Piano Lessons and General Music Articles

Below we have compiled a library of helpful piano tips are articles for practicing, learning, and more. We hope these articles are helpful for you. If you have an article related to piano that you would like to submit, please visit our Contact Page and let us know about it. Once reviewed, we will add it to the site to share with our audience. We will continually add new articles to keep you informed on the best techniques to use when learning the piano.

Online Jazz Piano Lessons

I've met piano players who have played classical piano for many years but have always wanted to know how to improvise. I've also met players who want to learn how to improvise from the start and who are not interested in reading classical piano music straight off the page. Regardless of what category you fall into, if you're interested in learning to make things up as you go and improvise, the best way to get started is through jazz. Jazz is a language that allows musicians to compose on the spot while still sticking to a set of rules or guidelines. Depending on the style of jazz, those rules can be more or less strict. If you'd lilke to know more about online jazz piano lessons then please read on...Read More

Tips for Practicing Without a Piano

There are two key ingredients to becoming a good piano player. The first is finding a good teacher. Getting piano lessons from a good teacher or good piano learning course will help you to master concepts more quickly and in the correct way. If the teacher is right, you'll also get inspiration which is key to keeping your interest and motivation. The second ingredient is practice. The more you put into learning how to play the more you will get out. That only makes sense, right? Many people think that people are naturally gifted and can just sit down and play anything. While this can be true to some extent, those gifted people have spent a good amount of time at the piano...Read More

Playing By Ear: How Transcribing Songs Will Help You Learn Piano

In this piano lesson, we discuss the importance of transcription. As with anything, when approaching your first transcription you should start with something simple. Don't attempt to transcribe the most difficult piano piece ever written. If you do, you'll just end up frustrating yourself and possibly give up on the whole idea. So what should you start with then? My advice is to pick an excerpt from your favorite song with a single note melody. The melody line doesn't have to be from the piano. It can be a horn, voice, bass line or anything that strikes you. It is important to pick something you like so that when you've finished transcribing it you'll have more joy in knowing how to play something you really like versus something that you were told to learn...Read More

My Funny Valentine Reviewed and Discussed

Among jazz musicians, there are certain tunes referred to as "jazz standards" which all jazz musicians are expected to know by memory. These tunes have been in the jazz repertoire for many years and as a result, have been performed in a wide variety of arrangements. Of the most prominent teams of writers for these types of "jazz standards" was Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart (Rodgers and Hart). In the following, I will discuss the famous Rodgers and Hart jazz standard written in 1937 known as My Funny Valentine. Like most standards, this tune is extremely popular among jazz artists and is commonly called as a tune to play on the bandstand...Read More

Analysis of Beethoven's Sonata in Eb Op. 31/3 (Minuet/Trio)

In the following I will discuss Beethoven's Sonata in Eb. We will first understand the piece in terms of its phrase structure and overall form. Once these elements are understood, I will highlight the ways in which the minuet and trio contrast. Finally, I will identify any similarities that exist between the two parts. In order to understand the overall form of the piece, we must first analyze the phrase structures that make up the minuet and the trio. We will begin with the minuet which consists of three separate phrases within two sections. The first phrase in the first section ends with an imperfect authentic cadence in Eb in measure four...Read More

Analysis of Haydn String Quartet in G Minor, Op. 74, no. 3 Mvt II

In the following I will discuss Haydn's string quartet in G minor. In order to gain a more complete understanding of the piece, we will begin by discussing its phrase structure and overall ternary form. Once these aspects are understood, we will look more deeply into what is happening within the phrases. Through the analysis of Haydn's use of chromaticism, modulation, and motive, we will be able to gain a deeper understanding of the similarities, contrasts, and colors that that are developed within each section and phrase of the piece...Read More

Analysis of Mozart's Piano Concerto in G major, K.453

In the following, I will discuss Mozart's Piano Concerto in G major, K.453. This particular concerto was composed in 1784 and contains three movements (allegro, andante, and allegretto). Due to the fact that I do not have the entire score, I will only be able to make certain comments on harmonic movements that are obvious to my ear. I will try to provide as much harmonic analysis as possible under these circumstances. I will explain how Mozart's choice of harmony, rhythm, melody, and orchestration in this particular concerto affect my reception of the piece...Read More

Building A Major Scale

Just like with building triads, building a major scale is about understanding the intervals between each note of the scale.  If you understand this, you can build any major scale.

