Pianote Method: Table of Contents
📌 Quick Index
Level 1: Getting Started On The Piano
Welcome to the Pianote Method! This is the start of your piano learning journey and we are so excited to help you learn to play the piano. Level 1 will teach you everything you need to know to develop a solid foundation at the piano. You will learn how to set up your practice space, play your first scales, develop your ear, understand rhythm, play chords, and read a chord chart. This means that by the end of this level, you will be playing SONGS! Let's dive in!
1.1 Setting Yourself Up for Success
Learn how to use the Pianote Method, select your keyboard, set up your practice space, and set goals so that you can be sure to achieve your piano playing dreams.
- 1.1.1 How to Use the Method
- 1.1.2 How to Choose Your Piano or Keyboard
- 1.1.3 Setting Up Your Practice Space
- 1.1.4 Setting Yourself Up for Success
1.2 Welcome to the Keyboard
It is time to play the piano! These lessons will teach you all you need to know to begin building confidence at the piano. From proper posture to your first scales, this is where you will start to develop the connection from your brain to your fingers. The best part is that you will be introduced to chords so that you can begin to play the songs you love.
1.2.1 Proper Posture at the Piano
1.2.2 Welcome to the Keyboard
1.2.3 Developing Your Hands
1.2.4 The C Scale
1.2.5 Power Chords
1.2.6 Your First Chord Progression
1.2.7 Your First Song
1.2.8 Developing a Left Hand Accompaniment
1.3 Theory & Ear Training
Theory and Ear Training are critical elements to making you the best musician you can be. This course focuses on melodic and rhythmic patterns as well as understanding rhythm. All of these elements will help you so much when it comes to reading and understanding music, playing by ear, and composing your own music.
1.3.1 Introduction to Melodic Patterns
1.3.2 Rhythm Clap Back
1.3.3 Rhythm 101
1.3.4 Writing Rhythms
Level 2: Developing Dexterity And Keyboard Confidence
Now that you have developed a foundation at the keyboard, it is time to further develop your coordination, confidence, and musicality. This level will have you playing 3 note chords, improvising, and playing your C scale with both hands at the same time. New songs, a new time signature, and note values are introduced as you build your skills.
2.1 Developing Your Hands
This course combines technique with creativity as you explore exciting ways to practice your scales, chords, and chord progressions.
2.1.1 Making Your Scale Practice Musical
2.1.2 Hands Together C Scale
2.1.3 Triads
2.1.4 Chord Progressions Using Triads
2.2 The Music
It's really all about the music! In this level, you will be introduced to two new songs. Each one will have a different element for you to practice. Exploring a new time signature and a new rhythmic feel for the other will help you start developing your musical tools so that you can start creating your very own song!
2.2.1 The Scientist
2.2.2 Arpeggios
2.2.3 Hallelujah - Left Hand
2.2.4 Hallelujah - Adding the Right Hand
2.2.5 Improvising Your Own Song
2.3 Theory & Ear Training
Build on what you learned about rhythm and melodic patterns back in level 1. This course will test your memory and your ear as well as teach you how to better understand 6/8 time.
2.3.1 Rhythm Clap Back
2.3.2 Sing Back & Playback
2.3.3 Eighth Notes And 6/8 Time
Level 3: Chording
The time for learning to read notes is right around the corner and our goal is to have you as confident as possible navigating the keyboard and playing music before you are expected to sight-read too. One of the most exciting ways to build this confidence is by playing songs! So, level 3 is all about developing your musicality using chords. You've already learned how to play chords and progressions which is great. Now, in this level, you will learn to understand how chords and scales are built, how to play beautiful sounding fills and runs, and train your ears even more as you use them to identify various chord qualities.
3.1 Chording
Did you know there was more than one type of scale? You've learned the major scale already. So keep progressing with this lesson, you will learn how to play its haunting cousin, the minor scale! You will also learn the formula used to build major and minor chords and begin to train your hands to understand and play a variety of intervals.
3.1.1 Minor Scales
3.1.2 Building Any Major or Minor Triad
3.1.3 Intervals 101
3.1.4 Triad Inversions
3.2 The Music
Let's play some songs! Not only will this course introduce you to a new song, but it will also teach you about Sus Chords. Trust me, Sus Chords are SO beautiful that once you've learned how to play them you may never want to leave your piano bench again!
3.2.1 Chord Shortcuts (Let It Be)
3.2.2 Knockin' On Heavens Door
3.2.3 Using the Sustain Pedal
3.2.4 Sus Chords (Scientist)
3.2.5 Wasting Time with Sus Chords
3.3 Theory & Ear Training
Theory time!!! This course will walk you through hearing intervals and identifying intervals. This is an integral step in your ear training process. You will also have fun with the clap back challenges and learning to visualize chord inversions on paper.
