Active Piano & Keyboard Posts
How To: Create a funky electric bass part on a MicroKorg synth
You can use a Korg MicroKorg synthesizer / vocoder to play all sorts of electronic music, and you might actually be able to get one without spending your life savings. If you like dirty electric synth bass parts, watch this video and you'll learn how to program one on your MicroKorg.
How To: Play "Time to Pretend" by MGMT on piano
MGMT is only two full-lengths old, but their impact on pop music has been massive. "Time to Pretend" has spawned legions of imitators, and for good reason. If you want to play a classy version of it, watch this video to learn how to cover the song on solo piano.
How To: Play "Firelies" by Owl City on the piano (hard version)
"Fireflies" made Owl City a star, and it a stirring piece of modern songwriting. If you have a piano and want to capture the amazing textures of the song in a solo piano cover of it, watch this video to learn how to play it.
How To: Play an easy version of "River Flows in You" by Yiruma on piano
Yiruma has written many of the most beautiful new piano pieces of the last ten years, and is a truly special figure in the world of piano composition. If you're looking for an easy way to access his remarkable work, watch this video to learn how to play an easy arrangement of his classic song "River Flows in You",
How To: Play "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey on piano
"Don't Stop Believing" by Journey has enjoyed a massive resurgence in popularity since it was featured on Family Guy a few years back. You can play it pretty much anywhere and people will like it. Watch this video to learn how to play the classic song on piano, like Steve Perry wants you to.
How To: Play an easy version of "Fireflies" by Owl City on piano
Owl City took the torch that The Postal Service lit in 2005 and has run far with it, bringing uplifting electro-pop to the masses. In this video you'll learn how to play an easy piano version of his hit single "Fireflies".
How To: Play "Kiss the Rain" by Yiruma on piano
Yiruma is one of the biggest names in contemporary piano composition. His song "Kiss the Rain" is guaranteed to make any listener reflect honestly on their life in a way that few songs ever have been, and in this video you'll learn how to play the whole thing on piano. It's not easy, but you can do it!
How To: Play the easy song "Bless the Broken Road" by Rascal Flatts on piano
Rascal Flatts are one of the biggest groups in country music, and their song "Bless the Broken Road" is a great uplifting ballad. Watch this video to learn how to play this relatively easy song on piano, then go out and play it. It'll probably bring some love you way.
How To: Program a Korg MS-2000 synthesizer to act as a 16-step drum machine
Are you tired of needing seperate synths and drum machines to create your drums and bass / lead lines? If you have a Korg MS-2000 and many other synthesizers, it's possible to program your synth to act like a 16-step drum machine while still being able to play bass and lead lines over the drums. Watch this video to learn how to do it.
How To: Set up a talkbox without a synth keyboard
Do you want to bust out your talkbox vocals really gorilla style? Hauling a synth keyboard and a talkbox around is a lot of baggage. Did you know, however, that you can set up a talkbox WITHOUT a synth keyboard? Watch this video to learn how to do it.
How To: Talk on a talkbox properly and clearly
You might think that if you can talk, you can talk into a talkbox. Not true. There is a surprising amount of technique to proper, clear talkbox talking, and this video will teach you everything you need to know to get started. It'll even teach you how to soften your tube!
How To: Play the 2Pac song "California Love" on keyboard and talkbox
"California Love" by 2Pac, Dr. Dre, and Roger Troutman is one of the best rap songs ever and brought Roger Troutman's incredible use of the talkbox to mainstream audiences. If you have a talkbox and a keyboard, check out this video to learn how to play this hip-hop classic on the best instruments to do so.
How To: Play the Kanye West song "Welcome to Heartbreak" on piano
Kanye West might or might not be the voice of your generation, but whatever your opinion of him as a man he does make some good songs. "Welcome to Heartbreak" is no exception, and this video will teach you how to play that classic track on piano.
How To: Mix two songs together into a DJ mix with Ableton Live
Does traveling between the world's finest nightclubs getting paid to play music sound good to you? Then a career as an international superstar DJ may be for you. But where to start? This video might be a good place. It will teach you the basics of mixing two songs together using Ableton Live, the premier live sequencing and mixing software, to create your very first DJ mix.
