Have you ever wanted to play piano? Have your kids learn piano? It’s as easy as 1-2-3: 1 is your thumb, 2 is index finger, etc. to 5 for pinky. If you can read, write, and do arithmetic, you can easily learn piano!

In fact, the easiest song to learn is Hot Cross Buns and Mary Had A Little Lamb). You can play these with three fingers of your right hand; put your thumb on middle C (the white key to the left of the two black keys). Start with your middle finger. Here are the finger numbers:

3 2 1 3 2 1 11112222 3 2 1

That’s it! Here’s Mary Had a Little Lamb:

3 2 1 2 3 3 3 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 2 1 2 3 3 3 3 2 2 3 2 1

Spacing represents timing; close numbers are faster; spaces are pauses. Learning to play by ear is the same except for mimicking what you hear rather than what you see. One is hearing the changes in notes, the other is seeing the changes in notes.

It’s best to have a good private teacher, but it is possible to teach yourself or your children for the first year or so with a little effort. Private teachers are an excellent source of knowledge and motivation.

All you need is a book that is self-explanitory. Our book ‘Teach Your Kids First-Year Piano’ is due out January 2011. Most books are not designed for self teaching, they are designed for piano teachers that know the missing information.

Teaching yourself or teaching your child for the first year is very doable. Frederic Chopin was largely self-taught! It’s just a matter of perseverance.

I recommend learning by number with thumbs on middle C. You can also learn by ear this way. Once finger coordination is mastered, rhythm should be introduced. Finally note letters are added. These are the big three which make up the bulk of learning in the first three years.

If your kids are learning, go through their lessons with them. It builds rapport and you learn too! I’ve been playing for 32 years, and I’m still learning. Music is the universal emotional language. Musicians never get bored because there’s always more to learn.

With this one short tutorial you’ll learn the simple yet reliable formula for playing and remembering hundreds of chords on the piano! This tutorial covers the Major, Minor and Seventh chords but the concept can be carried over to any type of chords out there.

Just remember the rule of 7 and count upward from the root of the chord at the intervals specified in the video.

Keep practicing and don’t forget to leave a comment by clicking on the comment link or entering them in the form below!

So many parents wonder about the right age to start piano lessons is and quite honestly I’m not sure there is a firm answer on this one. Hopefully parents want their child to start piano because of a healthy need to expose the child to something new, to develop a talent or to follow the child’s dream – not the parents. Too often I have had parents who wanted lessons for their children and the child hated it so much that it was obviously turning the student off to music lessons in general. At this point in time I always tell the parent they need to find a new teacher.

While all children are not alike and have very different needs and abilities there are some good indicators that lessons may be appropriate.

1. Can the child sit still for 30 minutes? This needs to be a firm “yes” or most teachers will send you packing. I have seen some four year olds who when engaged in music are thrilled to sit with their teacher for 30 minutes. On the other hand I have seen 7 and 8 year old kids who can’t physically stay seated for 30 minutes. Be considerate of the child and the teacher. Piano teachers are not baby sitters and should your child be unable to sit still it is extremely frustrating. It does no one any good to start lessons before this is in place.
2. Can the child understand the concept that a finger is associated with a number? Most children at about 3 or 4 years old can get this if someone really works with them to grasp the concept for about a week. If you are going to see if this works for your child you teach them that thumbs are number one and pinkies are number five.
3. Can your child count from one to ten, recognize those numbers and recognize the letters of the alphabet? As you may know the musical alphabet is A,B,C,D,E,F, and G. It is imperative that your child know these letters by sight and their numbers one through ten.
4. Can your child not only sit still for 30 minutes but remain focused for 30 minutes? If not, this will lead to the same frustration discussed in number 1.
5. Have you asked yourself why you want lessons for your child? If the answer has more to do with the child than it does with you, this is a good thing.

Keep in mind that when children are not ready, do not want lessons or are being forced it creates a very big negative atmosphere for both the teacher and the student. Have you tried to sit with a child you do not know well that is restless and won’t listen to you for 30 minutes straight while trying to be kind and coaxing them to do what you would like? No matter what a teacher charges it is not okay to expect them to babysit unless that is what was offered.

You may find in your quest for a teacher that you will find many that will not take students below a certain age unless there is some phenomenal show of talent at an early age. I tried to get my daughter in with another teacher that wouldn’t even consider anyone under the age of eight. As a teacher I totally understand this woman’s point of view. However, I started at age four and it went great. I firmly believe that there are those children that can do it and it does take a special type of teacher for younger ages. I think most of us understand that children learn new things best as early as we can do it but that we have to show caution and not put too much on a child.

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Учитель демонстрирует игру на пианино. Демонстрация записи нот

Here’s part 2 of the basic piano chords lessons which help you to easily visualize minor chord shapes and remember how they are formed.

Keep in mind, minor chords are also very important to have under your belt along with the Major chords and once you do, you’ll be able to play a large majority of songs out there! Sets of the diagrams that he is using are also available in our book selections.

Keep practicing and enjoy and don’t forget to leave a comment by clicking on the comment link or entering them in the form below!

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Levon Oganezov – Walking Grand Piano

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Van CLIBURN plays RACHMANINOV 3d Concerto VIDEO Moscow 1958 (3-5)