Gary Turner - Keyboard Lessons for Beginners: Teach Yourself How to Play Keyboard

Progressive Beginner Keyboard assumes you have no prior knowledge of music or playing the keyboard. This book will show you:

• How to play over 25 songs, across a range of two octaves.
• Major, Minor and Seventh chords.
• 12 Bar Blues and Turnaround progressions.

This book also features a chord chart section with over 50 different chords. After completing the book you will have a solid understanding of the fundamentals of keyboard playing and be ready for further study on specific styles of playing, e.g., Rock, Blues, etc. All keyboard players should know all of the information contained in this book. The best and fastest way to learn is to use this book in conjunction with:

• Buying sheet music and song books of your favorite recording artists and learning to play their songs.
• Practicing and playing with other musicians. You will be surprised how good a basic keyboard/drums/bass/guitar combination can sound, even when playing easy music.
• Learning by listening to your favorite songs.

It is important to have a correct approach to practice. You will benefit more from several short practices (e.g., 15-30 minutes per day) than one or two long sessions per week. This is especially so in the early stages, because of the basic nature of the material being studied. In a practice session you should divide your time evenly between the study of new material and the revision of past work. It is a common mistake for semi-advanced students to practice only the pieces they can already play well. Although this is more enjoyable, it is not a very satisfactory method of practice. You should also try to correct mistakes and experiment with new ideas. It is the authors belief that the guidance of an experienced teacher will be an invaluable aid in your progress.

Know Your Keyboards

Electric Organ

The electric organ, invented in the 1930s, gained mainstream popularity through models like the Hammond B-3 (pictured), which is used extensively in jazz, blues and rock music. The unique sound is created by "tonewheels" rotating in front of electromagnetic pickups, and the sound that this produces can be modified through several switches and drawbar combinations to create millions of different tonal variations. Many modern electric organs are digital, although they still share common design traits with original electro-mechanical organs.

How to Sit at the Keyboard

Photo 1

Sit up straight and relaxed. If your seat can move up or down, adjust it to a comfortable height, as shown in photo 1.

Hand Shape

Photo 2

Always curve your fingers. This helps keep your fingers at the same level, as shown in photo 2.

Photo 3

When you play the keys on the keyboard, use the tips of your fingers, and the side of your thumb. See photo 3.

Music Notes

There are only seven letters used for notes in music. They are:

These notes are known as the musical alphabet. They are the names of the