Piano Key1

When I first began playing piano… now over 16 years ago, I thought the best way to begin was to read music and play simple finger exercises so I could get used to the instrument.

Turns out I was just a little right. Some of Czerny’s exercises are very good for developing finger strength and dexterity. When I have nothing better to do, I’ll practice five note finger patterns on the white keys.

But now, I don’t practice scales, exercises or any other kind of “technique” exercise. Why? Because I’ve discovered a better way to warm up and get the fingers going. Of course I’m speaking about improvisation. You know, the great thing about improvisation is that technique is invented when it

is required.

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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?

Some people go through their entire lives not being sure about what such and such a major chord is — and it’s all so unnecessary, because you can memorize them in just a few minutes, and learn to play them in 12 seconds or less - one second per major chord.

I have had many private students over the years who could play them all in as little as 5 seconds — one little gal (she was about 12

at the time) had particularly fast hands, and could play them in - believe it or not - 3 seconds! I have slow hands with fat fingers, and yet I can play them in something like 5 or 6 seconds. So if I can do it with little fat hands and chubby short fingers, you can too.

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So, you’ve been dying to play the piano. But you don’t want to spend years learning how to read music. Of course you don’t! And you won’t have to IF you learn a chord-based approach to playing the piano.

Here’s a method I use to get my students playing piano in a flash. First, you need to learn a few chords. But not just any chord type. No. The chord type I have my students learn first is something called the open position chord. And with it, you’ll be able to create your own unique music right away!

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Much has been written about learning piano using a chord approach. There are many internet resources available the teach chords, but my experience of them is that they lack the simplicity that beginners require. A more effective strategy, that has worked with my students, is to teach the piano in a similar way to basic guitar. I get my students to learn some chord shapes and simple “strumming” techniques, and in a very short time, they can accompany themselves and others on many pop songs.

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Recently, I did a Google search for the term “piano lessons.” After hitting the return key, it came up with millions of search results. Of course, I’m only going to wade through the first 20 or so. And so I did.

The one site I came upon more often than others (because of the Google ads) was something called Rocket Piano. It’s a site that promises to teach you piano. What’s not clear is just exactly what style it teaches. But it does promise to teach you piano.

On the site is a black and white picture of the creator (supposedly) named Ashleigh Southam. Now, I’m not saying this product is good or bad. It would be nice to see a sample

lesson or a screenshot of what is being offered although to be fair, he does offer free sample lessons.

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