Is self teaching piano bad?
In opposite of many answers - I would say no.But I guess it all depends on what you are learning, and why.Are you gonna be a world famous concert pianist?- then you probably should take lesson from at least one teacher.Don't you care so much about classic music, and just want to plays songs from the radio, or song books?Go for it!I learned the piano by piano teachers. And I don't regret it.But, the songs that you learned there, weren't always (or ever!) the songs that you would like to learn. (In my case, I was between 8 - 17 years old at the time)And I know friends who quit playing an instrument just because...It was no fun.You want to learn how to play the intro for "Dangerous - David Guetta" But the teacher says: "No...we are are doing Prelude in E-minor - it will probably take us six week to get through the whole piece..."And unless you REALLY want to learn the basics, and looking at the long term perspective...It might not be worth it. Because you get bored.Anyway, I have this friend.Never learned an instrument in school, had a piano at home, bought a guitar when he was like 15 . And one day he said: "Martin...I want to learn how to play guitar and piano. But I don't want to play classical music - I want to learn how to listen to a song at the radio, find the melody and chords and play"So of course I helped him. Some basic note theory, how to form a chord (on guitar and piano) how to listen to music and play along.He learned it all by himself, and I must say - when I heard him a year later, playing songs he composed I was quite impressed.No, he can't pick up any classical sheet and play (mostly because he don't read f-clef - or at least did before) - but he is quite good at creating arrangements for piano from songs by listening to them.
Is it bad to eat self-raising flour raw/uncooked?
No, it's not going to harm you or make you sick. If you plan to actually bake your cookies, you'll want to compensate for the the self-rising flour by reducing your baking powder/soda in the recipe. Otherwise, enjoy. :)
How can I train myself to be calm and composed all the time?
There are several effective strategies to becoming calmer. Here are the top 3 that would have the most impact for you:1. Eat "clean" food and do light exercise.Your health is the base for everything else in your life. For example, if you're spiking your blood sugar levels every day by plowing on sugar (like I used to!), it's going to be hard to feel calm. Minimize or avoid packaged food (which has additives, chemicals and other non-food ingredients). None of these things help our nervous systems.Eat fresh, natural food as much as you can. Read labels, keep learning about food and diet. Large food companies don't care about your health. Money is their main motivation.Light, regular exercise helps us relax. Do more vigorous exercise if you have time and if you like longer workouts.2. Practice "thought-watching" and re-framing.This is a meditation technique. Observe your thoughts as much as you can during the day. When you catch yourself producing a thought that irritates you, angers you, or any thought that takes you away from calmness, re-frame the thought or dismiss it.To re-frame, look for ways that make the situation more positive, more agreeable for you. Or you can even shift your focus away from the mental source of agitation. Eckhart Tolle had a good example in one of his books (probably the "Power of Now"). He said when it's raining, we can say "What a miserable day. The weather is horrible!". Or we can re-frame it and shift our focus by saying, "It is raining.".We've removed the emotionality from something we perceived as negative. Instead of an opinion that causes agitation, we now just state a fact.3. Do deep breathing exercises.You can do this anywhere and it's effective even if it's just for half a minute. Focusing on breath gets you out of the mind and into the body.Physiology and our mental state are very connected. An anxious state won't last long if you're doing a few minutes of deep breathing. Anxiety, anger or irritation all have specific ways that they affect our breathing. Holding the breath, shallow breaths, rough breaths, depending on the emotion.If you focus on deep breathing (and combine it with thought-watching and re-framing), negative emotions will dissipate, producing calmness eventually.Hope these ideas help! You nailed it when you used the words, "train yourself". It really does require a bit of daily training. Mental gymnastics. It's worth it. I know from personal experience as I practice these as much as I can.
How can I be a calm, composed and even-tempered person?
You have the evidence. You formed the right question. You know the correct answer.Now, the tough part: sacrifice.Emotional people haven’t learned to sacrifice the opportunity to feel and express those related emotion-driven thoughts yet. They see no good reason to retrain themselves, so they are fine with “looking like they are selfish and immature,” and therefore can’t be fully trusted in relationships.So, they never learned to hide their negative feelings or just delay them, until they can think their way through surprise, shock, perceived slights, insults, disappointment, pain, discomfort, criticism, not getting their way, and performing poorly.In about 5% of the life’s events, acting instantly is better than acting slowly. 95% of the time it is much better to think before you speak or act. But, 100% of the time it is best to know when to do what.You should figure out your own percentages, and then flip the numbers. Don’t expect learning to think will be easy when you are pissed. It won’t. But, that’s exactly what most successful people have learned to do. Then they can use both tools, and not just the one that barely works 5% of the time.Sacrifice that release emotions in favor of learning the better way to get more from those situations.Then your friends will learn to trust you, because you always seem to do the right things. Even when things feel very upsetting.It’s easier to love someone that is emotionally reliable.Good luck, Mac
Can I learn how to play piano by myself?
