3 Steps to Play “Churchy” Piano
Learning Focus
Music Style
Free Lessons
Get free weekly lessons, practice tips, and downloadable resources to your inbox!
After teaching piano for 18 years and hearing thousands of students play, I’m convinced that all students fall into one of two camps:
Camp 1: Barriered Pianists
Camp 2: Unbarriered Pianists
Barriered Pianists play within the lines. They play for correctness. They measure the distance, check the boxes, and follow the rules. They get it “right”.
Unbarriered Pianists play something inside that’s deep and beyond explanation. The notes don’t matter, really. It’s not right or wrong. But it feels incredible.
Within 3 seconds of hearing a student play, I know which camp they’re in.
And if I could characterize 99% of students, they fall into the Barriered Pianists category.
They learn, and they learn, and they learn, but they never quite achieve the sound at the piano that they wanted.
Why? Because they were always focused on the wrong thing.
More theory, more scales, and more exercises will not help you love your playing. Loving your playing starts with something entirely different.
I liken the feeling to a pianist who “takes it to church”. This pianist plays with a raw, emotional power that moves and uplifts the audience.
No one cares if they miss a note. No one cares if they play fast, or whether they use this or that fancy scale or chord.
In fact, oftentimes these pianists only know just a few chords and scales.
But what they’ve tapped into is something beyond explanation, and the whole audience feels it.
That’s what I want for you, and that’s why I put together this week’s Quick Tip. I want to move you from the 99% to the 1%. I want you to break through the barrier that I know that you feel inside.
The Unbarriered Pianist takes risks — because they know that to create anything impactful, they need to stretch beyond their comfort zone.
The Unbarriered Pianist focuses on simplicity — because they know that a simple, profound message beats a complicated, surface one every time.
The Unbarriered Pianist knows that they have a message worth sharing — because like a preacher, they know they are a vessel, and the music moves through them and into others.
This week, get a piece of tape, write “Unbarriered” on it, and attach it near your piano where you can see it.
Watch what happens in the weeks to come. You might be amazed!
Writer
Jonny May
Jonathan May is a pianist from Southern California who specializes in many styles of piano. At age eighteen, Jonny became the youngest pianist to perform at Disneyland. Each week he entertained thousands of guests with his arrangements of American classics and Disney songs. Jonny has also performed with the Youtube...
More Free Lessons
Learn all about piano chord vamping in the most common jazz styles so you can instantly jam on the piano and improvise with vamps on gigs.
Not only am I going to show you the top 15 styles that I think you should learn, but I’ll also show you the key building blocks of each.
Demystify the Locrian #2 scale and how it helps you sound like a jazz piano pro improvising over minor tunes.
Looking for downloads?
Subscribe to a membership plan for full access to this Quick Tip's sheet music and backing tracks!
Join Us
Get instant access to this Quick Tip and other member features with a PWJ membership!
Guided Learning Tracks
View guided learning tracks for all music styles and skill levels
Progress Tracking
Complete lessons and courses as you track your learning progress
Downloadable Resources
Download Sheet Music and Backing Tracks
Community Forums
Engage with other PWJ members in our member-only community forums
Become a better piano player today. Try us out completely free for 14 days!
