The Blacks and Whites

 

By Phil Philcox

 

At some time in our life, we often get the bug to do something different. A 65-year old friend of mine took up skin diving last year and has limited his travels to the coastline- any place there's dive able water. A month ago he was in Baja and last week he called from the Florida Keys. Another friend of mine, Sarah, who just hit the 70-year old mark, decided she wanted to learn how to use a computer. She bought a laptop, sat down at the keyboard and began to teach herself how it worked. That was less than a year ago. Today, she's online, e-mails her family and friends regularly, runs software and is the local expert. If you're having a problem with your computer or software and live in her neighbor, just ask for help. She's even amazed herself.

 

What's your desire? Do you want to learn how to do the tango, how to create sculptures out of soft drink cans? Have you always wanted to juggle or learn to speak French? Have you ever wanted to learn how to play the piano? There are numerous hobbies you can take up regardless of your age. I hit 68 last year and started learning how to play the piano. I can't afford a $5,000, 800-pound, 88-key piano in a polished wood case so I opted for something a little more affordable...an electronic piano keyboard.

 

One of the neatest gadgets to come out of the electronic revolution is the electronic keyboard-a piano look-alike that feels and sounds like a piano but costs far less (from $100 and up) and weighs just a fraction of what a real piano weighs. They take up less space than a real piano, you can buy them with as many keys as you like (49, 61, 76 or 88, depending on your budget), and when you're not playing, you can stand it up in the closet. It takes up no more space than a small, folding ironing board. Almost all keyboards come with a headphone jack, so you can practice without bothering anybody and many have features that make you sound a lot better than you actually are. This comes in handy (as I found out) when you're getting bored with your progress and you need some electronic help to sound better and maintain your enthusiasm. Some models even allow you to record your progress...or lack of it.

 

Keyboards are made by a variety of manufacturers including Yamaha, Roothers and what you'll spend will depend on the features. I got the play-the-piano bug about a year ago and started out with a Casio WK-1350. I've improved over the months and recently moved up to a WK-1800 76, full-size keys with 232 tones, an assortment of drum rhythms and a disc drive so I can load and save some of the music I created. At under $500, I'm getting thousands of dollars worth of fun out of this thing and, believe it or not, I can actually play something. This keyboard plugs in the AC wall socket or runs on some D batteries while I'm outside enjoying the Florida sun. It weighs less than my stack of prescriptions (well, almost) and I can sit it on my lap, the table or use a folding stand. With headphones I can fumble along while my wife watches TV or reads. All portable keyboards like this have a built-in amplifier and speakers, so they're completely self-contained. Regardless of how many keys are on the keyboard, you can still practice reading music and scales and eventually work your way up to a competent player.

 

Once you own a keyboard, there are several systems for learning how to play the piano. The original method was a thing called "piano lessons", taught by a little old lady with a bun on the back of her head who lived down the street and charged 25-cents a lesson. Of course, that was back in the 30s and 40s and since there are few piano-teaching little old ladies around anymore and you can't get anything for 25-cents an hour nowadays, scratch that. The second method is do-it-yourself. You sit down at the keyboard and start hitting keys until you come up with something that sounds like music. You should always wear the headphones when you're doing this for obvious reasons. Surprisingly, many professional piano players today are self-taught and basically all it takes is a good ear (so you know the difference between good sounds and bad) and patience. With the electronic enhancement features that come with today's keyboards, you can progress a lot faster than you can on a real piano. If you don't have that necessary ear/patience combination, you can learn from a book. Visit any music store and you'll find a wide selection of how-to-play books for beginners. Ask the clerk for a recommendation. The book options range from learning by reading notes (those little black things with tails you see on sheet music) to learning how to play chords with one hand and numbers for the melody with the other (no little black things).

 

Regardless of what method you choose, you have to be patience. Learning how to play the piano takes time but it's well worth the effort. Learning how to play well is like doing a triple Lutz in ice skating competition. You have to fall down a few times before you get it right. But if you put the right fingers here and over there, you'll actually start playing music. With all of the new electronics available on keyboard you can get some once you get help and become the life of the party. If you're like me and hate parties, you can play for your own enjoyment. If you live near Sarah, the computer lady, you can hook your keyboard into her computer and make beautiful music together.

 

When you're ready to buy a keyboard, check local music stores. I can highly recommend the Casio models for beginners and advance players. The enhancement features are the best and you can use them to turn basic playing into something more pleasant to the ear.

You can get a free Casio catalog by calling 973-252-7570, writing Casio, 570 Mount Pleasant Avenue, Dover NJ 07801 or going to www.casio.com if you're online.