Learn Guitar or Piano?

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Guitar or Piano?

Guitar
47
51%
Piano
46
49%
 
Total votes: 93

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GregLee
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Re: Learn Guitar or Piano?

Post by GregLee »

guitarguy wrote:One other thing, having actually done it, it's much easier to switch from a piano (weighted keys) to a keyboard or a synth, than to go the other way.
Some keyboards claim to have a weighted key action. Are they good?
Greg, retired 8/10.
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Bounca
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Re: Learn Guitar or Piano?

Post by Bounca »

Guitar.
1) Cheaper
2) Portable
3) Chicks dig it :sharebeer
4) Easier

You'll take 10x times the time to learn piano, ultimately get bored with it alone in your house with know one really listening, unlike a guitar where you can be out and about.
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interplanetjanet
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Re: Learn Guitar or Piano?

Post by interplanetjanet »

GregLee wrote:
guitarguy wrote:One other thing, having actually done it, it's much easier to switch from a piano (weighted keys) to a keyboard or a synth, than to go the other way.
Some keyboards claim to have a weighted key action. Are they good?
Weighted actions are pretty much essential unless you want to use a keyboard just as a synth. Within the category of weighted keyboards, though, there is a wide range. Some are statically weighted across the whole keyboard and some are graduated (bass key actions on a real piano are heavier and have more inertia than those in the treble). Some are just weighted and detect key velocity while some incorporate a more complicated action to give the feel of an acoustic piano. Very few of them, in my experience, have a good damper pedal implementation.

They've gotten steadily better over time. I still haven't found one that felt like a good fit for me but I play mostly classical, and for the types of music the OP is interested in they may be a reasonable fit. There is an enormous range out there, though.

I do agree that going from an acoustic piano to a keyboard is going to be an easier transition than going the other way. It's hard to explain.

-janet
guitarguy
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Re: Learn Guitar or Piano?

Post by guitarguy »

interplanetjanet wrote:
GregLee wrote:
guitarguy wrote:One other thing, having actually done it, it's much easier to switch from a piano (weighted keys) to a keyboard or a synth, than to go the other way.
Some keyboards claim to have a weighted key action. Are they good?
Weighted actions are pretty much essential unless you want to use a keyboard just as a synth. Within the category of weighted keyboards, though, there is a wide range. Some are statically weighted across the whole keyboard and some are graduated (bass key actions on a real piano are heavier and have more inertia than those in the treble). Some are just weighted and detect key velocity while some incorporate a more complicated action to give the feel of an acoustic piano. Very few of them, in my experience, have a good damper pedal implementation.

They've gotten steadily better over time. I still haven't found one that felt like a good fit for me but I play mostly classical, and for the types of music the OP is interested in they may be a reasonable fit. There is an enormous range out there, though.

I do agree that going from an acoustic piano to a keyboard is going to be an easier transition than going the other way. It's hard to explain.

-janet
^This.

Honestly, I never really put in a lot of time researching weighted key keyboards, but from my limited experience, Janet hit the nail on the head. I should stress that I'm 85% guitar player, 15% keyboard player. Live, I actually play a small 61-key synth (a Roland Juno Di), and play it on only 5-6 songs out of about 50 in any given performance. It doesn't have weighted action but it's very portable and sounds great live with 1300+ sounds available to dial in the synth stylings of Justin Timberlake and the Black Eyed Peas. :D

So really, it depends on what you plan to use it for and what you want to get out of it. In a live situation I wouldn't dream of lugging a massive heavy weighted board. But at home if I'm rockin' some Imagine or Let it Be...which by the way WOULD get the chicks if I was looking for that...I'm playing my upright.
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stemikger
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Re: Learn Guitar or Piano?

Post by stemikger »

I have been playing guitar most of my life and two years ago I bought a piano for my daughter and thought I would try to learn it myself. Truthfully, I found it much harder than the guitar.

Having said that, there is nothing like sitting down at a piano and playing. My daughter has gotten pretty good, but I just don't have enough time to devote to it.

Playing guitar is fun, but it's not as special as playing the piano.

Last year I bought ukulele and I'm enjoying it very much. In fact, I hardley pick up the guitar any more. I found I like the sound much better than guitar and it is definitely the ultimate in portability.

