Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. Pianoforall was designed with complete beginners in mind and assumes you know nothing about piano or music.

We start with simple chords and rhythms and build everything in carefully structured small steps. Each exercise adds something new, so you gradually build up a collection of skills, patterns and techniques that you can use to play all kinds of music.

I’ve taught students of all ages, including many people who started learning after retirement.

Adults often make very good students. You know the kind of music you enjoy, you’re good at recognising patterns and, most importantly, you’re learning because you want to.

You don’t need hours of practice either. A little regular practice can take you a surprisingly long way.

Yes. In fact, returning players often find Pianoforall particularly useful because it may be quite different from the way they originally learned.

If you already know some of the basics, you can move through those sections quite quickly. But I’d still start at the beginning because you’ll pick up the chord shapes, rhythm patterns and way of thinking that we build on later.

You may also be surprised by how much comes back.

No — not to begin with.

My approach has always been Play First, Ask Questions Later.

You’ll start mainly by listening, watching and playing chords and rhythms. Reading music is then introduced gradually as you progress.

By the time you see something written on the page, there’s a good chance you’ve already heard it and played it, which makes the notation much easier to understand.

Many people who learned piano traditionally can read music quite well but find it difficult to sit down and simply play without a score.

Pianoforall approaches the piano from another direction. You’ll learn chords, rhythm patterns, accompaniment styles, blues, jazz, improvisation and playing by ear.

Most importantly, you’ll learn skills and patterns that you can apply to other songs rather than simply learning individual pieces.

Yes. It’s an important part of Pianoforall.

You’ll gradually learn to recognise chords, chord progressions, rhythms and common musical patterns and begin to understand how they fit together.

The aim is to give you skills you can apply to all kinds of music, so eventually you can sit down at a piano and simply play rather than always needing sheet music in front of you.

Pianoforall starts with chords and rhythm-style piano and gradually moves through ballads, blues, rock ’n’ roll, jazz, improvisation, playing by ear, reading music and classical piano.

Each section builds on things you’ve already learned, so you’re continually adding new skills rather than starting again from scratch.

You don’t need to practise for hours.

Fifteen or twenty minutes regularly is much better than forcing yourself through a long session once a week.

Particularly at the beginning, short sessions give your hands and brain time to get used to unfamiliar movements. If you’re enjoying yourself and want to play for longer, of course you can.

You don’t need an expensive piano.

A keyboard with at least 61 full-size, touch-sensitive keys and a sustain pedal is enough to get started. If you have the budget and space, an 88-key weighted digital piano is even better.

Make sure the keyboard has ‘Touch Response’ / ‘Touch Sensitivity’. When you play a key harder, it should sound louder; when you play gently, it should sound softer. This lets you put expression into your playing.

You will also need a sustain pedal. It allows notes to ring out after you release the keys and is an essential part of the lessons.

Your piano or keyboard doesn’t need to connect to Pianoforall. Simply watch the lessons on your computer, tablet or phone and play along on your instrument.

You get instant online access to your course through Pianoforall Academy. There’s nothing to download or set up — simply sign in on your computer, tablet or phone and start learning.

All the videos and course material are there ready to use, and your progress is saved automatically. You’ll also have access to The Piano Lounge community, where you can ask questions, get help and chat with other students.

You can even screen-share to your TV if you’d prefer to watch the lessons on a larger screen.

Yes. Alongside the online course, you also get downloadable ebooks with embedded video and audio lessons. Once downloaded, you can use them without an internet connection.

So you can learn online through Pianoforall Academy, use the ebooks offline, or enjoy a mixture of both—whatever suits you. Downloading is entirely optional.

You have lifetime access to the course.

There’s no deadline and no need to rush. If life gets in the way and you stop for a while, simply come back when you’re ready.

Any future updates to your course are included too.

You can email me directly and I’ll be happy to help. I read and answer my emails personally.

You’ll also have access to The Piano Lounge, our community of Pianoforall students from around the world.

It’s a friendly place to ask questions, get help, share your progress or simply chat with other people who enjoy learning and playing piano. I’m part of the community too, so I’ll be around to help when I can.