How To: Warp an audio track using Ableton Live
Warping is one of the many beatmatching tools at the disposal of the modern electronic music producer, and allows you to stretch out notes to make them match the required beat. Watch this video to learn how to warp tracks live on the fly using Ableton Live.
How To: Play "Part of Your World" on a piano
In this tutorial, we learn how to play "Part of Your World" on a piano. First, you want to start out with the introduction to the song. You should have each of your hands on the piano sitting next to each other. The middle finger of the right hand should hit the "C" chord. Once you have this down, start to play in the rest of the parts of the song. Play the different notes as they are shown on the paper. Then, you will continue to play until you have it finished! Just practice and run through...
How To: Understand music notation when reading sheet music
In this video, we learn how to understand music notation when reading sheet music. To help you read sheet music wherever you are, it's an easy process. You can learn how to read sheet music within just a few minutes and practice. You can be great at reading any type of sheet music so you can play with a band or just by yourself. Music notation is a big part of sheet music, so you must understand this before you can read sheet music by yourself. Once you get this, you will be able to play musi...
How To: Understand the basics of reading sheet music
In this tutorial, we learn how to understand the basics of reading sheet music. What you will first see are the basic clefs. One is for the right hand and one is for the left. In the middle is the middle c and on the far right is the c above the right hand. The notes continue in each direction but they follow an exact pattern. In the beginning, memorize only the middle "C", where it is on the piano. After this, you will learn the upper and lower "C". Continue to practice with reading the musi...
How To: Start reading sheet music for the piano
In this tutorial, we learn how to start reading sheet music for the piano. To be able to read the notes, you need to visualize what you are doing on the piano. A good starting point is the middle C on the keyboard. For a piano, you have horizontal lines in two sets on the sheet of paper. These lines are called "staffs" and the vertical lines are the "bar lines". The sections are called "measures". The top of those staffs is all the notes above the middle c. The bottom is all the notes below m...
How To: Play "Don't Stop Me Now" by Queen on piano or keyboard
Interested in playing Queen's "Don't Stop Me Now" on a piano or other keyboard instrument? Let this free video music lesson be your guide. While this tutorial is best suited for intermediate or advanced piano players, players of all skill levels can play along. Watch this tutorial to get started playing "Don't Stop Me Now"!
How To: Play "Imagine" by John Lennon on piano or keyboard
Interested in playing John Lennon's "Imagine" on a piano or other keyboard instrument? Let this free video music lesson be your guide. While this tutorial is best suited for intermediate or advanced piano players, players of all skill levels can play along. Watch this tutorial to get started playing "Imagine"!
How To: Play "Hello" by Lionel Richie on the piano or keyboard
Interested in playing Lionel Richie's "Hello" on a piano or other keyboard instrument? Let this free video music lesson be your guide. While this tutorial is best suited for intermediate or advanced piano players, players of all skill levels can play along. Watch this tutorial to get started playing "Hello"!
How To: Play "Clocks" by Coldplay on the piano or keyboard
Interested in playing Coldplay's "Clocks" on a piano or other keyboard instrument? Let this free video music lesson be your guide. While this tutorial is best suited for intermediate or advanced piano players, players of all skill levels can play along. Watch this tutorial to get started playing "Clocks"!
How To: Play "Dynamite" by Taio Cruz on the piano
Interested in playing Taio Cruz's "Dynamite" on a piano or other keyboard instrument? Let this free video music lesson be your guide. While this tutorial is best suited for intermediate or advanced piano players, players of all skill levels can play along. Watch this tutorial to get started playing "Dynamite"!
How To: Play "Candle in the Wind" by Elton John on the piano
Interested in playing Sir Elton John's "Candle in the Wind" on a piano or other keyboard instrument? Let this free video music lesson be your guide. While this tutorial is best suited for intermediate or advanced piano players, players of all skill levels can play along. Watch this tutorial to get started playing "Candle in the Wind"!
How To: Play "Oh My Love" by John Lennon on the piano
In this video tutorial, you'll learn how to play John Lennon's "Oh My Love" on piano or other keyboard instrument. While this tutorial is best suited for intermediate or advanced piano players, players of all skill levels can play along. Watch this tutorial to get started playing "Oh My Love"!
