Learning How to Play a Keyboard

[noTuX]

So, I found a great deal on a Novation Impulse 49 and I am currently teaching myself to play.  I'm just attempting to copy melodies that I hear, but I really want to learn from scratch.  Can someone suggest some good videos and books I can take a look at?

Eventually, I want to learn how to fully utilize this controller, but for now, I just want to get the basics down.

[Brandon Strader]

15 hours ago, noTuX said:

I'm just attempting to copy melodies that I hear

That's what I did. 

Have fun.

[jnWake]

Copying melodies is fine and all but if you really want to learn to play keyboards you should take care of finger positioning, especially when you're beggining to play. It's very common to see people who use like 1 or 2 fingers to play because they never learned proper positioning.

You should also take care of your wrist positioning since a wrong one can be pretty hurtful. Your hand should never be below the keys, and you always want your fingers arched down to play the keys (like the 1st pic below).

Sadly I don't have any book to recommend but I bet there are plenty tutorials on YouTube haha. I'd recommend watching stuff on hand posture and finger positions for scales and stuff. Of course there's also learning how to play with 2 hands at the same time but most exercises should cover the basics of that.

[Nabeel Ansari]

Buy this. Master it. You'll be able to learn anything with ease. If you stumble into a part of music where you look at your hands after many attempts and say "I can't physically do that" or "I can't make my hands do that", you likely haven't mastered the book.

The last sentence of the first paragraph is important:

The left hand gives out in passages of slight difficulty; the fourth and fifth [ring and pinky] fingers are almost useless for lack of special exercises for these fingers, which are always weaker than the rest; and when passages in octaves, in tremolo or trills occur, they are usually executed only by dint of exertion or fatigue, so that the performance is very incorrect and wholly wanting in expression.

[Open]

If you're interested in broad learning of the piano I would suggest the Royal Conservatory of Music's course. Their songs are selected so that you build up your skills so you can go after harder pieces. I liked the first level, prep A, but if you want you could skip ahead to level one if you want.

[Malcos]

Aaaaaand... the shortcut

I cringe when I look at it now lol, but it might help a bit. There are 4 videos in this mini series. It's not how to play the keyboard by any means, but it'll give you something to mess around with and think about while you learn some real theory.