Learn Piano your way with a TakeLessons expert

As technology progresses, so does the music industry. Here, Tulsa, OK teacher Chris F. explores Yamaha's latest contribution to the world of music-making...   The acoustic piano’s design has remained relatively unchanged for centuries. The electronic keyboard, on the other hand, has had a rich and transformational history over the years, as technology has evolved and improved. What started with the "Denis d'or," an instrument developed in 1793 with 700 strings that were temporaril

Ray Charles, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Stevie Wonder—so many names top the list of influential piano players in music history. But for a while there, as dance, metal, and grunge took center stage, piano was relegated to the sidelines. One artist who changed that, however, was Ben Folds. When he hit the scene with his band Ben Folds Five in the mid-90s, a new musical sound emerged—pop heavily infused with piano. Who is Ben Folds? Ben Folds grew up in in North Carolina listening to piano grea

  We've discussed how to practice the piano before... but what if you don't have 30 minutes or an hour to commit to practicing every day? Answer: Condense it into a 10-minute quick-practice! Read on as Austin, TX piano teacher Aimee B. shows how to make this piano exercise work for you... Are you a busy student with no time for a lengthy piano practice session? If so, this 10-minute challenge is perfect for you! In just 10 minutes, you can work on your technique, dexterity, and repe

Whether playing Mozart or the Muppets, or even "Mary Had a Little Lamb", nothing beats the joy on a child's face when they've conquered a new song! No doubt you've seen or heard video clips of children showing off their talents on the keys, and it's pretty inspiring to see. A quick search on YouTube will pull up tons of kids playing piano, some so young you'll be amazed. Here, we've selected a few of our favorites that are definitely worth watching: Nine-Year-Old's Improptu Costco Performanc

One of the best tips for learning piano is making sure you have a well-rounded skill set! Read on as online piano teacher Crystal B. shares her thoughts...   The piano is definitely a unique instrument and playing piano requires a specific skill set. However, there are some basic musicianship skills that every piano player needs. Timing When people think of musicians that need great timing, they typically think of the drummer. But it’s equally important for a piano player to have gr

Why limit your piano practice? Using apps to help you practice, as well as within your piano lessons, can be a ton of fun! Here are teacher Sabrina P.'s recommendations for the best piano apps for iPad and iPhone... There are SO many piano apps for iPad, iPhone, and all other models of tablets and smartphones -- some claim they will help motivate your kids to practice, others say that they help your little ones learn how to read sheet music. Some you pay for, while many are free. They

The ever-popular piano: with its large repertoire of songs and adaptability across many genres, it’s no wonder it's one of the most enjoyable and accessible instruments around for beginner musicians. Maybe you’ve thought about learning this instrument, but how do you know where to start? What is the easiest way to learn piano, if there is one? Maybe you have tried striking a key or two, but weren't sure where to go from there. With the advent of the Internet and the ability to communicate w

Here on the TakeLessons Blog, we've discussed general piano practice tips, and well as how to structure and plan out your practice time. But if you don't have your practice space set up just right, you still could be costing yourself valuable time and energy. Fortunately, we received a sneak peak of an eBook designed to help you set up your space for success, so you can practice piano at home efficiently and comfortably. We're excited to check out the eBook, written by Allysia over a

Thinking about making some New Year's resolutions? If you're new to the piano, we challenge you to make some specific to your lessons! Here, St. Augustine, FL teacher Heather L. shares a few suggestions...   The beginning of a new year is fast approaching, and the one thing that comes to the minds of most of us this season is that formidable word "resolution." We can choose to think of the word with dread and annoyance, reminded of all the times that we've tried to stick to our resoluti

Ready to add some flair and style to your piano playing? Then it’s time to explore jazz chord professions on the piano. But before we dive into how to play jazz piano chords, we’ll first discuss what jazz chord progressions are and how they can help broaden your piano-playing horizons.  For starters, a piano chord refers to a combination of notes played at one time. If you’re familiar with guitar chords, it is the same concept on the piano. For instance, you can achieve the A major