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MaxLearning.Net |
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Home: www.maxlearning.net * Email: mike.weinberg@cox.net |
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Video |
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Welcome to Allcanplay! |
 3 pages |
 6:46 min |
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Keyboards & Keys The basics: Pros and cons of acoustic vs. digital instruments, how to sit at the piano, keyboard layout, hand and fingering tips and traps, names of black and white keys, finding Middle C, counting octaves, and more. |
 8 pages |
 9:29 min |
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Warmups Since pianists are athletes, it pays to warm up. Gain flexibility and coordination by playing a variety of basic patterns with first the right hand, then the left, then both hands together, all in 5-finger position. |
 5 pages |
 11:02 min |
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Alouette This catchy French-Canadian folk song has both hands in 5-finger position so you never have to move them. Played mostly with the right hand, both hands join in at the end for some "parallel motion." |
 1 page Audio - 27 sec |
 12:34 min |
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Practice & The Piano Paradox Practice and repetition are necessities, but there are smarter ways to practice that can reduce learning time. Learn about your two types of memory and the Piano Paradox: S-l-o-w Practice = Rapid Progress. |
 3 pages |
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When the Saints
Go Marching In Originally a slow funeral dirge, "The Saints" was transformed into a lively jazz number. It's said to be the tune most requested of Dixieland bands. 5-finger positioning throughout makes this version a snap to play. |
 1 page Audio - 19 sec |
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Motivation / Performance Anxiety What is it about music that makes you want to make it yourself? Whom should you play for? Why is it you play a song perfectly when you're alone yet make a mistake as soon as someone walks in the room? |
 4 pages |
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Ode to Joy This famous song is from Beethoven's 9th Symphony, his last. If you don't know it by name, you'll know it when you hear it. Sections that repeat and 5-finger position throughout make for quick learning. |
 1 page Audio - 33 sec |
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Sight Reading The more you learn to play without looking at your hands, the better you can focus on the written music and not lose your place. Techniques include "feeling" keys, "pinching" fingers, and "reaching" intervals. |
 3 pages |
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Chopsticks This lively ditty is typically played by children using both pointer fingers. But as a fun way to practice reaching intervals, particularly octave spans, you'll play it with alternating hands. |
 1 page Audio - 36 sec |
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Chords Chords are groups of keys, usually played with the left hand, that add harmony to the melody of a song. We'll start with the 12 major chords and ways to play them: blocked, broken, arpeggio, inverted, etc. |
 4 pages |
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Chord Variations Using simple rules, each major chord can be converted into dozens of variations (minor, 7th, etc.) that set song moods (sadness, tension, etc.). Use the Chord Constructor on the last page to build each chord type. |
 4 pages |
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Left Hand
Boogie This dynamic riff is played with the left hand repeating a basic 12-bar blues pattern over 3 major chords: C, F, & G. The rhythm is energizing, especially when played with the Grace Note variation. |
 1 page Audio - 13 sec Variation - 10 sec |
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Pedaling The sustain pedal smoothes out the gaps in sound that occur when you move your hands from one set of keys to the next. Pedaling adds a professional touch that will set your playing apart. |
 3 pages |
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Arpeggios & Climbs A great way to learn chords is to arpeggiate (like a harp) them up and down over several octaves. Crossing hands and "spotting" keys is great fun. And Climbing Chords add grandeur and flair. |
 3 pages |
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America, The
Beautiful This well-known anthem has you using and moving both hands, so it requires good finger coordination and lots of practice. But its stirring melody and rich chord harmonies are a joy to play and hear. |
 1 page Audio - 47 sec |
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Playing By Ear Most people assume that playing by ear is an inborn skill. But if you can hear a wrong note in a song, you can play by ear. We'll pick out a popular melody with the right hand, then add chords for the left hand. |
 7 pages |
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Fingering Since fingers develop muscle memory, it's important to use the same fingers each time you play a song. Learn various techniques and assign fingering to the song you picked out in the Playing By Ear lesson. |
 8 pages |
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Für Elise Nearly everyone recognizes this famous Beethoven tune, even if not by name. In this abbreviated version, only one hand plays at a time, yet it sounds deceptively complex. Key Clusters reveal helpful patterns. |
 1 page Audio - 13 sec |
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Reading Music Standard notation is the universal language of music. Knowing how to read it opens a whole world of songs to you. We'll see why it's such a challenge to learn and explore ways to enhance your reading ability. |
 12 pages |
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Converting Songs to Allcanplay If there's a song you're longing to play but the sheet music is beyond your current note-reading ability, use the included guides to convert it to Allcanplay pictures. You'll become a better note reader in the process. |
 11 pages |
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Practical Music Theory Apply music theory to practical uses. Build scales, intervals, and chords. Find the Key of a song. Learn the features of the Circle of Fifths. Use the Transposer and the 88 & 5th charts to aid with improvisation. |
 18 pages |
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Improvisation Techniques Enhance the songs you already know by transposing keys and chords, adding intervals and progressions, substituting and styling chords, inserting grace notes, crushes, mordents, and more. |
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Clair De Lune This classic composed by Claude Debussy in 1890 is technically challenging, spanning 6 octaves over 72 measures and 2 Keys. It takes 5+ minutes to play, but if you love the song, it's worth the effort. |
Measures 1-8 8-17 17-27 |
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KEYBOARD SONG SHEETS Use these blank keyboard sheets to mark keys as you pick out songs by ear or convert sheet music to Allcanplay. Each version contains a title page and an inner page. Print as many copies as you need. * 2½ octave version ranges from C3 to E5. * 6 octave version ranges from C1 to B6. |
 2½ octaves |
 6 octaves |
Hi, my name is A.C. Player, and I'll
be your guide to making beautiful
music on the piano. To get you playing
songs more quickly, we'll use the
Allcanplay play-by-picture system,
which shows you exactly which keys to
press
without
reading music! Then we'll cover chords, how to play by ear,
and how to
read music. You'll learn to play simpler songs
from sheet music and convert harder
songs to Allcanplay.
After some practical music theory, I'll show you improvisation
techniques that will enliven any song.
We'll have loads of musical fun while keeping our
fingers limber and our brains
stretched!