Is Cocktail Piano For Beginners?
I created a cocktail piano for beginners tutorial that you can enjoy below. But wait… cocktail piano playing is for a select group of talented performers who have invested years of experience in polishing their skills to a fine point. Right?
Well, yes and… n…
Defying The Odds
I was on a short break in between students when a gentleman I had never met entered the studio, introduced himself, and presented me with a challenge I never would have expected…
I’ll refer to him as “Mike.” He was a marketing professional in either his late 20’s or early 30’s. With a humorous smile, as if anticipating a negative reaction, he stated, “We’re having a company meeting which will be hosted at a hotel here in town. I happen to know that this hotel has a grand piano in the lobby and I would love to be able to impress some of my colleagues by sitting down and playing something.”
The real kicker followed…
He continued, “I need to let you know that I’ve never sat at a piano and played before. I have no experience.”
He Wanted To Play Cocktail Piano In 3 Weeks With No Experience
I’m not one to walk away from a challenge. My initial mental response to this was, “Is this for real?” Then I immediately switched this reaction to, “Okay, how am I going to achieve this one?”
So, basically, I wasn’t going to let myself off the hook. I made up my mind that we would approach this with a positive attitude aimed at success to some degree.
After a little more discussion, I shared with Mike that I was willing to do my best in helping to achieve this goal. I asked him, “When is this company meeting?”
“In three weeks,” he replied.
I have to admit that this made the situation even more interesting. Nevertheless, I wasn’t going to back out. After an exchange of a few more words, we agreed on a appointment time for his first lesson.
Once Mike sat down for his first session, I decided to introduce him to a few easy chords. I had him play these chords slowly… in full chord fashion… then as arpeggios (very slowly). Within about 4 minutes, Mike was smiling and his eyes had a sparkled. It was like he discovered the combination to a safe that was about to reveal a million dollars. He left that first lesson very happy, to say the least.
Mike appeared for two more sessions. He became a little more confident with each passing week. After that, I had never heard from him again.
Cocktail Piano For Beginners
If you can relate to Mike to any degree, I created this “cocktail piano for beginners” video tutorial for you. Grab yourself a favorite beverage, make your way over to that piano, and follow these easy suggestions. (Don’t place that beverage on the piano – we don’t want spillage:))
Cocktail Pianist Born Instantly
When I look back at that experience, I feel that, in a very big way, I was the student. After all, here was a guy who had a goal in mind, set out to achieve it, and ultimately got what he wanted. Mike wouldn’t have been able to play a major scale if you asked him to. He wasn’t even at a point where the names of the keys were well remembered. But he followed along with the shapes of those chords, had fun with them, and was delighted.
Ever since that time, I always maintained a more open mind about people’s specific goals and how they ought to be able to gain massive amounts of joy with just a tiny amount of skill. Not everyone wants to play a sonata. Not everyone wants to make any money playing the piano. However, they still deserve to have fun at those keys no matter what.
After all, I enjoy bowling. Give me some bowling shoes, a ball, put me on that alley, and… (yikes)… you’ll see a very low score. But I know how to throw the ball and hit some pins (sometimes). I most certainly know how to have fun doing it.
You Can Play Cocktail Piano
Music is for everyone – not just a select few. I may be a little biased, but I feel that each and every household should have a piano in it. The kind of joy that goes hand in hand with playing those keys is irreplaceable.
Give yourself permission to engage. Those ivories are just waiting to be tickled.
Doubt Your Doubts
Have you ever wanted to play piano but allowed something to hold you back?
Word advice: whatever that “something” is, don’t allow it to have its way. SIT and PLAY. Turn off the television set and immerse yourself in the unknown. Place your hands and fingers on those keys let them move. Allow yourself to enjoy the experience as you place NO judgement on yourself whatsoever. There’s no penalty in playing notes that don’t sound so good to your ears. It just helps you to more greatly appreciate the ones that do.
Keep at it and you’ll soon discover that what you’re capable of is a whole lot more than you may have originally thought. If doubts ever arise, simply doubt those doubts and keep making music. You were born to do it.