Piano Game For You

There are lots of fun piano game for the whole family that you can play using piano by number books. Here are just a few:

Name That Tune: One person plays the songs on the piano while everyone tries to guess the title of the song. Kids love playing the songs, so kids can take turns. You can also use the Play Along Audio CD, but kids also love being the center of attention and playing the songs on the piano.

Musical Chairs: Put chairs in center of room and when the music stops everyone has to find a chair, except there's always one chair too few. Use the CDs or have the kids (any age) play the piano.

Christmas Pageant: There's more than enough material on the Play Along Audio CD to present your own show. Kids (any age) will love putting it together, and can take turns playing along with the music or acting in the show.

Make Up Your Own Show: The Family Favorites section has 28 familiar melodies that creative kids can turn into a show about anything.

Have Everyone Try It! You'd be surprised what fun a family gathering can become when everyone is asked to play a song from the book. You'll discover that your family and friends have hidden musical talents! Most people really do want to try playing the piano, so make a game of it!

TEACHING GAMES
FOURS "Fours" is the most basic rhythm game that I play with kids. I always use it on the first lesson, and on all subsequent lessons until the child seems too old for it. It's a fun but very childish game that teaches rhythm and piano geography without using printed notes or numbers of any kind.It's important for kids to actually play the piano without the encumbrance of graphic notation (notes or numbers) of any kind. For example, you'll notice that kids in general can go to the piano and play three songs: Chopsticks, Heart and Soul, Knuckles (that funny piece played on the black keys with the knuckles of the right hand!)

"Fours" is a piano game constructed in exactly the same mold. The child plays numbers and I play the chords. If the symbols below don't line up in your browser, remember that there are always four notes (numbers) for every chord (letter.) The child begins on "Middle C," also known as the number one: "1" The teacher plays the letters, or chords.

1111 2222 3333 4444 5555 6666 7777 8888
C G C F C F G C

I play a kind of funny Chico Marx oom-pah accompaniment using the chord pattern (C G C F C F G C, etc.) Kids find this very easy and refreshing. We play up the piano keys, moving to the right, with the natural goal being for the child to reach the highest key on the piano. I'm pretty "strict," that is, if the child breaks the rhythm or misses a key, we start over. Strangely enough, kids love to go back to the beginning and start over as much as they love going all the way to highest key.
Fun variant: Ask them to count up the white keys until they reach the highest white key (starting from Middle C, which to them is #1) and tell you what the "number" of that white key is (it's 29.) This has no musical value except that it makes the child an explorer of the instrument.The object of these games is to make the child a keen and enthusiastic observer of their instrument, something impossible to do when the child is locked into reading only sheet music from a book. Kids need to improvise, however humbly, and essentially all of my games are designed to make fun music outside of sheet music, numbers or conventional.

"Fours" teaches a child that
Sheet music is not always necessary to have fun with music
They have to count while they play
Music is divided into numbered units
Piano is a fun thing they can do right away.

Piano Worship Chords For You

Piano worship chords aren't very much different from the chords found in other types of music - pop, jazz, country, etc. - but they do have a certain sound to them that's a bit difficult to explain. So, instead of talking too much about it, we're going to look at two different chord progressions that should help you to create some improvised background music or figure out some nice chords for your favorite worship music.

Background Worship Music
First of all, let's say you need a quick couple of minutes of music during a service or ceremony, where something is happening quietly, or quiet blessings are taking place, and you either feel the need for some music, or you've been asked beforehand to fill in a little bit at certain times.
You should play the following chord progression in the same key as the next song, if that song will be happening right away. Let's say the next song will be in the key of C, or you just like to play in the key of C, since it's pretty simple (all white keys).

Here's what to do:
- Play octaves on C notes with your left hand - the C below middle C and the C one more octave below that work well - In your right hand, play C major in 2nd inversion (G - C - E), then F major in 1st inversion (A - C - F), then G major in 1st inversion (B - D - G), then back to the F major, then back to the C major - Keep playing the C octaves in your left hand the entire time. - You can also improvise a light background melody on the white keys if you like
The C "pedal point" in this progression helps keep the sound anchored and provides a strong, solid foundation for your listeners (whether they know it or not!). Of course, this can be played in any key as well.

A Generic "Worship-Style" Chord Progression
The next chord progression might be a little too much movement for background music, but that's really up to you do decide. The chords could be used for a new hymn you write, or just to improvise.