How To: Play "Hey Bulldog" by the Beatles on the piano
In this video tutorial, you'll learn how to play the Beatles' "Hey Bulldog" on the piano. While this tutorial is best suited for intermediate or advanced piano players, players of all skill levels can play along. Watch this tutorial to get started playing "Hey Bulldog"!
How To: Play the Jason Derulo song "Ridin' Solo" on piano
"Ridin' Solo" by Jason Derulo is a great R&B anthem for anyone who's every broken up with someone to live their life the way they had to. This video will teach you how to play the song on piano, and the creator was even nice enough to make the sheet music available for free here.
How To: Start playing piano by learning 6 easy piano songs
The piano is an intimidating instrument. 88 keys might seem like a lot to work with, but it's really less notes than a guitar. If you've been thinking about starting playing piano or keyboard and need some easy songs to get started on, watch this video to learn how to play six classic easy piano songs:
How To: Play the hip-hop classic "Still D.R.E." by Dr. Dre on piano
Come December we apparently are finally going to have a new Dr. Dre album, and he claims it will be his last. Show your respect for arguably the most important man in hip-hop by learning how to play his 1999 hit "Still D.R.E." on piano, and represent for the gangstas all across the world.
How To: Play the song "The Real Slim Shady" on piano
Eminem is finally back in the hip-hop game, like we knew he would be, and the words "Slim Shady" are on the lips of music fans everywhere again. In this video you'll learn how to play Marshall's classic song "The Real Slim Shady" on piano.
How To: Play the song "Forgot About Dre" by Dr. Dre and Eminem on piano
Dr. Dre has only ever released two albums, and it's been 11 years since the last one, 2001. But it's lead single "Forgot About Dre" is still a classic, largely because it introduced Eminem to everyone who didn't already know him in '99. This video will teach you how to play the song on piano, complete with long runs and chords that will make your version sounds much better than most of the other ones out there.
How To: Play The Simpsons theme song on piano
The Simpsons theme song has raised a generation of American children, and even though the show has long since jumped the shark the glory of it's theme song remains. In this video you'll learn how to play a really accurate piano version of the song, complete with chords and long runs at certain points.
How To: Play the Mortal Kombat theme song on piano
The Mortal Kombat theme is one of the most stirring pieces of music ever to emerge from the games industry. Once it gets in your head, it will be there every time you work out for the rest of your life. In this video you'll learn how to play the song on piano quickly and easily.
How To: Play an easy version of the Tetris theme song "Korobeiniki" on piano
Tetris is without question the most popular single video game of all time, played on everything from keychains to the sides of skyscrapers. It's iconic song is a Russian folk song called "Korobeiniki", written in 1861, and in this video you will learn how to play an easy, beginner version of the entire song on piano.
How To: Play the song "Superman" by Five For Fighting on piano
Five For Fighting might be a little past their prime as a band, but "Superman" is still an amazing song to play on the piano. If you've got some piano chops and want to learn it, watch this video to learn the whole song easily.
How To: Play Canon by Pachelbel in C on piano
German composer Johan Pachelbel is known as the king of the Southern German organists, and his Canon in D is his most famous work. This video will teach you how to play this classic piece on piano in C. Not the original key or instrument, but it sounds great.
How To: Play "Nagareboshi" from the Naruto Shippuden OST on piano
Naruto Shippuden might be the most popular anime in the world right now (although Bleach might argue) and it's high production values are reflected in it's great music. This video will teach you how to play the song "Nagareboshi" from OST to the show on piano.
How To: Play the song "Musician" from the anime series D.Gray-Man on piano
D.Gray-Man is still going in manga from, although unfortunately the anime show is done. It did leave us with this amazing song though, called "Musician". Watch this video to learn how to play it perfectly on piano and show you love for Allen Walker properly.
How To: Play the song "Asterisk" from the Bleach OST on piano
Bleach, like many other popular anime series, features some really stirring piano compositions in very parts of it's story. In this video you'll learn how to play the melancholy but hopeful song "Asterisk" from the Bleach OST on piano. You may not be able to slay the spirits of the dead, but you can learn to play this.