All major scales follow this pattern:

(W = Whole Step, H = Half Step)

W - W - H - W - W - W - H

So let's look at the notes of a C major scale.  They are shown below with the interval between each note in parenthesis:

C (W) D (W) E (H) F (W) G (W) A (W) B (H) C

A good way to practice is to just pick a random note on the keyboard and then build your major scale.  Learning your scales this way will make sure you don't ever forget the notes in a major scale...Read More

Learning The Blues Scale on the Piano

This video shows the basics of playing the C blues scale.  The C blues scale consists of the following notes:

C - Eb - F - Gb - G - Bb - C

As we've explained in our video on major and minor triads, a good way to learn your blues scales to understand not only the individual notes of the scale, but also the spacing or intervals between each note.  If you know the spacing or interval formula, you'll be able to build a blues scale easily in any key.  Below are the intervals in parenthesis between each note on the piano of the C blues scale

C (minor third) Eb (whole step) F (half step) Gb (half step) G (minor third) Bb (whole step) C

Once you understand how the scale is formed, start by playing it slowly to get it comfortable under your fingers.  Don't play it too fast until you can play it evenly.  Play it up and down, then make up patterns that sound good to your ear.  You can also play around with sliding on and off notes.  The best notes to slide on in the C blues scale are the F, Gb and G.  When sliding, think of how a guitar sounds when you bend a note.  This is the sound you are trying to mimic.  Once you start to get comfortable with the scale, you can add some left hand patterns such as walking bass or boogie bass.  Be creative and have fun with this new set of notes!...Read More

3 Note ii-V-I Voicings in all Keys

Ahh the famous ii-V-I progression.  If you've started to dig into jazz piano at all you've likely come across this progression.  The best way to start learning how to play over it is to start with simple chord voicings.  In this video, the voicings consist of 3 notes:  the root note, the 3rd and the 7th. 

The important thing to recognize is the movement of these notes on the piano as you go from the ii chord to the V chord, and as you go from the V chord to the I chord.  Lets first consider these piano voicings in the key of C.  The ii chord in C will be Dminor7, the V chord is G7 and the I chord is Cmaj7. 

In your left had you will be playing the root of the chord.  In your right you will be playing the 3rd and the 7th.  So, for D minor, you'll have a D (root) in your left hand and an F (third) and C (seventh) in your right hand. ...Read More

4 Note ii-V-I Left Hand Voicings

The piano voicings shown in this video are ideal to use with your left hand while soloing or while playing a melody.  None of these voicings contain the root note which is why these are ideal to use when playing with a bass player.  In this video we discuss the 'A' version of these 4 note voicings.  As mentioned, there is an easy way to think of forming the chords.  Let's start with the ii chord first:

In the key of C major, the ii chord is D minor.  With this four note voicing, we are going to add some nice sounds to the D minor chord.  Each two chord will have the following chord tones:  minor 3rd, fifth, seventh, and ninth.  For D minor, these notes will be F-A-C-E respectively.  It is a good idea to try and identify and solidify each of these chord tones in your mind in all keys.  However, if you'd like an easy way to think of how you form the ii chord, think of it as building a root position major seventh chord off of the minor third of the ii chord.  In this case, you'll notice the voicing just looks like a regular F major 7th chord...Read More

Building Major and Minor Triads

The key point in this video is that if you understand the interval relationships between each note of a triad, you'll be able to easily form a triad in any key, anywhere on the piano.

