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.
I have just published an article on Piano Tips: 10 Tips For Improving Your Piano Playing Rapidly. I hope to make a series of these tips, of which this is the first, so please don’t miss it. Some of the … Continue reading →
The word “key” in music is kind of like the words “to”, “two”, and “too” in that they sometimes lead to confusing as to when to use which. A key signature tells the musician what sharps or flats are in … Continue reading →
Sometimes the teacher learns more from the student than the student does from the teacher. Hopefully, not too often, but today I would like to share with you some great practicing ideas that have come from my piano students over … Continue reading →
Another method of breaking up chords into patterns is the 3-1 breakup pattern where you play 3 notes of a chord and then 1, 3 and then 1, and so on. Watch the short video and you will understand immediately. … Continue reading →
Chords can be broken up in many ways, as you no doubt know, and the 2-1 breakup is one of the easiest ways to do it. You simply take 2 piano notes and juxtapose them against 1 note in a … Continue reading →
It is easy for a musician such as myself to take for granted those truths about music that I have known since childhood, and forget that many people are just now entering the world of music, and are not familiar … Continue reading →
I just learned that a new course in jazz piano is coming out today that is five hours long on four separate DVD’s. There are so few good jazz courses around that I’m delighted someone has finally filled that need. … Continue reading →
There are 3 exciting ways to create fresh chord sounds for your songs. Once you learn these 3 ways you’ll never be at a loss to know how to create great chord substitutions, and for the rest of your life … Continue reading →
For a musically minded person who is interested in testing the waters of piano lessons, but who is not quite sure if her commitment is all there, free online beginner keyboard lessons are a great way to quickly find out … Continue reading →
Wouldn’t it be great to be able to write a song especially for a special celebration, or to honor someone that you love? Some people seem to have a natural talent for writing songs. Perhaps you’ve always believed you aren’t … Continue reading →
