Lessons With David
Hi, I'm David Mount. How would you like to learn to play the piano? Yes! You! Maybe you already play? Perhaps you'd like to better your skill or sharpen your technique. Maybe you're an absolute beginner and have never learned to play the piano, but you've always wanted to.
Or, if you're like some, perhaps you may have taken lessons as a child or teenager, but for whatever reason, you stopped, and you've longed for the day that you could finally learn to play. Well, my friend, I'm here to tell you that now is the time. Yes, now! STOP putting off your dream of learning the piano. STOP telling yourself that you'll do it someday. LISTEN, “Someday” doesn't exist! You have right now. You only have NOW. Whenever it was then, it was actually now at the time. And whenever you get there, it will be now then too. You owe it to yourself to learn how to play piano and impress your friends and family.
Who is David Mount? And why should you listen to him?
Moving on...
What Do You Want?
So, what do you want to learn? What styles? What pieces? What periods/genres? What are your dreams? Do you want to play in a closet for no one but yourself, or do you wish to be on a stage with a large audience listening to you grace the keyboard? Or are you somewhere in between? Just think, YOU can learn to play any style you want. Do you want to learn to play classical? What about jazz? How about ragtime?...or what about Broadway? Maybe you want to learn how to re-harmonize church music?
Anyway...you get my drift? Listen, there is a whole new world awaiting you & your musical pursuit. The question really is: What do you want? I can provide you with the coaching, the lessons, the inspiration, the technical know-how, theory, etc, etc...remember, I have taught over 29,000 piano lessons! But again, what do you want? What are you going to do about your desire to learn to play the piano?
I have your solution. Pick up the phone, and call me.
909-645-5258 (9:00am to 9:00pm)If you seriously want to learn, I sincerely want to teach you!
If you want the best results, you need one-on-one coaching & instruction.You DO want the best results right?
Here's the bottom line: You want a skill that will provide joy. I have that skill. But more importantly, I have the ability to teach you that skill in a fun, upbeat manner that won't seem like a drag. My students always have a lot of fun at their lessons and they keep coming back for more...so I must be doing something right.
This is the book we will start with...
What's This Going To Cost Me?
Ok, so you're probably wondering “How much is this going to cost me?”
Well, first of all, let me ask you a question.
Are you looking for CHEAP piano lessons? DISCOUNT piano lessons?
(Ok. I'm sure you'll have no problem finding that.)WHY WOULD YOU WANT CHEAP OR DISCOUNTED PIANO LESSONS?
This is YOUR music education! Snap out of it! Get real.
...Not to worry...because...
I have a variety of pricing packages for you to choose from that will suit your needs. For package prices be sure to check out the Lesson Prices Page of this website.
Take note: Lessons are in my home here in Southern California on a baby grand piano...and remember, these are NOT group lessons like at a junior college. These are individual, private, one-on-one lessons. Which means I go at your pace. It doesn't get any more personalized than that. And we'll study the style or styles that you are interested in.
Be sure to read the Lesson Prices Page and then call me TODAY.
I sincerely look forward to hearing from you and getting you started on your musical journey!
Warmly,
David Mount
Practicing On Your Own
If you are playing the piano as an adult self-learner, you will do best if you work in some practice time most days. You might like to establish a routine of how you will go about your practice. You can do things in a certain order, or you can mix things up differently every day.
One thing you should always do when you practice is to play scales. You do not have to play every scale every day. You might want to focus on the flat scales one day and the sharp scales the next. You do not even have to take it that far – just be sure that you practice scales of some kind for awhile before you begin to play.
Next, play some chords. Build on the scales you have played and make up as many chords as you can manage in the time you have allotted to spend on the exercise. The more you play your scales and chords, the better you will be when it comes to improvising. You will even play written music better because it will make more sense.
It is a good idea to have a set musical piece to play every time you practice before you start playing other songs. It can be any song that you can play fairly easily. Something that gives you a feeling of satisfaction is always a good choice. Make sure you do not pick a song that is new or tricky for this. You want to start out with a positive experience. You can work on the hard music later in the practice session.
After you have played your starting piece, go on to play songs you have been working on. Go over the rough spots carefully and try to play them from beginning to end without stopping. At this point it is a good time to sight-read any new music you have on hand and want to try. Then, take a little break.
Get a drink of water, eat an apple, or make a phone call. Then, go back to the piano and finish your practice. Many people believe that you have to sit down and play until you are exhausted. They never consider that taking a break can breathe new life into your playing.
Once you have had a break, you can use the rest of the time to improvise. You can make up music based on the chords and scales you played earlier. If you prefer, you can go in a completely new direction. Let this be your time for enjoyment and pure pleasure. With the right attitude, improvisation does not seem like work at all. It feels like complete freedom.
While it is good to practice most days, do not hesitate to take a day off if you are feeling bored with it. There is nothing that kills enthusiasm like overwork. Take off just enough time to renew your excitement about playing the piano. It should not take long.
If you are having trouble finding motivation to practice, go to a piano concert, buy a piano player’s CD or MP3 download, or listen to a movie soundtrack based on piano music. Whatever it takes to get you back in the groove, do it. --David