February 16th, 2009 by Lisa | No Comments »

How much do I have to practice – please tell me the truth!!!

The classic question of all classics is how much do I have to practice?  The honest to goodness truth is that the amount of time that you practice does not determine how fast you learn.   It is how often you practice that determines how fast you learn.   What do I mean by that?
First, the most [...]

February 10th, 2009 by Lisa | 23 Comments »

How to Play Love me Tender in Under an Hour!

Play this popular love song in under an hour with both hands! (Even if you can’t read music yet!)
I know, I know… my course is based on reading sheet music, but this song is specially formatted for those you are still in the process of learning to read music and still need some instant [...]

February 9th, 2009 by Lisa | 1 Comment »

Can the metronome replace counting out loud?

Counting out loud and using a metronome serve different functions.
Counting out loud teaches you how to apply the right amount of time to each different
type of note.  The metronome helps you count without missing a beat.
It is true you can us a metronome to help you keep the rhythm steady, but
if you don’t continue your [...]

February 6th, 2009 by Lisa | 1 Comment »

What are the piano pedals for?

There are three pedals that are standard on the piano, I will only address the the that is most widely used:
The DAMPER pedal is often called “the sustain pedal”. This is the pedal most commonly used and the only pedal option when you purchase a keyboard. When you have three pedals, it the [...]

February 6th, 2009 by Lisa | 2 Comments »

Is using stickers on the keys a bad habit?

I don’t encourage my students to use stickers. I can’t tell you of the countless times I have had a student rely on stickers too long and can’t play on any piano but their own.  It truly is a handicap to you if you mark your keys in any way.  It is true that it [...]