Welcome, Dear Student!

I am thrilled that you've decided to start your lessons with me. Whether you are looking to master the keyboard, discover your true singing voice, or both, I can't wait to help you unlock your musical potential. Before our first session, I wanted to share a little bit about my approach so you know what to expect.

My Teaching Philosophy: Ears First! My goal isn’t just to teach you how to press the right keys or hit the right notes; it’s to help you understand the language of music. Because I teach playing and singing by ear, our focus will be on building a strong connection between what you hear in your head and what comes out of your hands and voice.

We will bypass the frustration of staring at complex sheet music and instead focus on patterns, feeling, chord structures, breathing, harmony, and active listening. I believe that learning music should be intuitive, deeply rewarding, and most importantly, fun! 

Mistakes are not just allowed—they are embraced as part of the learning and growing process.

What to Bring to Our Lessons

• A suitable method for taking notes - paper or digital - you decide.

• For vocal students - A bottle of room-temperature water.

• A recording device (your smartphone voice memo app is perfect) so you can record our warm-ups and exercises to practice with during the week.

• 1 or 2 songs you'd love to learn how to play and/or sing.

Lesson 1: Finding Your First Notes

• Goal: Learn to navigate the keyboard by ear and simple patterns, not reading. Identify core notes.

• Concepts:

  • The keyboard is made of white and black keys. The black keys come in groups of 2 and 3. This is our map!

  • Ear First: Don't worry about note names yet. Just listen and look.

• Action Steps:

  • Find all the groups of 2 black keys. Play them. How do they sound?

  • Find all the groups of 3 black keys. Play them. How is their sound different?

  • The note immediately to the left of any group of 2 black keys is C. Find all the Cs on the keyboard.

  • The note immediately to the left of any group of 3 black keys is F. Find all the Fs.

  • The note one white key to the right of F is G. Find all the Gs.

  • Congratulations! You can now find C, F, and G (our core 'home base' notes) anywhere on the keyboard, just by looking at the patterns!

• Ear Training Exercise:

  • Play a note (any white key). Ask: "Does this feel like a 'home' note (C, F, G) or a different note?" Play a C, F, or G and then a different note (like D or B) to hear the difference.

  • Have someone else play a C, F, or G and try to identify which one it is (by hearing its unique quality compared to the others, or its position relative to the black keys).

Practice Tip: Spend time just sliding your hands up and down, finding Cs, Fs, and Gs quickly. 

Lesson 2: Melody Matching By Ear

Goal: Understand and play the Major Scale. Practice replicating simple melodies by ear.

• Concepts:

  1. A scale is a set of notes played in order, like steps on a ladder.

  2. The Major Scale is the foundation for most happy/bright/celebratory music we know. It has a specific sequence of Steps: Whole, Whole, Half, Whole, Whole, Whole, Half (W-W-H-W-W-W-H).

  3. Equally important, the Minor Scale is the foundation for the most sad, moody, or  somber music we know. It has a specific sequence of Steps: Whole,  Half, Whole, Whole, Half, Whole, Whole  (W-H-W-W-H-W-W).

  4. Whole and Half Steps:

     • Whole Step (W): Move across two adjacent keys (including black keys).

     • Half Step (H): Move just one key (to the very next key, white or black).

• Action Steps:

  1. Start on Middle C (which you found in Lesson 1!).

  2. Follow the W-W-H-W-W-W-H pattern to play the C Major Scale (all white keys!).

  3. Play the scale up and down. Listen to how it sounds ascending vs. descending. Sing the notes as you play (Do-Re-Mi-Fa-Sol-La-Ti-Do!).

• Ear Training Exercise:

  1. Pick a simple melody you know, like "Mary Had a Little Lamb" or "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star."

  2. Try to find the first note on the keyboard by trial and error. Just listen!

  3. Once you find the first note, try to find the next. Does it go up? Down? By a small step (like in the scale) or a big leap?

  4. Don't give up! Use your ear to guide your fingers. Start with just 3-5 notes of the melody.

• Practice Tip: Play the C Major scale daily to internalize its sound. The better you know the scale's "sound," the easier it will be to find melodies that use those notes!

Lesson 3: Introduction to Triads: Major Chords (The “Happy” Sound)

• Goal: Learn what a triad is. Build and play basic Major Chords. Recognize their bright sound.