For major triads, the interval numbers to remember are three and two.  This means that between the bottom and middle notes of the triad, you will have three keys that are not pressed down.  In between the middle and top notes of the triad, you will have two keys that are not pressed down.  So for a C major triad, your notes will be C, E and G.  In between C and E, you have three notes not pressed down.  In between E and G, you have two notes not pressed down...Read More

Developing Left Hand Boogie Bass

If you want to get your left hand playing a piano boogie bass pattern as shown in this video, you really need to slow things down to start.  The key here is to get the pattern to feel good rhythmically and to not try to play it as fast as you can right away.    With anything you practice, patience is key.  Get the fundamentals down first and the rest will follow.

The pattern itself is fairly simple.  In this example you are simply going to arpeggiate a major triad (C major in this case) and play the C octave above in between each note.

My suggestion to learning this is to start very slowly with only your left hand.  As soon as you can play the pattern slowly and in time with a metronome, add a simple right hand in.  Start out with just chords lasting four beats (ie a whole note).  Then try half note chords, then quarter note, etc.  Once you start to feel more comfortable, you can start playing single note lines with your right hand.  Start with a simple two or three note pattern.  You can even play up and down the c blues scale...Read More

Developing Left Hand Walking Bass

People always say one of the the hardest things about learning piano is getting your right hand and your left hand to cooperate. While it is true that it is difficult to get the two hands working together initially, it is NOT impossible. As with anything, it just takes time and a good amount of practice.

Your best bet is to start by playing the left hand walking bass pattern shown in this video by itself first. Play it very slowly until it becomes comfortable. No not speed up until you are playing each note accurately and with good feel. Speeding up too quickly will cause your rhythm to suffer and you'll also frustrate yourself.

Remember that the notes of the walking bass pattern here are almost just outlining a dominant 7th chord with the exception of adding an extra note (the 6th or 13th). In the key of C, the notes that you will play in your left hand are as follows...Read More

Play Michael Buble's Everything on the Piano - Part 1

Per the request of one of our site visitors, we have put together a 4 part tutorial on how to play Everything by Michael Buble on the piano.

Michael Buble's Everything - The Intro

The video starts by explaining the introduction to the song which is very cool rhymically but pretty simple melodically. Let's start with the bass notes on the left hand. They are:

D - B - E (2x) - D

The important thing to note on this pattern is the rhythm. You'll want to push on the B note and the 2nd E note. By push, I mean you won't be landing right on the beat for those notes. Instead, you'll be hitting those notes just before the beat. I recommend practicing these notes in your left hand with a metronome so you get used to pushing the beat...Read More

Play Michael Buble's Everything on the Piano - Part 2

You'll notice when listening to the verses that the ending of some of the verses is slightly different (just as the ending on the intro lick). In fact, in the verse, the ending follows the same harmony as in the intro so it makes it easier on you.

Just as in the intro, there is a part toward the middle of the verses (where he sings "And you play it coy...and it's kinda cute!..." where the ending of the verse progression is slightly different. The difference is simply going to the Gminor(maj7) sound to A7b9 (or put Bb in the bass which I often do in the video) that we already outlined in the previous section. Or, as shown in this video, you can do G major (B-D-G) moving to G minor (Bb-D-G). The cool thing about this song as that you can take some liberties with how you want the turnarounds to sound. By not playing it the same way every time you'll be able to make the song more your own and you'll likely have more fun with it...Read More

Play Michael Buble's Everything on the Piano - Part 3

The La-La Part Over the Intro Lick

The hardest part of this part of the song in my opinion is getting all the parts to line up properly. Essentially you'll have three things going on at once:

1. The left hand bass pattern
2. The right hand melody line
3. The vocal la-la part

Let's start by spelling out the La-La melody since that's the only part you haven't learned yet. Those notes are the following:

D-A-G#-D-G-A-F#-E-D

Once you get those notes in your ear, start by singing those notes while playing the left hand only...Read More

Play Michael Buble's Everything on the Piano - Part 4

The Slow Down Part After First Modulated Chorus

After he plays the first chorus modulated, he lands on a C# minor 7 chord instead of the regular D major chord. This is when he sings "You're everything..." This chord is:

LH: C#, RH: G#-B-C#-E

Then this chord moves to a B major type chord but all you really have to do is lower your left hand note to a B instead of a C#. Also, to hold out this part, you can play up and down a pentatonic scale consisting of the following notes:

E-F#-G#-B-C#

After holding out this part...Read More

Billy Joel Piano Lesson - New York State Of Mind Part 1

The first part of this piano lesson reviews the intro to Billy Joel's great song New York State of Mind. Remember that in this lesson, the song is performed in the key of Bb (the original key of the song is C). The song is played down a whole step for ease of singing.