It's hard to explain, but they just have the gospel feel to them. We'll just list the chords in order, and you can play them in whatever tempo and time signature you like - 3/4, 4/4, etc. The left hand should play the chord root in octaves, unless otherwise noted. Here they are:
C (G - C - E) C7 (G - Bb - C - E) - with E in the left hand bass F (A - C - F) Fm (Ab - C - F) C Am (A - C - E) D7 (F# - A - C - D) - with F# in the left hand bass G7 (F - G - B - D) C C7/E - C7 with E in left hand bass F Fm C G7 C

Be sure to keep the chord notes as close to each other as possible, when moving from one chord to the next. This makes for nice voice leading and a more pleasing sound overall.
The main characteristics of this second progression are the movement from major to 7th (C to C7), from major to minor (F to Fm), and using 7ths to move back to the original key (D7 - G7 - C).

These two piano worship chords progressions should give you a few ideas of your own about what makes that "worship" sound, and you can start creating your own piano worship chords in practically no time.

Kids Piano Lesson

Kids piano lesson include so much more than just a child and a piano. There are aspects involved that need to be taken into consideration when thinking of signing up your child for piano lessons. What are the benefits of piano lessons for kids? What variety of teaching styles is available? How will you know if these lessons are right for your child? The following information should help you in answering these questions.

Benefits
Children obtain numerous benefits from piano lessons. Usually, this is the first instrument children learn. It is one of the easiest instruments for kids. One of the benefits of learning to play the piano is improving concentration. Focusing on playing a song correctly supplies this concentration. Music appreciation is gained by listening to songs and learning how they are played. Fine motor skills are honed as hands become nimble enough to play songs with ease and grace. Hand-eye coordination comes into play when eyes are trying to watch fingers and notes, intermittently.

Teaching Styles
Kids piano lesson can be given in a variety of teaching styles. It is easiest to start children out on a keyboard, seeing as these have smaller keys than a full-sized piano. Starting off with sheet music usually is frustrating for children. Some people start with the Suzuki method, where songs are listened to and then played. Note reading comes much later in the lessons, with this method. If a child is familiar with colors, there are color coded guides to learn piano by. There is a color strip which stands up behind the piano keys. This strip matches notes in a book. The child matches the note with the key next to the strip of the same color. A similar method with numbers, instead of colors, is also available. Pictures of piano keys with numbers drawn on them are on a page in front of the child. This page is accompanied by sheet music with each note given a number. Children match the note number with the key number.

Is it the Correct Instrument for the Child?
Children will act out when bored. They might be bored with their surroundings, activity, companions, or just looking for some sort of outlet. Piano lessons may be considered boring to some kids. Observe the lessons and possibly try introducing other instruments if your child shows signs of boredom. Maybe the piano is something your child would like to try later on. Every child is different and it's hard to say what age is the most appropriate for beginner piano lessons. Each parent will be able to judge the readiness of his/her own child.
Kids piano lesson is truly harder than piano lessons for mature people. It is because teaching kids require great patience and understanding. Just bear in mind that all of your hardships will pay off big time when you see your children playing the piano so well.

Online Piano Covers

When you’re ready to start learning the piano, you might want to look for online piano covers to see if the piano is really for you. For many people who have always wanted to learn how to play music, the piano is their first choice. If you look online for piano lessons, you will find there are many choices available. The key is to narrow down the websites that offer online piano lessons and focus on the one that can help you achieve your musical goals.

There are certain things you should be looking for before you sign up with any online company. One of the top things on your list of requirements should be that the site has received good reviews and been used by a large number of people to learn how to play the piano. Make sure to read testimonials and customer reviews. You want to be sure that real people have successfully used the program to learn how to play music.

Another thing to look for is the ability to learn at your own pace. You want to be sure you are able to complete each lesson plan within your own time frame before you move on to the next one. You also want to be sure each lesson is easy enough so you can grasp the lesson concept on your own. You don’t want to move forward without being 100% confident that you are ready to learn something new.

Learning online is good option for those people who are busy with other activities outside of the home and aren’t able to fit in another outside appointment. When you learn in your own home, on your own time, there is no pressure to be at your lessons at a scheduled time. This aspect alone can make online piano covers very appealing.

When you learn online, you can also eliminate the need to find a qualified piano teacher in the area where you live. Testimonials from a number of other people should indicate satisfaction with the website you choose to sign up with. You want to be able to rely on lesson plans that are going to take you from an inexperienced piano player to one that is confident enough to play for friends and family when they come over.

You’ll be excited about the progress you make when you take online piano covers. You will learn to listen to music and play songs back on your own piano. Friends will be surprised to learn that you take your lessons online. One introductory online piano lesson is all it takes to convince you that online learning is the only way to go.

