Several new short piano videos on my other blog
In case you don’t know about my other blog, it is at http://freepianolessons.blogspot.com/ There are several new videos there that you might want to watch.
Continue reading →Duane
Duane Shinn (that would be me) has good news for you if you want to play the piano. He (me) has little fat hands & stubby little fingers - not at all suited for playing the piano - more suited to making mud pies or some such. I am also fairly uncoordinated with just average musical ability - certainly not a great piano player. But I've learned a ton about music over the years and people tell me I'm pretty decent at explaining how music works & how to progress more rapidly on the piano. Over the years I have developed about 150 techniques for conquering the piano. Most professional pianists can do these techniques, but very few can explain them in a way people can understand. I specialize in making complex techniques simple. I invite you to watch a few of my free videos and see some of these for yourself before making any decision about taking any of my courses.
10 Top Reasons You Should Learn to Play ‘Chord’ Piano
EVERYBODY Ought to Learn to Play At Least a Little Chord Piano! There are roughly umpteen zillion reasons why you should learn enough chords to be able to “chord a song” at the piano. By “chord a song”, I mean … Continue reading →
How to Play Blues Piano: Getting Started
The ability to play blues piano is usually not expected of beginning pianists. There are reasons why most beginning pianists start out playing old songs written by classical composers from centuries past. Many songs written for the piano by such … Continue reading →
Canon in D by Pachelbel: The Song Everybody Knows!
The Canon in D by Johann Pachelbel is a composition well known throughout the world. It’s a piece of music that is played in commercials, feature films, and shopping mall music systems. Its melody and harmony are such that, when heard, spur an “I know this song” reaction in listeners.
Continue reading →Ten Of The Most Popular Classical Pieces Of All Time
For anyone studying popular classical music, it can be a daunting task to know where to begin. There are so many great pieces that a beginner can get overwhelmed. Here are 10 of the most popular classical pieces with a brief background of each.
Continue reading →Beginning Piano Lessons Online: Useful, But Beware!
When learning how to play piano, free opportunities present themselves all over the Internet. Most notably, many websites offer quick step-by-step lessons, as well as free online sheet music, which beginning pianists can use to learn how to play piano at no cost. Obviously, like any free service, these should be approached with caution, and many should be taken with a grain of salt.
Continue reading →A Beginner’s Guide to Playing Piano Chords
The piano is the most perfectly designed instrument for playing chords. It’s visually straightforward, easy-to-understand layout makes it simple for the beginning piano student to learn how to play chords. Unlike other instruments, such as the guitar, the player doesn’t need to learn how to contort her fingers in strange, unnatural ways just to play the most simple combinations of notes.
Continue reading →Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring: Bach’s Most Loved Work
Even though Bach did not consider Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring his favorite or best work, it is probably the most widely recognized of all of his compositions. Because of its mainstream popularity, this song will undoubtedly continue to surface at weddings and other public performances for hundreds more years.
Continue reading →Piano related stuff you may have missed…
Here are a couple articles I have written recently that do NOT appear in my blog, so you may have missed them. If any of them interest you, take a look: Play music! The absolute joy of playing music! Middle … Continue reading →
The History of Great Spiritual Songs
Great spiritual songs that inspire are a part of America’s folklore. Long a part of our nation’s canon of song, we hardly give thought to how they came into existence. Each one does have a story though, which sheds light on the place and time they were born.
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