Sorry for straying off the subject, but if you have the time I would go with the piano and don't worry about space, this is the piano I bought and it fits perfectly in most small spaces and the sound is amazing. It is an electric piano, but has the feel and sound of a real piano with the added bonus of having several different sounds and effects. It is not one of these toy keyboards. It is used by many professionals in the business.

Here is the link: It's the Korg LP350 Black (it also comes in white). I highly reccomend it.

http://www.kraftmusic.com/catalog/keybo ... oards/7158
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madbrain
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Re: Learn Guitar or Piano?

Post by madbrain »

GregLee wrote:
guitarguy wrote:One other thing, having actually done it, it's much easier to switch from a piano (weighted keys) to a keyboard or a synth, than to go the other way.
Some keyboards claim to have a weighted key action. Are they good?
It depends. I have a Roland FP-3 with weighted keys which is pretty good. That is a 2001 model and it cost $1200 back then, plus another $200 for the custom stand.

The keys are heavier, and thus allow more control, than some uprights acoustic pianos.
It does not need to be tuned. But the action and sound do not compare to a grand piano, and I don't think any electronic keyboard ever will.

Of course, we are talking several orders of magnitude difference in price, good grand pianos start around $20k new and go to over a million.
Some day I will be able to afford that 9ft Bösendorfer imperial . Maybe.
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interplanetjanet
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Re: Learn Guitar or Piano?

Post by interplanetjanet »

guitarguy wrote:But at home if I'm rockin' some Imagine or Let it Be...which by the way WOULD get the chicks if I was looking for that...I'm playing my upright.
The first time my SO played for me was Medtner's Sonata-Reminiscenza in A minor, on his Hamburg Steinway B...let's just say that day had a lot of firsts!

I can confirm from the other side that the piano works just fine for that.

-janet
leod
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Re: Learn Guitar or Piano?

Post by leod »

gkaplan wrote:What's with all the "If you're single, go with the guitar" posts? Liszt was arguably the greatest pianist who has ever lived, and that didn't hurt him with the opposite sex.
Liszt who?
guitarguy
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Re: Learn Guitar or Piano?

Post by guitarguy »

stemikger wrote:Playing guitar is fun, but it's not as special as playing the piano.
Hey now...in your opinion! ;)

It's true classical music and such on the piano maybe is more "special" than some hack job of Sweet Home Alabama, but for me, I can be a lot more powerful and expressive with a guitar than a piano. To me that is special and wonderful.

I remember walking off stage at a casino gig in the heart of urban downtown Detroit and having his older black gentleman tell me he'd been playing guitar for over 50 years, born in the South and raised on the blues all his life. He just loved up and down how much he could "feel soul in every note" of what I was playing. He said I just "make my guitar sing." As a 27 year old white boy, that was one of the best compliments I've ever gotten and one of the most interesting conversations I've ever had. I listened to him talk for our whole band break.
SP-diceman
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Re: Learn Guitar or Piano?

Post by SP-diceman »

leod wrote:
gkaplan wrote:What's with all the "If you're single, go with the guitar" posts? Liszt was arguably the greatest pianist who has ever lived, and that didn't hurt him with the opposite sex.
Liszt who?

You can find Liszt on CraigsLiszt.
reggiesimpson
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Re: Learn Guitar or Piano?

Post by reggiesimpson »

SP-diceman wrote:
leod wrote:
gkaplan wrote:What's with all the "If you're single, go with the guitar" posts? Liszt was arguably the greatest pianist who has ever lived, and that didn't hurt him with the opposite sex.
Liszt who?

You can find Liszt on CraigsLiszt.
And "the Liszt goes on"
Fallible
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Re: Learn Guitar or Piano?

Post by Fallible »

guitarguy wrote:
stemikger wrote:Playing guitar is fun, but it's not as special as playing the piano.
Hey now...in your opinion! ;)

It's true classical music and such on the piano maybe is more "special" than some hack job of Sweet Home Alabama, but for me, I can be a lot more powerful and expressive with a guitar than a piano. ...
I may not be qualified to say this since I'm just an amateur on guitar and piano (also the much easier electronic organ), but it always seemed to me that the power and expression you mention comes from the artist via the instrument. I happen to prefer the piano above all else, but it's the artist who can bring out the best in the music and the instrument, i.e., make it 'sing.'
Last edited by Fallible on Wed May 16, 2012 5:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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eucalyptus
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Re: Learn Guitar or Piano?

