Reviewer: Andy Penbram
Rating:
Website Reviewed: Rocket Piano

Here is a detailed review of Rocket Piano by Ruth Searle which is now one of the most purchased piano and keyboards home study course available on the Internet.

You might also want to check out the Rocket Piano Video Review where I show you exactly what you will find when you purchase this package.

The Rocket Piano package can be bought in a digital format  which can be downloaded immediately to your computer or it can be purchased as a physical product which is shipped to your home.

What’s in the box?

CHECK OUT ROCKET PIANO HERE

The physical package consists of consists of seven books, a DVD and audio and software CDs. The digital pack has the 7 books in printable pdf format and over 60 high quality video lessons.

How the course works

To start the course you use book 1 the beginners book. This will teach you how to sit at the keyboards, how to hold your hands correctly, and general posture. It will show you where to find all the notes on the keyboard, and how to recognize those notes in written music. you will learn to play some simple melodies played with each hand and then some simple pieces with both hands. You will also learn some basic chords.

The books are nicely laid out and easy to follow. At certain points within the books, there are audio examples of how you should play that particular exercise and at other times there are video examples where Ruth explains a little more in depth and shows you exactly what she is talking about by means of example.

Negative Points

The main drawback with this package is that the audio and video files are not clickable within the books. This means that when you are studying and you get to an audio or video example then you have to stop and take note of the example number, then you need to search on your computer manually for that file. Until you have worked out your own system this can be a bit of a hassle but after a while you get the hang of it.

Positive Points

A very good feature of the books is the inclusion of jam tracks. These are in effect a type of music minus one. You get a written piece to play and a choice of two audio files. The first audio file contains the piano playing the piece in question with an accompaniment of guitar, bass and drums. This shows you how the piece should be played with a band. The second audio file is exactly the same as the first except that there is no piano included. This enables you to effectively play along with the band. This is a great way to practice as playing with other musicians forces you to play in time.

More about what you get

There are three main books, the beginners, intermediate and advanced. Once you gone through these then you can proceed onto the introduction to Jazz piano, or the introduction to Gospel piano. Both these are excellent books in their own right. There is also fingering technique and exercise book which can be used at any time and an interesting little bonus book called Advanced learning techniques for piano. This is a combination of techniques and psychology designed to help you get the most out of your learning experience. For more information see the Teach Yourself Piano Page.

The Software

In the sales letter there is a lot of attention paid to the software that is included with this product.

This is pretty basic but still can be useful. I myself wasn’t too impressed in general with the software but there are those who have found it to be fantastic.

There is JaydaMusica which is a little musical recognition game. You get notes flying across the screen and have to identify them. At first its easy but in later levels it speeds up and becomes really difficult. If you aren’t too comfortable with reading music the this game can really help you to familiarize yourself with reading.

Perfect your Pitch is an interval recognition game/ exercise. the computer plays a note and then you have to say which note it was. It then plays another and again you have to say which it was. This is excellent ear training material and in my opinion is the best piece of software in the whole package.

Chordinator shows you chords on the musical staff and gets you to identify them. Good training for those learning to read music.

Keycelerator is another note recognition game.

The Metronome very simple and straight forward but can be used whilst practicing the exercises. This is really important to do and so this piece of software is also a very important addition to the package.

Take a look at the Video Review I did for this product – Its called, Ruth Searl Rocket Piano Review

Conclusions

Save one or two little niggles (like the fact that the audio files aren’t embedded into the pdf files) I give this product a 5 star rating. It is definitely one of the best products available at the moment and is a really complete package. They have a really helpfull support section inside thei members area and for piece of mind the product comes with a full 60 day money back guarantee.

Click Here To Go To The Rocket Piano Web Site

Reviewer:  Andy Penbram
Rating:
Website Reviewed: Piano for All

This is one of my favorite home study piano programs. It is not as slick looking as some of it’s competitors (Rocket Piano) but it has its own special character and on the whole I really like the way that the whole course is planned to guide the student through the learning process.

What You Get

The course consists of ten hefty work books in a printable pdf format, 200 video lessons and 500 audio lessons. No fancy software here but the lessons are top quality and extremely well planned out.

Visit The Piano For All Web Site

The Unique Learning Process
This course is a little different from the others in that it teaches you how to play by ear, how to use chord charts and how to read music all at the same time right from the absolute basic level.

