I took piano lessons as a child, but I have forgotten almost everything

There are literally millions of adults today who took piano lessons as children, but at some point they gave up. Some couldn’t care less, but many have a deep desire to play the piano again one day.

Over the years I’ve never heard anyone say “I’m glad I didn’t learn the piano” but I’ve heard hundreds say something like “I wish I had paid attention when I was a kid” or “My piano teacher was too strict ( or too boring), but I would love to play the piano again one day”.

And most people who feel this way have the “round tuition” problem that we all have; They mean well, but the busyness of life distracts them from starting to play again. And they really don’t want to take any more lessons from the old lady down the street who can’t tell the Beatles from Beethoven. Plus, it’s hard to fit regular lessons into your already packed schedule.

So what is the solution?

There are two interrelated factors that when combined create an adult opportunity like no other in history.

1. For the first time there is the world wide web and all its endless and growing sources of information. Until almost AD 2000, a person was limited to the piano teachers in the region in which he lived. But not anymore. Many piano teachers have moved their teaching to the cyber world of the Internet in the form of online lessons. Others have DVDs and CDs available on all aspects of piano playing, from a beginner’s basics to an advanced player’s improvisations. And they’re easy to find, too. Just type phrases like “piano lessons for adults” or “how to play the piano” or “I want to learn piano chords” into any search engine like Google, and a wide range of intriguing possibilities will appear. (Try it, you’ll see!)

2. The second factor is one that has always been around, but until recently it has not been well articulated so that the average person can understand the concept. And that’s just that there are 3 different ways to learn to play the piano, and adults can choose one of the three, two of the three, or all three in any combination, and get much better synergy than either method. only.

The 3 methods are:

1. Music reading from the printed score. Over 95% of all piano lessons revolve around the ability to read sheet music and the technical facility to make your fingers do what your mind tells them to do. This is the traditional method of piano lessons; scales, drills, finger exercises and practice reading endless pieces from the first piece “Left Thumb, Right Thumb” to the most advanced classical piece like Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata” or the “Prelude in C”. minor” by Rachmaninoff. And there are online teachers who can teach you to read music. Look for them by typing phrases like “learn to read music” or “classical piano lessons online.”

2. Play by ear. There are very few people who can really play by ear, but they don’t need our help: they can play whatever they want the way they want. Playing by ear can be taught to a degree, but anyone who thinks they can end up playing like Ray Charles is kidding themselves. Still, normal people can learn to pick a melody by ear and then blend a chord to that melody, eventually entertaining themselves and others while having fun.

3. Play from chord symbols. Many professional pianists, especially jazz pianists, use “fake books.” The fake books are collections of songs in a “lead sheet” format, meaning the song’s melody plus accompanying chord symbols. To learn this way of playing, you’ll need to learn chords, at least enough to play the songs you want to play, and you’ll need to learn to read the song’s melody in the treble clef, a much easier skill. You have to learn to read lots of notes in both the treble and bass clefs.

Most people don’t even know this way of playing exists, or if they do, they think it’s limited to professionals. Not so. It is a simple process and produces good results after a relatively short period of time. In other words, you’ll be playing enough to have fun and maybe wow your friends in a matter of weeks instead of years.

All of these methods are viable and all can be learned from online piano teachers. But probably the best way of all is a synergy of all 3 ways: learning to read sheet music, developing your ear and learning chords and how to use chord symbols to create your own styles of music.

Whichever method you choose is fine, just pick one and get going. A world of fun and satisfaction awaits you!