Most people approach the piano by starting to learn notes on the staff. If you desire to play songs on the piano quickly and play modern popular music, you will need to learn to play by chords. Your ear will begin to develop along the way and you will be able to play melody as well.

Once you learn a few piano chords and open your mind to playing songs without traditional notation, a whole new world will be opened to you! When you see your worship leader on stage singing and playing the piano, he is most likely reading a simple chord chart and playing chord style piano. It is a great skill to be able to read music, but it is not necessary to play great songs on the piano.

How to get started:

First, learn your basic chords and get familiar with switching chords using the pedal. Then, learn techniques to embellish your songs. Once you know a few chords, you can start playing songs!

Believe in yourself and begin to think about the music coming from your heart, not the page. When you do this, you will begin to rely on your ear and your instinct as a musician. I have taught many piano players this method and, even for a trained pianist, it can be a struggle in the beginning. You have to begin to THINK differently about how you approach the piano and songs.

It doesn’t matter if you are just beginning or if you have been taking piano lessons since you were 6 years old. Playing piano by chord and ear is a whole new world. But remember, all of the pop performers and worship leaders who play from a chord chart have achieved mastery of this method. Now, it’s your turn!