Music BlogWhat Style of Piano Lessons do You Want to Learn?

There are hundreds, if not thousands of different piano styles to choose from on the planet!  Every country and culture has developed unique ways of playing.  Some of those piano styles have evolved and changed over time to become new and interesting styles.  The question is, what kind of piano lessons do you want to learn?  We happen to live in Brampton Ontario which likely means we will learn music that is commonly taught in North America.

Here’s a bit of info on three of the most common piano styles taught in Canada and throughout North America

1.  CLASSICAL PIANO

Classical piano was generally performed for royalty and high society in Europe from about 1750 – 1920. Three of the most popular composers of the time were Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven.  These famous composers inspired musicians for hundreds of years and are as relevant today as they were back then.  Classical piano changed and evolved to include the baroque and romantic era in which we often listen to and learn in our piano lessons.  Learning classical piano has many benefits which include developing good technique and an better understanding of music theory.  It may be hard to believe but most of the music we hear today can be traced back to classical.

Enjoy the video below “Top 50 Best Classical Piano Music”

2.  JAZZ PIANO

Jazz piano is considered a technically challenging yet free style of playing.  The piano player would generally work through the “head of the tune”, which is usually the basic melody and chord structure followed by improvising through the chord changes before returning to the head.  A couple of popular pianists that help push the music forward are Fats Waller and Scott Joplin.  Much of the popular Jazz music was developed in New Orleans, New York, and Chicago.  Some famous jazz songs you might recognize are the Entertainer and Honeysuckle Rose.

Enjoy the video below of the Entertainer by Scott Joplin

3. Musical Theater Piano

The piano is often heard in the musical theater setting.  The requirements for a musical theater musician can be very high.  Musicals do not always have a specific style of piano playing which means that the musician may need to play something jazzy for one show and something rocking for another.  Although each presentation has a different style musical theater does have a “sound” and “feel” of it’s own due to the inclusion of singing, dancing, and acting that goes with it.  The music is considered powerful or emotional and is designed to compliment the story line.  A few popular musical theater composers are Andrew Lloyd Webber, Steven Schwartz, and Steven Sondheim.  These composers are known to incorporate the piano in their music.

Enjoy the video below of Andrew Lloyd Webber performing a piano medley of Phantom of the Opera.