3.3.1 Hearing Intervals
3.3.2 Sing Back Your Sus Chords
3.3.3 Clap Back Challenge
3.3.4 Finding Melodies by Ear
3.3.5 Rests
3.3.6 Understanding Chord Inversions
Level 4: Playing Chords Like A Pro
You can move confidently around the piano. You can play suspended chords, follow a chord chart, and build any major or minor chord that comes your way. Now, it's time to have some fun playing in a new key signature with some new chord shapes and a new song! This level will have you playing fills, riffs, and give you the skills you need to play any chord chart you want to play!
4.1 Playing in New Keys
Now that you understand the formula to build a chord on any note, you are ready to play in a new key signature! This course will have you exploring the key of G major. It's just like the key of C major, but with a different starting and ending note and an F#! You will also learn how to play 7th chords which are an amazing way to add depth and warmth to your playing.
4.1.1 Playing in New Keys
4.1.2 E Minor 8
4.1.3 The Diatonic Chords of G
4.1.4 Improvising in G
4.1.5 Chord Shortcuts in G
4.1.6 Intro To 7th Chords
4.2 The Music
This course will have you exploring all kinds of fun ways that you can add some pizzaz to your chording! Riffs, Fills, new rhythm patterns, left-hand accompaniment options... we cover it all!
4.2.1 Playing Songs in G - Someone Like You
4.2.2 Fills & Riffs
4.2.3 Accompaniment Rhythms
4.2.4 Slash Chords
4.3 Theory & Ear Training
Learn how to hear a song and play it, how to identify pop progressions by ear, and how to identify the different types of 7th chords.
4.3.1 Identifying Pop Progressions by Ear
4.3.2 Finding Melodies by Ear
4.3.3 Rhythm Clap Back
4.3.4 Sing Back 7ths
4.3.5 Building 7th Chords
Level 5: Sight Reading
Welcome to the wonderful world of reading notation! In this chapter, you will learn how to identify and play notes in the treble clef, bass clef, and grand staff. Everything you've learned so far about chords, intervals, and hand coordination will help you find success at reading music. The skills in this level will take time and patience to master (sight reading is kind of a life long thing) but rest assured you will get all the support you need along the way.
5.1 Introduction to Sight Reading
Our sight reading journey begins with an introduction to the treble clef, bass clef and grand staff. This course will teach you how to see and understand music in a variety of ways so that you can approach sight reading in a way that feels best for YOU.
5.1.1 The Treble Clef
5.1.2 Building Confidence in the Treble Clef
5.1.3 The Bass Clef
5.1.4 Building Confidence in The Bass Clef
5.1.5 The Grand Staff
5.1.6 Playing Both Hands at The Same Time
5.2 Key Signatures and Accidentals
Key signatures allow us to play in new keys! This means we will encounter sharps and even flats in our playing. In this course, you will learn how to read notation in new key signatures, as well as how to understand sharps, flats, and naturals as they appear in your music.
5.2.1 Playing in G Major
5.2.2 Rests in Notation
5.2.3 Intervals in Notation
5.2.4 F Major and Playing with Flats
5.2.5 Sight Reading in Minor Keys
5.2.6 Accidentals
5.2.7 Ties & Dynamics
5.3 Theory & Ear Training
This course will teach you how to write your own music on the staff. You will also develop your ears as you listen to a musical pattern, play it back, and then write it on the staff. Finally, take another look at the grand staff and learn more tips and tricks for quickly identifying the notes - including ledger line notes.
5.3.1 Writing Your Own Music
5.3.2 Ledger Lines
5.3.3 Hear, Play, Write
Level 6: Developing Your Musicality
Take your playing from good to great as you learn how to develop your musicality in level 6. The sustain pedal, phrasing, dynamics, and control will all help you to be the best and most impactful piano player you can be. Not only will you take your technique and sight reading further in this level, you will also learn how to play from a lead sheet which will open up a whole new world of songs for you!
6.1 Warm-Ups & Technique
Warm-ups and technique are an integral part of any practice routine. Warming up helps your fingers to limber up, and helps you to mentally arrive at the piano. Technique is what will make you an incredible piano player by developing consistency and confidence in your playing. This Course is all about how to develop the warm up and technique aspects of your practice routine.
6.1.1 Hanon #1
6.1.2 The "Other" Minors
6.1.3 Next Level Triads in E
6.1.4 2 Octave Arpeggios
6.2 Sight Reading
Sight Reading. Some of us love it, some of us do not love it but at the end of the day, being able to sight read contributes to your musical freedom and that is a great thing! This course provides you with sight reading exercises in 3/4 time, introduces the waltz, explores minor keys, and simple ways to make your playing sound smooth and polished.
