Learn How to Play the Piano

In my ten years of experience as a piano teacher, I often find parents are at a loss when it comes to the process of finding the right teacher for their child. In music, the better one plays, the more fun one has. Therefore, I think that it is important to find the best teacher one can afford, regardless of current aspirations or uncertain musical futures.

Before I go on, let me explain what “Best Teacher” means to me. The “Best Teacher,” for your child, is one who will inspire your child to reach their greatest musical potential. This may or may not be a teacher who is a concert pianist. This may or may not be a teacher who has a doctorate in music, charges the highest fee or the lowest fee or is closest to your home. While those are important factors, they should not be deciding factors.

To find the best teacher for your child, begin with a list of teachers to consider. For suggestions, see my article, “How to Find Piano Teachers to Interview.”

After creating the list, consider what you want in a teacher and what your child needs in a teacher. You are looking for a great piano teacher, one with whom your child will want to study for years and who shares your goals and/or those of your son or daughter.

Then, contact each prospective piano teacher on the phone. Do not use email. You want to discover if this is someone, with whom you want a professional relationship. A phone call can tell you volumes more about a person, and your interest in establishing a relationship with them, than an email.

Begin the call by expressing your interest in finding a piano teacher for your child and his or her age. Some teachers do not teach children under certain ages. Then, simply ask, “Can you tell me a little about yourself and your studio.” At some point during the phone call, the teacher should invite you to his or her teaching studio to answer any other questions, for an audition, or for an informal meet and greet. If, after talking to this teacher, you are interested in finding out more, accept the teacher’s invitation to the studio. If the teacher does not invite you to the studio, ask if it is possible for a visit.

Before the visit, create a list of questions you want to ask the teacher. For example, what are his or her teaching philosophies, methods, credentials, etc? What experience does he or she have? When you arrive at the studio, look around the inside and the outside of the studio. Do you feel comfortable in the environment? Does the teacher keep the studio clean and well kept? Does it seem like a place of serious study or a place of imaginative fun? Which is more important to you?

During the interview, the teacher might show you around the studio, talk about other piano students, tell you what methods they use to teach, what your child can look forward to, what the benefits are of studying there, etc. Teachers, also, like to hear prospective students play, even if they have never taken lessons before.

Some things for you, the parent, can be thinking about are:
Do you feel a rapport with the teacher?
Does the teacher make the student feel at ease?
Is your son or daughter responding to the teacher?
Is the teacher encouraging?
Is the teacher listening to you and your son or daughter?
Does this person seem like a good fit?

At the end of the interview, thank the teacher for his or her time. Express your interest in talking to other teachers before making a decision and repeat the process.

Finding the best piano teacher you can afford, takes a little extra time and effort. However, in doing so, your child’s chances for finding their own musical voice, playing the piano with joy and having a lasting relationship, with a great teacher, greatly improve.

One of the reasons that piano genres like jazz, R&B, funk and gospel sound like they do is due to piano voicings.  Voicings are the way the notes of a given chord are arranged.  For example, a C-major seventh chord comes from the C-major scale and contains the root (C), the third (E), the fifth (G), and seventh (B) of the C major scale.

However, instead of playing the notes in that order (C, E, G, B), a pianist might just play the seventh (B), root (C) and third (E) of the chord (spelling the chord from the bottom to the top).   This voicing omits the fifth of the chord, inverts the other chord tones to create a certain sound.  Play this voicing now.

Each of the genres I mentioned before have between three and five basic, “go-to voicings.  When we multiply that number by the number of chord qualities: major, minor, dominant, altered dominants, minor-seven-flat-fives and multiply that number by twelve (the number of major keys), we end up with quite a few voicings to learn.

Of course, learning the voicings is not even the hard part, especially for a pianist with a little understanding of music theory.  The challenge comes up when we try to recall the voicings and use them on a lead sheet or in a jam session.

What I would like to do is show you a way to quickly learn piano voicings and have the ability to recall the right voicing at the right time.  For this example, you can use the major seventh voicing I spelled out earlier, B-C-E or, you can use any voicing of your choosing.  This system works for all voicings.

To begin, sit at the piano and clear your mind.  Quieting the chatter, take two or three deep breaths.  Play your voicing.  As you do this, relax, hold the notes and let them ring.  Then let go of the keyboard.  Place your hands in your lap.  Using the same notes in the same register, repeat the process again: breathe, play, hold, relax, let go.

Now, close your eyes and picture the keys you just played in your mind.  See the letter names of the notes in your mind’s eye and then say the letter names aloud.  Play the voicing again.  As your holding the notes, sing them from the bottom to the top.  Sing the B, then the C then the E.  Play them individually if you need help finding or checking the pitches.  Continue this process for five minutes, even if you are tempted to move on.  Remember: “Practice” is short for Practice-Doing-It-Right.

After five minutes, take a break, come back, and play your new voicing. Repeat this process with one voicing at a time.  After an hour, you will know that voicing in all twelve keys.

When we learn to play the piano, using many different parts of our brain helps ensure that the information will always be there.  I have found the best way to learn voicings is simply relax and use different parts of the brain.  This way we only have to learn them once.

If your young child is taking private piano lessons chances are, they could use your help. However, if you do not know to play the piano yourself, you might be wondering how you can help. Following are some suggestions, based on more than ten years of teaching experience to help you help your child practice the piano.

If your child is just beginning, you have a wonderful opportunity to receive free piano lessons; bond with your child; and ensure every piano lesson is prepared for. A great piano teacher will encourage your attendance at the lesson, if not your participation in the lesson.

During the lesson, actively listen to the teacher and to your child. Review the lesson with the teacher. Ask questions, if necessary. Make sure you know what the practice assignment is.

The best time to practice the piano is right after the lesson. Sit down with your child and practice together. In your child’s piano book, you will find very easy to follow instructions on how to find the notes used in each song, which fingers to use and so on. Play the song together with your child. Try playing the song slowly, quickly, high on the piano, and low on the piano. It is okay to be creative and make the songs fun and silly. Feel free to let your child play the roll of teacher if he or she wants to, but do not reverse rolls. You are the parent. You have a different roll.

A parent’s roll, in the world of piano lessons for kids, is simple: support, encourage and allow. Support your child by creating time to practice. Be there during practice time and supply the fun. Be the “practice buddy”.

Encourage your child with phrases like, “You can do it;” and “Way to go;” “You are doing great.” These phrases quickly become a part of your child’s self-talk. Children naturally love to “do it again.” Encourage this. Moreover, be sure to end each practice session by gushing praise, hugs and kisses on them.

Finally, allow your child to find his or her own way. Mistakes are okay. Your advice is okay, if sought. However, remember, you are there just for fun, support, and to answer any questions your child might have. A parent’s job is to correct behavior. As your child’s practice buddy, though, try to avoid correcting. Especially if you hear, “But teacher Jeff said to do it this way. . .” Let it go. You might be right, but having fun at this early stage in learning how to play the piano is far more important than being right.

As a parent, you might feel a little out of your element when it comes to helping your child practice. However, remember, your roll is to support, encourage and allow. If you still have questions, a great teacher knows that a parent’s involvement is vital to successful practice sessions and is always willing to help.