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# ThePianoLearner.com

For people who love making music at the piano

## Sitemaps

- [XML Sitemap](https://thepianolearner.com/sitemap.xml): Contains all public & indexable URLs for this website.

## Posts

- [How Adults Benefit from Taking Piano Lessons](https://thepianolearner.com/how-adults-benefit-from-taking-piano-lessons/) - I have talked to hundreds of adult piano learners about why they take lessons. Here are some common themes I hear over and over: They want to fulfill a long-held dream of learning piano. They want to do something for themselves, in addition to fulfilling their work and family responsibilities. They want to explore their
- [What I Learned from Writing "Play Piano"](https://thepianolearner.com/what-i-learned-from-writing-play-piano/) - Writing "Play Piano" was by no means easy. The process took about a year and half, including me editing at least six drafts printed at FedEx Kinkos down the street! I am amazed at how well it came together, not just in my opinion but as a valuable resource for piano learners. Here's why I
- [Overcome Negative Thinking to Achieve Your Musical Dreams](https://thepianolearner.com/overcome-negative-thinking-to-achieve-your-musical-dreams/) - Back in high school, I took classical piano lessons at the San Francisco Conservatory's pre-college Preparatory Division. All in all, this was a rich and inspiring experience. Over two and a half years, I worked closely with two accomplished Conservatory piano teachers. At the time, the Conservatory was in a building in San Francisco's Sunset
- ["Play Piano" Book Launch: A Sweet Community Event](https://thepianolearner.com/play-piano-book-launch-a-sweet-community-event/) - Recently, we had a book launch celebration for "Play Piano: A Learner's Guide to Playing, Reading, and Creating Music." It was a pleasant Saturday evening in April in downtown Sacramento. My piano students on the "Book Launch Committee" played a critical role in helping the event take place. Amy, who first suggested the idea of
- [The Best Piano Practice Technique for Reading Precision](https://thepianolearner.com/the-best-piano-practice-technique-for-reading-precision/) - Piano learners are eager to gain fluency in playing and reading music. I have never found a shortcut to growing reading skills, yet over and over I see the progress learners make when using effective piano practice techniques. One such piano practice technique is counting while playing. Some years ago I noticed something about my
- [Welcome, Piano Learners!](https://thepianolearner.com/welcome-piano-learners/) - Welcome to ThePianoLearner.com! I am so glad you stopped by. Since this is the first post I have written for the site, I will start by defining what I mean by the term "piano learner". A piano learner is anyone who uses (or wants to use) the piano (or electric keyboard) as a means of
- [The World of Piano Learning](https://thepianolearner.com/the-world-of-piano-learning/) - The world of piano learning is vast and multi-faceted. Piano learners have many options for how they learn to play piano, as well as what they play and the source of information they use to play it. The traditional piano lesson is focused almost completely around reading sheet music. This has worked well for many
- [Debunking The Piano Talent Myth](https://thepianolearner.com/debunking-the-piano-talent-myth/) - The notion of "talent" often confuses or discourages piano learners. Talent is the idea of God-given advantages, the kind that seem to exist for four year old children who play Mozart sonatas at the piano like virtuosos. Common knowledge suggests that people who achieve greatness were fated to become that way. It's as if greatness
- [Unlock Your Creativity with Music Composition](https://thepianolearner.com/unlock-your-creativity-with-music-composition/) - Recently I went on a camping trip with my mom. My mom loves camping and is always appreciative of being in nature. This makes her a lot of fun to camp with. When I got home from the trip, I was inspired to compose a new piano piece dedicated to her. The idea came in
- [The Path to Sight Reading Excellence](https://thepianolearner.com/the-path-to-sight-reading-excellence/) - If you have ever felt overwhelmed or discouraged about sight reading at the piano, you are not alone. Many piano students come to me saying their dream is to sit down at the piano and read music of songs they love by sight. Yet relatively few piano learners actually learn to sight read with ease.
- [The Joy That Powers Piano Learning](https://thepianolearner.com/the-joy-that-powers-piano-learning/) - From an early age, I found joy in making music and desired to spend my life doing it. That desire came entirely from inside of me. Similarly, one thing I love about teaching piano adults is that they too, in my experience, only take lessons for personal reasons. As I write in Chapter 1 of
- [Lessons with Gail: The True Value of a Good Piano Teacher](https://thepianolearner.com/lessons-with-gail-the-true-value-of-a-good-piano-teacher/) - The summer I was twelve, I started taking piano lessons with Gail. Gail lived a few miles from our home in Concord, California. When I met Gail, she had some kind of medical problem with her throat. She told me she had to speak more softly than usual. This translated into a voice that was
- [Piano Improvisation: An Invitation for Learners](https://thepianolearner.com/piano-improvisation-an-invitation-for-learners/) - I have a confession. Though I am a highly capable sight reader and enjoy helping my students learn to read music, as a performer I often prefer piano improvisation over reading sheet music. For example, last year I did about a dozen solo piano shows, including a luncheon, a private Holiday party, a wedding reception,

