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Posted: 09-24-13 7:09 pm
by kiwi
I feel synthesia pretty accurate for tempo (i use the built one... )
but i can achieve a good note A++ but i don't master the piece yet so i see what do u mean.

Posted: 07-21-18 11:13 am
by offrhodes
Might chime in on the "playing with a group thing":
It can be quite orthogonal to one's personal quest of learning piano:
As a blind guess, unless it's Whiter Shade of Pale, the fewer notes you play, the better. But those need to be the right notes. Being a keyboarder doesn't require the same skills as a pianist, who needs to be his own "band".
To illustrate that point: You'll hear a lot of keyboard work on the radio etc that is technically very basic, often a guitar player overdubbing keys in the studio. The trick is, they know which notes..

What Synthesia does not teach is accurate timing. A couple of hours with the metronome and critical listening to one's playing might pay off greatly when it comes to playing in a band. That, and the simple ability to listen to someone else (start with the metronome, then the drummer) besides my own playing.

Posted: 07-22-18 7:36 am
by jimhenry
offrhodes wrote:What Synthesia does not teach is accurate timing. A couple of hours with the metronome and critical listening to one's playing might pay off greatly when it comes to playing in a band. That, and the simple ability to listen to someone else (start with the metronome, then the drummer) besides my own playing.
Having played with a band, I would say that there is something about it that can't be replicated. At least part of it is that the tempo is not mechanically rigid. I would say the most important skill is being able to listen to everyone else, particularly the bass player and drummer, and play cohesively with them. The piano is normally part of the rhythm section, although it can step out and play a melodic line too. (In fact most of the band is playing rhythm most of the time, even the guitars.) You are right that you normally don't want to play a lot of notes because you need to leave space for the other instruments. So you need to play just a few notes at the right time. Surprisingly, what notes you play often is not too important as long as they fit harmonically.

Playing with a band teaches you skills that you don't get playing solo. But those skills will improve your solo playing too.