6.2.1 Sight Reading for Your Daily Routine
6.2.2 Your First Waltz - Left Hand
6.2.3 Your First Waltz - Right Hand
6.2.4 Your First Waltz - Both Hands
6.2.5 Legato Playing & Phrasing
6.2.6 The Pedal & Notation
6.3 The Music
Now that we've explored the technical aspects of this Level, it is time to dive into the music! This course looks at some familiar songs, lead sheets, and how to improvise using the harmonic minor scale and a waltz form.
6.3.1 Edelweiss
6.3.2 Creating Your Own Waltz
6.3.3 Challenging Your Skills
6.3.4 Lead Sheets
6.3.5 Developing Your Songs with A Lead Sheet
6.4 Ear Training & Theory
It's time to train those ears to understand and identify some new sounds! Learn how to "hear" minor scales, new intervals and new chords!
6.4.1 Developing Your Ear with Minor Scales
6.4.2 Advanced Intervals
6.4.3 Diminished Chords & Tritones
6.4.4 Introduction to Cadences
Level 7: Applying Technique & Solving Piano Player Problems
This level is all about solving your piano player problems. This means helping you to develop speed, accuracy, hand independence, creative practice routines for your technique AND further develop your accompaniment and chording skills.
7.1 The Circle of 5ths
Level 7 begins with some amazing, exciting THEORY!. The Circle of 5ths is an incredible tool that will unlock the mystery of how to play in every single key signature!
7.1.1 The Circle of 5ths
7.1.2 Key Signatures of the Circle
7.1.3 Playing the Right Side of the Circle
7.1.4 Playing the Left Side of the Circle
7.1.5 How to Identify Any Key Signature
7.1.6 How to Actually Use the Circle of 5ths in Your Daily Practice
7.2 Solving Piano Player Problems
This course is all about solving the most common piano player problems. From coordinating the hands, to developing hand independence and control, we've got you covered. This course will give you all the tools you need to be able to continually develop and improve in the most challenging aspects of playing the piano.
- 7.2.1 Building Speed
- 7.2.2 Building Keyboard Confidence
- 7.2.3 Finger Independence
- 7.2.4 Developing Your Left Hand
- 7.2.5 Hand Independence
7.3 Creative Technique Practice
Technique is one of the most important aspects of a piano players daily practice routine. Having excellent technique sets you up to be an excellent piano player. This problem with this is that technique can sometimes feel a little ....boring. This course is designed to help you find creative ways to practice your technique so that your technique practice can be as enjoyable and effective as possible.
7.3.1 Creative Ways to Practice Scales
7.3.2 Creative Ways to Practice Triads - Advanced Fills
7.3.3 Creative Ways to Practice Arpeggios
7.3.4 Creative Ways to Practice 7th Chord Inversions
7.3.5 How to build a Daily Technique Routine
7.4 The Music: How to Improvise
Improvising is SUCH an incredible way to develop your piano skills, apply your technique, explore creatively and push you outside of your comfort zone. This course will give you a variety of improvisational templates that you can explore and have fun with!!! We've provided backing tracks and helpful suggestions to ensure you success!
7.4.1 Relaxing Improv
7.4.2 Sad Improv
7.4.3 Happy Improv
7.4.5 Spooky Improv
Level 8: Exploring Musical Styles
While there are many different styles of music when it comes to piano, the main styles often get divided into Pop, Classical, Blues and Jazz. You've already built a solid foundation in Pop piano; so now it's time to have some fun with the remaining 3 styles. This course will walk you through the stylistic characteristics of Classical, Blues and Jazz piano. You will develop coordination, confidence, and knowledge on how to play these specific styles - while also building your overall musicianship! The skills you learn in this level will translate into all aspects of your playing and help you to become the best piano player you can be!
8.1 Classical
The world of classical music is vast and varied! This course will give you a great feeling for what classical music is all about as you explore pieces from the three main eras of classical music.
8.1.1 Welcome to your Classical Course
8.1.2 Minuet III in G Major by J.S. Bach - Analysis
8.1.3 Minuet III in G Major by J.S. Bach - Play & Practice Strategy
8.1.4 Impertinence by G.F. Handel - Analysis
8.1.5 Impertinence by G.F. Handel - Play & Practice Strategy
8.1.6 Country Dance in D Major by F.J. Haydn - Analysis
8.1.7 Country Dance in D Major by F.J. Haydn - Play & Practice Strategy
8.1.8 Minuetto I in C Major by W.A. Mozart - Analysis
8.1.9 Minuetto I in C Major by W.A. Mozart - Play & Practice Strategy
8.1.10 Morning Mood by E. Grieg - Analysis
8.1.11Morning Mood by E. Grieg - Play & Practice Strategy
8.1.12 The Sleeping Beauty Waltz by P. Tchaikovsky - Analysis
8.1.13 The Sleeping Beauty Waltz by P. Tchaikovsky - Play & Practice Strategy
8.2 Blues
Blues music first started in the 1860's and has since become one of the more diverse genres of American music. In these lessons, you will be learning the basics and exploring what it takes for you to play the blues!
