Once upon a time about the only way people learned to play the piano was through structured lessons in a piano teacher’s home or a studio in a music store. Of course lots of people picked up the piano by ear or by asking a friend to show them certain chords, but for the most part piano playing was learned by going to a piano teacher and progressing through a series of music books such as Schaum, Thompson, D’Auberge, Bastien, and many others.

But with the advent of the internet people are no longer totally dependent on a music store or the lady down the street to teach them to play the piano. There are many online courses sponsored by respected institutions such as the Berklee School of Music in Boston — the alma mater of countless jazz musicians and fusion artists. And for the person who just wants to play for their own enjoyment, there are courses galore in reading music, chords, music theory, as well as traditional piano playing.

The nice thing about it is that it is not an either-or situation; people can take formal lessons from a local teacher or music school and supplement those lessons through independent study of specific areas, such as rhythm problems, technique, chord formation, improvisation, and many other areas.

The days of do-it-yourself piano playing is upon us.