Introduction to the Keyboard

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Instructor

Jonny May

Course Type

Course

Skill Level

Beginner

Duration

04:41:13

If you’ve never played the piano before, this is where your journey begins. Intro to the Keyboard assumes no prior knowledge. You’ll learn the keyboard layout, every note name, and simple tricks for finding any note quickly. You’ll even play your first groove before the first lesson is over.

Next, you’ll build healthy habits from day one. You’ll learn what the piano pedals do, your finger numbers, good posture and proper technique, plus five warm-ups and stretches that help your hands feel great every time you sit down to play. Then you’ll learn the C position, a simple 5-note hand position that unlocks hundreds of beginner tunes, along with the most common note values you’ll see in beginner sheet music.

From there, every lesson pairs essential finger exercises with a fun tune in a different style. You’ll play Ode to Joy as a swing tune, Mary Had a Little Lamb in a Latin style, original tunes in jazz ballad and pop styles, and Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star as a blues. You’ll also learn a 3-chord stack position you can use to jam over almost any song. The course finishes with a practical guide to structuring your practice time, so you know how long to practice, what to focus on and when you’re ready for the next course. Downloadable sheet music and backing tracks are included.

Course Objectives

Navigate the keyboard confidently and find any note by name
Develop good posture, proper technique and a healthy warm-up routine
Play in the C position and read the most common note values in beginner music
Build finger control through exercises in stepwise motion, 3-note groupings, chord outlines, 3rds and pivoting off a low note
Play familiar tunes in swing, Latin, jazz ballad, pop and blues styles, and structure your practice for steady progress

Learning Focus

Exercises
Groove
Reading

Featured Reviews

View PWJ member reviews of this course!

Diepere Taiger verified

Fantastic

A complete course where you can learn both how to sight read and how to groove along with various genres of music. Really great teaching approach

Jemi Sitanayah verified

A milestone unlocked

I have completed the Introduction to the Keyboard course in two weeks. This course provided a solid understanding of the fundamentals, which will help as I move on to the Beginner course. Thank you, Jonny, for developing these comprehensive lessons.

Barbara Hafner verified

Loving it!

I’m loving this course. Jonny is a fabulous teacher.

LANCE PAWLIKOWSKI verified

Loved the warm up exercises and the focus on techniques.

The exercises were well done. They were not overwhelming and I liked the way they were built on things like intervals and chord notes for example. Also, drilling on just the C, F, and G chords was a good move.

Laura Maloof verified

Experienced Pianist Learns New Things

I have played piano since childhood, I am currently 55. I feel like there were so many piano concepts I missed in my early lessons that I almost want to start from square one with Jonny. I love his teaching style. Even though I already knew the content of this course I still enjoyed it a lot and am excited to grow with each subsequent course. My favorite thing Jonny emphasized was playing without music. I also loved the quote he shared about overestimating what we can do in a week but underestimating what we can do in a year. This is a time management concept I have appreciated often, thinking- if I do something once a day- thats 365 times a year. Consistency is key! I also loved how he said better to practice a little each day than a lot once a week. Great advice! Thank you for taking the time to build such wonderful lessons- which help all players new and experienced!

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