Post by eucalyptus »

As an amateur who has spent years with Logic Pro and its predecessors - an amateur, though, and that's important - I strongly recommend learning piano.

Keyboard fluency IMO facilitates exploration of the amazing world of virtual instruments and incredible programs like Logic and ProTools. If you love music, you likely will end up playing with DAW.

I also believe that the piano is a better tool than the guitar for learning music theory.

All fwiw.
guitarguy
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Re: Learn Guitar or Piano?

Post by guitarguy »

Fallible wrote:
guitarguy wrote:
stemikger wrote:Playing guitar is fun, but it's not as special as playing the piano.
Hey now...in your opinion! ;)

It's true classical music and such on the piano maybe is more "special" than some hack job of Sweet Home Alabama, but for me, I can be a lot more powerful and expressive with a guitar than a piano. ...
I may not be qualified to say this since I'm just an amateur on guitar and piano, but it always seemed to me that the power and expression you mention comes from the artist via the instrument. I happen to prefer the piano above all else, but it's the artist who can bring out the best in the music and the instrument, i.e., make it 'sing.'
Yup. That's why I said it's your opinion that playing guitar "isn't as special as playing piano" and I said "for me" when I talked about being more expressive with a guitar.

My point was, to each their own. Nothing is more "special" than the next in music. People's opinions and talents vary, making every instrument just as special as the next.

And if you play, you're qualified. I'm very fortunate to be able to call myself a professional, but I was a musician in my dorm room way before I ever earned a dime. 8-)
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Re: Learn Guitar or Piano?

Post by guitarguy »

eucalyptus wrote:I also believe that the piano is a better tool than the guitar for learning music theory.
You can certain learn on either, but a piano makes it visually easier to see whole/half notes and chord formations and such.

I found it easier to learn modes with a guitar though. So as with pretty much everything we've discussed, to each their own. :beer
Dealmaster00
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Re: Learn Guitar or Piano?

Post by Dealmaster00 »

My vote goes for piano. But, I've been playing piano since I was 10, so I'm biased. At any rate, the key to getting good at an instrument is to practice. Practice every day, even if it's only 15 minutes. I started out practicing 15 minutes a day, but as I got better, I practiced more. I currently practice around an hour a day. Professionals might practice 8 hours a day, but usually practicing past ~1 hour provides diminishing returns.
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interplanetjanet
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Re: Learn Guitar or Piano?

Post by interplanetjanet »

Dealmaster00 wrote:My vote goes for piano. But, I've been playing piano since I was 10, so I'm biased. At any rate, the key to getting good at an instrument is to practice. Practice every day, even if it's only 15 minutes. I started out practicing 15 minutes a day, but as I got better, I practiced more. I currently practice around an hour a day. Professionals might practice 8 hours a day, but usually practicing past ~1 hour provides diminishing returns.
Just a little something I have to share.

When I was young and in my teens, I put in about 2-3 hours a day at the piano - it was my escape, a way of getting away from all the stuff in life that I "had" to do and just releasing myself. I started a music minor, had some wonderful fun and then when my college stay ended in my senior year I moved away from home and in with someone who didn't appreciate music.

Now, 19 years after that (4 years after separating from my ex and 6 months after finally buying an instrument I love) I had the realization (last week!) that I am finally, finally back in the form I was in at 18. Spending time with my instrument even if it's not 100% rigorous practice has been the secret for me - just getting an hour a day has done wonders. It's a beautiful thing.

It's been fun in ways that I never expected in my teens, sometimes my teenaged daughter does storytelling and I improvise background music Peter and the Wolf style. That is a TON of fun, thinking on your feet and throwing in anything from a little arpeggio to a musical phrase or two from something I know to match what she's saying. When you can segue from Mozart to Joplin to the Song of the Volga Boatmen and have it all work, well, there's something magic there.

-janet
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interplanetjanet
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Re: Learn Guitar or Piano?