The first chord of the intro is a C minor 7chord with the 11 (F) and the 9 (D) added. The chord is (LH: C-G-C, RH: F-G-Bb-D)

The next chord is the same as the first except played up a minor third. The notes of this chord are (LH: Eb-Bb-Eb, RH: Ab-Bb-Db-F)

The next part is a triadic run down in the right hand while the left hand climbs up the Bb major scale going C-D-Eb. The easiest way to think of how the right hand plays is to think of the following triads: G minor, F, Eb. If you arpeggiate each of these from the top down you'll get the sound you are looking for...Read More

Billy Joel Piano Lesson - New York State Of Mind Part 2

The second part of this piano lesson digs into what is behind the chords that make up the main versus of the song. When Billy Joel plays it, he starts by essentially playing the melody on the piano first before actually singing it. To help you to figure out how to play the melody, we must first understand what chords are serving as the harmony underneath the melody. The first part of the chord progression consists of the following chords:

Bb - D7 (sometimes D7#9) - Gmi7 - Fmi7 - Bb7 - Eb

The second part of the chord progression consists of the following chords:

Eb - G7 - Cmi7 - Abmi9,11

Next is the walkdown that he does over the lyric "I'm just taking a greyhound...on the Husdon river line..." The left hand walks straight down the Bb major scale from Bb all the way until C (so the notes of the walk down are Bb-A-G-F-Eb-D-C) . The chords that play on top of this walk down are very cool and go like this...Read More

Billy Joel Piano Lesson - New York State Of Mind Part 3

The third part of this piano lesson video series slowly reviews the chord progression learned and discussed in part 2. The key to becoming comfortable with the part 2 progression is to learn all the chords and learn the chords in all of their inversions. If you are comfortable with the notes that make up each chord, you will have an easier time improvising through these changes and putting your own spin on the song. I promise you'll have more fun playing it if you can make it your own in some small way instead of playing it note for note like the album recording. If you listen to Billy Joel play the song in various live settings, you'll also realize he doesn't play it in the EXACT same way each time.

The next part of the song to learn is the bridge. The bridge is the part where the vocal starts with "It was so easy, living day by day..." The first part to understand is how you get to the bridge from the end of the verse where he sings "...I'm in a New York State of Mind..."...Read More

Billy Joel Piano Lesson - New York State Of Mind Part 4

The final part of this piano lesson video reviews what Billy Joel plays to end the song. Luckily, this section will be easier to learn because it is derived from the intro that you already learned in part 1. Before going to the intro chord progression, you'll want to play the C7(9) chord and arpeggiate it. Next, play the second chord from the intro section which is (LH: Eb-Bb-Eb, RH: Ab-Bb-Db-F). During this chord and the chord before it, practice arpeggiating it up and down the piano which will help you to prolong this section and build tension leading to his final declaration that he is in a Ney York State of Mind.

Over the final saying of "...I'm in a New York..." he is playing Bb blues scale derived licks. Have fun with this part. Target the notes of the blues scale to create tension...Read More

When the Saints Go Marching In

This video was posted to contribute to the thread at pianoworld.com about Joe who is working on When the Saints Go Marching In. The thread is here:

http://www.pianoworld.com/ubb/ubb/ultimatebb.php?/topic/32/8075.html

Great job so far Joe (he's only been playing for one week)

My take in this video is to give the song more of a boogie/bluesy feel. I liked the post by Seaside Lee who's take on the song was a slower block chord type of feel leaving room for nice harmonic nuances.

