Korg Forums

Forced_Exposure · Joined: 12 Jan 2008 Posts: 4

Hello everyone! My name is Michael I am 19 years old. I have some basic experience in music, I was in band for a few years during grade-school.
I have watched numerous videos of the minikorg being played and I would like to be able to do that myself.
I'm just in a delima as I ponder how to go about this.. Do I buy a korg and pick up the skill by playing with it for hours and hours, learn to play piano, pray to satan...jk Razz

What did you all do when you were in the learning phase?
I'm just not sure how to take off on this adventure....

Synthoid · Posted: Sat Jan 12, 2008 11:12 am Post subject:

Welcome to the forum. Just a few questions for you.....

1.) Do you have any keyboard training at all?

2.) What instrument did you play in the band at school?

3.) What is your budget for a keyboard?

4.) Do you want to play live or compose/record music at home with a computer?

When I started playing synths, I already had several years of keyboard experience. My first synthesizer was very basic, but it had a built-in sequencer for recording...a great learning tool. After adding a couple more keyboards to the arsenal, I joined a small band.

The Micro Korg isn't the best keyboard to start with due to its mini keys. I would recommend visiting your local music store and playing various keyboards including the Roland SH-201, which is more expensive but a better beginner's synth.

Sounds Good

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Forced_Exposure · Joined: 12 Jan 2008 Posts: 4

1) I have no real piano/keyboard experience.
2) I played a trombone :[ damn you base clef! I was suggesting band as it gave me a good concept of half / whole notes along with following a beat.
3) I can handle any reasonable cost right now, I'm living at home and working.
4) I would like to play live, join a band sometime.

Thank you for your quick response Synthoid.
I should add that I am very tech savvy

I'll check out the music store sometime this week and have a chat with them.
Thank you for your recommendation of the Roland, it looks awesome!

Stephen · Platinum Member Joined: 28 Aug 2002 Posts: 4709

I taught myself to play keys, one song at a time at first, with my friend telling me what chords I was playing, and since I already knew music from being a long time guitarist, it came rather quickly.
A keyboard is laid out with such logic, it's not difficult to learn it, and of course, practice does make a difference.
Good luck, music is a wonderful thing.
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Synthoid · Posted: Sat Jan 12, 2008 3:50 pm Post subject:

Voltan · Posted: Sat Jan 12, 2008 3:59 pm Post subject:

Playing live with a band is the best thing ever ;]

RiotNrrd · Posted: Sat Jan 12, 2008 5:51 pm Post subject:

When I started with synths, I had had some piano lessons years earlier, but none of it had really stuck except some basic info about chords and scales (which, if you want to write music, is absolutely necessary, but not really very difficult to learn).

I just started messing around. I didn't try to learn songs written by anyone else, as I wanted to both learn to play AND write at the same time. I still cannot read music or play any pieces not written by myself, and I've been playing keyboards now for almost 30 years.

I found it to be difficult at first, as most skills are, but it gets easier the more you play.

Forced_Exposure · Joined: 12 Jan 2008 Posts: 4

Yes, as with any skills really, this will mostly take hours of practice and dedication. I'll just have to find my own niche in the world of keyboards.
I would still greatly appreciate suggestions for beginners hardware along with some pieces that are pretty basic, but sound good :]
I'm currently working on John Lennon's "Imagine".

Voltan · Posted: Sat Jan 12, 2008 6:19 pm Post subject:

RiotNrrd · Posted: Sat Jan 12, 2008 7:28 pm Post subject:

Synthoid · Posted: Sun Jan 13, 2008 12:24 pm Post subject:

georgeinar · Posted: Sun Jan 13, 2008 3:16 pm Post subject:

I think that how a person learns to play depends largely on what kind of natural talent they start with. I was born with a strong ear so I could imitate and figure out songs and practice them at a young age without using any music sheets. However, this prevented me from being able to read music down the road and now that holds me back. People without a good ear can learn by taking "piano lessons" or some such method to learn music as it's written. I think some kind of formal training when you're young is very important. Especially with a great teacher who knows the type of music you want to play.
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RiotNrrd · Posted: Sun Jan 13, 2008 5:36 pm Post subject:

RiotNrrd · Posted: Sun Jan 13, 2008 5:53 pm Post subject:

I was born with a strong ear so I could imitate and figure out songs and practice them at a young age without using any music sheets. However, this prevented me from being able to read music down the road and now that holds me back.

Yeah, I'm in pretty much the same boat. I was able to avoid learning how to read music because I also have a pretty good ear.

Technically, I did "learn" to read music back in school band, but my ability to memorize songs is really excellent - one or two times through a piece and I no longer needed the written music, even if it was sitting right in front of me. So, I would, with a lot of difficulty, figure out what the written music wanted me to play, and then after I'd worked it out, no longer bother to look at the score.

After I quit band, I quickly forgot pretty much everything I ever did know about all those little black dots. And, like you, do feel that to some extent this has held me back somewhat.

Giner · Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2008 8:56 am Post subject:

Okay, move over in the boat there, RiotNrrd.

This is the odd thing about this whole scenario - 'ear' players such as myself, you, georgeinar, and, no doubt, more than a few others on here, I believe are more flexible in any given situation.

Much as I was pestered, never driven, by my parents to learn to read music as a youngster, I never did go the formal training route - although many times I wish I had.

Thing is, how many times have we run into people who can sightread and yet, when the music is taken away, are completely at a loss. Whereas, we fortunate ones can usually make a fairly competent attempt at most things that come our way.

So, to young Forced_Exposure, if you don't have a particularly 'strong ear', as georginar puts it, I would recommend you get yourself a really good teacher. I think it will prove to be a quicker route to your goals than stumbling along blindly by yourself. Good luck and work at it.