5-Minute Piano Lessons

Creativity is sometimes inhibited by reading and obeying sheet music

I had a big and unhappy realization this week during teaching. An adult student had to be encouraged to do something other than what was specified by their sheet music (poorly written sheet music, I would hasten to add) and my sole child student asked me, “Aren’t these pedaling marks sorta an option?” Now my child is a very precocious 10 year old but I would have thought my adult student wouldn’t feel compelled to simply follow orders. Turns out I had it backwards.

My “realization” was:

Many piano student work hard to get good at
“Monkey-See-Monkey-Do” music reading. (more…)

Who Decides What Is or Is NOT Music – and Why You Should Care

I teach piano to adults. They love many different kinds of piano playing from show tunes and ballads to the classics. One thing many of them say when the subject comes up is “Rap is not music.” Most are then surprised when I explain why they should change their opinion – for their own good. (more…)

Some piano students make emotional trouble for themselves

Instead of focusing on the sheer enjoyment of making music which they love, they wonder if they are “doing it properly.” Similar concerns are too common as well. Such folks have been indoctrinated, often at a young age, that there is a right way and wrong way to make music. I’d say something different – that there is a way that makes the listener happy and a way that does not. By “listener” I include the pianist him/herself. (more…)

Or should you learn the traditional way by reading sheet music?

Fairly often I encounter pianists who wonder if they should learn to “play piano by ear.” The phrase has various meanings to various people, but almost all these meanings include the idea of NOT using written music to play. To be more specific, written music is NEVER used and the pianist gets his information by listening to something and then duplicating it. Sometimes such pianists build up considerable skill, while others learn a few songs and the perform them for years. (more…)