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Understanding The Piano Tab By : Brian Shelton Learning to play music with the piano tab is an alternative approach to learning via traditional sheet music. Whereas sheet music indicates pitch, chords, and time with musical symbols, piano tabs indicate the same with chord symbols and note names. The general idea behind this approach is to visually show which finger should hit a piano key. Piano Lesson: For Piano Beginners By : Peter Edvinsson Playing piano can be a wonderful experience. If you want to start playing piano sheet music you need to know a few of the conventions used in western sheet music notation. Let's make a little journey through the music notation jungle! Playing Hymns & Gospel Songs On The Piano: A Treasure-Trove of Riches By : Duane Shinn If you're a beginning or intermediate pianist interested in learning and playing hymn tunes -- particularly those relating to the Christian faith -- there are several issues working in your favor. First, as the words and tunes of hymns generally date back to pre-20th century times, most hymns live entirely in the public domain. Piano Improvisation in Three Steps By : Duane Shinn Because of the technical virtuosity and skill of famous jazz, blues, and classical improvisers, many beginning pianists mistakenly assume that improvisation is to be learned in the distant future, when one's piano abilities are more developed. On the contrary, though, most contemporary piano teachers feel that improvisation is a huge part of playing piano at all skill levels, not just for experts. Playing The Piano - Part 2 By : Mike Shaw The damper of the piano is the only means of stopping the string's vibrations, which would otherwise continue, longer than is wanted. In violin playing, the same stoppage of tone takes place when the player stops drawing the bow across the strings. Playing The Piano - Part 1 By : Mike Shaw The peculiarities of the mechanism of any instrument constitute in all cases a law for the application of the energy to be expended upon that mechanism. In so far as energy is correctly applied, the machine or mechanism should give back an equivalent of work done; but if the power applied is lacking or weak, then the results obtained will also be the same. The Key Mechanism Of The Piano - Part 2 By : Mike Shaw When a key on the piano is pushed down, and then kept down, it will be noticed that the tone continues sounding for a considerable time after the push has taken place, and ceases whenever the key is allowed to rise. This stoppage of the tone is the result of the action of a second piece of mechanism, called the damper. The dampers are small pieces of wood with felt attached to them. Piano Lesson: The Genesis Of Improvisation By : Peter Edvinsson The abiltity to improvise is within the reach of everyone who wants to develop this skill. You can start to improvise in a way that will give you and others the benefits from this art. Let's see what good improvisational skills involve! The Key Mechanism Of The Piano - Part 1 By : Mike Shaw The piano, while similar in some of its features too many other kinds of musical instruments, differs materially in several important points from all other kinds. It resembles the Violin, Harp, Guitar, Zither, Dulcimer, in its being stringed. It resembles the Drum, Triangle, Cymbals, Tambourine, Dulcimer, in its being dependent on percussion for the production of its tone; and it resembles the Organ, Clarinet, Concertina, in its being keyed. How To Play The Piano Expressively - Part 2 By : Mike Shaw In part 1 of this two part article, we discussed that the correct use of the hands when playing the piano keyboard can produce a beautiful sound. I Took Piano Lessons As a Kid, But I've Forgotten Almost Everything By : Duane Shinn There are literally millions of adults today who took piano lessons when they were growing up, but at some point along the way gave them up. Some couldn't care less, but many have an urge down deep to take up piano playing again someday. Piano Lesson: Compose And Become A Better Pianist By : Peter Edvinsson Everyone can compose sheet music! You have to start where you are and anyone can do that. You can create your own compositions for piano! Let's see why you should! Learn To Play Amazing Grace With Piano Tabs By : Peter Edvinsson You can learn to play popular melodies without sheet music. Today you will learn to use piano tab notation to learn a popular song! Piano: Learn To Play Music In Time By : Peter Edvinsson It is a good thing to be on the right place at the right time, is it not? Sometimes we call this ability timing. When you play piano this is a very important skill. The result will be music! An Important Reason To Learn To Play By Ear By : Jimmy Cox Listening to music is fun; playing music is more fun; playing music by ear is the most fun of all. If the player remembers the music he is playing by means of his ear, he is playing by ear. But most players who have learned to play by the traditional method of reading notes on a page and then punching keys on an instrument do not trust to their ears to tell them what is coming next. Is It Really Possible To Play The Piano By Ear? By : Duane Shinn Playing by ear is the ability to play a piece of music (or, eventually, learn an instrument) by simply listening to it repeatedly. The majority of self-taught musicians began their education this way; they picked up their