• Concepts:

  • A chord is two or more notes played together.

  • A triad is a basic chord made of 3 specific notes.

  • A Major Triad is built from the Root, Major 3rd, and Perfect 5th (often just called Root, 3rd, 5th).

  • Major chords sound bright, happy, and stable.

• Action Steps:

  • Let's build a C Major Chord (Triad):

    • Start on C (the Root).

    • Count up 4 half-steps (keys) to find E (the 3rd).

    • Count up 7 half-steps from the original Root to find G (the 5th).

    • So, a C Major chord is C - E - G.

    • Find F and use the same logic: F - A - C (F Major). 

    • Find G and use the same logic: G - B - D (G Major). 

    • Practice playing these three chords (C, F, G) in 'root position' with your right hand, using fingers 1-3-5. Play them broken (one note at a time) and blocked (all at once).

• Ear Training Exercise:

  • Play a C Major triad blocked. Listen to its quality.

  • Play individual notes C, E, G, and try to hear them all at once when played together.

  • Practice identifying a Major chord by ear when someone else plays it (compared to just random notes).

• • • Practice Tip: Quickly jump between C, F, and G Major chords until your hand automatically forms the shape. Focus on the distinct sound of each chord. 

Lesson 4: Introduction to Triads: Minor Chords (The “Sad” Sound)

• Goal: Learn how a minor chord is different from a Major one. Build and play basic Minor Chords.

• Concepts:

  1. A Minor Triad is very similar to a Major Triad, but with one crucial difference: the 3rd is lowered by one half-step.

  2. Formula for Minor: Root - Minor 3rd - Perfect 5th.

  3. Minor chords sound darker, sadder, or more serious than Major chords.

• Action Steps:

  1. Start with your C Major chord (C - E - G).

  2. Find the 3rd note (E).

  3. Lower that E by one half-step. What key is that? It's E-flat (the black key to the left of E).

  4. So, a C Minor chord is C - Eb - G.

5. Let's build some common minor chords:

   • A Minor (Am): Root is A. Count up 3 half-steps to C (minor 3rd). Count up 7 half-steps from root to E (perfect 5th). So, Am = A - C - E (all white keys!).

   • D Minor (Dm): Root is D. Following the same logic, Dm = D - F - A.

   • E Minor (Em): Root is E. Em = E - G - B.

6. Practice playing C Minor, Am, Dm, and Em with your right hand.

• Ear Training Exercise:

  1. Play C Major, then C Minor. Major, then Minor. Alternate and really listen for that emotional shift. Major = happy, Minor = sad/serious. This is the single most important ear distinction for chords!

  2. Have someone play either a Major or a Minor chord, and you identify which it is. Start with chords built on white keys.

Lesson 5: Understanding Keys & Diatonic Chords (Building Our Toolbox)

• Goal: Move from individual chords to understanding 'Keys'. Learn which chords naturally fit together.

• Concepts:

  • A musical Key is like a family. It uses a specific scale and the chords that are built using only the notes from that scale.

  • These chords are called Diatonic Chords (diatonic = within the key).

  • Chords are often referred to using Roman Numerals based on their scale degree (I, ii, iii, IV, V, vi, vii°). Uppercase = Major, Lowercase = Minor, Lowercase with ° = Diminished.

• Action Steps:

  • Let's use our familiar C Major Key (all white keys!).

  • Build a triad starting on each note of the C Major scale (C, D, E, F, G, A, B). Use only white keys for every chord!

  • You will find:

    • I: C Major (C-E-G)

    • ii: D Minor (D-F-A)

    • iii: E Minor (E-G-B)

    • IV: F Major (F-A-C)

    • V: G Major (G-B-D)

    • vi: A Minor (A-C-E)

    • vii°: B Diminished (B-D-F - we won't focus much on this one yet!)

  • Make sure this set of chords (C, Dm, Em, F, G, Am) is your "chord toolbox" for playing songs in the Key of C! Most simple pop/rock songs use 3-4 of these chords.

• Ear Training Exercise:

  • Play the diatonic chords in order: C - Dm - Em - F - G - Am. Listen to how they sound like a logical progression within the same family.

• Practice Tips: 

  • Memorize this list of chords in the key of C. It will simplify finding chords by ear tremendously because you know which ones are most likely!

  • Repeat the same exercise for F, and G.

