Classical or Rhythmic course?

[TheJackalsPaw]

So, after thousands of years I've finally found a Piano Teacher and I'm ready to embark on the Music Journey of the Piano - However, he asked me "So, do you want to do the Classical or Rhytmic course?".

Now, I'm asking all you great remixers out there who played/s the piano. Which course did you choose? I love film & games music with all my heart, and one day - hope to do some remix here

Now, I would think that taking Classical would make you the better piano player. It's more tough, you learn to really use all your fingers and at the same time a whole lot of Theory. On the other hand, I hate Beethoven and all those big classical dudes..

I'm a great admire of Jeremy Soule. So, lemme hear what you have to say !

[Schwaltzvald]

I hate Beethoven and all those big classical dudes...

I got an ugly first impression of you after I read that part there >:L

I'm a great admire of Jeremy Soule.

This confused the hell out of me since you have great disdain for classical composers yet considering Jeremy's works got deep roots in classical music but gets grandiose; considering what they were for it's not unexpected, but still that just confused me...

[PROTO·DOME]

Hrm, here's guessing the 'classical' course is actually not just classical but baroque, classical, romantic and a bit of early twentieth century stuff. I think you'd be surprised how good some of the later romantic composers are, I find earlier classical harmonies and rhythms a bit of a drag but don't be put off by simply having heard the popular 'classical' tracks.

Be a bit more open minded to what you play- you might surprise yourself.

[Schwaltzvald]

Jeremy

could

touch

even with a ten foot POLE!

Seriously though do give a chance to the alleged "big dudes" in classical music. There are even obscure composers that, while not as well known, their work are very much in the face of every one as the more renown ones are.

Edit: if any one actually sees each link entirely, don't be thrown off by the last one as I put it there as emphasis.

YES they are work safe... unless you have speakers on full blast with no head/earphones.

[Drack]

Jeremy

could

touch

even with a ten foot POLE!

Hot stuff. Where can I download (or buy, if they're not free) these?

[Schwaltzvald]

Hot stuff. Where can I download (or buy, if they're not free) these?

I'll pm you.

Currently at work but give me a day or two.

Trust me there so much out there

THIS BLEW MY FUCKING MIND WHEN I FIRST HEARD IT!

Awesome rendition and very reminiscent of Persona 3/4 to me but more rock oriented than pop

[TheJackalsPaw]

thanks for the all the replies, really appreciate it - but I don't feel as though you really answered my question

I'm a big admire of Jeremy Soule, Film & Games Soundtracks. I'm hoping to sometime in the future to do a OCREMIX. Which course would be the best? Which one did you choose? Ecetera... or whatever it's called..

As for your confusion Schwaltzvald, Bethooven's and Mozarts music and Jeremy Soules music are two VERY different things.. (As far as i'm concerned)

Everybody dance now! xD

-Jackals

[Gollgagh]

a couple of us are saying that you're crazy for not liking them but we can't make you like it

but I think the point is that if you hate classical (baroque or whatever) then why are you even asking when no amount of posting we do is going to convince you otherwise

(btw it's spelt rhythmic)

[Abadoss]

It sounds more like you hate the idea of classical composers moreso than their music. I hold a Bachelor's degree in music and I guarantee you that I have not yet scratched the surface of the music offered by classical composers from whatever eras. You'll find that much that you currently listen to and enjoy has very strong roots in the music of people you might not like or even appreciate, but the roots are there all the same. When it comes to music, you will eventually have to learn the music of people you don't care for and there's simply no way around that if you have any desire to study the art at any depth.

Personally, if I had your choice, I'd focus on the classical first and then hit up rhythmic - what I'm assuming to be more contemporary pop or worship music type playing - later. Secondly, drop whatever assumptions you have about ye old composers. They won't help you in the long run.

[DramaNoMore]

As for your confusion Schwaltzvald, Bethooven's and Mozarts music and Jeremy Soules music are two VERY different things.. (As far as i'm concerned)

And so are eggs and omlets...

but that's not the point: only you can decide what you want, but you can't do that without studying both options, so I'll tell you what to do:

1- Grab a whole bunch of classical music that you've never head of;

2- Force youself to listen to everything, even though you hate it, and try to figure out exactly what you're not liking;

3- After a while, you may notice that some bits are more pleasant to you than others; pay atention to those as well.

And then you'll be more prepared to make you're choice.

[tweex]

Having taken Piano lessons not too long ago and having been in a similar situation, it seems that you may have misunderstood what he was asking you. My instructor asked me the same thing, but it wasn't "classical music" that he meant, but rather a classical approach to learning piano. I.e. reading the grand staff, sheet music, etc. versus picking things out by ear and some coaching with your physical technique. I would be AMAZED if he's really asking you to choose between classical music and rhythmic music.

[Darth Lime]

Jeremy

could

touch

even with a ten foot POLE!

Seriously though do give a chance to the alleged "big dudes" in classical music. There are even obscure composers that, while not as well known, their work are very much in the face of every one as the more renown ones are.

Edit: if any one actually sees each link entirely, don't be thrown off by the last one as I put it there as emphasis.

