keys to play when they come up. If I only had to worry about hitting 4 or 5 piano keys when they came up in a piano song I could do it lol wouldn’t say I could play piano though.
ooo, handbells are one of my favorite instruments. by their nature playing them combines music and dance. is that you at a mass ring?
I enjoyed playing them they sound so nice
I know the proper way to ring and hold a note for handbells. I have very good rhythm and I can keep time without a metronome perfectly. But none of it is really knowledge on why I am playing a F#.
Like can I play handbells, yes. But do I really know how to play them. Not really.
Nope just random photo on internet I could find with my sized bells ha
i mean if you’re in the bay area the guy who taught me to ring is putting together a 5-octave group to start ringing in january and potentially gigging starting june or september
Very far from it or I’d definitely check it out
Handbells are definitely underrated as an instrument