I have put up this webpage in order to share my love
for playing the piano with others. Perhaps you don't know how to play
yet, but you are wanting to learn. If that's the
case, then I have some very helpful information for
you on this site.
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My name is Greg Stephens
and I am in love with the piano. I can
honestly say that there is nothing I enjoy
more than sitting down to play.
I don't really care if it is pop, jazz, the
blues or even some good old fashioned
gospel, if I am making music I am smiling.
Sitting down at the piano
takes me to a place that I can't find
anywhere else. |
Since you are at my site I am
going to assume that you have an interest in playing
the piano as well. I want to encourage you to follow
your desire and become the pianist that you want to
be. In the age of the internet, it is easier to
learn than ever before.
As you can see I was
introduced to the piano at a very early age
:)
I come from a musical family and
learning the piano was something that was
"required learning" for my older sister and
I. My formal lessons started at the age of
7.As a young
boy I was less than excited about learning
to play. I looked at it as more of a chore.
I don't remember ever looking forward to
going over to Mrs. Williams house for my
lessons. |
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Mrs. Williams lived around the
corner and she taught piano in her living room. She
was a very demanding teacher. Her piano was
perfectly tuned and always polished to a high gloss
shine. When you sat down at her piano, you had
better be ready for some serious business!
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As with any young boy
being forced to do something he didn't want
to do, I often slacked off with my practice
and she ALWAYS knew when I hadn't put in the
practice time that she required.
Nope, there was no
fooling Mrs. Williams, and she would make me
pay if I had been slacking off.
I took these lessons
until I was old enough to convince my mother
that it really wasn't something I wanted to
be doing. |
The best I can recall, I took the
lessons until I was about 12 and that was the end of
my piano playing days for a very long time. It
wasn't until I hit my 30's that I discovered my love
of the piano.
Once I started to play again I
realized that I had forgotten more than I had ever
learned about playing the piano. Now I actually
wanted some instruction, but I wasn't about to wind
up with lessons from another Mrs. Williams again!
It was about that time that a
friend of mine told me about a home study type of
piano course that his wife was using to teach their
kids. He let me borrow a few of the dvd's that they
were finished with so I could check it out. After
going through the first two dvd's in the course, I
went online and bought my own copy of the course
because I could see it was exactly what I needed.
The course is put out by a
company named "Learn and Master", and the instructor
of the course is
Will
Barrow. Will was somebody that I could learn
from easily and his credentials are amazing. His bio
is on the L&M site, but if you watch the Grand Ole
Opry, you have seen him on stage there regularly.
But don't get me wrong, he is not teaching country
and western piano in this course. He covers the full
gamut from beginner to intermediate piano. The
course includes an online student support center
where you will find answers to any questions you may
have with the teachings, and to me that is what made
it the complete package.
So today, some 25 years after I
was sitting at Mrs. Williams piano for my weekly
lessons, I am enjoying the piano more than she or I
could have ever imagined. I was home for the
holidays a few years ago and I stopped by her home
for a visit. I once again sat down at her piano. As
I suspected, it was perfectly tuned, and it still
had that high gloss shine on it! It was so surreal
to sit there and to thoroughly enjoy playing that
exact piano that I had such a distaste for in my
youth. It was almost like I was conquering a long
lost monster from my past. I know that sounds
dramatic, but that's almost what I felt.
At any rate, I now have three
children of my own and I am thrilled that the two
oldest have expressed an interest in playing the
piano. I am allowing them to take it at their own
pace and we are using the same Learn and Master
course that I used myself. I am sure that we will be
hosting the Stephens family piano recital very soon.
:)
It doesn't matter your age,
learning to play is easier than ever before. I hope
you pursue your dream. It is difficult for me to
imagine my life without the piano. Making music is a
universal joy that I believe we all should
experience. If you have any questions or if I can
help you in some way, please send me an email. I'll
be glad to help in any way I can.
Take care,
Greg :)
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This is my pride and joy. It's
the
Williams digital baby grand. I
was totally surprised at how
affordable it is, and absolutely
amazed at how it plays.
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You don't need
an expensive upright piano to learn to play.
The Yamaha DGX230MS 76-Key portable piano
is a real nice piece of equipment
and the
Guitar Center has a great
deal on them at the moment.
Make sure
you check their site
for coupons for an even better deal.
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Will Barrow
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This is the
grand daddy of them all,
the Steinway Concert Grand Piano.
I had a chance to sit down at one of these a
few years ago and it was something that I
will never forget.
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This is the
course I studied.
It is of a very high quality
and I highly recommend it.
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To me, one of
the most important aspects of playing is to
be
comfortable at the piano. A nice
bench seat will help you to get comfortable.
You can find
a nice one for well under a $100.
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