How to Play Piano Despite Years of Lesson

            Twenty-one years ago on a Saturday night I was at a get together with friends. About an hour into the party I was asked to liven up the evening with a few songs on the piano. To my astonishment, a shocking truth was revealed that night about my decades of lessons, practice and playing. There was one thing I could not do -- I could not improvise despite years of lesson and practice!

So there I sat at the piano with no sheet music, and a crowd eagerly waiting for me to entertain them. I froze like a deer caught in the headlights. I have never felt so uncomfortable in my life. I mumbled something about not feeling well and quickly made my exit. Not only was I embarrassed, but I was so mad at myself. How could I, who have been playing the piano for so long, not know how to play without sheet music? I was angry when I thought of all the expensive lessons, schooling and practice I had endured. Years of studying just flew out the window. Why was the skill of improvisation not taught in all the piano lessons I have taken over the years? Why didn’t the schools touch on this important area?

I am not alone in this subject – there are many others who have taken years of lessons but do not know how to improvise. So the question remains: How do you play the piano despite years of lesson?

You need to break away from the chains of sheet music and learn how to express yourself through your own creativity.  It is very important to train your musical ear as you build your piano playing skills. 

HERE IS YOUR SOLUTION:

One exercise you can do right away is take 10 – 15 minutes per day and just mess around with the keys. Let your hands wander from one key to another.

For example, if you want to be an artist, you cannot just copy other people’s work (sight reading). But instead, you want to experiment with your own abilities by scribbling on a blank page. At first it won’t be pretty, but as you practice every day, those skills will develop.  

The same with the piano - at first you will recognize that some notes do not go well together, and others do. It will take time to develop a skill in improvisation, but if you practice every day you will see improvements very shortly. Let your creativity flow!

I suggest you to take a good look at our definitive piano improvisation course if you cannot play piano without sheet music despite years of piano lesson.