Here is a Video Review showing you what you get when you purchase

The Books
The first book is called Party Time – Rhythm Style Piano. This starts you off assuming you have no musical knowledge at all and have never touched a piano before. It teaches you how to find the notes on the keyboards, and by

means of simple diagrams it shows you how to place your fingers and has you playing simple melodies straight away. It then shows you how to recognize the notes you have learned on the musical staff. Then as you advance you get shown some chords. The whole basis of this book is to play like a pianist with real rhythms. You are taught how to play basic chords but also how to use them with authentic rhythms using both hands. The results sound reall

y great. The best thing about it is that as you progress you also get taught how to read music…  little by little until before you realize it you discover that you are able to play by ear and read music or chord symbols.

Once you have learned the basic principle of these books, t

he rhythm method for want of a better name you can then progress onto the more advanced books.

There is the Blues book where you learn beginners blues patterns and riffs.

The next book is

called Chord Magic. This teaches you how to play the basic chords in different inversions and how to combine them in chord sequences with rhythm that is really superb and has you sounding like a seasoned pianist.

This is then followed by the Advanced Chords book.

By the time you get to the next book, Ballad Style you are really playing like a professional. In this book you learn how to take a melody and improvise around it giving a ballad style to your playing.

The final book is Jazz Piano Made Easy. This is just that, it de-mystifies jazz playing and with some quite simple chord progressions and runs you will be playing authentic sounding Jazz pieces in no time at all.

Each book contains audio and video clips which you can simply click on and they open right there.

The Negatives
The most annoying thing about this course is that the teaching material is all traditional songs and melodies. This is due to the copyright laws prohibiting them from using protected material which leaves only the traditional and anonymous compositions.

The Positives
The whole way of learning using basic chords combined with rhythms has you playing authentic sounding piano right from the start. You can easily start this course if you are at an intermediate level too as it progresses up to quite an advanced level at the end.

The absolute best thing about this course is that it has you playing great sounding piano from the start and enables you to advance extremely quickly.

To Help You Decide
To help you make up your mind you can download a sample page so you can see how the course is laid out and how it works. There is also a 60 day money back guarantee in case you are not entirely convinced. For more information see the Teach Yourself Piano Page.

Conclusion
This course I give a definite five star rating. It is my personal favorite and although the look of the books is not as slick as some of the other courses the content, material and teaching method is superb.

Click Here For the Piano For All Web Site and Example Page

Learn Piano Online for Fast and Easy Lessons

Taking piano lessons online has become a popular method to learn piano online. Online lessons have many benefits over hiring a teacher or attending classes offline. If you are someone who is looking to learn to play the piano and you are wanting an easy yet effective way to learn then you should look into online piano lessons.

Problems with Private Teachers.
A lot of people have used a piano teacher to learn how to play the piano. It is nice to have that one on one attention from a teacher who is right there and can work with you hands on. However, using a piano teacher also has drawbacks.
Hiring a piano teacher means you will have a set class schedule. You will either go to the teacher or the teacher will come to your house. You will usually have an hour long lesson, so you will need to make sure you have that time in your schedule. Additionally, if you are having lessons at your home then you will have to have an hour of uninterrupted time for the lesson. For more information check out the Piano Basics page.

Rocket Piano – Complete Online Piano Course

Another issue with using a piano teacher for lessons is that the teacher is in charge of what you learn and how fast you learn it. Most teachers will advance you when they believe that you are ready, but they also have lesson plans they follow. You will have to go at the pace the teacher wants and even if you feel you do not need to go over a lesson again, if the teacher says you have to then you will have to follow what they say.

Benefits of Online Lessons
When you learn piano online there are many benefits over hiring a teacher. The first benefit is the flexibility. You choose the pace of your lessons, when you practice your lessons and how you advance through the lessons. You are in charge. You do not have to do your lessons at the same time every week. You do not even have to wait a week in between lessons. You are completely in charge of how you progress through your lessons.

The second benefit is that it is usually much more affordable. Teachers can charge quite a bit for that weekly hour of their time. Even if you have to cancel a lesson you will usually end up still having to pay. With online lessons you pay one set fee for the lessons and you know you will be getting the full benefits from the lessons.