instrument and began playing an easy melody from a well-known song, slowly picking out the notes as they went along. And even after these musicians master their instruments or a particular song, playing by ear still plays a large role. Piano Improvisation: Do You Know How To Improvise? By : Peter Edvinsson Can you talk to people without first memorizing what to say? Probably you can. Can you create melodies and nice licks to chords on the spot. Many pianists find this harder. Let's try out a few ways to improve your improvisations! Piano Playing Secrets Of The Pros By : Duane Shinn It's no secret that professional piano players use techniques that amateur piano players don't. So what else is new? Professional golfers use techniques that amateur golfers don't use (at least not very well), and pro ball players use techniques that sandlot and weekend athletes don't use -- or again, not very well. Music Theory & Harmony: The Key To Understanding How Music Works! By : Duane Shinn It's a sad fact that most people, including piano players, regard music theory and harmony as some abstract concept that has very little to do with the songs they play on their pianos. Nothing could be further from the truth. Knowing music theory and harmony is the key to opening a whole new world of exciting insights into the songs we play, and enable us to do things on the piano we never dreamed we could do, to say nothing of enjoying the process a hundred times more. Piano Books: The Top Piano Books To Help You Become a Better Piano Player By : Duane Shinn There are umpteen zillion piano books available in music stores and online at such places as Amazon. And piano books are usually necessary if your goal is to become a better pianist. Piano Lesson: Learn To Play Amazing Grace By : Peter Edvinsson Amazing Grace for piano is a popular song on the internet. In this piano lesson we will learn to play this song with melody and chords without the use of sheet music. We will start by finding the note C. How To Become a "Chord Detective" And See Through The Notes Right Into The Music! By : Duane Shinn Over the years I have been a piano teacher I have had many people call or write me and ask me something like this: "I play by ear, or by chords, but lots of music doesn't have chord symbols written in -- how do I know what chord to play when?" Runs & Fills: How To Add Real Excitement To Your Piano Playing! By : Duane Shinn We've all heard pianists who make us drool with musical jealousy when they play, using a tool box full of lighting-fast runs and clever fills that have us clamoring for more. Piano Lesson: II-V-I Progressions In C Major By : Peter Edvinsson Let me give you some easy progressions that will help you in your improvisational piano playing! How Pitch & Duration Are Determined By : Duane Shinn Notes are the musical notation representing a fixed pitch. While the word strictly refers to the physical notation of a pitch, it's more commonly used to refer to both the pitch and the notation. Piano Lessons: Make Sure They Include Chords & Music Theory! By : Duane Shinn Proper piano instruction is an element extremely vital to learning the instrument well. Though it's very possible to be a self-taught piano player, piano lessons can really increase the speed and efficiency with which one learns the instrument. Transposition and Modulation: How To Transpose To a Different Key & Modulate Between Keys By : Duane Shinn How do transposition and modulation relate? Are they the same? Let's take a look at both of them and see what makes them tick. How to Start Playing Music By Ear Quickly By : Jimmy Cox Everyone can play music by ear. Some can go farther than others with that ability, but everyone can do it to some degree. Unfortunately, no one has ever attempted to teach serious music students to depend upon their ears as much as possible. Eventually the ear player reaches his limit and must use notation to study music further; but this limit is much broader than is generally supposed. How To Tell What Major Key A Song Is In Quickly & Easily By : Duane Shinn Key signatures are a type of musical notation that indicate which key the song is to be played in. How To Color Without Crayons: Adding Color Tones To a Chord By : Duane Shinn Adding color tones to a chord is like adding colors to a black and white drawing; it adds depth and dimension and well as bringing it to life. Inversions: How To Stand a Chord On It's Head By : Duane Shinn Many people get all confused when chords are turned upside down. They recognize them when they are in root position, but when you stand them on their head...well, it gets kind of fuzzy for folks. THE HAND OF A PIANIST By : Harriette Brower As I sat in the luxurious salon of the apartments near the Park, where Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Schelling were spending the winter, sounds of vigorous piano practise floated out to me from a distant chamber. It was unusual music, and seemed to harmonize with the somewhat Oriental atmosphere and coloring of the music-room, with its heavily beamed ceiling of old silver, its paintings and tapestries. MAKING THE PIANO A MUSICAL INSTRUMENT By : Harriette Brower In a long conversation with Ernesto Consolo, the eminent pianist and instructor, many points of vital importance to the player and teacher were touched upon. Among other things Mr. Consolo said: MIND IN PIANO STUDY By : Harriette Brower Mr. Sigismond Stojowski, the eminent