Piano lessons with a difference.

Hi--I'm Bruce Siegel. Welcome to DoctorKeys.

Whether you write songs, play with a group, or simply love to sing, there's no substitute for being able to accompany yourself or your friends at the piano.

What you play doesn't need to be complicated, it just needs to work. A good accompaniment supports your singing by providing the rhythm, style, and harmony that bring a song to life.

So I've created Play & Sing, a course that makes learning to accompany a pleasure.

Who is this for?

These tutorials are designed to help you whether you're just getting started at the piano, or already play and want to add a new dimension to your musical life. The clearly indexed lessons and videos make it easy to skip what you already know, and find exactly what you're looking for.

If you're a beginner . . .

The Play & Sing approach is not only a great way to learn to accompany, it's the ideal way to get started at the piano, period. The step-by-step course covers all the basics beginners need. No previous experience is necessary.

And because the tutorials emphasize chords and musical understanding (rather than notation), the music you'll learn to play is far richer than the usual beginners' pieces.

If you already play but are new to accompanying or to pop music . . .

It's important to understand that playing an accompaniment is different than playing a solo. In some ways, it's easier. For example, you won't usually be playing the melody (the voice handles that), nor will you need to read music.

Accompanying takes a different kind of savvy, and some of it has to do with style.

For example, can you play Chopin beautifully but struggle to accompany a Beatles song? Do your attempts at playing pop or rock fall flat, and maybe even (heaven forbid) sound like Chopin, with a flowery left hand part instead of the simpler, punchier, bass line needed for this kind of music?

If so, you may be surprised at how much fun it is--and how quickly you can learn--to play some of the same basic piano styles you might hear on recordings by John Lennon, Billy Joel, or Jerry Lee Lewis.

But you'll learn more in this course than just how to accompany. Play & Sing can give you a deeper understanding of music you're already playing, as well as open the door to improvising and songwriting.

What you'll learn.

Beginning with ground-level basics like names and locations of notes on the keyboard, the course covers:

• Chords (and other music theory)
• Piano technique, including how to use the sustain pedal
• How to read a chord chart
• Rhythmic styles or grooves.
• How to play a bass line.
• How to play and sing at the same time.

And of course, you'll learn to play. . .

Some of your favorite pop, rock, blues, and folk songs!

The skills and styles you'll master in this course will enable you to accompany these and many other songs:

Imagine (by John Lennon), Hound Dog, Hey Jude, Silent Night, When the Saints Go Marching In, Let it Be, Auld Lang Syne, Piano Man, Silver Bells, Octopus's Garden, Ob-La-Di, The Lion Sleeps Tonight, and Amazing Grace.

But that's just for starters. For a list of more recent songs you'll be able to apply your new skills to, see this. (The link takes you to the first lesson of Pop Piano Accompaniment, the course that picks up where Play & Sing leaves off. It's included free with this course, and includes songs like Someone Like You, No One, She Will Be Loved, You're Beautiful, With or Without You, Can You Feel the Love Tonight and many others.)

Chords--the secret to your success.

Chords are the key to accompanying, as well as the secret to getting off to a quick start at the piano. In this course you'll learn how to build chords, how to connect them smoothly, and how to set them into motion using rhythmic styles or patterns that add emotion and excitement to your music.

Piano technique--essential but often neglected.

While other piano courses and tutorials may show you what to play, rarely do they teach you how to play.

Because of my classical background, I have a different approach. My tutorials cover posture, fingering, wrist motions, the use of arm weight for relaxation and control, even how to use the pedal--all the "hidden factors" that are easy for a beginner to overlook, but that make the difference between just hitting notes, and truly playing the piano. So not only will you learn to accompany pop songs, but the skills you gain will make it easy to move into classical and other styles.

Play now, read later.

You do not need to read music for this course. And that's not a gimmick but a growing trend in music education. By delaying reading, beginners can focus on more important matters like rhythmic flow, technique, singing, and so on.

On the other hand, do you read music but sometimes feel frustrated because you can't play by ear? If so, these lessons can help. As you gain an understanding of chords, bass lines, and the basic structure of music, you can begin to break your dependence on the printed page, memorize music with greater ease and security, and even begin to improvise and compose.

Let's get real.

Obviously, no teacher or course can simply give you the abilities you want. If your dream is to play the piano (or play at a higher level), you need to practice.

But more than that, you need to put in the right kind of practice. You see, you can either practice efficiently and move quickly towards your goals, or you can waste your time with meaningless repetitions that never seem to produce the desired results.

Which is why, in this course, I don't just show you what to play and leave it at that. I teach you how to practice.

I demonstrate the strategies the best musicians use--proven practice techniques that will enable you to learn without struggling. Some of them are simply common sense, but some are less obvious.

I love to teach. And that means helping you reach your goals as quickly as possible, while enjoying the process.

About Bruce.

Play & Sing grows out of my work as a musician and teacher.

My own piano studies began at the age of 5. Later, as a teenager, I spent several years at the pre-college division of the famous Juilliard School of Music. Since getting my Bachelor of Music degree, I've accompanied instrumentalists and singers, served as music director, and have played and sung my original music in Southern California clubs.

As a private piano teacher, I've been helping folks learn to play, improvise, and accompany themselves for the past 25 years. My students range from 5-year-old beginners, to film composers, singers, songwriters, piano teachers, music therapists, and others. Some of my younger students have gone on to enjoy careers in music.

What my online students say about the Play & Sing tutorials.

More testimonials here.

A ONE-TIME payment of $25 gets you instant access to all Play & Sing lessons for 6 full months. No automatic renewal. (Subscribe button just below.)

Perhaps you've seen part of a DoctorKeys tutorial and like my practical approach and clear explanations. If so, now's your chance to enjoy the complete, step-by-step, Play & Sing course, including theory, technique, practice strategies, styles, songs, and other features you won't find anywhere else.

For a one-time payment of only $25, you get instant access to all Play & Sing lessons for six full months. I won't renew your subscription at the end of six months unless you ask me to.

As a free extra bonus, you also get access to DoctorKeys lessons that are not part of the Play & Sing Course. That includes two of my most popular tutorials--Piano Technique: A Whole-Body Approach (Parts 1 & 2), and Ode to Joy: A Piano Solo. (These lessons will eventually be part of a course on learning to play piano solo.)

When you consider what private lessons cost (I myself charge $80 an hour), $25 is a small price to pay for tutorials that teach what it might take months to learn with a private teacher. Assuming, of course, you can find one with experience in teaching all that you'll learn here.

A guarantee.

I'm confident that my videos can help you gain exciting new insights and abilities--not to mention how much you'll enjoy playing and singing the songs you'll learn. But if for any reason you're not happy with the lessons, just email me and I'll refund your $25, no questions asked.

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Note: If you use one of the following methods, be sure to include your email address and the name of the course you're signing up for.

• Make a CHECK for $25 payable to Bruce Siegel, and mail it, along with your email address, to the address below. I'll activate your membership as soon as I receive it.

Bruce Siegel
12959 Short Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90066

• You can transfer money using WESTERN UNION. This is specially useful for folks who don't live in the U.S. Make your payment to Bruce Siegel, and use my address above. Click here to pay via Western Union.

I'm here for you.

I want you to be thrilled with your experience here on DoctorKeys, and I look forward to helping you in any way I can. Please feel free to contact me at Bruce (at) DoctorKeys.com (use standard address format) with your questions and comments. I usually return emails the same day.

--- Bruce Siegel