Taking Piano Lessons - Practice Log

If you have just started learning piano - congratulations! Piano playing is one of the most fulfilling and enjoyable activities. They are millions of piano players in the world, and countless hours been spent on practising piano.

The first thing one need to focus on is to devote at least 20-30 minutes a day, at least 4-5 days a week. Tell your friends and family members that you need this time off to practice. Very often, adults fail to allocate a specific time for this learning and practice effort. Just like any younger learners, we adults need to spend quality "uninterrupted" time for practice.

The next thing that will help you is to keep track of your progress. Whether it is a new song or same scale/arpeggios you are working on, you need to keep track of your progress. Here is a link to download your practice log

Also write down your short term and long term goals.

Invest in a decent quality keyboard/piano. I would recomend a touch sensitive full size digital piano for beginner. Once you are working on technical skills, be prepared for a digital piano or acoustic piano that can help you build stronger techniques.

If you enjoy this post, you will enjoy my piano newsletters!

How To Find A Piano Teacher

There are many piano teachers available to you, so how do you know which one is best to choose? You need to keep in mind a few things when finding the right piano teacher for you. Here, I will give you a few tips on finding a teacher that is worth your time and money.
One of the most important things to look for when finding a piano teacher is their qualifications. If a teacher is qualified, you can be certain that you are getting the most out of your time and investment.

Typically, the more qualified the teacher, the more expensive. It is also important that the teacher belongs to some sort of association, such as the MTNA (Music Teachers National Association). This is important because it will assure you that your teacher is legitimate and take
their profession seriously, and that they are in company with other teachers.
Finding a piano teacher that is involved in community events is a gem. For example, a teacher that takes exams on a regular basis, or even judges piano performances. It is also beneficial for you to find a teacher that holds piano recitals for their students at least once a year. This will give you the opportunity (or your child) to play publically, which will help with a common psychological block called stage freight. If your teacher is involved with the community, they will be involved with you as well.
If the teacher is qualified and is involved in their community, then that is great. But that doesn’t mean they will be right for you. Look for a well-rounded piano teacher; someone that teaches sight reading, as well as improvisation. It is important to find a teacher that caters to your needs as a piano player. For example, if you are mostly interested in songwriting and composing. Therefore, I found a teacher that focused on improvisation. Even though my main concern was to improvise, I still learned music theory to back up that knowledge.
Find someone whose personality excites you. After all, you will be spending quite some time with this person. This is especially important with children. If your child does not like the teacher, then they will automatically not like piano. Finding a teacher will take time, so be prepared to put some effort into the search. Be prepared to meet with a number of teachers before you settle with just one. It is ok to browse! Be persistent with your search, and eventually you will find a teacher that works for you.

If you live in a rural area or could not find time to meet with a private piano teacher on a regular basis, consider getting piano lessons on dvds. You can repeatedly watch these lessons. Definitive take a look at my piano lessons

Piano Playing Techniques

I recently came across a video of a pianist who was improvising
on the Oprah Winfrey show. I think you should take a look at the
video.




What was interesting about this video was Oprah's comment -
she said, "Improvisation is a gift."

I don't know what you think about this comment, but I certainly do
not agree with it. I have realized, through my own piano playing
and teaching, that improvisation can be cultivated and developed
over a period of time. In fact, I receive emails from many of you
telling me how much your improvisational techniques have
improved after taking our piano course on improvisation.

Head over to watch this video now.


You will see that she improvised beautifully. It certainly took her
many years to develop the kinds of styles and techniques that
allow her to do so effortlessly, but, it was a skill she developed
through practice and not a gift she was born with.

The fact is you too can become a great improviser with practice
and the right learning tools - The Definitive Piano Improvisation
Home Study Course (http://www.playpianotips.com/DVD) is one of
those tools.


Remember--you must also practice, applying the knowledge you
acquire from the course is the secret to mastering your new
found skills.

If you like my blog - feel free to sign up for my piano playing techniques and newsletter (free).

Portland Or Piano Lessons

If you live in Portland (or anywhere else in the USA) and are looking for piano lessons - the best place is to look up on MTNA website. The Music Teacher National Association provides a list of certified music teachers in your area.
I personally do not recommend you just find a piano player in your neighborhood and ask for private piano lessons. A trained piano teacher is extremely important if you want to take your playing to the next level. A piano instructor that is interested in your growth and understand your needs is important.
If you are interested in piano lessons on dvd, we have a list of courses for you to choose from.
Piano sight reading
Piano Lessons - Piano Chords
Piano Accompaniment
Evangelistic Piano - Piano Hymn Arrangement
Play Jazz Piano