Polish pianist and composer, was found one morning in his New York studio, at work with a gifted pupil. He was willing to relax a little, however, and have a chat on such themes as might prove helpful to both teacher and student. SOME ESSENTIALS OF PIANO PLAYING By : Harriette Brower When one has read with pleasure and profit the published ideas of a musical worker and thinker, it is always an interesting experience to meet such an one personally, and have the opportunity to discuss points of special import, particularly when the meeting can take place in some ideal spot in the old world. Rhythm and Tone Color in Piano Playing By : Harriette Brower How shall two such opposites as rhythm and tone color be connected, even in name, some will ask. One belongs to the mechanical side of piano playing, while the other appertains to the ideal, the poetic, the soulful. PHRASE BY PHRASE By : Harriette Brower Most of the artists agree that memorizing must be done phrase by phrase, after the composition has been thoroughly analyzed as to keys, chords, and construction. This is Katharine Goodson's way, and also Eleanor Spencer's and Ethel Leginska's, three of Leschetizky's pupils now before the public. ONE YEAR'S MEMORIZING By : Harriette Brower A player who gives five or six hours daily to study, and who has learned how to memorize, should be able to commit one page of music each day. How to Memorize By : Harriette Brower At the present stage of pianistic development, an artist does not venture to come before the public and "use his notes." No artist who values his reputation would attempt it. Everything must be performed from memory—solos, concertos, even accompaniments. The pianist must know every note of the music he performs. The Art of Practice By : Ralph Serpe We have seen that if the pianist hopes to perfect himself in his art he must lay the foundation deep down in the fundamentals of hand position, body condition, correct finger movements and in careful attention to the minutest details of touch and tone production. Hand Position, Finger Action, and Artistic Touch By : Ralph Serpe When we listen to a piano recital by a world-famous artist, we think—if we are musicians—primarily of the interpretation of the compositions under consideration. That the pianist has a perfect technic almost goes without saying. He must have such a technic to win recognition as an artist. He would not be an artist without a great technic, without a complete command over the resources of the instrument and over himself. Sprinkle Some Pepper On Your Musical Meal Through The Use Of Augmented Chords By : Duane Shinn Augmented chords are to a piece of music like pepper is to a meal; you would never sit down to a meal of pepper alone, but you might sprinkle a little on your food to liven up the taste a bit. Use augmented chords judiciously and you will find they add real interest to your piano playing. Add Some Spice To Your Musical Meal By Using Diminished Triads By : Duane Shinn Major and minor chords are the meat & potatoes of a musical meal. To add saltiness to the meal, add a few diminished chords. Minor Chords -- How To Form Them & Use Them By : Duane Shinn Minor chords create a sound which is somber or serious; some people even think of minor chords as "sad", as opposed to major chords which sound "normal", or "happy". Christmas Carols You Can Play This Christmas With Just 3 Chords! By : Duane Shinn Did you know that there are literally thousands of songs you can play if you know just 3 chords? How Will You Learn to Play the Piano? By : Kevin Sinclair Is your passion listening to piano music? Would you like to be able to play just like your idols? Are you thinking of taking lessons but you are not sure where to start? Piano Lesson: Six Tips On How To Create And Keep Your Motivation By : Peter Edvinsson How can you create and keep your motivation to play the piano? In other words, how can you increase and keep the joy of playing the piano? The cause that made you start playing in the first place! How To Play The Piano Using "Shorthand" -- Chord Symbols -- Instead of Reading the Full Score By : Duane Shinn Most people who took piano lessons as a kid, including me, grew up learning to read music exactly as it is written on the printed page. Being able to read music is a valuable skill, and I am delighted I learned that skill at an early age. The 10-24-7 Rule - Learning Piano Music The Easy Way! By : Learning the piano can be fun and entertaining. However, the keys to learning piano efficiently and successfully can make the difference between gaining momentum or losing interest. There is a proven formula for learning quickly and easily. So, why isn't everyone doing it? Can YOU Play All The Major Chords in 3 Seconds or Less? By : Duane Shinn Did you have any idea how easy it is to learn ALL the major chords (there are 12 of them) and be able to play them in seconds -- not hours or days or weeks or months or years? Exciting Improvising: How to Make Up Music Out Of Your Head As You Play By : Duane Shinn Improvisation (also known as improvising) is the act of making something up as you go along -- an act with which we all have a little experience. Can You Become a Boogie-Man or Boogie-Lady? By : Duane Shinn Boogie music, also known as boogie woogie, is a genre of piano-heavy music particular to America in the 1930's and 1940's and 1950's. It's characteristic walking bass is familiar to many as a harkening back to