Post by interplanetjanet »

eucalyptus wrote:As an amateur who has spent years with Logic Pro and its predecessors - an amateur, though, and that's important - I strongly recommend learning piano.
As an amateur but reasonable competant piano player who hasn't dabbled with mixing computers with music since the early '90s with MIDI on Atari ST's, do you have any good recommendations on places to start? I've been thinking about toying with that sort of stuff for years but have never gotten past what seemed like a daunting learning curve.

As an aside, miking an acoustic piano has always been a thorough pain in the *** for me. Other instruments I've done that with have been so much easier. I think the sheer size of a grand piano makes the acoustics complex.

-janet
Fallible
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Re: Learn Guitar or Piano?

Post by Fallible »

interplanetjanet wrote:
Dealmaster00 wrote:My vote goes for piano. But, I've been playing piano since I was 10, so I'm biased. ... It's been fun in ways that I never expected in my teens, sometimes my teenaged daughter does storytelling and I improvise background music Peter and the Wolf style. That is a TON of fun, thinking on your feet and throwing in anything from a little arpeggio to a musical phrase or two from something I know to match what she's saying. When you can segue from Mozart to Joplin to the Song of the Volga Boatmen and have it all work, well, there's something magic there.

-janet
Then you can also play by ear? That is quite a gift. Some of the best musicians ever not only played by ear, but that was about the only way they did play and it seemed most played jazz or at least concocted their own special kind of music.
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GregLee
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Re: Learn Guitar or Piano?

Post by GregLee »

interplanetjanet wrote:It's been fun in ways that I never expected in my teens, sometimes my teenaged daughter does storytelling and I improvise background music Peter and the Wolf style. That is a TON of fun, thinking on your feet and throwing in anything from a little arpeggio to a musical phrase or two from something I know to match what she's saying. When you can segue from Mozart to Joplin to the Song of the Volga Boatmen and have it all work, well, there's something magic there.
A documentary I recently watched on crossword puzzles had a segment on one of the current top crossword solvers who happens to make his living as an accompanist, often for singers whom he's never met before. He describes a similar experience to yours, on those occasions when he and a singer find enough rapport that he can start improvising.
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interplanetjanet
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Re: Learn Guitar or Piano?

Post by interplanetjanet »

Fallible wrote:
interplanetjanet wrote:It's been fun in ways that I never expected in my teens, sometimes my teenaged daughter does storytelling and I improvise background music Peter and the Wolf style. That is a TON of fun, thinking on your feet and throwing in anything from a little arpeggio to a musical phrase or two from something I know to match what she's saying. When you can segue from Mozart to Joplin to the Song of the Volga Boatmen and have it all work, well, there's something magic there.

-janet
Then you can also play by ear? That is quite a gift. Some of the best musicians ever not only played by ear, but that was about the only way they did play and it seemed most played jazz or at least concocted their own special kind of music.
I don't know if it's playing by ear, exactly. I have friends who can hear a piece of music and then play it with fairly full harmony, one can transcribe songs to sheet music pretty much on the fly. I can play a melody that I hear and make up a nice harmony but it's not quite the same. I do have a sort of equivalent to a library of "stock footage" or musical clip art in my head that I can play comfortably in several keys. As far as linking things together smoothly...it's cheating a bit, but if you throw in enough ornamentations and the occasional run or arpeggio then even your missteps frequently sound intentional (Liberace was terrific at this). When I grab a wrong note at a dramatic moment sometimes I hold it...just long enough for it to be felt solidly, then resolve to right one with a harmony change and you can almost picture people letting out their breath in relaxation.

A lot of the time she's doing a mix of sung verse and a spoken storyline - the storyline bits are actually the most fun.

Somewhere along the line I realized that I'd gained the ability to read a piece of sheet music and hear it in my head without playing a note. I'm not sure when it happened, exactly, as I suspect I was using this ability long before it became obvious to me. Most of my friends who are reasonably skilled pianists seem to be able to do this as well.

As yet another aside, classic musicals are great places to find catchy tunes that are just on the edge of what people recognize. My 14yo is working on a cello/piano duet with me of Hernando's Hideaway from The Pajama Game, it's wonderful fun and since the music itself tends to be relatively easy, it lends itself to putting more expression into it.

