Classics By Ear – Student Reviews

Students are LOVING the Classics By Ear courses!
Now ANYONE can play their favourite classical pieces.

Pianoforall Classics By Ear Reviews

Jump to a course page on Pianoforall Academy

Erik Satie →  |  Bach Preludes →  |  Moonlight Sonata →

Erik Satie

FANTASTICALLY ORGANISED

“Robin is a great instructor. He breaks down these beautiful classical pieces into very digestible bits. His hierarchy of sheet music is also fantastically organized and useful, depending on where you are in your mastery of the song. He even adds good tips on how to take the songs to the next level. If you enjoy Satie, this video will certainly help you play his pieces, even if you’re just a beginner like me.”

Guy T.
Erik Satie

DIVIDE AND CONQUER

“This play-by-ear method is a good way to teach piano instead of the old fashioned, boring and difficult method. Divide and conquer, right hand first, then left hand, then play both hands. This method breaks it down to its simplest form and even beginners can play. Practice, practice, practice. Thank you Mr. Robin Hall.
”

Eduardo A. D.
Erik Satie

CONFIDENCE BUILDER

“Robin provides a wide variety of creative and interesting strategies for learning this piece, so if you persist, you can succeed, no matter what your learning style is. It does take a LOT of time, but it is definitely possible to get pretty good at the piece.
I especially appreciate Robin’s motivation and advice for making practice time more effective. I’m using these practice strategies on other pieces, so my playing has become more accurate since taking this class!
I wasn’t too crazy about the Satie piece when I listened to the course preview, but I’m very glad I signed up for this course. I’ve come to quite enjoy this piece, now that I can play it. It’s very soothing. Plus, it’s a confidence booster, because the music actually sounds like it’s harder to play than it is.
I hope Robin will set up some additional classes like this, to help us master a few more fun and impressive pieces.”

Carolyn C.
Erik Satie

I ENJOYED EVERY MINUTE OF IT

“I am a 70 year old advanced beginner who has never tried to learn anything on my own without an instructor by my side. This was also my first attempt to play classical music. I had a great time, enjoyed every minute of it and felt like I did have someone to guide me through all of the pieces. I thought the presentations were very well organized and easily understood. I would definitely sign up for more of these. A great way to enjoy sheltering in place. Thanks again.”

Paul B.
Moonlight Sonata

THIS TYPE OF TEACHING IS EXACTLY WHAT ADULT BEGINNERS NEED

“Clear & informative. I teach piano improvisation & musicality. I create my own material as Piano books give the student too much information in one go, making them stressed out and confused. This type of teaching is exactly what adult beginners need.”

Benita Laakso
Bach Preludes

THE RESOURCE PAGES ARE AMAZING!!!

“The resource pages are amazing!!! Definitely does great job at breaking information down into multiple concepts/pathways to learning & memorizing/reading notes while getting some real progress learning beautiful pieces (not stuck doing Mary had a little lamb!!!).”

Alyson
Moonlight Sonata

THIS COURSE WAS AMAZING

“This course was amazing – as was the Bach preludes course. It delivered as promised! I now know how to play the Moonlight Sonata! Put in the time, follow his instructions and you will learn how to play it. I’m amazed. I’m 53 and I’ve tried to learn piano over the years. I came across this and figured why not?! I plan on continuing to learn how to read sheet music and improve but in the meantime – I now have a few beautiful songs under my belt that I play often – very relaxing and fulfilling.”

Fernando Rodriguez
Moonlight Sonata

THE BEST EVER METHOD

“The best-ever method to learn a song. it took me a while to finish this course but it absolutely worth it. I learned 3 more pieces of Classics By Ear – Erik Satie from Robin too and I’m happy that I chose Robin to be my teacher. I’m really looking forward to learning more from him. Wish you the best.”

Ehsan Ghafourian
Bach Preludes

HANDS DOWN THE BEST CLASSICAL PIANO COURSE ONLINE

“Another awesome course from Robin. This is my third course from Robin on Piano. Loved the piano-for-all (still in progress) and the Erik Satie (finished 2 out of 3 pieces) and now this preludes from Bach enriching my musical journey. A very nicely and carefully created course content. To be honest, its little more than I required (as I’ve been consistently playing for over 10 months now) but I can understand a real beginner would need all the details/help which the instructor has covered in this course.

This is hands-down the best classical piano course online. I’m done with prelude-Cmajor for now and can’t wait for improve it before I jump into Cminor. Dear Robin, Thanks you sir… hope you keep on creating such courses covering classics…. and possibly some Chopin pieces (psst: Waltz in A minor).”

Vikas Sharma
Moonlight Sonata

INSPIRATIONAL

“I would buy any course by robin hall. This and others i have bought are great and inspirational”

Scarlet Buckle
Moonlight Sonata

I ABSOLUTELY RECOMMEND THIS

“I always wanted to be able to play this exact piece, but got stuck pretty quickly and gave up. Now I can already play it up to the 2nd page! I would never have thought this! Thank you so much for teaching me this! This method of breaking the piece down into individual pieces, combined with the excellent explanations in the video and the perfect printable documents, is for me the best way to learn piano.

I absolutely recommend this as well as all of Robin’s other courses. I sincerely hope that there will be more courses. I will attend all of them without exception. Thank you again Mr. Hall!”

Daniel H.
Erik Satie

IT FEELS AMAZING

“Great course. I learned to play the first Gnossienne from start to finish in less than a week by watching this course and I have only been learning classical piano for a couple of months.

