Easy Way to Learn Piano: Makes a Huge Difference

March 8, 2021 Leslie Young

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An experienced homeschool advocate and mom, Amy Saunders, recently used the Revolutionary Piano Method books and discovered them to be a highly effective and easy way to learn piano. She hosts the site, https://orisonorchards.com, dedicated to sharing her homeschooling inspiration, advice, and resources. In her August 24, 2020 review, she shared her findings when using this method for her own children’s lessons at home:

I was thrilled to find the Revolutionary Piano Method! The first thing I noticed was that this piano method is logical and makes a huge difference in how a student processes new information. It is laid out so well and so intuitively that I, the piano teacher, became practically irrelevant. The books are very well-organized, and each lesson walks the student through the concepts they are learning. This is such an easy way to learn piano that most older children and adults could teach themselves without a teacher.

Is it possible to teach yourself (or your children) to play the piano from the comfort of your own home and without a professional teacher? Absolutely! Learning to play the piano is more about student diligence and perseverance than it is about the teacher’s lessons. (See the author’s comments in the last paragraph below.). Let’s talk about the easy way to learn piano with the Revolutionary Piano Method.

I’ve taught from most of the most popular method books, and I can really appreciate this method’s thoughtful touches and strategies for making note-reading more intuitive. The method is a great way to build young musicians’ confidence right from the start.

Each lesson in the Revolutionary Piano Method is simple and easy to follow, even for non-musicians, so self-teaching is not a problem. It truly is an easy way to learn piano.

How is the Revolutionary Piano Method Different from Other Methods?

There are a few things that really do make this piano method revolutionary. I’ll try to explain them in layman’s terms in case you haven’t spent the last twenty years of your life teaching piano lessons!

First off, students start in a hand position that is logical and makes sense. Traditionally, students start in “Middle C Position” which means that both thumbs are on middle C. With the Revolutionary Piano Method students start on F in just the right hand. F is the bottom space on the treble clef, and students start by just playing the space notes in the treble clef.

Students must name the note as its key is played. This saves the name-key relationship into long-term memory and makes a huge difference in actual note-reading. It’s also a reason this is an easy way to learn piano because this thinking process is introduced right at the start. The approach prevents students from developing the crutch of playing by finger numbers or by how notes move on the staff (repeat, step, or skip).

Students then learn the line notes in relation to the space notes, but they continue to play with just the right hand. Line notes and keys are neighbors to the space notes and keys. Learning the four spaces first makes learning the five lines much easier. A line note or key is just the neighbor note or key next to the space’s.

The author describes how using just the four space notes and their keys to name and locate the line notes and keys creates learning relationships. For example, I already know the “A” space and key, so “B” follows as the neighbor line and key.

You can find details on this staff-key relationship in this blog and this.

This makes a huge difference in how a student processes and learns new information. Students spend more time learning notes in this method than in other methods I’ve used. That’s a big reason it’s effective as an easy way to learn piano.

After thoroughly learning the notes in the treble clef, students progress to learning the bass clef (in the same manner as in the treble clef) with the left hand, but they also continue to review the right hand. Toward the end of Lesson Book 1, both hands are played together, which is so much easier and logical at this point since the two separate languages of treble and bass have already been learned!

Right off, students are learning note names and how to read music. This is huge!

So many students shortchange themselves by not learning to actually read music. Instead, they learn to compensate for note reading by recognizing the position of notes in relation to one another. This can be quite a handicap down the road. The Revolutionary Piano Method helps students to avoid pitfalls like this. It really is an easy way to learn piano.

Note values, rests, and timing are introduced in Level Two. Students also increase sight-reading skills and playing skills through more advanced performance opportunities of progressive difficulty. Student build confidence by methodically increasing one skill at a time.

I love that this method encourages students to always name the notes aloud while playing. That can be tough, but it is incredibly helpful in learning to read music. I also love that at an early stage the lessons strongly emphasize playing by touch rather than by looking at the keyboard.

The Revolutionary Piano Method is an easy way to learn piano because students . . .

Start in a hand position that makes sense
Orient on treble space F
Use the space notes/keys to find the line notes/keys
Spend more time actually learning notes
Must name the note as its key is played
Learn the right and left hand clefs separately, THEN play together
Build confidence by methodically increasing one skill at a time
Learn early to play by touch

This method includes theory lessons in correlation with each piano lesson and that’s one reason it’s an easy way to learn piano. The order in which the theory is introduced provides a strong foundation for note reading and further piano skills. The Revolutionary Piano Method takes the guesswork out of teaching piano and learning piano even for those who have never touched a musical instrument. It provides the step-by-step guidance needed to help aspiring musicians develop skills in note reading, rhythm, sight reading, technique and music theory. It truly makes a huge difference and a lot of sense.

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Amy Saunders co-founded a Kindergarten through 12th grade statewide charter school for parents who want to educate their children at home with assistance. She is currently the secretary of the board of directors at the charter school, and she has also co-founded a private school. Quality education is very important to her and her family.

Leslie Young is the author/composer of the Revolutionary Piano Method. She co-founded a K-12th grade charter school in Texas and has been a piano teacher for about 40 years. She has had experience teaching a variety of students tackling piano for the first time or as returning students.

She states: “In teaching piano to students of varying ages, what also varies is a commitment of time and the amount of dedication. Children of certain ages may do very well with a parent as teacher; others may need someone who is not family to instruct them. Some older children and adults prefer to make progress on their own, and this method is designed to act as a meticulous guide through new material. Some adults and teens insist on professional teachers, which also encourages continuity. Because these books are self-explanatory, a new or experienced professional teacher will have no trouble using the Revolutionary Piano Method with students. It is an easy way to learn piano.”

In the end, Leslie agrees with Amy that “learning to play the piano is more about diligence and perseverance” – but would add that just as critical to success is the method that is used, the encouragement of critical thinking, and the instructional principles that promote immediate success.