-janet
gkaplan
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Re: Learn Guitar or Piano?

Post by gkaplan »

Here is a Wikipedia entry on an interesting pianist:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabriela_Montero
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SP-diceman
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Re: Learn Guitar or Piano?

Post by SP-diceman »

How about the best of both worlds?

The Keytar!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQt9q8ii ... re=related


:)
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interplanetjanet
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Re: Learn Guitar or Piano?

Post by interplanetjanet »

SP-diceman wrote:How about the best of both worlds?

The Keytar!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQt9q8ii ... re=related


:)
And they've been around in one form or another for 200+ years! :)

http://www.pianoworld.com/forumpicts/NMM/IMG_2572.jpg

(National Music Museum, Orphica circa 1815, and they even made them with shoulder straps for travelling musicians)

-janet
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LH
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Re: Learn Guitar or Piano?

Post by LH »

pan flute.

The vote was currently 22 to 23, and I voted to make it dead even,ergo, pan flute is the natural tie breaker : )
texasdiver
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Re: Learn Guitar or Piano?

Post by texasdiver »

I just broke the tie back in favor of piano.

I play both. I scanned the posts here but didn't read all of them carefully. But what I haven't seen mentioned is singing.

If you like to sing and/or are good at it then guitar makes the better instrument. If you have a good singing voice you can play guitar poorly and still sound good. A lot of really amazing singers are pretty crummy guitarists but no one ever notices.

If you don't sing (like me) and are only interested in the instrumental aspects of both instruments then I think Piano is the better choice but only if you have one available.

Pianos are MUCH more expensive and much more difficult to move...even electronic ones. If you are young and mobile then guitar will probably work better. If you own your own house and have the space then piano is nice. I played piano for 12 years growing up and continued into college for recreation (I wasn't a music major or anything) because I could use the practice rooms at my college 24 hours a day any time I wanted even if I wasn't studying music. For the first 15 years after college I switched to guitar because I was poor and moving around so much and couldn't contemplate buying and storing a piano. Now that I'm married, own a house, and have kids I'm back on the piano and the guitar is gathering dust.

Yes, guitar might be sexier, but I bet this guy can get dates:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPzjHgMENrc
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GregLee
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Re: Learn Guitar or Piano?

Post by GregLee »

texasdiver wrote:Yes, guitar might be sexier, but I bet this guy can get dates:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPzjHgMENrc
I hadn't seen Chopsticks played with chopsticks, before. Andy Johnson is good! Here's another interesting version, where the pianist, Yoel Ahn, uses his chopsticks to add percussion effects: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3m7BZ5tzeg
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Fallible
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Re: Learn Guitar or Piano?

Post by Fallible »

gkaplan wrote:Here is a Wikipedia entry on an interesting pianist:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabriela_Montero
Thanks for the link! Here's Montero showing what I think is an excellent example of how one plays by ear, first picking up the melody, usually a fairly simple one, then imagining (in Montero's case based on her native talent and years of learning and practice) the many ways to improvise (plus some good showmanship):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUqhPoA5bIY
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JupiterJones
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Re: Learn Guitar or Piano?

Post by JupiterJones »

I play both, but identify more as a piano player than a guitar player. I've been playing piano/keyboards professionally in varying degrees since I was 15 and it was my principal instrument at music college. I'm far more proficient at piano than guitar.

So, while I'm obviously biased here, I'll vote for piano. 8-)

Some stray observations:

Piano isn't really that much harder to learn/play than guitar, provided you're comparing apples-to-apples. Sure, you can quickly get to the point on guitar where you can strum simple chords while someone sings along. But guess what? You can also very quickly get to the equivalent point on a piano, where you're playing basic accompaniment using simple chords--the piano version of "strumming". Playing more complex pieces with melodies and bass lines and such is harder on both instruments, not just piano.

An acoustic guitar is more portable than an acoustic piano, yes. But as others have pointed out, there are plenty of portable keyboards. Plus, knowing piano opens up other portable keyboard-based instruments to you, such as melodica and accordion (my current obsession!)