Adding the boogie feel to this song is simple if you approach it from the perspective of its three main chords: C, F and G. If you think of these as triads and learn the boogie bass pattern (shown in my left hand piano boogie bass video) over each chord, you can play this left hand pattern with the melody. As with anything, start slow and work your way up and keep the timing solid. You should practice it with a metronome or some sort of click track to help you with this...Read More

Finding a Good Piano Teacher

Are you looking for a good piano teacher for yourself or for your child? Finding a good piano teacher can be difficult but the extra effort to find the perfect match will be worth it in the end. As with anything you learn, being able to connect with the person who is teaching you is one of the most important elements of any good learning experience. When you are learning piano, you should seek out a teacher who has experience with students of your level. You don't want to be stuck with someone who cannot teach beginners. On the flip side, you also don't want to be a more advanced student stuck studying with a teacher who is below your own level. Find someone who can really understand your current playing level and who has good ideas and methods for helping you complete your musical goals...Read More

5 Ways to Get your Child Learning Piano

After most piano performances, I always enjoy talking with people in the audience who took the time to come out and hear me play. One of the most common comments I get is how long have you been playing? My response always the same: I started lessons when I was 5 years old and just seemed to stick with it! So many people I speak with express disappointment saying they wish they had started taking piano lessons as a kid or they wish they hadn't quit them so early. Since this comes up so frequently, I decided to investigate what it is that I feel keeps kids interested in learning the piano. There has to be some key factors as to why someone chooses continues to go down that path and why another abandons. In thinking about what has helped me and also in talking to fellow musicians over the years, I have come up with the tips below that will help your child enjoy piano lessons and help them avoid the feeling of being forced to go to see their piano teacher each week...Read More

Piano Scales Made Easy

Learning scales on the piano is an essential part of becoming a good piano player. Unfortunately, it is also something that many students dread. After all, how much fun can it be playing the same notes up and down, over and over again? Although I can't promise to make scales the most exciting part of playing the piano, I hope to give you some pointers to make the most of this practicing and to learn it quickly and easily.

Learn the Spacing between the Notes of Each Scale

The easiest way to learn the notes of each scale is to start by understanding the spacing between each note in the scale. If you learn it this way, you can understand the scale as a collection of notes with a particular spacing instead of having to learn each note individually. Let's first consider learning your major scales. There are 7 unique notes in each major scale. There are 12 keys to learn those 7 unique notes in...Read More

Tips for Tuning Your Piano

The Nut Shell Concept: Winston Churchill once gave this advice to his fellow speech makers.

• Say what you are going to say
• Say it
• Say what you just said

I will humbly try to do the same.

In a Nutshell - Pianos should be tuned twice yearly. Once yearly will get you by, but leaving it longer than that is doing damage to your instrument and will catch up with you money wise and performance wise.

The Nutshell: After more than 30 years in the piano business, I wish I could give one single rule about how often a piano needs tuning. As we all know, life gets in the way and we do not do those things we know we ought to do. So, as a professional piano technician I will set forth some basic rules for you to follow. But first let's start out with a few piano facts.

• If you are fortunate enough to own a new or late model piano, it might very well be one of the top five investments you will ever make. There usually is the mortgage, then the car, and then the piano. This is not set in stone but it is often the case. Good pianos range in price from $5,000 to well over $100,000. It makes sense to maintain such an investment.
• If your piano has been handed down through the generations, maintaining it just makes good sense from an historical viewpoint.
• A piano’s strings are stretched to a tension of between 14,000 and 22,000 tons! --- that’s right --- tons!!! They need maintenance!
• The majority of a piano is wood and felt, two components which move according to humidity levels.
  Therefore your piano does need to be tuned! No piano, no matter how good, can go without tuning indefinitely.

Piano Maintenance - Humidity and Dryness

I love pianos! Uprights or grands --- old or new --- scratched up wood or high gloss polyester --- I love pianos! When my wife and I were first married it quickly came to her attention that I owned 13 pianos but no dining room set! She seemed to think that there was something wrong with my priorities! Imagine that! And guess what? I did not win the argument!!! Even now, having conformed to the barest of piano necessities, we have a piano in our bedroom, another in the dining room, a nice little grand in the living room, and another waiting to come in from the shop. In our advertising we have the slogan, Read More