rock and roll, even though the form is based strongly on the blues (in fact, it's often been called an upbeat version of the blues). Five Great Practice Ideas I Learned From My Piano Students By : Duane Shinn Sometimes the teacher learns more from the student than the student does from the teacher. Hopefully, not too often, but today I would like to share with you some great practicing ideas that have come from my piano students over the years: What All Do I Have to Know to be a Really Good Piano Player? By : Duane Shinn Many students ask me a question that goes something like this: "What all do I have to know to be a really good piano player?" Improvising On The Piano: Jazz Musicians Do It -- Why Not Other Styles? By : Duane Shinn Why jazz piano improvisation? Why not gospel piano improvisation? Is it not possible to improvise classical music, or sacred music, or any other kind of music? Piano Playing Your Way: How To Have More Fun Playing The Piano Than You Ever Have Before By : Duane Shinn Piano playing doesn't have to be boring. There's no law that says you have to play a song the same way everyone else plays it. By learning some basic music theory and chord formations, you can have the time of your life playing music like you have always wanted to. Playing The Piano Using Chord Symbols Instead of Being Tied To The Written Sheet Music By : Duane Shinn Piano improvising and arranging is an art but definitely not a science. It is all based on chords and chord progressions. There aren't any steadfast rules for creating an arrangement, nothing to dictate the limitless potential of your imagination. Musicians learn to arrange by simply arranging and improvise by improvising -- over and over again. It's a big game of trial and error. But it's also a scientific method: you keep the experiments that work, and abandon those that don't work. Learn To Play The Piano Better By Learning To Arrange Chords & Chord Progressions By : Duane Shinn Piano arranging is the process by which you take a written piece of music and rework it with chords, adding new bass accompaniment, fills, or even slightly altering the song's structure. Musicians: What Chords Do You Absolutely, Positively Have To Know? By : Duane Shinn As you probably know, there are thousands and thousands of different chords in music - everything from basic major chords to minor 7ths to 13ths to suspensions to poly-chords. Someday, you might want to learn all those chords if you don't already know them. They Laughed When I Sat Down at the Piano -- but When I Started to Play -- By : Duane Shinn Remember the old ad that used to run endlessly in magazines and newspapers: "They laughed when I sat down at the piano...but when I started to play..." ? Piano Playing is Easier than You Think When You Understand Musical Form By : Duane Shinn Form is the key that unlocks the musical map of a song or a musical compostition. Like a house has rooms, so a song has rooms or sections. Killer Piano Playing Secrets of a Chord Addict! By : Duane Shinn I wish you could have seen me play the piano when I was just learning. I was the nearest thing to "hopeless" that you could imagine. I was into baseball, not music; and my heroes were Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, and Ted Williams. (And by the way, I still have a picture of those 3 guys on my wall.) My dream was to hit baseballs like them, not to play the piano. The Many Incredible Benefits Of Learning Chording Techniques On The Piano By : Duane Shinn Do you know the incredible benefits that come to you by learning chording techniques on the piano? Is It Possible To Create Cool "New Age" Sounds On The Piano Without Knowing A Thing About Musi By : Duane Shinn I'll admit that for many years as a piano teacher I didn't think so. But in the last couple years I made a discovery about creating pleasant sounds on the piano that I never would have believed during my earlier piano teaching career. Piano Lesson: Learn To Play Jingle Bells Without Piano Sheet Music By : Peter Edvinsson In this piano lesson we will learn to play piano Christmas music. We will use piano tab notation so you don't need to read piano sheet music. Piano Lesson: Learn Piano Improvisation Through Classical Piano Music By : Peter Edvinsson Piano improvisation in a classical music way is an interesting complement to ordinary piano improvisational practicing. Let me suggest a way to practice! Piano Lesson: How To Improvise The Classical Piano Way By : Peter Edvinsson Is it possible to improvise on the piano in a classical manner? This piano lesson will help you find out how to cultivate this art and the benefits you reap as a pianist! Piano Lesson: Do You Know What You Learn When You Play Piano? By : Peter Edvinsson I guess you are learning to play piano in order to become a better pianist. Do you know that there are many secret learning processes in action as you practice on your piano. Let's find out the truth! Piano lesson: Learn To Play Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star Without Reading Sheet Music By : Peter Edvinsson In this piano lesson you will learn to play Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star without the use of sheet music. After this learn to play piano tutorial you will be able to play the melody with both hands! Piano lesson: Learn To Play Mary Had A Little Lamb Without Reading Sheet Music By : Peter Edvinsson In this piano lesson you will learn to play Mary Had