Have you been wanting to learn to play piano for a long time?
Have you been frustrated trying to learn?
Did you start learning as a kid and quit?
Learn to play piano with less frustration,
….and more fun…
Take piano lessons to learn to read, improvise, make music you enjoy — classical, pop, jazz. Want to play some mellow cocktail jazz? Learn those 80’s Yacht Rock tunes? Play some blues? Or meditate with some beautiful classical pieces?
So many times while playing gigs, someone would saunter up to me and say, “I took lessons as a kid and hated it, but now I wish I hadn’t quit”. Or, even worse, “My teacher was so mean!” So sad to hear those things, but it’s not too late!
And….. there’s an easy way to stay motivated.
I’m a different kind of teacher who doesn’t require every student to proceed in the exact same way. Every student has different goals and different strengths, and a different amount of time to practice each week. So, we tailor your lessons to those 3 things — goals, strengths, time — to make the most progress toward playing and creating the music you actually like.
“Our results suggest that playing piano and learning to read music can be a useful intervention in older adults to promote cognitive reserve and improve subjective well-being.”
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24198804/
Learning Pop, Rock, Folk, etc. on the piano:
Piano lessons for adults often include learning chords. Understanding chords help a lot for playing this style of music. Forming chords, then learning to “voice” and arrange them rhythmically is actually fun. If you sing, even better — you can play some of these tunes and make them sound good in a day! You can start playing with friends quickly, as well. Not all pop and rock tunes are a piece of cake, though. Arranging more complicated pop tunes for piano can be a fun challenge for more intermediate players. How would you play Bohemian Rhapsody on piano? Or Kashmir by Led Zeppelin? It’s a creative, arranging process.
Learning Jazz Piano
Voicings, Harmonization, Improvisation
Jazz builds upon the simpler chords found in pop, rock, and folk music, but introduces more complex harmonies, progressions, and improvisational elements. This complexity offers greater opportunities for personal expression and experimentation. Jazz is a limitless genre, ranging from simple to intricate compositions. In our lessons, we can start with basic jazz voicings and progress to more advanced harmonies, such as those reminiscent of Bill Evans. Additionally, we can explore reharmonization techniques, where we alter the chord progressions of jazz standards to create new sounds. These approaches alone can transform your playing into that of a jazz musician. Furthermore, improvisation is a key component of jazz, offering a vast realm of creative exploration. While scales are important, your ear and individual style will ultimately guide you once you understand the available note choices.
Classical Piano Lessons
Many people do not get past the “math” of classical* music. By that I mean — the notes, the fingering, and the rhythms. Those are all necessary elements, of course. Problem is, if that’s where you stop, you’re still not playing music. There’s so much you can to with a classical piece after the mechanics. You must have control, and an opinion of what you’d like to say with your music.
*(In general, when people say “classical music”, that includes Baroque, Romantic, Classical, and 20th Century music.)
And you can take piano lessons online or in-person.
Health Benefits of Playing Piano
And don’t forget the health benefits! For adults, playing an instrument can simply be enjoyable, or a way to improve cognitive skills and keep the mind young. Check out this list from Inc. magazine called “The Benefits of Playing Music Help Your Brain More Than Any Other Activity“:
- Strengthens memory and reading skills
- Playing music makes you happy
- Musicians can process multiple things at once
- Music increases blood flow in your brain
- Music helps the brain recover
- Music reduces stress and depression
- Musical training strengthen the brain’s executive function
No matter your preferred genre of music, the end goal is to make music — not to stop at learning just “the math”. One day, when you’re performing for your friends or at a “gig”, or playing all alone next to your fireplace in your living room, or surprising people at a party where you “just happen” to sit down and play, you’ll be playing music — YOUR music.
Locations for In-Person Piano Lessons
Lessons are in Van Nuys, so typically my students travel from Sherman Oaks, Van Nuys, Encino, Studio City, North Hollywood, Valley Glen, Lake Balboa, North Hills and Tarzana. Remember, if you live further, you can take online lessons. Or you can toggle between online and in-person lessons, depending on your schedule each week.