8.2.1 Intro to the 12 Bar Blues
8.2.2 Dominant 7th Chords and the Blues
8.2.3 What is a Blues Scale?
8.2.4 Swinging Left Hand Rhythms
8.2.5 Blues Riffs for the Right Hand
8.2.6 Soloing using the Blues Scale
8.2.7 Walking Basslines
8.2.8 Putting It All Together
8.3 Jazz
At one time, jazz music was the most popular form of music! Even though that time is behind us, learning how to play jazz music will help develop your musical literacy and enhance your understanding of music as a whole.
8.3.1 The Jazz Progression - C and G
8.3.2 Heart and Soul - the A Section
8.3.3 Heart and Soul - the B Section
8.3.4 Left hand Comping Rhythms
8.3.5 Soloing in Heart and Soul
8.3.6 Understanding Modes
8.3.7 Harmonic Analysis Part 1
8.3.8 Harmonic Analysis Part 2
8.3.9 Wrapping It Up
Level 9: Composition & Songwriting
It's time to learn how to write music! With all of the skills that you've acquired throughout the Method, you now have everything you need to start writing your very own music to share with the world! This level will provide you with composition skills and techniques that you will see in action as Sam & Lisa compose a song with you. Your challenge will be to take what you've learned and apply it to your very own composition.
9.1 Just Get Creating
The first course of Level 9 will help you to get started composing right away! The great news is that you have already developed all of the skills you need to compose, you just might not know it yet!
9.1.1 Anybody Can Be a Composer
9.1.2 The Emotional Value of Intervals
9.1.3 Writing Your First Melody
9.1.4 Getting More Out of the Piano
9.2 Composition Techniques
Course 1 was all about showing you that you already have the tools you need to create a song. In this course, we are taking a more formula based approach to composition as we explore specific composition techniques.
9.2.1 The Formula for Composing
9.2.2 Chords Change Everything
9.2.3 Taking Your Melody to the Next Level
9.3 Structuring Your Creativity
This course will help you to put the finishing touches on your composition by teaching you about song structure. Here, you will find some final compositional tools and tips for arranging and polishing your composition.
9.3.1 Song Structure 101
9.3.2 The Final Chords
9.3.3 Arranging Your Own Song
9.3.4 Polishing Your Music
9.4 Playing In Different Genres
Writing music is not restricted to just one genre. We're going to take a look at how we can use the skills from our previous lessons to start creating different styles!
9.4.1 Creating the Blues
9.4.2 Creating Jazz Music
9.4.3 Creating Classical Music
9.4.4 A Composer’s Insight
Level 10: The Next Steps
You have come so far in your learning journey. You can now say with confidence that you are a well-rounded piano player. This final level of the Pianote Method will help you put some finishing touches on your skill set. Polish up your sight reading, technique, improvisational skills, and ear, as well as develop some new skills as you learn how to play with other musicians! Finally, learn what to do next because the learning journey never really ends.
10.1 The Next Steps for Learning & Playing Songs
In this course, you will further develop your sight reading skills, learn how to put your own personal touches on the pieces you play, and be a critical listener so that you can create an incredible finished product each time you learn a new piece.
10.1.1 The Cheshire Cat Returns
10.1.2 Beautifully Simple
10.1.3 Beautifully Yours
10.1.4 The Perfect Balance
10.1.5 New Balance
10.1.6 Something Jazzy
10.1.7 Playing in 6/8
10.1.8 Using the Pianote Song Library
10.2 The Next Steps for Technique & Improvising
Technique is such a critical part of any piano player's daily routine. This course will give you tips for continuing your technique practice as well as help you to stay creative with a collection of improvisational templates. These templates can help you to build your technique routine as well as continue to develop coordination and your ear as you explore them with our suggested challenges!
10.2.1 Pop Improvisation
10.2.2 Improvising in 6/8
10.2.3 Jazzy Improvisation
10.2.4 Moody Improvisation
10.2.5 Your Improvisation
10.3 Develop Your Musicianship
You can play the piano on your own like a boss. The question now is, can you play with other musicians? This course will give you a head start when it comes to playing with a vocalist or a band as well as how to add your own creative spin to pieces you love!
10.3.1 Playing for a Vocalist
10.3.2 Playing in a Band
10.3.3 Creating Your Own Unique Covers
10.3.4 Developing Your Repertoire
10.3.5 Your Final Assignment
💬 Still Have Questions?
Our Mentors team is here to help! Whether you need guidance, tips, or just a little encouragement, you can reach us anytime at mentors@musora.com. 🎶🙌
