Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Pianist Corner - Non Classical Learning piano to become a songwriter

Hello everyone,

Here's my "story": I'm a singer (kind of like Bjork,Madonna)
I write lyrics, and I compose melodies (Im' quite crafted at inventing tunes that sticks to the head) and I've been playing a bit of guitar for some time.
I've always loved piano and always had great interest for it, hearing piano always sent me to heaven for some reason, and one of my best friend who is a pianist started to give me weekly piano lessons 4 months ago.

I want to be able to play piano and sing at the same time compose songs and compose melodies (I love Craig Armstrong).

My question is the next:

to actually become crafted at playing piano and be able to sing along like colplay and compose melodies, how do you think I should go about learning piano?
My teacher started to teach me to read music sheet (right now I'm learnign Bach's prelude 846), he says that it's important to have some basics, we also cover harmonies, chords etc....
but the other day a friend of mine came around and said to me: "you don't need to read music sheet to learn to play piano, just learn chords and play them"

but my teacher said it's untrue, that if I want to be able to compose etc then I should keep on doing music sheets too.

What do yout hink?
I enjoy reading music too so I think I'll have a better knowledge if I keep on having these lessons with my teacher.

What do you think?

Thanks a lot!

Welcome to the forum Lola!

As a piano player and song writer myself, I encourage you to keep on learning to read the scores. And learn all the chord & harmony theory you can.

Private lessons will help even if they are classical and you are more interested in pop. I had classical piano lessons when I was in school and still benefit from them although I don't play classical now.

Learning to play by ear is very important for a song writer too.

There's no right way to write a song and there's no right way to learn how to write a song.

Your friend is correct. Your teacher just wants to make money. You don't need to read music to create it. But it does help to be able to read the treble clef.

After that, it's chords, theory, and intuition.

the more you know - the better, to put it simply. Learning piano is not something that happens overnight.

a good teacher is worth all the gold in the world.. and a constantly inquisite and hardworking brain really would help. you can build upon your guitar foundation.. but knowing how to read notation would help immensely.

(just wants to make money.. grrrrrrr)

Not unless the OP wants to learn classical piano.

with all respect.. . classical is but a subset of all music 'covered' by notation.

look at this page for instance, lola.

http://www.allisoncrowe.com/LeonardCohenHallelujahsheetmusicAllisonCrowe.html

you can click on and print the sheets.

Alison Crowe sings this very simple, gorgeous song well. The song is a wonderful example of songwriting at its best.. so simple.. so beautiful.. she has written this transcription very simply with chords and a bass note(s) for the left hand. (it was written by Leonard Cohen in the 80s.)


it would not be hard to at least learn to be able to read something simple like this. you'd have to know and understand chords and the bass line could be written out. Notation is just an alphabet.. it's very efficient.
you would also want to transfer what you can do on the guitar to the piano. you could write a melody line and write the accompanying chords but learning how to read notation is not difficult and will give you a sophistication that will enable you to readily identify the chords you may easily play by ear. i wish you the best of luck.

and here is a chick from Britain Alexandra Burke singing this song. (i really like her voice).

an honorable hat tip to the real Leonard Cohen singing his own song

To put this answer into perspective, note that Edward Weiss offers his own, alternative tuition system :-)

Though a good teacher will contrive episodes of "instant gratification", piano training is a long process. Children accept it as a matter of course. Adults get rapidly frustrated. But it's GOOD to acquire finger control and dexterity, it's GOOD to be able to absorb new musical ideas through printed notation as well as through laborious transcription (though that's good too!). When an "alternative" method offers to cut corners, that's exactly what it's doing.

Funny thing about "alternative" methods, whether in music tuition, medicine or antthing else. When they work, they somehow stop being "alternative" :-)

Hi!!
wow so many answers!
I'll read them out when I finish dinner!
;-)

see you in less than an hour

Thanks Joe ;-)

I think so too, I'll keep up with the lessons.
My teacher is called Jonathan (Jo)

Thanks Apple ;-)

Hello again,

I think my first answer didn't show up properly so I write again.

My teacher is a friend of mine so he only charges me 10 EUR an hour.
we always do like one hour and a half.
It's not at all about the money, he's not that kind, we just made a cool compromise.And it's a gift from heaven to have him as a teacher cause he's been playing piano for over 25 years now and he's so talented, the piano is a part of him entirely.
He gives what he knows what's best for me.

All of your answers and advices are very precious to me and I'm glad to have asked you for them.
because sometimes I get frustrated event though my love for this instrument is huge, and so in my frustration moments I ask myself questions about it all.

But yes I 'll keep on doing the lessons then.


When I'm at ease with my playing I'll post a video for you !
Have a great day everyone xxx

Hello Lola

I think that if you are enjoying reading the music that your teacher brings that's great and definitely you should keep doing it. There were quite a few very successful song writers before you that were familiar (obviously)with Bach's music and you can hear it in their music. Every piece that you learn and every new skill would make you a better musician, and would probably reflect in your music on some level.
Having said that, I also think that its great to define your goals and if you are aiming on that directions there are a few piano skills that I think would be great for you to start working on in addition to what you are doing now. For example, getting really familiar (on the theoretical level & the practical) with all the different chords & inversions, different accompaniment techniques, etc

good luck


.

Hello Dror Perl,

Thanks!
Actually yes, we have started to cover chords and inversions, so that's also good.


thanks a lot for your answers!
have a greatd day in New york, the city I wish I'd go back to !!