Play Your Baldwin Piano On To The Next Level

Are you ready to finally learn how to play your baldwin piano despite years of lessons? If you’re like many students of the piano, all your lessons and practices have only gotten you so far. Maybe you’ve found that you’ve hit a wall in your piano playing ability, beyond which you just can’t seem to get. The following are some helpful tips for taking your piano playing to next level.

* Learn pattern recognition: Every song ever written follows a pattern, a structure of sections and chord progressions. You need only listen to a handful of songs by The Beatles to hear what we mean. To expand your repertoire and build versatility in your ability to pick up nearly any song you hear quickly and easily, learn the patterns with which all songs are composed.

* Play by the numbers: Every song is written in a particular key - one of but 12, to be precise - and every key has it’s scales, series’ of notes in specific intervals, any of which will sound natural and pleasing to the ear when played in it’s respective key. Every scale in every key has its 1-chord, its 2-chord, etc. Instead of straining yourself to memorize how to play various piano chords by rote, learn instead the keys that chords are played in and the scales they’re built upon. Then you can quickly and easily figure out how to play any chord in any key on the spot, whether you’ve memorized that specific chord or not.

* Listen: This tip is about learning to play by ear. The secret to learning to play by ear is simple - just learn the aforementioned 12 musical keys. By doing so, you can easily transpose any song you hear into any key you like. Learning to transpose, then, will take you to the next level of playing piano, which is knowing how to improvise. Many piano players can read and follow piano sheet music, but far fewer can sit down and start playing along spontaneously with any song they hear - and have it sound pleasing to the ear. Of course, if you don’t yet know how to read easy piano sheet music, then you may also want to begin studying that skill as well. But not at the expense of learning the fundamentals of music, which is not in writing but in listening. In musical terms, this is called “ear-training”. Learn to recognize the sounds of harmonic and melodic intervals and you’re more than halfway to playing them.

* Expose yourself: No, we’re not suggesting you run naked down the street. What we’re suggesting is that you spend time surrounded by musicians of exceptional quality, professionals and amateurs alike in whose presence you can hear what it sounds like to play how you want to play. The body’s muscles have memory far superior to than our brain’s conscious recall ability. By simply immersing yourself in an environment where your ear is exposed to the sort of piano playing you aspire to, your body has a far easier time reproducing those sounds on the piano yourself.

Most importantly while playing your Baldwin piano, remember to give it a little attention every day. You don’t have to practice for hours and hours a day to get good at the piano. You need only devote a small amount of time daily to keep the skills you’re learning present in your mind and body. Even just 15 minutes a day keeps your piano playing ability in tune.

Piano History And Its Role To The Modern World

The modern piano developed its form from two keyboard instruments, the clavichord and the harpsichord, which originated from early in music history. These keyboard instruments operate on the principle of direct connection between the applied force or pressure of the player on the keys, and the volume of sound. Meaning, the harder the pressure or force the player applies on the keys, the louder the sound of the instrument, the lighter the touch, the softer the sound.

So to start talking about piano history, I can tell you that earlier musicians, however, encountered a problem with the clavichord and harpsichord: the sound was relatively diminutive as compared to how they would have wanted it to be, considering the fact that keyboard instruments were often played in large rooms (chambers), cathedrals and churches.

Around the year 1700, Italian instrument maker Bartolomeo Cristofori (1655-1731) created the new keyboard instrument and coined its name from the fact that it could both play "piano" (soft) and "forte" (loud), addressing the problem of the old keyboard instruments. Thus, the pianoforte, or what we call shortly now as the piano.

Aside from the direct connection between the fingers on the keys and the sound, the piano also has two different pedals which are the “sustain” or damper pedal and the “soft” pedal. The sustain pedal allows the pianist to hold the tone or sound even after releasing the key. The soft pedal veils or muffles the sound. There is also a third pedal called the “sostenuto” pedal. However, not all pianos have this.

Other kinds of keyboard instruments that plays a part in the piano history include the pipe organ which was most prominent from 1600-1750, when it was commonly used for church music and considered then as the "king of instruments". The accordion is also another kind of keyboard instrument, as well as the modern organ and electric keyboard.

The role of the piano in the modern world is very versatile. The piano can cover a wide range of musical types from classical to pop to jazz. It can cater to a wide variety of audiences from music connoisseurs in concerts or artists in theatres, to children and pupils in pre-schools. Very noticeably too, piano students can very well play other instruments as well, even without its formal training.

