Why do I want to learn chord piano?

 

Most of my adult students have told me that they want to play the piano or keyboard for their own pleasure. Many have admitted that they would love to be able to play in front of friends and family at special occasions. Some have stated that they want to play at church or a senior center. But they don't want to take years to learn how to play their favorite songs. 

Learning to play piano in the traditional way can take years to get to a point where you can play in public or even just well enough to enjoy it yourself. By learning chord piano, you shorten that time frame by years. Granted, much depends on how dedicated you are and also how easily you catch on. But even slower students have learned to play very respectably in a reasonable amount of time.

With chord piano, you learn to play a melody in the right hand and the chords in the left. You'll learn songs in much less time than learning to read a whole arrangement. Some people prefer to read music and not have to think about what to play. This is fine if you read well, but not so fine for the many who struggle, especially with reading the left hand. 

If you've taken lessons as a child, no matter how long, you have the advantage of being able to read music, at least you have the rudiments out of the way. You may have forgotten much of it, but it's still in some brain cells tucked away in some dusty storage area in your head. You will be able to learn chord piano much easier than you think and you'll have a great time. And once you learn chords, you'll be able to embellish and "dress up" your songs based on the level you were able to play in the past.