YES they are work safe... unless you have speakers on full blast with no head/earphones.

I practically cried because all those songs were amazing. While listening, I thought "what will become of video game music in the archives of human history?"

Beethoven, Bach, Mozart, etc all made their mark in the history of music as pioneers of musical advancement in their time. The piano was just invented when they all became famous, so they had to learn the instrument through many performances. With that comes skill and knowledge of musical genius rarely seen today, when anyone can make "music" with just a touch of a button.

[Gollgagh]

Having taken Piano lessons not too long ago and having been in a similar situation, it seems that you may have misunderstood what he was asking you. My instructor asked me the same thing, but it wasn't "classical music" that he meant, but rather a classical approach to learning piano. I.e. reading the grand staff, sheet music, etc. versus picking things out by ear and some coaching with your physical technique. I would be AMAZED if he's really asking you to choose between classical music and rhythmic music.

yeah, thinking about it, I think that this is what was being asked

[Schwaltzvald]

Which course would be the best? Which one did you choose?

Classical

only to get

of

results.

Oh yeah screw Jeremy Soule, you're making me hate him simply out of association with you.

edit: god fucking damn it I was slow and yes those songs are awesome like that.

If you're interested pm me

[Darth Lime]

Hot stuff. Where can I download (or buy, if they're not free) these?

Please forward that message to me, as well.

[Schwaltzvald]

Please forward that message to me, as well.

I'll pm ya as well soon as things are ready. Just deciding how I'll do it.

Just keep an eye out for that message.

[Monobrow]

STOP FOR A SEC!

My advice is, do whatever appeals to you and keeps you practicing. This is the most important thing, period.

Seriously... I'd ask this guy for examples of pieces you will be playing with each course, and then take which appeals to you more.

Yeah I think you need to really expand your musical horizons if you are only talking about Jeremy Soule as being an inspiration (no offense to him)... But when it comes to musical passion and wanting to learn, do what interests you the most, so that when it becomes tedious (It always becomes tedious at some point), you will not stop.

I also really advise you to listen to a whole bunch of classical, and find what you like the most, just in general... Jeremy Soule has his roots in classical as well as film, as do most composers of this age for film (and now video games) do... They get their inspiration from other sources, so if you like Jeremy Soule so much, check out the music that inspires him too.

:J

[yangfeili]

I don't really have anything to contribute, but I just wanted to post

to fit in.

[Schwaltzvald]

I don't really have anything to contribute, but I just wanted to post

to fit in.

I like these.

What Monobrow posted earlier should be noted

Oh yeah drack & Darth Lime I sent ya pms...

[Kanthos]

I suspect tweek hit the nail on the head: you probably aren't being asked to choose between classical music and 'other' music, but rather are choosing between a classical style of education and a style that focuses on ear training, rhythmic patterns, accompaniment, and improvisation.

DO NOT PICK ONLY ONE! You want to do a hybrid of both, if at all possible.

I spent 9 years taking classical lessons as a kid, and got up to my grade 9 in Canada's Royal Conservatory of Music program. It placed high emphasis on technique (scales, arpeggios, learning fairly basic chords - triads and dominant sevenths) and on performance. I did all the related theory and harmony courses, so I learned a lot there too. This is likely what you'd be choosing in a classical education.

It misses out on a lot:

• Improvisation
  
• Composition
  
• Exposure to and performance of alternate styles of music (i.e. jazz, latin jazz, rock techniques like slides, etc.)
  
• Making up an accompaniment (i.e. playing off a leadsheet or when you just have chords)
  
• Understanding how the theory you know applies to the pieces you play
  

If you are a naturally gifted musician and you have (or make) the opportunity to play things by ear regularly (in my case, it was playing in bands at church when I was in high school), you can develop some of these additional skills. If you're naturally better at playing by ear than you are at sightreading, this will be easier than it could otherwise be. And of course, strong performance skills from a classical program will help you in other areas - all the best keyboard players I know have classical backgrounds first. Going the other direction is much harder and the skills aren't as useful: skills at improv won't help you at all with performing piano sonatas.

My *strong* recommendation is to have your teacher incorporate both. Naturally, if you're a total beginner, you'll have to start somewhere, and if so, I'd start with the classical program. But I wouldn't let things progress too much without having your teacher help you develop skills that the classical program doesn't cover.

A couple other thoughts. You say you hope to do some remixes some day. To do a good job of it, you'll probably need skills from both areas. If you haven't become grounded in classical performance, don't expect to do a solo piano remix that will have any hope of passing the judges' panel (unless you record MIDI and correct your mistakes): you won't have the technical skill to pull it off. On the other hand, remixes involve taking a song and injecting it with your own personality and ideas. If your exposure to making music is strictly how to play what someone else wrote, in the way they decided it should be written, you're going to be lost when you try to take a source tune and make it different. You probably won't pass the panel here either, because without a substantial dose of creativity, you probably won't make your piece different enough from the source material to be accepted.

