Piano

[ken k]

I am not saying you must become a virtuoso, but any knowledge of piano will help you understand music theory concepts and will just help you complete your assignments much more easily and better. I would not call myself and pianist by any means and would never be caught playing piano in public but i can get around the keyboard enough to fake accompaniments for my students and work out harmonies and voicings for arranging.

As has been mentioned by most of the other posters here, just do it. Of course you can be a musician without it, but learning piano will be time well spent and will make you a better musician, not just a euphonium player

ken k

[Chuck(G)]

I couldn't imagine using any other instrument (well, maybe an organ or harpsichord) when arranging music. It's so ingrained in me that even with a computer, if I don't play back the score wtih piano sound, I can't really hear all of the clams.

Forget about playing parties; if you have any aspiriations toward composing or arranging, learn your way around the ivories.

Besides, I can sit here at the computer, and flip through online music with my left hand on the mouse and my right hand on the keyboard. It'd be pertty awkward with a tuba.

[XtremeEuph]

I stilll know what u guys mean but I wanted let u know that BTW......... I do know a lot of the theory....and i can read up on it and see it on my brothers keyboard im mostly just worried about the playing part and the practice ........its grueling. I force myself to do it but patience is something i really lack when learning a coordination instrument if you know what i mean.

[windshieldbug]

its grueling. I force myself to do it but patience is something i really lack when learning a coordination instrument if you know what i mean.

I know what you mean, but speaking from experience, I always wished I had done it sooner when having to do it when I went wanted to graduate from music school...

[XtremeEuph]

I always wished I had done it sooner when having to do it when I went wanted to graduate from music school...

and did you?.............im guessing not?

[windshieldbug]

and did you?.............im guessing not?

No, I did... but I can't say I can do much else than the required scales and such. And I played a Scott Joplin rag as the solo for my last jury...

[XtremeEuph]

If you could tell me the name of the piece that would be nice

[windshieldbug]

Magnetic Rag...

Played Bethina for my first

[XtremeEuph]

ya like i said (if i did really say this yet) I do play acoustic guitar (my brothers) and i can also read the music......the only problem is i just memorized where it is on the staff and never bothered to learn treble clef....which i am trying to get myself to do but is another thing that......just........never happens lol

[prototypedenNIS]

I play enough...

[sinfonian]

I took piano lessons in HS and my freshman year of college. I was able to place out of taking more piano after that. A year after that I switched majors to accounting but that another story. I have only fooled around with piano for the last 25 years until this past year when my 11 year old son (French horn player) needed an accompanist for his Solo for Solo and Ensemble contest. I decided to try to dust off my keyboard skills. It took a lot of work but I was able to pull it off and my son got a 1st place rating. I also served as a room monitor that day in the brass room and heard that many of the kids only got 1 maybe 2 chances to practice with their accompanist where as my son had to practice with me 3 or 4 times a week for the month leading up to the contest.

Even if you don't have any kids now, that alone might be reason enough to work up your piano skills, really gave me an my son a great activity together. Of course it was also fun to go with my son to his private lessons and have him tell his teacher that he brought along his accompanist.