Play the Piano Today Using the Pentatonic Or Five-Note Method

[Dawn Carrera]

The other day I was watching a rerun of the Newhart Show. In the
episode, Joanna, the wife of innkeeper Dick Louden, had purchased an
old piano and was excited to learn to play. Most of the other
characters in the show including the piano movers, who said they would
not charge for the move until they picked it up to move it elsewhere,
were skeptical that Joanna would really learn to play. But, she was
determined and thrilled with her new piano.
The plot continues with Dick playing the only song he can remember
from his childhood lessons, Peter, Peter Pumpkin Eater, and Joanna
eagerly anticipating her first lessons. Unfortunately, we next see
Joanna struggling through a C Major scale and slumped over the piano
looking at a method book with cute pictures. Her husband and friends
start to ridicule her decision to learn to play the piano and her
interest in practicing soon starts to wane.
This scenario happens far too often. All the adult wanted to do was to
fulfill a dream and learn to play the piano today. Unfortunately,
teachers often assign boring technical work along with learning the
entire language of note reading and concept building. In this
traditional method, playing a song, a recognizable melody, is
something that eventually is accomplished, but often not quickly
enough for the adult beginning pianist. So, the adult learner becomes
bored and gives up on the dream.
Success quickly, or playing songs while building concepts and skills
is necessary for adult beginning pianists to stay involved and help
them accomplish their goal or long-held dream of playing the piano.
But, just what is this method? Playing piano songs today can happen by
using the pentatonic approach.
In the pentatonic method, the adult beginner first learns technique by
playing actual songs using only the black keys of the piano. Many
songs are based on only five notes. Learning to play melodies using
five notes instead of twelve is a huge advantage. Instead of first
learning a C Major scale as Joanna was attempting to do in the show
example, a beginner using the pentatonic method in one day would be
playing the song known worldwide, Amazing Grace, and in the process
would also be developing piano technique.
In the pentatonic method the beginner plays songs on the piano today,
and the ear is also developed in the early stages of learning. The
learner understands how the notes work together to form a recognizable
melody. Adding accompaniments to the melody is nearly immediate as the
pentatonic scale makes everything played sound right. For an adult
this is crucial. Adult beginners do not want to make mistakes and
easily give up if they are not immediately successful.
This pentatonic or five-note method creates engaged learners who will
be eager to conquer the intricacies of music reading. Why? Because
they had early success in playing songs and have started developing
the technical and musical skills of a pianist.

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