I offer a different kind of piano lesson. I start with your favorite song, artist, or style. Then I add a basic knowledge of piano technique and music theory. I show you how your chosen song, artist or style conforms to the technique and theory, and then I show you how to learn it by ear. The overall goal is to teach you how to use your ears to learn any song you want to learn. Though I can teach classical piano, this is not the way I would do it. This is better suited for people who want to play piano like I do when I am on stage. I teach you all the steps necessary to sing and play any song by request. Through this method the student learns many skills, some of which I believe are overlooked in traditional piano lessons:
- Aural Skills – how to break down, analyze, describe and even predict what is being played
- Music Theory – how our brain makes sense of music; How to dissect the music into licks, cadences, chords (and chord progressions) and sections and put it back together into one entire piece
- Piano Technique – this bridges the gap between your brain and your fingers, building quick response and muscle memory. This applies the Aural Skills and Music Theory to the instrument so that you can eventually play the piano as soon as you hear the sound in your head
- Transcription – writing down what you hear so you can remember it or give it to someone else to play
- Transposition – translating music into a different key
- Improvisation – how to play a solo
- Composition – how to write your own music and discover your own style
- Style – how to use your knowledge and technique to convey different feelings and grooves on the piano with licks, basslines, comping rhythms, voicings, form, pace and many other tools
- The Lingo – how to teach other musicians to play what you want on the spot without use of written music
You can find more information at my site dedicated to piano lessons:
The Online Headquarters of Adam Nelson 