  • Practice these regularly and learn the same concept for all the other keys. This will take time but is super valuable for your flexibility and ear training.

Lesson 6: The Foundation: The I - IV - V Chord Progression

• Goal: Master the most important chord progression in popular music. Recognize its unique sound.

• Concepts:

  • A chord progression is a sequence of chords played one after another.

  • The I - IV - V progression is arguably the most common and versatile progression. Think blues, classic rock, early pop, country, and folk!

  • The numbers I, IV, and V represent the chords built on the 1st, 4th, and 5th degrees of the major scale.

  • These are all MAJOR chords in a major key.

• Action Steps:

  • In our Key of C, what are the I, IV, and V chords? (Refer back to Lesson 5).

    • I = C Major

    • IV = F Major

    • V = G Major

  • For a cheat sheet check out “Chords In All Major Keys” in the References section at the end of the course. 

  • Practice playing this progression: C - F - G - C (I - IV - V - I). Play each chord for 4 beats (one measure).

    • ||: C / / / | F / / / | G / / / | C / / / :||

  • Experiment with different simple rhythms. For example: play chords on beats 1 and 3 of each measure.

• Ear Training Exercise:

  • The I-IV-V progression has a distinct "coming home" sound. G (V) pulls very strongly back to C (I). Play C - F - G and stop. Listen to how much it wants to resolve to C. Then play C - F - G - C.

  • Listen for this progression in songs you know (e.g., "Louie Louie," "Hound Dog," "Twinkle Twinkle," "La Bamba"). Many use only these three chords!

Practice Tip: Play C-F-G-C until it is completely fluid and rhythmic. Focus on making the changes smoothly. 

Lesson 7: Adding Flavor: Dominant 7th Chords (V7)

• Goal: Understand, build, and play Dominant 7th chords. Identify their role in creating tension and resolution.

• Concepts:

  • A Dominant 7th chord (often written as G7 or V7) is a Major triad with an added minor 7th interval above the root.

  • Formula for Dominant 7th: Root - Major 3rd - Perfect 5th - Minor 7th.

  • These chords add tension, bluesy flavour, and strongly pull towards the 'I' chord for resolution.

• Action Steps:

  • Let's build a G7 chord (V7 in Key of C):

    • Start with the G Major triad: G - B - D (Lesson 3).

    • From the Root (G), count up 10 half-steps to find F (the minor 7th).

    • So, G7 is G - B - D - F.

• Practise tension-resolution by playing from a G7 chord to a C Major chord.

• Practice playing G7 with your right hand. Play it broken (one note at a time) and blocked (all notes at once).

• Ear Training Exercise:

  • This is the best part! Play a G7 chord (V7) and hold it. Listen to how much it needs to move, how tense it sounds. Now, resolve it by playing a C Major chord (I). What a relief! The tension is gone.

  • This tension/resolution relationship (V7 -> I) is fundamental to music and helps our ear predict where a song is going.

Practice Tip: Swap out the plain V chord for a V7 in your progressions from Lesson 6. Play: C - F - G7 - C. Notice how much stronger the resolution feels. 

Lesson 8: Incorporating Relative Minor Chords (the 'vi' chord)

• Goal: Expand progressions by adding relative minor chords, specifically the 'vi' chord.

• Concepts:

  • Every Major key has a Relative Minor key (and vice-versa). They use the exact same set of diatonic chords but start/resolve to a different 'home' note (the root of the minor scale).

  • In a Major key, the relative minor chord is built on the 6th degree of the scale, hence the 'vi' chord.

  • In Key of C, the relative minor is A Minor (Am).

• Action Steps:

  • What is the vi chord in the Key of C? (Refer back to Lesson 5). It's A Minor (Am = A-C-E).

  • Let's play a super common progression that includes this chord: I - vi - IV - V.

    • In C Major: C - Am - F - G. (e.g., "Stand By Me," "Heart and Soul," parts of "All of Me").

  • For a cheat sheet on progressions in C, check out “Chords In All Major Keys” in the References section at the end of the course. 

  • Practice playing this four-chord progression smoothly, giving each chord 4 beats.

    • ||: C / / / | Am / / / | F / / / | G / / / :||

• Ear Training Exercise:

  • Listen to how the Am (vi) chord adds a slightly darker, contrasting flavour within the overall Major key, without fully sounding "sad." It's a key ingredient in many emotional pop songs.

