Don't Get Scammed: Are you like me?
Have you grown frustrated with all of the "learn
piano"
products available on the web? It's crazy!
As an experienced music teacher, I've found the quality
of many of these so-called courses to be downright
offensive. I've reviewed
several now for my students and have fortunately found at least
a few that are good. The following reviews are of
my favorites. Check them out, and please take the
time to
post your own review
once you've tried them.
Learn
& Master Piano from Legacy Learning
Systems is my new number one pick. It is truly the Rolls-Royce of
piano training products. I had previously reviewed
one of their other courses, which was quite good,
so I had high expectations for this one. I wasn't
disappointed. The course
contains fourteen DVDs,
five play-along CDs and a 104 page book. It's a bit
pricey, but if you're serious about really learning
piano, there
just isn't anything better.
Everything is super high-quality -- from the website, to
the video production, to the pro players they use for
the Play-Along CDs. The instructor is even a
Grammy winner.
I immediately liked the way it gets students playing
real songs right away. Note reading, music theory
basics, and advanced playing techniques are then added a
little at a time. They also use popular songs that
everyone knows, instead of just silly private domain songs
(Greensleeves, Yankee Doodle, etc) like most piano
courses I've seen. The assignments are clear and easy to follow and the
instructor has a very natural communication style that
makes it easy to learn. I also really liked
the Play-Along CDs. Having a CD to play along with
while learning your songs makes the lessons a lot more
fun, and I always recommend this to my students. None of the other courses offered this.
What impressed me most, though, was a
feature that Legacy Learning offers with all of its
courses -- free student support after the sale. Once
you buy the course, you get access to a members-only
website where you can ask questions, discuss your
progress, and chat with other students. Will
Barrow, the author of the course, answers most of the
questions himself and seems to be on the discussion
board almost daily. This is a huge help when you
get stuck!
Bottom Line:
If you want something more substantial than a brief
introduction to playing piano,
Learn
& Master Piano is the best piano training course
I've seen. It really is
in a league all it's own. It does cost more
than the computer-based courses, but
if you're ready to get serious about really
learning piano, it's well worth the investment.
Insider Tip: It seems like they put the
course on sale
about once every three months or so, usually for two or three
days. If price is a factor, check their website
often so that you don't miss it.
Rocket
Piano is the best of the low-cost,
software-based piano instruction courses. Because
it is software-based (no DVDs or CDs), you will have to
practice your lessons in front of the computer.
However, the training is quite extensive and the
computer lessons are fairly easy to follow.
Because the lessons are downloadable, it is easy to
purchase them from anywhere in the world. However,
it is somewhat cumbersome and inconvenient to
practice in front of a computer every day.
Fortunately,
Rocket Piano does
come with some video clips, while many of the other
computer-based courses do not.
Bottom Line: If cost is a factor and you
don't mind taking lessons from a computer,
Rocket Piano is
not a bad way to go. It was my top pick until
Learn & Master Piano came out, and it is still the best of the software-based instruction
courses.
Play Piano Like a Pro is my next choice.
The author, "Mr. Ron" offers both an e-book course, like
Rocket Piano, and some DVDs, like Learn & Master Piano.
The instruction was clear, easy to follow, and well
suited to beginners. However, the course seems
overpriced. For example, just the e-book and
one Beginner DVD costs $197.
Bottom Line: If cost is of absolutely no
concern, this course would make a nice supplement to
your learning library.
However, my first two choices (Learn & Master Piano and
Rocket Piano) are better quality and
a better value.
Piano
Is Fun is a great choice for children.
It is an affordable software-based piano course that is
incredibly easy to use. The website says that it
is good for both children and adults, but I found it to
be too simplistic for an adult audience.
Bottom Line:
If you are looking for piano training software for kids,
Piano Is Fun is it. No need to invest
in a more expensive course until they're older.
