Adult Piano Lessons

Adult Piano Lessons

"I am a 63 year old retired attorney who took up piano with Evan about 8 months ago. I had never played before. Evan has helped me to really enjoy the piano. I use "fake books" primarily which allow me to play a great variety of music in what I consider a very short period of time...I am really having fun learning to play the piano. Evan is a joy to work with."

Tom Bryan, attorney..competition tennis player.

Inspiration, Adult and Advanced Piano Lessons

One of the great privileges I have had in life is to teach my adult students. For one thing, they wouldn't be wasting their time if they thought there was little reason or the payoffs weren't there. Adults want a teacher greater in expertise because they want to hear and feel inspired. They want a teacher to play the piano like it can and should be played. We all deserve that in a piano teacher.

At the same time, adults are very overwhelmingly so, critical of themselves. This critical nature and self judgement is best handled by reminding the adult student that they have talent, and with time it will become evident to all that this is true!

Having a great time with your teacher helps too! The keys to the knowledge you have been seeking can be taught It's great when you have a teacher who can provide a little comraderie that happens adult to adult. If you have never experienced this with your piano teacher....then NOW is the time! There are many physical principles to playing keyboard. Do you believe that Martial Arts can be taught? Yes of course?

Piano likewise!

When you see the results of your practice and lessons, your confidence will increase!

I'm going to make a shocking statement...Most adult method books are boring, useless and I will go so far as to say they will kill your interest in piano. Adults need to have a very different approach. I like learning to play from what are termed "fakebooks" ... they are method books for adults! We go immediately to play all of the songs that you like. We can go to playing Rock n Roll, Jazz, Country Western, Standards, Blues, Calypso, and of course..Classical Styles, immediately.

Goals of Adult Lessons

How do adult lessons differ from lessons for kids? Quite a bit.

Adults can learn piano far faster than any child, After all, the mind is fully developed now.

For instance, an adult can learn chords instantly, whereas it takes an average young person 8 weeks to begin the concept and playing of their first chord.

Playing music can therefore begin immediately.

Some adults want to smooth their skills -- start playing the songs they have always wanted. Some adults want to develop style: Popular, Rock and Roll, Jazz and Standard, and need to know where to find this instruction (Here!). The adults I teach usually want to play classical favorites and more. They want to be creative and to find know those tools to make more of the songs they love. Most of us don't realize how much of a world of its own this can be. Those who go through this door find this world of sound-beauty that seemed unreachable before.

Are we having fun or what?! (this picture is not canned)

Playing from "Fake" Books

The art and science of playing from fakebooks is well worth a little consideration. An adult can learn to play in the right hand cleff, and play the accompaniment chords in the left hand sometimes lesson 1.

Guitar players use chords to accompany their singing...in the same way, piano students can use their left hand chords to accompany their right hand voice, and cut years off their piano lessons. (!)

Yes, it is a good idea to learn the classics and technic...however why not have a great time playing music first...then you can devote yourself to your concert career at Carnegie Hall on the side.

Are you trying to understand your chords from chord books still with no luck?

There is a disconnect that happens when we bring home "explanatory" books written to help us. Somehow the learning that they promised us never happens....after all, if it is explained in a book one should be able to read it, and understand it and apply it. Here is the good news...the way to learn all the different chords in the chord "manuals" is to attach them to what they mean emotionally to you. For instance, a major chord must elicit in you a happy feeling. On the other hand.minor is dark or serious. 7th chords are used for Blues and Rock and to add color, and major sevenths for a sophisticated Jazz sound. These are genuine learning nuggets for you in your quest to learn all of your chords (without having to think about it). It would be very useful for you to come to me to see how these chords are used within various styles of music, and then to go ahead and use them in songs that you have in mind to play. Using chords in this way is really the way to understanding the different chord forms (and their inversions). If that chord manual has been sitting on your music shelf too long, realize that you cannot learn your chords simply from a manual....the chords will never take on the meaning that will allow you to remember them and to use them creatively and expressively (which if you have read this far, you are interested in!) You will need to attach these chord forms ...each of them ....to a meaning inside you. Some of our most important things we learn don't come from books... our chords are one of those things.

"Mr. Sachs is an incredible, amazing, talented, detailed, exciting and positive instructor who listens to what you say and what you play. I have been playing and learning piano for 24 years, and I can truly say WOW! The music, theory, rhythm and technique are clicking at a more experienced level than ever. I am just so thrilled!

Christy Silverman

Improvisation and Accompaniment Styles

Improvisation requires a knowledge of scales and left hand accompaniment patterns. Scales needed include major and minor, blues, and jazz scales. Helpful too are an understanding of trills, upper and lower neighbors and how they work with melody. A formula that I like to use is to start with learning the melody with its rhythm and chord changes, and then slowly change it with the use of scales to where it is recognizable, barely recognizable, and then... a completely new song with the same chord changes. An audience loves hearing their favorite melodies bent and shaped in new ways...if this is something that interests you there are many tools at our disposal that are great fun to learn!

*PRIVATE LESSONS IN STUDIO/IN YOUR HOME*

Call Now to Book a Lesson Time With MrEvan
or for Information: 949-369-8516

Do I teach tradtionally as well?

Yes. I teach traditionally, with traditional classical repertoire as well. I am very fond of teaching all the major composers...Bach, Beethoven, Mozart Chopin, Scriabin. Each with their unique musical gift they gave to the world. If you want to pursue the classics I couldn't be more delighted).

Over the Rainbow clip