Not to mention all the less-portable keyboard-based instruments out there, such as harpsichord, celeste, pipe organ, electric organ (B3), electric pianos, clavinet, all sorts of cool synthesizers... Keyboard knowledge even gives you a built-in advantage on instruments like vibes, marimba, carillon, etc.

By the way, as nice as it is to play a "real" piano, the state of the art of digital pianos is very, very good these days. Plus, you can play them with your headphones on, and you never have to tune them. 8-)

As an interface to your computer, the keyboard is superior to the guitar. I can take a single USB cable and hook my keyboard up to my Mac, fire up Garageband, then have a whale of a time playing in drum parts, bass lines, string parts, etc. I can also use that connection to help me enter in notes in notation software such as MuseScore, Finale, and Sibelius.

If you wish to gain an understanding of music, especially the level of music theory knowledge that's helpful in playing jazz, the piano kayboard is the way to go, IMHO. Everything is laid out right there in front of you. Each note corresponds to one and only one piano key. Higher notes are always to the right, lowers notes always to the left. Even the whole/half-step pattern of the major scale is built right into the arrangement of white and black keys (as opposed to guitars, where it's all identical-looking half-steps up and down the fretboard).

To be fair, there certainly are arguments to be made for guitar. Patterns are more "moveable" on guitar--a scale or barre chord learned in one spot can be transposed up or down and will (probably) have the same shape and fingering. Not so on piano. Similarly, you can often easily accomodate a different key on guitar by using a capo. Unless you're playing an electronic keyboard with a tranpose function, it's not nearly as easy to move to a different key on piano.

But yeah, still... I say piano.

JJ
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GregLee
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Re: Learn Guitar or Piano?

Post by GregLee »

Fallible wrote:in Montero's case based on her native talent and years of learning and practice
Mostly talent, apparently. I just listened to an interview where she says she could always improvise, and she has no idea how she does it -- it just "comes out".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPS_vT44LAI
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c.Alvin
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Re: Learn Guitar or Piano?

Post by c.Alvin »

You mentioned playing electric bass in your original post. The guitar seems a natural choice. It is probably the most popular instrument in the world. If you want to add some depth to your guitar sound get drum machine for accompaniment. What do I know. I play the keyboards.
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Re: Learn Guitar or Piano?

Post by VictoriaF »

JupiterJones wrote: Plus, knowing piano opens up other portable keyboard-based instruments to you, such as melodica and accordion (my current obsession!)

JJ
This reminded me of an older man who was playing accordion in a Paris metro car last summer. The melody was very sad, and it has brought up tremendous nostalgia about the past much of which was not even mine.

Victoria
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JupiterJones
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Re: Learn Guitar or Piano?

Post by JupiterJones »

VictoriaF wrote: it has brought up tremendous nostalgia about the past much of which was not even mine.
Yeah, the accordion will do that sometimes. They really should come with warning labels. :-)

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Fallible
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Re: Learn Guitar or Piano?

Post by Fallible »

JupiterJones wrote:
VictoriaF wrote: it has brought up tremendous nostalgia about the past much of which was not even mine.
Yeah, the accordion will do that sometimes. They really should come with warning labels. :-)

JJ
And then it will turn right around and have you dancing a mean polka (better add that to the warning label). I think there are few instruments that can go from sophisticated to simple and even both at the same time. I played it as a kid and two favorites were the "Julida Polka" and (Victoria note:) "I Love Paris." Such different songs brought out so well by the same instrument. How does it do that?
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GregLee
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Re: Learn Guitar or Piano?

Post by GregLee »

Here is another interesting piano improvisation:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvUbrbFdJ8g
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Re: Learn Guitar or Piano?

Post by Fallible »

GregLee wrote:Here is another interesting piano improvisation:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvUbrbFdJ8g
Another great from Borge! :D Thanks for the link.
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Re: Learn Guitar or Piano?

Post by reggiesimpson »

JupiterJones wrote:
VictoriaF wrote: it has brought up tremendous nostalgia about the past much of which was not even mine.
Yeah, the accordion will do that sometimes. They really should come with warning labels. :-)

JJ
Yup, thats for sure. My Dad played the accordion for his entire life. Made a living at it. I cant listen to it at all without the tears flowing.
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Re: Learn Guitar or Piano?