It feels amazing to be able to play along with some of the classic Satie recordings and feel that not only do I get the notes right, but I’m also starting to add expression to my playing. Looking forward to future courses applying the same method!”

Jaakko H.
Erik Satie

THE PACE OF THE SESSIONS IS PERFECT

“I am very much enjoying this course, it being well-structured. Although I can read music at a basic level, I find the various ways of remembering the left hand chords extremely useful. The pace of the sessions is perfect for me. I have a friend who plays a banjo and he can’t read a note of music and uses lyrics with chords written above. It shows just how important it is to know the ‘feel’ of the piece by listening carefully to it being played, just as you recommend.Thank you.”

Alan Norman B.
Moonlight Sonata

AMAZING TEACHER

“This is my second course from this amazing teacher. I’m a 62 year old novice, but these courses have made me a better player than I ever expected to be. Thank you.”

Ken Koehler
Erik Satie

I AM NOW 70, I AM MAKING GREAT STRIDES WITH YOUR COURSE

I played Keys as a Young Boy….I am now 70….I was able to read and play music way back then. Now it seems very Foreign to me. I am making Great strides with Your Course and am now starting to get a feel for the piano again..Thank You for Your Knowledge & Presenting it so That I Can Understand and Will Play The Piano Again !!! Again….Thank You.

Denny T.
Moonlight Sonata

THE RESULTS HAVE BEEN ABOVE MY EXPECTATIONS

“I never thought I would be able to play this piece, or anything as complex as this. But the way Robin Hall takes you literally by the hand and guides you step by step, it’s just amazing, I mean it works, all it takes is persistence and the results will come.
Of course, this is a complex and fairly difficult piece, it is not for novices but with Robin Halls’ guidance, someone with a few years experience, (let’s say, someone like me who has competed most of Robin Halls “Piano For All” course) can give it a go and with practice, the results will come.
Also, a suggestion: if you try this score/course and you find it difficult, do Robin Halls’ Bach Preludes course first or even his Satie course, both courses follow the same method with well written scores, keyboard diagrams and step by step guidance, and Bach’s Prelude No. 1 in C major (BWV 846) and Satie’s Gnossienne No 1 are much simpler than the Moonlight Sonata Mov 1, this is what I did and as I said, the results have been above my expectations…”

George Theotokis
Bach Preludes

VERY EASY TO FOLLOW

“Excellent! Very easy to follow. After that course, I learned enough to take on my own some other pieces. I bought all your courses. Please!!!! Do course for Clair de lune”

Vesna Kotnik
Erik Satie

MY ABILITY TO READ MUSIC IMPROVED SIGNIFICANTLY

“I enjoyed this course as much as any course I’ve taken. It is a good length and very focused–it teaches one thing and teaches it really well. It provides a step-by-step walkthrough for playing Erik Satie’s Trois Gnossienes on Piano. These are beautiful pieces and not too difficult to play, and Robin’s method makes learning them really straightforward. I can now play through these pieces consistently, more or less by memory. My ability to read sheet music for piano improved significantly, though that is only a secondary emphasis in the course. Highly recommended for an adult learner with a tiny bit of piano who wants to master one piece. I’m already moving on to Robin’s Bach course and looking forward to it.”

David L.
Moonlight Sonata

TRULY INSPIRATIONAL

“It is a truly inspirational course for me. I am making progress !!! Just in time I have found the words of encouragement and support. So important to have those. Great teacher. I am really grateful for the clear and easy to follow visual instructions that I needed most as I am studying without a tutor by my side.”

Sergio
Erik Satie

IF I CAN PLAY IT IN TWO WEEKS ANYONE CAN

“Sounds daunting at first but is broken down in such a way as to make it do-able. The combination of sheet music, cheat sheets plus the verbal instruction and video is very effective. If I can play the whole thing in two weeks anyone can as I am definitely a novice.”

Peter F.
Erik Satie

SO FAR IT’S A PLEASURE

I am 55, didn’t ever play the piano, however I do know how to read notes and I love classical music. Sati was not new to me. I enrolled to this course 3 weeks ago and so far it’s a pleasure.
At the beginning I thought it is too complicated as a first piece of music, however after practicing 4 time a week for 10-30 minutes i started to see noticeable improvement, like a magic it became easier and easier. Still I have mistakes and need more practice, however the “music” is there.
I highly recommend!
.


Yoav W
Bach Preludes

AFTER A WEEK I COULD PLAY THE PIECE REALLY WELL

“I have struggled with the Prelude for months and so I took advantage of this course. After a week, I could play the piece really well. Robin is an amazing teacher, and I highly recommend this course. Robin – please create more lessons!!”

Monica Weggeman
Bach Preludes

THIS CLASS HAS BEEN A BREATH OF FRESH AIR

“For someone who tried to learn piano as a child, this class has been a breath of fresh air, as well as a confidence booster. I already had a basic understanding of reading music and playing but had not tried to play the piano for decades. The step-by-step structure of this class and viewing each step as a pattern of notes/finger movements was brilliant for me.

Then, the addition of a final lesson that brought expression into the piece rounded out my experience perfectly. I so enjoyed this class! I would love to see more piano classes like this from Robin that focus on learning individual compositions. Maybe some Vivaldi or The Beatles? 🙂 Thank you for a great class!”

Tracey D
Erik Satie

ONE OF THE BEST COURSES OUT THERE

“I’m quite impressed how an online course can be actually better than a presenting course. I didn’t expect much of this, but I’m 100% satisfied and do believe is one of the best courses out there. At least is working really well for me.
Also, my aunt is taking another course from this teacher and she’s enjoying a lot.
Thank you”

Alex C.