Exciting New Way of Learning Piano

Before the advent of radio and television, computers, video games etc., the wooden piano in the home was a key part (no pun intended) of do-it-yourself family entertainment. The polyphonic music it produced gave it a great advantage over many other solo instruments. Right up to the present day there are entertainers who use it and it is still popular in the home, either in the simple piano or more sophisticated electronic versions. As a small boy, I liked to listen to the boogie woogie of Winifred Atwell, with her famous “other piano”, and also the party sound of Mrs Mills. If we look at the 1950s when Rock ‘n Roll came in, despite the preponderance of guitar based groups, we heard Fats Domino, Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis, playing piano along with their vocals. When I was at school, a boy named John Lill played for the hymns in our assembly. He was to become a famous classical pianist performing all round the world. Later on we heard on records pianists Russ Conway and Bobby Crush. As we know Elton John, another accomplished pianist, famously sang “Candle in the Wind” at the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales. Today, my wife and I enjoy hearing on TV the anointed playing of evangelist Jimmy Swaggart, cousin to Jerry Lee Lewis.

Some of us would like to consolidate our skills to make us better “all rounders”, whilst others would love the opportunity to learn to play but fear it would be too tedious. Wherever we come on that spectrum, there is an exciting and relatively inexpensive new piano course available. It can teach you right from scratch or hone the skills you already have to take you further on right up to professional standard if you wish. It uses helpful videos and sound files. To find out more about it, you can click on the link below to the Web site relating to the course.

We non-professionals who do play have varying amounts and areas of skill. My father only played on the black notes. My mother could play anything, provided the sheet music was in front of her. She could however only play slavishly according to the notes on the printed music. I cannot sight read music like her but can play tunes that I know by ear and improvise in a way that she could not. I can also, where necessary, use guitar chords in the music to guide me as to what to do with my left hand.