Entertainment & Music Learning a musical instrument

Discussion in 'Living Room' started by bob shovel, 21st Feb, 2016.

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  1. bob shovel

    bob shovel Well-Known Member

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    G'day musical maestro's

    Any tips for how to DIY learn an instrument? Mainly for the kids but I figure I'll need to learn to :). I'm self taught 'bananas in pyjamas ' on the xylophone... gets some serious street cred when out and about :cool:

    Any good you tube vids or ways to teach the kids (<5) or atleast get involved with music. What's some good "classical music" (it's always recommended) to listen to, or other genres?

    Usually cruise to cold chisel, Kylie Minogue, troy cassar -daley, blink 182 so their getting exposed to the classics ;) the odd play school cd sneaks in
     
    bob shovel, 21st Feb, 2016
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  2. GreatPig

    GreatPig Well-Known Member

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    At <5 years old, I think singing is probably the best way to get involved in music. Nothing like a rousing chorus of kookaburra sits in the old gum tree!

    But which instrument did you have in mind?
     
    GreatPig, 21st Feb, 2016
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  3. bob shovel

    bob shovel Well-Known Member

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    Not sure, something easy and kid friendly. Xylophone or keyboard?? Something I can get a head start on I guess
     
    bob shovel, 21st Feb, 2016
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  4. geoffw

    geoffw Moderator Staff Member

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    Get a keyboard where you can plug in headphones. For their sanity when you play as well as the other way around.

    Learning music is like learning a language. You can get satisfaction by learning a little, but the more you put in the more it improves.
     
    geoffw, 21st Feb, 2016
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  5. GreatPig

    GreatPig Well-Known Member

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    When I was a kid at primary school, we got to use percussion instruments (drums, cymbals, triangles, xylophones, etc.), then progressed on to the recorder. When a bit older, it was on to ukulele then guitar.

    IMO, for piano, especially if considering classical music (of the Beethoven rather than Kylie type), proper training right from the beginning is important to develop correct technique. Classical piano is very technical, and you don't want to have to unlearn bad technique.
     
    GreatPig, 21st Feb, 2016
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  6. Davothegreat

    Davothegreat Well-Known Member

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    Classical piano is the best grounding you can get in musical technique and theory. From there it's easy to learn pretty much any other instrument. Just don't expect kids to stay interested in classical piano once they reach high school... that's when I lost interest. Electric guitars were just so much more interesting by then. :)
     
    Davothegreat, 21st Feb, 2016
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  7. The Y-man

    The Y-man Moderator Staff Member

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    Sounds corny, but I learnt to play a lot of my keyboard stuff with a "follow the light" Casiotone (and even more scary I still play a Casio CTK 30+ years later!!).

    I did get about 6 months of formal teaching in Primary school grade 3 though.

    Completely self taught on guitar though...... trying to get my head around how to play chords on an acoustic after many years of stuffing around on my electric - and really enjoying it! (Hey I just got my head around how to play a Bb major last night! Woohoo!!)

    One thing that taught me a lot, and still helps me technically is composing and recording. Again, it will sound immensely daft, but since I had trouble playing music written by anyone else I figured no one could complain if I wrote my own music! So I just play what sounded good to me, and got myself a little Fostex 4 track to record it all. Things got a whole lot more complicated after that with 4 synths, a sequencer, effects,...... :D:p

    Anyway..... uh back to the OP's post - Arrangers are my instrument of choice. Very little time needed to get a great sound from one instrument that can keep the interest factor going.


    The Y-man
     
    The Y-man, 21st Feb, 2016
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  8. allegria

    allegria Member

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    Listening suggestions:
    Water music suite & Music for the Royal Fireworks - Handel
    Young persons guide to the orchestra - Britten. (YouTube video so they can see which instruments make which noise)
    Peer gynt suite (or selections)
    Carnival of the animals - Saint-saens
    Peter and the wolf - Prokofiev
    The planets - holst (Jupiter & Mars are popular)

    Some Bach or Mozart for relaxing at night or daytime naps. Chopin piano is lovely-nocturnes would be calm, preludes and etudes generally lively.

    The movie Fantasia has heaps of 'classic' classical music
     
    allegria, 21st Feb, 2016
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  9. Westminster

    Westminster Tigress at Tiger Developments Business Member

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    Gosh - you're game for under 5 :)
    Thanks to our darling school DD7 is learning the cello this year and DD9 is learning the Glockenspiel (big boys Xylophone). In year 2 they get a string instrument and in year 5 a band instrument.
    They've had 2 lessons and I can say the cello sounds much less annoying than a violin.
    Anyway - under 5s I would just encourage general musicality. Things like
    - mimicking rhythm - clapping, saucepan & wooden spoon, bucket drums etc
    - singing - find those classics like the giant purple people eater
    - simple instrument - xylophone, recorder, small keyboard

    Come down to the Big Smoke when the WASO does their children's series
    Kids' Cushion Concerts: West Australian Symphony Orchestra
     
    Westminster, 21st Feb, 2016
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  10. JenW

    JenW Well-Known Member

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    The WA Youth Orchestra also does Babies' Proms, for little ones (0-8) get to go along, hear a symphony orchestra, have a go at conducting, and get up close and personal with the various instruments. Very relaxed and designed for lots of screaming excited littlies. A fantastic concept, and they always sell out!
    Babies Proms with WAYO - Western Australian Youth Orchestras
    (They say 2-8 but if yours is under 2 and doesn't need their own seat, they get in for free.)
     
    JenW, 22nd Feb, 2016
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  11. bob shovel

    bob shovel Well-Known Member

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    Great info!

    Something they can bash along to sounds perfect! And listening to bigger variety sounds the way to go
     
    bob shovel, 22nd Feb, 2016
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