5-Minute Piano Lessons

“High-Tech” Keyboards Help Make More Music Musicians

The piano is a wonderful tool. A big reason is that pianists can make full and complete music without other musicians. Band and orchestra instruments require other people. Thus, after school is over many musicians find it hard to be satisfied playing their trumpets, violas, or french horns alone. The piano has also allowed the geniuses of music it to write our classics – music which is known and loved the world over. For these, and many other reasons, the piano has come to be our society’s instrument of class and choice.

Unfortunately, too many pianists seem to have “copped an attitude” about any technological change in pianos – even though such changes are improving the world of piano instruction. This essay explores this topic. (more…)

For a few, actually playing keyboard and piano beats simply listening

I have been thinking a lot lately about the differences between two types of musical joy- the joy of consuming music as a listener and the joy of making music as a piano or keyboard student.

As our technology improves, it becomes easier and easier to simply be a consumer of music rather than a producer. Now we all love to listen to music, and where would any producer be without a consumer?  However, some few folks want to take things further and actually make the music themselves. Naturally, I believe playing keyboard or piano beats other instruments but that’s my bias. (more…)

Online piano lessons succeed – but not for all piano students

I’ve written quite a few essays about online piano lessons. Some of the online lessons I’ve seen are good but lots are quite the rip-off, at least to my way of thinking. The reason I think so is experience, of course, having spend about two years with online piano students good and bad, 20+ years teaching live adult piano students, plus at least three BIG piano blogs (this one is the biggest and best.) I’d like to share with you what I see as the four factors absolutely necessary to succeed with online lessons. (more…)

Extensive research has shown that music study helps people of all ages

(Note from Dan Starr: For the next several essays I’ll present other writings by like-minded teachers.)

Nancee Marin (Inland Empire, CA)

They gain overall life skills and increased well-being (visit HERE for further details). However, research findings have been usually skewed to promote the idea (and thus perpetuate the myth) of starting children earlier in music lessons, which isn’t necessarily better.

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Let’s try to make “Happy Progress” your situation!

I hear things. No, I don’t “see dead people” but I DO hear stories about dead piano lessons. It makes sense that I would since the folks coming to me for lessons have often had very poor piano instruction in the past. Otherwise, they wouldn’t feel the need for more lessons, would they?  My personal experience is “skewed” a bit. Still, any time I tell people I’m a piano teacher I get to hear about their experiences good or bad. Honestly, there have been too many tales of bad experiences for my liking. I suspect that many piano students and piano lovers are dis-satisfied. I’d like to comment on why this might be and suggest remedies. (more…)

Everybody talks about it but what is it – and does it matter?

You know those cultural ideas – the ones people speak of every now and then but mostly accept without much criticism? This idea of “talent” is one of those. A large part of this idea is “some people have ‘it’ and some don’t.” Now I’m a piano instructor, and thus talent at making music on a piano or keyboard is what I live and breath. I’d like to share with you what I have observed. Wonderfully, my observations tell me that almost everyone reading this has enough “talent” to make good music on the piano. For specifics, read on. (more…)

“Live lessons” may fade away for many serious piano students

The private music teacher who doesn’t change with the times is basically doomed to providing service in backwards nations and regions. Unfortunately, this group of “techno-phobes” has an awful lot of members. On the other hand, technology has provided anyone interested in piano studies chances that didn’t previously exist. I’d like to present some of these options for your use. (more…)

You are the only person in the world who really knows you.

There’s no shortage of “experts” in the piano teaching world. Actually, this is true of almost any subject, but it’s more so in the world of the arts. Some pianists base their claim of “expert status” on their superior knowledge of piano music. Some point to their piano playing “chops.” Others claim to be experts due to their fame, their fortunes, or both. No matter what the basis of such claims, one thing is certain – no one can be more of an expert in you, your piano interests, and your piano preferences than YOU.  YOU have all the info. A good piano instructor should simply show you how make the most of that. (more…)

Piano students suffer from teaching approaches that take too long AND those that aren’t long enough

In my last post, I said some things about the kind of piano “education” that takes a very long time before you accomplish anything you personally hold dear. There’s been a lot of this around, especially in the last 100 years. The result is that this kind of teaching is what most piano lovers expect out of piano lessons. Some decide their love for piano music is enough to put up with this. Others don’t, however, and too many of these have fallen for the 180 degree opposite – piano training can be done “instantly” or “overnight” or “in a flash.” When these false promises prove unworkable, these good folks almost always blame themselves, perhaps thinking they weren’t born with the right talents. (more…)

Inaccurate promises of too much or too little end up frustrating piano students

There seem to be too schools of thought out in the world regarding piano lessons:

It takes a long time

It take almost no time

I believe they are both incorrect and have done enormous damage to the subject of making piano music. I’ve written extensively about both and in this essay I will add some additional comments and direct you to additional resources. (more…)