The Tutor - Chris Cropp

Chris has a degree in music technology and grade 8 with distinction in guitar. He has a captivating passion for playing the piano and his impressive knowledge of music theory helps to develop lessons that are logical and progressive. He has a rare natural ability for playing musical instruments and has a special talent for composing music. Chris has been teaching Keyboard and Piano for a number of years. He has used his practical skills and theory knowledge to design a course to help you get started or improve your playing.

Synopsis

The introduction to keys course assumes no previous experience with playing piano or keyboard. It starts by looking at what keys you should press. It moves on to playing your first chord and melodies from the very first lesson. The course follows a logical progression looking at common chords and scales. You will learn technique for both your right and left hand and play melodies over two octaves.

Course Structure

1. Knowing what keys to press; Playing your first chord; Left and Right Hand Melodies
2. C Major Scale, C chord, Left and Right Hand Melody
3. Backward and Forward C Major Scale, Major and Minor Chords
4. Up and Down C Major Scale, Major and Minor Chords
5. G Major Scale, Major and Minor Chords with Left and Right Hand Melody
6. Major and Flat Chords, F Major Scale
7. 1 Octave Finger Placement Technique, Bb (B flat) Scale
8. 2 Octave Finger Placement Technique, 2 Octave C major scale
9. Finger Placement Technique and Extended Chords, Dm (minor) scale

The Tutor - Chris Cropp

Chris has a degree in music technology and grade 8 with distinction in guitar. He has a captivating passion for playing the piano and his impressive knowledge of music theory helps to develop lessons that are logical and progressive. He has a rare natural ability for playing musical instruments and has a special talent for composing music. Chris has been teaching Keyboard and Piano for a number of years. He has used his practical skills and theory knowledge to design a course to help you get started or improve your playing.

Synopsis

The beginner keys course follows on from introduction to keys and takes a deeper look at chords and scales. The course runs through major and minor scales and chords. It also looks at extended 7th chord shapes. These chords and scales are used in rhythm and lead challenges. The challenges have mp3’s for you to play over, giving you experience of playing in time and jamming.

Course Structure

1. Chords Am C Em G
2. 1 Octave Open Am Scale
3. 1 Octave Open C Scale
4. 1 Octave Open Em Scale
5. 1 Octave Open G Scale
6. Em chord pattern with accompanying melody
7. Em and G chord pattern with accompanying melody
8. C and Am chord pattern with accompanying melody
9. C G and Am chord pattern with accompanying melody
10. Chord Patterns D E Dm A7 B7 E7
11. 1 Octave Open Position Scale G Pentatonic Major
12. 1 Octave Open Position Scale E Blues
13. D Dm E E7 chord pattern with accompanying melody
14. B7 A7 E7 chord pattern with accompanying melody
15. B7 D E7 chord pattern with accompanying melody
16. E7 E D E7 chord pattern with accompanying melody

The Tutor - Richard Brown

From the age of 6, Richard has been playing piano; learning advanced theory, classical techniques and working his way through the grades. He developed his understanding at an educational level, taking on Music Technology to master his ability in recording. During his early teens, he fronted his first band and has continued to perform with a variety of bands, playing up and down the country. His compositions have been well received via reviews and radio airplay, taking his influence from artists such as Tori Amos, Elvis Costello and The Cure. After a brief hiatus in Australia, he is currently composing with bands in London, Manchester and Leicester.

Synopsis

In this course, you will move beyond basic music theory to develop finger skills in order to become comfortable when playing more challenging pieces. It will further your understanding of reading music. After completing the course, you will feel more confident in your ability to improvise and play a piece of music in your own style, as well as learning some new compositions which have been created in this course.

Course Structure

1. Familiarise yourself with the piano
2. Understanding note length
3. Finger exercises
4. Understanding time signatures
5. Chords
6. What we've learnt so far
7. Playing a full scale
8. Broken chords
9. Triplets and Arpeggios
10. Sharps, Flats and Naturals
11. Finger exercises
12. Final Composition