The purpose of this website: helping you learn to play the piano.  Building a strong foundation of piano-playing skills will lead to a lifetime of piano-playing joy.


Learn To Play Piano

You can learn to play piano and learn to play it well.  But first you have to be of the mindset that the learning process is what you are going to enjoy.  The journey to great piano playing is long and involves an extraordinary amount of details... you had better be ready to take pleasure in every little step along the way.  If you are waiting until you reach the great piano music, you will reach only frustration and a desire to quit.

Great piano playing and great piano music are definitely attainable by the average person, but only if that person is dedicated to delighting in the journey.  You will absolutely love playing all the beautiful music you want... someday.  Between now and then, you need to get your thrills from learning and developing each and every skill needed for getting there.

What skills?  To learn to play piano, your hands and fingers must be trained to know the piano keyboard, to be comfortable with the incredible varieties and combinations of notes that produce the music. Fingers working confidently and independently, with a technique developed for quality tone-production. Your mind needs to be filled with keyboard images of scales, chords, and melodies... of how music moves on the keys.  

You can learn to play piano by starting with familiar tunes and simple exercises.  Gradually, you work up to more complex tunes.  Scales and chords and arpeggios become your exercises.  Note-recognition, both on the keys and on written music notation, leads to the beginning of music-reading at the piano.  A routine of regular practice in the area of music-reading is the only way to become a skilled reader at the piano.

You will someday be able to take a great piece of piano music and both learn and memorize it at the same time.  But that particular ability will be developed through learning and memorizing many lesser pieces first.  You will start with low-elementary level pieces and work through mid-level elementary and then late-elementary.  Next, you will learn and memorize some low, mid, and late intermediate level pieces.  Through learning and memorizing all of those "lesser" pieces, you will be preparing yourself for the great advanced-level piano music.  Once again, though, I'd like to remind you that your attitude needs to be one of enjoying the journey at all times... it is an odyssey in which the details need careful attention.


For a more complete understanding of how to build your piano-playing foundation,  read

"Piano Player... You".

For the most direct, organized, and progressive path to learning to play the piano, start

the Piano Skills Foundation series of piano lessons.


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Start Learning To Play Piano Here

Explanations and video tutorials will help guide you through these lessons:


"PRE"-LESSON 1: Piano Fingering, Piano Technique, Piano Posture 


LESSON 1: Know Your Keyboard, part one - the black notes 


LESSON 2: Know Your Keyboard, part two – the white notes


Lesson 3: Mary Had A Little Lamb in C, F, & G 


Lesson 4: Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star in C, F, & G 


Lesson 5: When The Saints Go Marching In in C,F, & G 


Lesson 6: You Are My Sunshine in C,F, & G 


Lesson 7: Down In The Valley in C,F, & G 


Lesson 8: Frere Jacques in C,F, & G 


Lesson 9: Alouette in C,F, & G 


Lesson 10: Yankee Doodle in C,F, & G 


Lesson 11: The Water Is Wide in C,F, & G 


Lesson 12: Brahms Lullaby in C,F, & G 


Lesson 13: Home On The Range in C,F, & G 


Lesson 14: Danny Boy in C,F, & G 


Lesson 15: Amazing Grace in C,F, & G 


Lesson 16: Simple Gifts in C,F, & G 


Lesson 17: America the Beautiful in C,F, & G 


Lesson 18: The Star Spangled Banner in C,F, & G 


Lesson 19: Greensleeves in A-minor, D-minor, & E-minor



Also... Some Basic Exercises:

-click here for a great plan that takes you through a series of simple exercises and up to learning scales.


Must Learn:

-click here for a video on Arpeggios

-and here for a video on Cadences

-and here for a page (& video) on Burlesque


On Reading Music

-go to "Music Reading" page...


Learn & Memorize Piano Music

-see a demonstration of how to learn & memorize a piano piece (Minuet In G)

-and another (Chicken Dance)


Learn To Play Piano: Music Theory

-for an interesting overview of music theory...



If you want to see a blueprint for a successful piano journey...
read 
"Piano Player... You"

A guide to building a solid and complete piano-playing foundation.

-Click here to learn more about this e-book-


If you would like a step-by-step guide to help you on your piano journey...

start working through

"The Piano Skills Foundation" piano lessons

-Click here to learn more about this piano course-



Looking for some piano music?

I have found Sheet Music Plus to be a fantastic resource for piano books & other materials.  And they have instant digital downloads for thousands of individual pieces.


3 Ways To Support This Website

If you enjoy using true-piano-lessons.com and would like to help support it:

1. Buy the ebook, "Piano Player... You"

2. Purchase "Piano Skills Foundation"

3.Donation