Author Archive
Do Music & Presidential Politics Mix? You Bet!
Bill Clinton was neither the first musical president of the United States nor the only one. Both Harry S. Truman and Richard Nixon were excellent piano players.
People were surprised to learn that the former President, Bill Clinton, plays the saxophone. But, several other Presidents of the United States of American were musically gifted, as well. […]
How To Start Tickling The Ivories Again as an Adult
There are gazillion adults who took piano lessons as a child but stopped playing for various reasons. Some aren’t the least bit interested, but many wish to return to piano playing at some point in their lives.
I have never heard anyone express relief that they didn’t learn how to play piano, but I have […]
Piano Instruction: Formal Versus Informal
When you think of piano lessons, the mental picture you get might be of child sitting at a keyboard. The instructor is probably sitting next to the child, tapping out rhythm with a baton or pencil.
While many do start as children taking piano instruction from a teacher, far more options are available today. Often […]
What Are Some Of The Top Piano Schools?
For those who want to pursue a career in piano, the options for training are diverse. There are a number of quality schools available in the United States and some abroad too.
* Juilliard: The Juilliard School in New York has a reputation as one of the best music schools in the world. In addition […]
How Important Is Sight Reading For Piano Players?
Sight reading is the act of reading and playing a piece of music before having ever seen it: on sight. This technique is a vital one for musicians to learn. Being skilled in sight reading makes reading a piece of music easier; the musician doesn’t have to labor over every note and re-teach themselves the […]
How To Play Piano Using Chord Symbols
Chord symbols (for example, Cmaj7 or G6) are a type of notation used frequently in jazz and other areas of modern music to notate chord progressions and changes. This type of notation differs from that of classical music in that chord symbols don’t show the function of a chord the way the Roman numeral notation […]
Are Music Correspondence Courses Right For You?
The opportunities for music correspondence courses are vastly different today compared to a few years ago. Thanks to modern technology and the Internet, taking a music course by correspondence is now much more practical.
Imagine how hard it would be to learn how to play the piano or another instrument by simply reading a book. It’s […]
10 Piano Styles You Can Learn To Play
When studying the piano, a student encounters a myriad piano styles. To master the instrument, at least several of these styles must be learned, and all if at all possible. Knowledge of various playing styles enables a pianist to enjoy and play in any genre and to cross-polinate styles to create a fusion he or […]