"Wally" wrote in message
k...
"Donal" wrote in message news:crkl6g$shc$1

I'm learning the piano. When I started four years ago, I thought that
it
would take a year to become reasonably proficient.

I'm still hoping that I will be reasonably proficient within a year....

I would describe 'reasonably proficient' as being the point where the
equipment becomes transparent - when you can play stuff that gives you a
buzz without having to think about the actual playing. It's like having a
CD
player that can change the feel of the music instantly through mind
control.
Took me a good ten years or more...

Do you read dots? Take lessons? Compose? Play by ear? Improvise?

I don't take lessons.... yet. I try to compose, but I'm "creatively
challenged". I'm beginning to be able to play by ear.

I've been using a book called "Learn to Improvise the Blues" by Tim
Richards. It starts with very basic stuff and works up to some difficult
music.

I take breaks to try and learn stuff like Bach's "Tocata and Fugue", and I'm
currently doing "Air on a G string".


Here's some of my MIDI-based stuff...

http://www.wally.myby.co.uk/music/Ba...reamsFront.htm

Very nice!! What kind of keyboard do you use? I've got a Yamaha CVP-096,
which only gets used in "Grand Piano" mode.




Regards


Donal
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