Post by VictoriaF »

reggiesimpson wrote:
JupiterJones wrote:
VictoriaF wrote: it has brought up tremendous nostalgia about the past much of which was not even mine.
Yeah, the accordion will do that sometimes. They really should come with warning labels. :-)

JJ
Yup, thats for sure. My Dad played the accordion for his entire life. Made a living at it. I cant listen to it at all without the tears flowing.
And now we know why: Why Does Music Give Us Chills?.

Victoria
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Tortoise Banker
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Re: Learn Guitar or Piano?

Post by Tortoise Banker »

Playing guitar is one of my greatest joys and most enjoyable hobbies. Playing for friends at the beach brings me so much happiness, I don't know too many pianos you can play at the beach.
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Re: Learn Guitar or Piano?

Post by Fallible »

VictoriaF wrote:
reggiesimpson wrote:
JupiterJones wrote:
VictoriaF wrote: it has brought up tremendous nostalgia about the past much of which was not even mine.
Yeah, the accordion will do that sometimes. They really should come with warning labels. :-)

JJ
Yup, thats for sure. My Dad played the accordion for his entire life. Made a living at it. I cant listen to it at all without the tears flowing.
And now we know why: Why Does Music Give Us Chills?.

Victoria
Good link and and good to see this thread again and our old friend Lizst. I don't suppose he ever played the accordion though... :P
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Re: Learn Guitar or Piano?

Post by Caduceus »

From your original post, it seems that you'd really like to try the piano (in your own words, it seems somehow more profound and special). I would run with that feeling and give the piano a shot in your case. I play both, and my vote would also be for the piano. I found the piano to be more difficult to pick up than the guitar, but also infinitely more rewarding, and also initially, much less painful (I disliked how hard the skin on your fingertips had to get initially to press on the guitar strings!) If you're interested in jazz, that's one more reason to choose the piano. Are there any considerations apart from interest you're thinking of? Why not just go with your gut on this one? :)
Last edited by Caduceus on Tue Jul 23, 2013 7:29 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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stemikger
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Re: Learn Guitar or Piano?

Post by stemikger »

I love the piano, my daughter plays and I can just listen for hours. However, if you want a truly portable instrument, nothing beats the guitar. I bring mine to holiday parties, the beach, on vacation and room to room in my house.

I tried to teach myself piano and I had a really hard time. IMHO the guitar is so much easier to learn and depending on how much time you dedicate to practicing, you can literally learn to play a song in a month or two.

So weighing the pros and cons, I would say go for the guitar. It's also much cheaper. You can get a pretty decent acoustic guitar for about $200 these days.

If you do go for the piano, I bought my daughter a Korg LP 380. I think I paid about $1,100. Although it's electric the piano sound is very good and it feels like a real piano without taking too much space.

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Re: Learn Guitar or Piano?

Post by lightheir »

I'm pretty proficient at both.

Guitar wins or crowd pleasability and portability and even versatility. Electric, acoustic, classical, it's all fair game to a guitarist.

Piano wins on playing solo pieces (wider tonal range) and setting you up for music composition and theory.

When I was in college, I played all guitar, and yes, it actually did draw in the girls who loved to sing without fail (although I wonder if that would still be the case today since popular music is so electronic nowadays.)

Now that I'm well past those years, I only play piano, since I'm playing for myself and find the challenge of learning new classical pieces appealing - I actually find the practice of piano very relaxing and soothing, even when doing some serious technique work.
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Re: Learn Guitar or Piano?

Post by Caduceus »

What's interesting is that it seems most of the posters who can play both the piano and the guitar would choose the piano (just from skimming the replies)!

If you get a chance to learn the piano properly, I would recommend balancing the intuitive and the formal aspects of practice. I was "lazy" and played by ear most of the time in my piano lessons, which I got away with a lot until the really tough classical pieces, and then I would regularly fail the sight-reading exams :) Piano jazz is wonderful - if you start that you are at the beginning of a magical journey. either way, i am excited for you!
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Re: Learn Guitar or Piano?

Post by JupiterJones »

Well, it's now been over a year since the OP started this thread. I wonder what instrument he/she picked and whether he/she got any good at it?
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Re: Learn Guitar or Piano?