Lastly, as others have said, don't swear off all classical music. If you can't find *any* Beethoven that you like, you just haven't developed much as a musician yet. I'm not saying that Beethoven or even any Baroque or Classical composer will become your new music of choice, but there is *a lot* to learn from their music, and a lot to be inspired from, no matter what genres of music you wish to make. If you don't see that yet, you will in time, as long as you haven't closed your mind to it. Also, don't discount romantic and more modern music either; as time progressed, composers incorporated more complex musical ideas. Same goes for jazz too; it's not video game scores, but a good musician can draw inspiration from Kind Of Blue or A Love Supreme just as easily as Jeremy Soule's scores. By all means, have personal tastes and favourite artists, but if you never venture far outside those preferences, you'll miss out on a lot, and it *will* show in your music.

Good luck!

[Cottus and Gyes]

For myself, I decided to teach myself how to play piano and started out with classical music as I thought that would be a good basis.

Can't make the decision for you but you should listen to

.

[Schwaltzvald]

Shameless plug in as well as it's for Megadave

Also good luck to ya Jackal, hope ya find the passion for playing the piano no matter what!

[TheJackalsPaw]

A couple other thoughts. You say you hope to do some remixes some day. To do a good job of it, you'll probably need skills from both areas. If you haven't become grounded in classical performance, don't expect to do a solo piano remix that will have any hope of passing the judges' panel (unless you record MIDI and correct your mistakes): you won't have the technical skill to pull it off. On the other hand, remixes involve taking a song and injecting it with your own personality and ideas. If your exposure to making music is strictly how to play what someone else wrote, in the way they decided it should be written, you're going to be lost when you try to take a source tune and make it different. You probably won't pass the panel here either, because without a substantial dose of creativity, you probably won't make your piece different enough from the source material to be accepted.

Sorry, but I ddn't get any of that..

Lastly, as others have said, don't swear off all classical music. If you can't find *any* Beethoven that you like, you just haven't developed much as a musician yet. I'm not saying that Beethoven or even any Baroque or Classical composer will become your new music of choice, but there is *a lot* to learn from their music, and a lot to be inspired from, no matter what genres of music you wish to make. If you don't see that yet, you will in time, as long as you haven't closed your mind to it. Also, don't discount romantic and more modern music either; as time progressed, composers incorporated more complex musical ideas. Same goes for jazz too; it's not video game scores, but a good musician can draw inspiration from Kind Of Blue or A Love Supreme just as easily as Jeremy Soule's scores. By all means, have personal tastes and favourite artists, but if you never venture far outside those preferences, you'll miss out on a lot, and it *will* show in your music.

Good luck!

Jeremy Soule was just an example. I also like Jack Wall and Christophe Herald, I'm a huge fan of Howard Shores work on Lord of the Rings, like Hanz Zimmer too, I'm also a great fan of Jazz whether what sub genre it is, I like Sting, Simply Red, on and on.

Must say I don't agree on the "If you can't find *any* Beethoven that you like, you just haven't developed much as a musician yet." thing.. I guess you could say music is like food sometimes.. Why do I not like Oliven? I don't know, but jesus it tastes like hell! I don't find Beethoven as something that sounds good in my ear, period. That doesn't make me a under developed musician? However that doesn't mean I can let me inspire from his works, learn from it or even take joy in playing it. Three Wise men by James Blunt is good - Would I listen to it while sitting at my computer? No - Why not? Because I'd be listening to Sting as I like his songs the better. It's not like I'm condemning Beethoven. Or Mozart. I do like this though:

(I just youtubed it.. )

Anyhow, I'll be taking the "Classical" course. Hopefully I'll be good at piano, and be able to play the notesheet and chords when performing in that jazz bar downtown.

Thanks again for all the input, appreciate it! (..you did talk a bit too much about classical music though.. All I really asked was what you remixers out there (those with remixes on this site) had choosen back in your days. )

Thanks again!

[big giant circles]

Most of this thread has made me laugh.

I was going to recommend Classical, simply because most if not all of your "idols" are classically trained. This does not mean you are required to like pure, raw classical music. But whether or not you like it, you must acknowledge that Mozart, Bach, Beethoven, etc were absolute geniuses when it came to understanding the rules (if rules is the proper word) of music. That's why so many people study them, even if the music they create ends up sounding nothing like classical music. It's the principles you're going to be studying, and those principles apply to ALL aspects of music regardless of genre; nobody's going to browbeat you into deciding that classical music should be your favorite music.

You sound young, if I had to wager on it. I'm willing to bet that as you mature musically, you'll gain a greater appreciation for classical music, even if it's not something you plan on replacing your current musical collection/preferences with.

[Kanthos]

Sorry, but I ddn't get any of that..

I'll try again. In order to make a remix, you need original ideas (which a strict classical program does not develop), and the skills to pull it off. While you can make a remix by clicking notes into software, if you're going to develop piano skills, you'd want to use a MIDI keyboard and play the notes into your software, which means you have to be a good enough player to do that.

Must say I don't agree on the "If you can't find *any* Beethoven that you like, you just haven't developed much as a musician yet." thing..

You're right; I misspoke. I should've said, 'if you can't find any Beethoven that inspires you or that you can learn from...'