Spilling the Beans

Here's a question I get all the time. How can you teach
classrooms full of people how to play piano in just one
afternoon? Learning to play an instrument is supposed
to take years.

I don't often reveal the answer to that question. Until
how the answer has remained a secret that I only reveal
when students take my workshops. Actually there are
several secrets involved here. But a lot of people
never get a chance to take the three and a half hour
workshop from me, so I've decided to reveal some of
these secrets here. If you're curious, read on. It's
time, finally, to spill the beans.

The first secret concerns learning to read music
notation. I avoid it as much as possible. It's learning
to read music that takes a huge amount of time and
dedication. If we take that out of the equation, we can
go directly to "playing the piano."

"But isn't it necessary to read music before you can
play an instrument?"

No.

I can read music somewhat, but I seldom do when I play
piano. And I know a fair amount of good piano players
who do not read music at all. Not a single note.

Note reading does have its place. There have been times
that I've found it helpful. But it's not essential. You
don't learn to read before you talk, do you? For the
same reason, you don't need to master note reading
before you play an instrument.

Why do most piano teachers insist on teaching reading
from the very beginning? Maybe it's because that's how
they were taught.

Now let's clarify a couple of points. What I've just
said about reading music is not be true for learning to
play classical music. Since "classical" is the genre
that is generally taught by typical music teachers, I
guess that's why reading music in general is emphasized
so much.

But we want to be able to read somewhat, don't we? Yes
we do. And all the important parts of music reading are
covered in the first three pages of our basic book,
Popular Chord Style Piano.

And you can get roughly the same information by
downloading a pamphlet from our web site, no charge.
You may have already done this. The pamphlet gives you
all the essentials, but none of the fluff. And you can
get through it in under 30 minutes. Pamphlet download.

So are there other secrets? Yes. Maybe we'll talk about
them later. In the mean time, it's play time for me.

FAQ's Popular Chord Style Piano

Our book and CD combo titled Popular Chord Style Piano
has sold tens of thousands of copies and is used in our
One Day Piano Workshops nationwide. We will soon be
having a sale on this program exclusively for our
Newsletter Subscribers. Here is some information on the
courseware.

Not a subscriber yet? Visit www.pianofun.com.


Q. What will the product do for me?
A. It will fulfill the same basic promise I give to all
my students when they take my live seminar from me.
Namely, you'll learn to play any song, any style, any
key with two hands.

Q. You do all that in a three and a half hour class?
A. Yup.

Q. And the students actually learn to play?
A. Yup.

Q. How do you know?
A. By the time the class ends, students are in a frenzy
to get home to try my techniques on their own pianos. I
have to remind them to drive safely, to obey the speed
limits, etc. Also I get evaluations. I'll post some so
you can read them. Also I follow up with students, and
they follow up with me. Some of my graduates are
actually playing piano regularly in public now.

Q. You aren't doing any workshops near me. Why not?
A. I can't be everywhere.

Q. So what can I do?
A. Learn from these materials. Although I'd love to
meet you in person, this is how you can take the course
without having to leave your home. And at a fraction of
the price. If you were able to attend one of my
workshops, this would be the book and CD you would get.
It's essential for home practice and additional study.
This courseware can be used on its own, without a
workshop, as it covers the same material. What you will
be ordering is the exact product the workshop students
get and take home with them.

Q. Why is there a CD?
A. That's one of the secrets as to why this system
works. You will learn to play the piano the same way
you learned to speak your native language as a baby. By
listening and imitating and "jamming." You will
actually "jam" the language of music with me on the CD.

Q. So it's going to work?
A. Yup.

Q. You say these half price books are damaged. What
kind of damage?
A. Various things. Maybe an ink smudge here, a stain
there. Most commonly a corner might be bent. But you
will get a clean, fully functional product. And the CD
is most likely going to be brand spanking new.

Q. I'm nervous about ordering something that may be
damaged. Is there a guarantee?
A. You may return any part of the courseware within one
full year for any reason for a replacement.
Imperfections in the book may not even be noticeable.
However, since we're trying to clear these out, we will
not issue refunds. Only exchanges. But we're very easy
to deal with. We want you to be happy.

Q. Hey, I'm a total beginner, I don't even know where
Middle C is. Will this still work for me?
A. The first three pages of the book are for total
beginners. It covers all the basics. You should read
the pages carefully. Anyone who has some basic music
background already can skip these pages. No one gets
left out.

Q. But my wife has had years of piano lessons in the
past. And she still plays. But she can only play
classical music and can only play with music in front
of her. Will this program help her? It sounds kind of
simple.
A. Your wife learned to play the way most people learn
to play--by reading notes. The sad thing about that is
that reading notation is really only appropriate for
classical music. And the student can't play a note
unless the music is specifically written out. With this
course she will learn the basics from the ground up and
will be liberated from the confines of classical music
notation.

Q. When can I order it?
A. Soon. Very soon.