You can definitely learn to play some piano pieces by yourself from Youtube. However, I feel that you already know, since you play viola and violin, that the feedback and demonstration you would benefit from if you learned with a good teacher is the only way you will develop a useful technique. Good technique is essential for playing well. An inspirational teacher who is knowledgeable enough to show you how to practise properly as well as guiding your interpretation of the music makes learning quicker, more efficient and more rewarding.If accessing a teacher is difficult or if expense is a problem then, of course, you could go ahead with learning by yourself using Youtube. Be discerning because you will see many examples of very poor technique. I would advise you to check out videos of great pianists such as Martha Argarich, follow Daniel Barenboim’s advice channel, and learn from Lang Lang’s piano lesson videos. Use the E-MusicMaestro Youtube videos to learn specific pieces because they demonstrate good technique and offer practice tips. Also access the free material on the E-MusicMaestro website, which clearly explains how to learn, practise and interpret a huge range of piano pieces at all levels.
Is a piano piece with no repetition a bad thing?
As long as the song makes sense with clear sections that tell a story, I'd say repetition doesn't overly matter.However, composers almost always re-use the same melodies and rhythms and alter them as they go along because it gives a sense of unification to the piece. I think when writing a through-composed piece where the theme doesn't reoccur means you have to spend a lot more time on the transitions and overall unity of the piece. Making it sound consecutive and part of one piece and not a collection of pieces - logically I would have chosen to write a suite than do it in one song, a bit like Pictures at an Exhibition but you can do whatever is necessary.Even then, there's nothing to stop you from hinting at past or future themes in your song. Movie soundtracks do it all the time - they just convolute the themes to such a degree that you barely recognise them. John Williams' themes in Star Wars are nearly always based off of the Main Theme or Luke's Theme in some way, he just alters them to such a degree that they practically sound like different themes.
Write a poem about yourself?
I am hungry. I am drunk. I smell just like a skunk. I feel happy. I feel sad. I dont understand why drugs are bad. I love music. I love art. I am sorry I didnt mean to fart. I could go on all day. I could think of many things to say. But I need another drink. To take me up and over the brink.
Was Machiavelli bad?
Niccolo Machiavelli composed the tract _The Prince_ (written in Florence circa 1513, published first in 1532) as a set of guidelines for the ruler of a principality in Italy in the early 15th century. These guidelines tell a ruler surrounded by competing rulers and shrewd, devious politicians representing antithetical interests how to survive. _The Prince_ holds a stable, enduring state as an ultimate value. The view Machiavelli takes of human nature is derived from the vantage point mentioned above. The Medici family with which Machiavelli was associated, and for whom he may have written his treatise, was a power-hungry, ambitious one. That may explain his understanding of human nature. Whether that understanding is biassed or incorrect is a matter of opinion. Does the fact of someone's seeing human nature as evil and governed by opportunity and self-interest make that person perforce "bad"? You may indeed disagree with his understanding, but you wouldn't call everyone who disagrees with you "bad," would you?
Is my septum piercing too low?
I got my septum pierced about 6 weeks ago and I'm very happy with it. But recently a piercer I met at a party made me feel like total crap about it because it "was pierced too low". I'm feeling so self conscious now, is having a low septum a bad thing? I really like the way it looks but now I'm worried that it actually looks wrong. On another note why the hell do people with piercings/tattoos feel the need to be so mean to others with new piercings? ahh. Oh well. But anywho can someone fill me in? here's a link to a picture! sorry it's kind of vain haha, these were taken the day I got my septum and tongue done. http://s1285.beta.photobucket.com/user/canzonetta24/media/septumtongue_zpse8a57e41.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0
Why is scooping notes considered such a bad thing in operatic singing?
@petr b : LOL I don't know why you become so snappish at me. I'm terribly sorry if any of my words have offended you in some way. I guess there has been some sort of misunderstanding here. I was only trying to explain myself. I wasn't trying to be so stubborn with my opinion. I didn't intend to shove down my opinion upon anyone else's throat here. On the contrary, I humbly admit that I know NOTHING thus why I asked in the first place. I may have used some of the musical terms above incorrectly (again, because I don't know) or I have worded my sentences and phrases carelessly so I sincerely apologize if it has created any unnecessary tensions here. Anyway yes I know there are some singers, such as Leontyne Price, Anna Moffo etc, who are often criticized because they have become over the years "queen of scooping notes", as one user pointed out, and it was all AFTER they have passed their prime. But since I'm not an expert, I couldn't tell the di