  • Identify the I-vi-IV-V progression by ear in popular music. Listen for that descending line in the bass/roots (C, A, F, G).

Practice Tip: Master switching quickly from C to Am and Am to F. This progression is incredibly common, so get it comfortable! 

Lesson 9: Bass Lines & Basic Rhythm: Coordinating Both Hands

• Goal: Learn to play simple bass lines with the left hand while playing chords in the right. This helps to improve rhythmic coordination.

• Concepts:

  • The Bass Line often plays the fundamental or "root" notes of the chords. This is a great starting point for playing by ear!

  • Coordinating both hands is a challenge! Start simple.

  • Understand basic 4/4 Time: Four beats per measure (COUNT: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4).

  • Use Whole Notes (hold for 4 beats) and Half Notes (hold for 2 beats).

• Action Steps:

  • The graphic below illustrates key concepts for counting notes.

• Left Hand (LH): You'll play only single notes!

  • If the chord is C Major, the LH plays a C note.

  • If the chord is F Major, the LH plays an F note.

• Practice: Let's play the C-F-G-C progression from Lesson 6 with both hands.

  • LH: Play C / F / G / C (one note per chord, hold for 4 beats).

  • RH: Play C Major chord / F Major chord / G Major chord / C Major chord (blocked, hold for 4 beats).

  • Start slowly. Play both hands together at the beginning of each measure (Beat 1).

• Adding a simple rhythm: Let's play LH on Beat 1, and RH chords on Beats 1 and 3.

  • Count: (1) 2 (3) 4 | (1) 2 (3) 4 | ...

  • Chord: LH+RH RH | LH+RH RH | ...

• Ear Training Exercise:

  • Listen to how much fuller and more complete the progression sounds once you add that solid bass note from your left hand! It provides the harmonic anchor.

Practice Tip: Practice LH and RH separately at first until confident, then slowly combine. Coordination takes time, so be patient. Focus on playing on the beat. 

Lesson 10: Putting It All Together: Playing Your First Song by Ear

• Goal: Synthesize all previous skills to learn a simple, familiar song completely by ear.

• Concepts:

  • The complete By-Ear Process in steps:

    • Listen Actively & Absorb: Listen repeatedly without trying to play. Get the song in your head.

    • Find the Melody: Isolate the tune. Find the starting note and then use scale/step knowledge (Lesson 2) to figure out the rest, note by note.

    • Find the Key/Tonic Note: Where does the song feel 'at home'? Usually, this is the very first and/or last note of the melody and the first chord played.

    • Find the Basic Chords: What is the mood? Major, Minor, or mixed? Refer to your "chord toolbox" for the key (Lesson 5). Try starting with just I, IV, and V.

    • Work Out the Progression: How do the chords change over time? Play along with the song and try different chords until one 'locks in'. (Lessons 6, 7, 8).

    • Add Bass & Rhythm: Use LH for simple root note bass lines and add basic RH rhythms (Lesson 9).

  • Start with a simple, familiar song: "Twinkle Twinkle," "Mary Had a Little Lamb," "Happy Birthday," or a simplified pop song like "Stand By Me" or "Lean On Me."

• Action Steps:

  • Guided Practice: Let's learn "Stand By Me" simplified (ignoring complex voicings/rhythm for now):

    • Listen: Hear the main riff and melody.

    • Key: Tonic feels like 'A'. Let's assume Key of A Major (even though it's technically in A Minor, the simpler chord flavour uses I-vi-IV-V from its relative major key).

    • Find Chords (using C Major example learned): If we shift the idea from I-vi-IV-V in C (C-Am-F-G) to A, it becomes A - F#m - D - E. (Start with just A Major for the lesson, don't get hung up on tricky minor keys yet!).

    • LH/RH Practice: Play that progression with root note bass in LH and blocked chords in RH. Give each chord two measures (8 beats).

• Ear Training Exercise:

  • Celebrate this milestone! It will likely be imperfect, but you figured it out by listening. That is massive. The more you do it, the easier it gets.

• Practice Tip: Keep finding simple songs to figure out by ear. The more songs you learn, the more common chord progressions you'll recognize instantly. Keep your ear active!

• Remember - Learning takes time and practice, so be patient. Revisit your notes as well as the previous lessons - make sure you did not miss any key concepts.