Insights
Piano lesson questions, answered.
Short answers to what people ask me before they start piano lessons: what it costs, whether you need to read music, which instrument to buy and what a first lesson is like.
How much do in-home piano lessons cost in McLean, VA?
Start With Chords charges $100 an hour for private piano lessons at your home in McLean, VA and the towns around it. The first visit, 30 minutes at your home, is free. There is no contract and no package to buy. Lessons after 5 pm carry a $20 supplement.
Can you learn piano without reading music?
Yes. You can start playing real songs on the piano with chords and chord charts, which take minutes to learn. In my lessons reading follows playing: chord charts from day one, lead sheets by mid-year, and notes on the staff in the second half of the first year.
What are the four chords used in hundreds of pop songs?
The four chords are C, G, A minor (Am) and F. They sit under hundreds of pop, rock and soul songs. On the piano each one is three notes: C is C, E and G. G is G, B and D. A minor is A, C and E. F is F, A and C.
Do I need an acoustic piano for lessons, or is a digital keyboard enough?
A digital keyboard is enough. A digital piano with 88 full-size, weighted keys and a sustain pedal covers the whole first year of lessons, and you can play it with headphones. An acoustic piano is lovely if you have the room for it and plan for tuning.
What happens at a first in-home piano lesson?
At a first visit with Start With Chords, I come to your home for 30 minutes, free of charge. I check your piano or keyboard, we talk about the songs you love, and you play your first song before I leave. No prior lessons are needed and there is nothing to prepare.
Is a piano teacher better than a piano app?
Apps are good at showing you which key to press. They cannot see your hands, hear your room, or play with you. A teacher in the room corrects your hands and posture as you play, plays duets with you, and keeps you on a fixed path, which is what gets most people to keep going.
How long does it take an adult to learn to play a song on the piano?
With a chord-based approach, about a month. In my lessons you play four chords in the first lesson and a full song, along with the original recording, by the end of the first month. Over the one-year program you learn twelve songs, one a month.