## Pages

- [Home](https://thepianolearner.com/) - Make learning the piano simple, fun, and effective—even if you’ve struggled before! My book, "Play Piano: A Learner's Guide to Playing, Reading, and Creating Music", gives you step-by-step strategies that demystify reading music, make practice effective, and keep you inspired. Find Out More 👉 Get the Book My book helps you: Make more progress. Read
- ["Play Piano: A Learner's Guide to Playing, Reading, and Creating Music"](https://thepianolearner.com/play-piano-a-learners-guide-to-playing-reading-and-creating-music/) - Your companion on your piano-learning journey (for about the cost of one lesson!) "There are so many suggestions in this book that anybody could pick up to find which part helps them learn the best." --MiMi “The book is a combination of technical information as well as encouraging information.” – Spoon “It’s something I would
- [What Piano Learners Say About "Play Piano”](https://thepianolearner.com/what-piano-learners-say-about-play-piano/) - Here’s what real piano learners are saying about their experience using the ideas in "Play Piano: A Learner's Guide to Playing, Reading, and Creating Music". Each story is unique, but they all share a common thread: these learners are enjoying their piano learning and shaping it to their specific musical interests. "To be able to
- [Blog](https://thepianolearner.com/blog/)
- [Contact](https://thepianolearner.com/contact/) - To enquire about taking piano lessons with Chris, visit Chris's piano teaching site. For questions about ThePianoLearner.com, "Play Piano: A Learner's Guide," or to enquire about having Chris as a guest for your podcast or music program, fill out the form below.
- [About](https://thepianolearner.com/about/) - ThePianoLearner.com is an online resource designed for piano enthusiasts, people taking piano lessons (now or in the past), and people who want to play piano. This site was founded by pianist and composer Chris Goslow, a longtime piano teacher and author of "Play PIano: A Learner's Guide to Playing, Reading, and Creating Music." Chris teaches

## Categories

- [Reading Music](https://thepianolearner.com/category/reading-music/) - Posts focusing on reading music.
- [Piano Improvisation](https://thepianolearner.com/category/piano-improvisation/) - Posts focusing on piano improvisation, incluiding using lead sheets.
- [Composition](https://thepianolearner.com/category/composition/) - Posts focusing on composition, including using computer notation programs and digital audio workstations.
- [Practice Strategies](https://thepianolearner.com/category/practice-strategies/) - Posts focusing on practice strategies that support practicing effectively and making consistent piano progress.
- [Learning Mindset and Foundations](https://thepianolearner.com/category/mindset-foundations/) - Posts focused on an empowered mindset for learning, as well as foundational topics for piano learners.
- ["Play Piano" Book-Related](https://thepianolearner.com/category/play-piano-book-related/) - Posts related to the book “Play Piano: A Learner’s Guide to Playing, Reading, and Creating Music”