A Little Lamb without the use of sheet music. We will be a little bit professional and use both hands! How To Match The Melody Notes Of Any Song To A Chord In Your Left Hand! By : Duane Shinn If you've ever wondered how you can know which chords go with which melody notes, I've got good news for you! How To Predict Which Chord Comes Next In A Song By : Duane Shinn Wouldn't it be nice if you could predict which chord would probably come next in a song? Learn To Play Piano Chords: Learn To Play II-V-I Progressions By : Peter Edvinsson II-V-I progressions are common in most types of popular music and mainstream jazz and more. If you can play II-V-I progressions you are in a lucky position. What then is a II-V-I progression? Well, come and see! How To Play More Notes On The Piano Without Reading More Notes! By : Duane Shinn Most professional musicians play from a book called a "Fake Book". I bought my first fake book containing only about 200 songs when I was a teenager -- they were illegal then, but most musicians owned them -- for $50. That would be equal to $500. Play Piano - There is No Substitute for Practice By : Ron Worthy There is no substitute for practice. By spending a couple of hours with your instrument every day you develop a special relationship with it. Learning To Play Piano Chords By : ian Williamson If you are playing several notes at the same time, then you are playing piano chords. Simply put, when multiple notes are played together, piano chords are achieved. The chords then come together to form a melody. Every song that you hear has a melody and it is through each melody that music is achieved. Sound complicated? Well, that’s ok because it really isn’t as difficult as it sounds. A Guide To Piano For Beginners By : ian Williamson Classes that involve piano for beginners would include an introduction to reading and understanding the keys, chords and how to read musical notes. The piano is unlike any other instrument and sounds wonderful as stand alone music or as part of a group. The intense sound of a piano is one that captivates audiences with power or soothes them with serenity. 33 Tips to Becoming a Great Pianist By : Duane Shinn Are there really secrets to becoming a really good piano player? Or is it just a matter of practice, practice, practice? Piano improvisation: Learn To Improvise On Your Piano By Faking By : Peter Edvinsson Do you have a fake book? Just one of those songs could be the source of many meaningful exercises that will help you grow as a musicician and as a pianist. Piano Lesson: What Can Pippi Longstocking Teach You About Piano Playing By : Peter Edvinsson Piano playing is an art with unlimited possibilites. Pippi Longstocking made a remark in a film that can be used when you try to learn to play piano. Learn To Play Piano - Let The Train Station Teach You About Piano Playing By : Peter Edvinsson Learn to play piano on a train station? Let me show you what you can learn about piano playing as you wait for your train! Piano Lesson: Why Do You Want To Grow As A Pianist? By : Peter Edvinsson My youngest daughter don't like when I say that she is five years old. She replies that she is five years and a half. Children want to grow up even if we sometimes like them to remain the little cute beings that we are used to lift up and kiss and mess around with. I guess this also is true with pianists like you and me. The act of learning new things on the piano, new chords, new melodies, new scales and other things is similar to the feeling of being alive. How Many Chords Are There, Anyway? By : Duane Shinn Since chords (the main component of harmony) are one of the three most vital elements of music – the others being melody and rhythm – it would be useful to know how many chords there are. And it doesn’t matter whether you play piano or guitar or some other instrument – chords are chords. How to be Creative at the Piano By : Edward Weiss Looks at the reasons for stifled creativty at the piano and gives a unique answer to this problem. Piano Lessons Can be Fun! By : Edward Weiss Illustrates the difference between note reading and a chord-based approach to piano lessons. Basic Piano Drills (Exercises For Your Fingers) By : Ismael D. Tabije Upon hearing the word piano, the very first thing that pops into your mind is the set of black and white keys. Anybody can play the piano believe me. You don’t necessarily need to go to music schools or hire certified music instructors to tell you how to pound those keys and play a song. What is the Best Hand Position? By : Emily Sigers The "self helper" among piano students is often so bewildered by a mass of contradictory directions regarding certain basic factors of his study, that he finds peculiar solace in the Scriptural affirmative "all men are liars!" Piano Pointers By : Emily Sigers Train the ear. Lack of ear training is the inevitable road to lack of interest, lack of progress, lack of success. Self-Training in Sight-Reading (Piano) By : Emily Sigers A good musician should be able to read music as easily as the newspaper. With adequate technique, good eyesight and persistent practice, any pianist may become a good sight-reader. Making Piano Habits That Help By : Emily Sigers The ability to play well is founded upon habit and habit, in turn, is formed upon your daily work. Therefore, how necessary it is to see that pupils form only the best of habits.

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