Online piano lessons simply mean that you won’t have to worry about getting to a lesson or freeing up time for a lesson. You don’t have to worry about being stuck on lessons that you find boring or that you feel are teaching you nothing. You also get to go at your own pace and move through the lessons in a way that feels comfortable for you. There is nobody telling you what to do.

Choosing to learn piano online allows you to be in control. You can go over lessons that are hard and sail through the easy ones. You can also choose what you want to learn by doing only the lessons that you feel you need. Online lessons allow you to make learning the piano an enjoyable experience that is convenient to you. Learn Piano Online now

Visit The Rocket Piano Web Site For This Lean Piano Online Course

Reviewer:  Barry Bushnel
Rating:
Website Reviewed: Professional Piano Chords

This is a product aimed at those who are already playing the piano at a basic or intermediate level. It is a guide on how to make the chords you play sound more luscious.

This is a single book in pdf printable format. It has been put together by professional pianist and teacher Bill Romer. The whole idea of this product is that when you are learning to play the piano, especially if you are self taught, you learn some basic chords. These chords just don’t give you that professional pianist sound. This is where this book comes in. It will teach you loads of rich sounding chords and chord progressions you can use to make your playing sound better.

Go to the Professional Piano Chords Web Site

In order to use this course you need to be able to read a simple melody in the treble clef. The lessons border on teaching you improvisation and they show how to put wonderful rich sounding chord progressions on top of the simple melodies. After you get the hang of how this works, which will be very quick, you can start to use the chords and progressions you have learned in many different types of music. For more information check out the Piano Basics page.
The majority of the chords are thick jazz chords including sevenths, ninths, thirteenths etc. They all use their many inversions, Sometimes when playing one chord in a certain inversion you can then play another totally different chord with an added seventh or ninth in a different inversion and of maybe four notes played you might only have to change one. This technique serves to keep the harmony moving and appropriate by the piano will continue to sound full and mysterious.

The guide is very compact having 60 pages but the content is thick and there is a lot to get through. It comes with a separate chord chart which shows you by way of diagrams how to play the chords (no need to know how to read music)
The best thing about this product is that it only costs $27. There is also a 60 day money back guarantee.

Go to the Professional Piano Chords Web Site

If you want to start playing the piano, you may be surprised that there are many advertisements and tutorials out there for you to learn how to teach yourself piano.  While learning the piano can be quite challenging and you will find that there are many things that you need to keep in mind when you are learning it, you will find that with enough time and dedication that it is completely possible to learn how to play piano independently.  Take a look at some tips that can help you along if you decide to learn how to play the piano on your own.

Click here for the Best online piano course

1. Go online
When you are thinking about tackling the piano on your own, remember that there are many different resources that can help you along.  Go online and find out what books and what programs come most highly recommended.  Read up on the various different options that other people have used, and make the most out of various different testimonials that you can find.  Take some time and find out what methods are going to work well for you, whether you want to try some learning software or whether you are interested in a book.

2. Learn to read music
When you are considering how to teach yourself piano, you’ll find that reading music is something that you need to learn how to do.  Ideally, you will find that you can start doing this quite easily with a book on the subject.  If you can learn to read music, you will find that you can spring forward a lot faster than you would if you were learning as you go.  Learning to sight read a piece of music will give you the boost that you need when it comes to learning a new piece of music much more quickly.

3. Practice, practice, practice
Whether you are learning with a traditional tutor, or you are learning on your own as go, you will find that getting practice time is essential.  There are many different ways that you can divide up your practice, but you will find that in the long run, you will want to do more practices regularly, instead of doing longer practices sporadically.  The more regularly you practice, the faster that playing the piano will get into your muscle memory and the better you will get when it comes to playing in general.  Remember that setting time aside to practice and just doing it will be the thing that moves you forward.

4. Play critically
One of the things that can really help you out when you are looking at learning to play the piano is the idea of considering what the composer meant when he wrote the piece.  Remember that the music in front of you was written with a great deal of thought and attention to detail, so as you play and as you work out how to play it best, take some time to think about why he or she might have chosen to write it in a certain way.  There are many different things that you can learn by really looking at the theory behind a certain piece of music, and the more time that you think about it, the more you will learn.

While it is still quite challenging, you will find that learning how to teach yourself piano is a lot less difficult than you think.  Take the plunge and make the commitment, and you will find that there are many different reasons why you want to think about taking on this feat!

Teach yourself piano online with Rocket Piano