The piano is also a very relevant tool in the culture of society. Since the turn of the 20th century, many households have been able to acquire their very own piano. From this assessment, we can infer that modern society believes in the benefits of studying music and piano in particular.

In almost every gathering (social, religious and even political), one cannot undermine the important role of music. It withstood the test of time and has a very rich piano history. It expresses ideals. It bonds the youth. It provides for a positive, productive & creative channeling for this generation's aggression and collective angst.

The importance of music on the development of a person, and eventually, of society cannot be understated, perhaps its time to rethink how this important element of cultural and social development in our society has been treated.

Piano Lessons For Your Yamaha Grand Piano

For some people, the thought of piano lessons conjures up childhood memories of going to weekly lessons and endless hours of boredom practicing the basics. For other people who are considering enrolling their own children in piano lessons, the logistics of taking kids to lessons and the expense involved may seem overwhelming. Adults who have always wished they could play the piano might feel silly signing up with an instructor who mainly teaches children. It is a must for people who have some kind of Yamaha grand piano to first take piano lessons for them to use their great piano. Because it’s such a shame.

Thankfully, as times have changed, so have the ways in which piano lessons are taught. In addition to traditional piano lessons, there are online piano lessons and even piano lessons by ear on DVDs. For many people, learning to play piano by ear is an incredibly enriching and rewarding experience. Not only can they play piano for their own enjoyment, but they can also learn the chord progressions necessary to tackle jazz piano, gospel piano, and even contemporary music.

There are many advantages to buying a piano course on DVDs, the most obvious of which is that you can literally save thousands of dollars on piano lessons. Moreover, you don't have to carve out the time to go to an instructor every week, or deal with the logistical hassles of taking kids too and from piano lessons. With DVDs, you can take the lessons at your own pace and at whatever time is most convenient for you.

If you're considering buying a Yamaha grand piano course on DVD, it's important to select the right one. You should, for example, choose a course that will provide you with a year's worth of piano lessons. Similarly, one of the factors you should consider is how accessible the lessons are to the novice. Music theory, for instance, should be explained in terms that are easy for both children and adults to understand. Terms that should be covered include the circle of 5ths, scale degrees, chord construction, chord families, chord inversions, chord alteration, harmonic direction, and ear-theory principles.

Of course, playing the piano is more than music theory. The DVD set you choose should feature an instructor who has years of experience both teaching and playing the piano. Because the process of learning to read music can be an obstacle to those who would otherwise enjoy learning to play the piano, the lessons you choose should teach you how to play by ear by using hundreds of chording techniques.

If you select the right DVD set, and practice for a half hour each day, by the end of three months you should be able to play chord progressions, master the major scales, and understand how most songs are arranged. You should also be able to play in a variety of musical styles, such as contemporary gospel, jazz, blues, country, pop, and ballads.

Learning to play your Yamaha grand piano doesn't have to be a difficult process; indeed, it can be filled with enthusiasm and excitement. You just have to find the right piano lessons by ear on DVDs and let the music flow!

Antique Piano - Embellishing A Song

You love playing the antique piano but are increasingly frustrated with only being able to reproduce what is in front of you. No sheet music, no play. Oh you only have it in the key of Eb? Well sorry I can’t play that. Does this sound like you?

Several years ago I could only play exactly from the piano sheet music in front of me. If I looked up from the music for a fraction of time I lost my place. I was only comfortable in the keys of C, F, and G. Sometimes D and Bb. But I longed to play and smile at the congregation in my church. Or check the worship leader to see if he was going to add another stanza. Then I started to learn Pachelbel Canon in D. Ever heard it? A study on the D scale. It opened my eyes to improvising or embellishing on a song at the piano.

Here are five key things to remember to help you do the same.

1.Learn and practice your scales in all keys. Nobody likes this. It’s not fun but it can greatly increase your playing proficiency if you are diligent.

2.Learn and practice the antique piano chords. Especially the odd ones such as diminished, augmented, 6ths etc. These can quickly give color and style to your songs.

3.Fake it. Use a fake book to play. This will greatly encourage you to add to the harmony and melody because you only have a chord symbol and one melody line in front of you. It will sound very dry so you will be motivated.

4. Use the whole piano. Play those same notes just an octave higher. Now try one more octave

5. Don’t get discourage by your first results: You may not like your first results but don’t give up.

Visit the links at our side bar to for more resources to playing the piano by ear and chord piano. It includes great piano sheet and chords that you can definitely benefit on.