Post by leonard »

Huh? I have a bunch of guitars and I have yet to have found the easy to play one that people have found on this thread. Not to mention they conquered all the modes of the major scale - as well as the hundred or so other scales that I can find just browsing online. As well as all the variations of the chords. On maybe a 7 or 8 string guitar?

As well as the various picking skills: Finger Picking: Country, classical, Flamanco-style. Flatpicking: Rock, classical, bluegrass, blue, etc. Slide Guitar.

Need to find me one of those easy guitars.
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Re: Learn Guitar or Piano?

Post by Fallible »

JupiterJones wrote:Well, it's now been over a year since the OP started this thread. I wonder what instrument he/she picked and whether he/she got any good at it?
Agree! The OP never did come back on the thread despite some great musical advice and a vote ending in a tie. Maybe he/she got a another instrument altogether, like an accordion. :)
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Re: Learn Guitar or Piano?

Post by stemikger »

leonard wrote:Huh? I have a bunch of guitars and I have yet to have found the easy to play one that people have found on this thread. Not to mention they conquered all the modes of the major scale - as well as the hundred or so other scales that I can find just browsing online. As well as all the variations of the chords. On maybe a 7 or 8 string guitar?

As well as the various picking skills: Finger Picking: Country, classical, Flamanco-style. Flatpicking: Rock, classical, bluegrass, blue, etc. Slide Guitar.

Need to find me one of those easy guitars.
It sounds like you are trying to run before you can walk. First thing is to learn all the major open chords (there are only 7 A to G), don't get hung up on their variations. Buy a song book from a band or artist you really like (i.e., James Taylor or the Beatles). Make sure the fingering chord diagrams are included in the book. From there learn a song a week, month or however long it takes.

As far as all the picking, strumming, etc. That is not something that you really learn, just strum and pick with a pick or your fingers. Have fun. You are not going to become a professional but you certainly can get good enough to break out your guitar and play a song.

Don't worry about learning theory. Just learn the chords of the songs you want to play. You Tube is also a great place to learn.
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Re: Learn Guitar or Piano?

Post by guitarguy »

stemikger wrote:IMHO the guitar is so much easier to learn and depending on how much time you dedicate to practicing, you can literally learn to play a song in a month or two.
It all depends on how fast you can pick things up. I was literally performing a few simple songs on stage a couple months after playing a piano for the first time. I've played guitar semi-professionally for around 5-6 years now and I picked up piano (keyboards) to supplement for certain key songs my band wanted to cover in a live setting. I had a bit of a head start because when I began I could already sit down at a piano and form all the basic major and minor chords (my guitar teacher used a keyboard to help explain theory to me). Granted it took me forever to form each one until I trained my hands to put them together faster, but I already had some knowledge there.

I continued to take that approach...just learning select songs and stuff...and still do that to this day. I'm far from a proficient piano player, but for the select songs we do I can pull them off...and it's not my main instrument so my skill suits my needs. It's kind of funny actually. I can sit down and play Don't Stop Believin' or December '63 (Oh What a Night) and to an audience I look like a total pro on a piano. Little do people know that a simple key change or something would leave me totally stumped on how to play the same song.

It's similar to when I started guitar...I could switch from E to A (or whatever) no problem. But ask me to switch from E to C or something and it wasn't happening. That's the way it goes when you start out just learning songs. Eventually you learn enough songs with enough chords that you can put different ones together without struggling so much.
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Re: Learn Guitar or Piano?

Post by lightheir »

Guitar: VERY easy to start up and not sound terrible, but learning curve gets significantly steeper once you start doing things other than the most basic of simple chords.

Piano: Also fairly easy to start and not sound terrible, but difficulty increase a lot with 2-hand technique, and once you start seriously playing without looking at the keys, it's hard and takes alot of practice.

Violin: The hardest (by far) of all three instruments to sound decent on. Prepare to sound terrible for at least a year, if not longer, and you'll be lucky to even get to the point where you can play 'beautiful' music unless you take it very seriously.

Of course, at the higher/highest levels, difficulty is limitless and thus can't be compared amongst the three. However, in terms of ease of startup and to play music that someone else could find enjoyable (and not awful), it's guitar then piano, and then violin in terms of the early learning curve difficulty.
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