Groovy Music lessons

Welcome to what I hope to be the most informative, free site on the Internet about playing Evangelistic Gospel Piano. The Evangelistic style of playing is quickly disappearing among church musicians. Capable pianists and organists are difficult, and in some areas, impossible to find. With this in mind, I present to you the Evangelistic Piano site!

A Quick Introduction

A few years ago (1996, to be exact), I wanted to learn how to play the piano for church. In my journey to learn, I discovered that, while classical teachers and musicians abound, it is seemingly impossible to find someone to teach how to play hymns in a church setting. This resulted in a multi-year endeavor to learn how to play sacred music using any available means. I would corner any pianist that came through our church and ask them questions. I bought every book and tape on the subject that I could find. Finally, I scoured the Internet for information. Sadly, with all of the free information on the web, I could find very little dealing with the type of improvisation that I so desired to learn.

After a lot of studying of many different different styles as well as music theory, I have compiled a method which I have used to teach others. Beyond that, I realize that there are many others that search the Internet for help and instruction in learning to play church music. For this reason, I have purposed to put together as much information on this subject that I can, so that others may find help in learning to play.

About the Piano Lessons

FREE LESSONS! That's what you wanted to hear, right? Go here to see an outline of all available lessons. It is assumed that you can already read music, but if you can't, then please visit some of the great online resources to help you learn. MusicTheory.net is a good resource to get you started. Check it out!

Music has been a gift from God, and I hope to share it with as many as I can. You have permission to use this information for any non-commercial application. All I ask is that you let me know it was of some use, so that I will be encouraged to write more.

I approach music from the standpoint that most modern music can be broken down into different patterns. Because of this, I teach patterns of chords, patterns of accompaniment, patterns of substitution, patterns of transposition (transposing and modulating between keys), and patterns of playing. Different styles are achieved by simply using different patterns!

Many sites advertise learning to play without reading music (playing by ear or with chord strategies, like on a guitar). Others teach you how to read music, but not how to play anything that is not already written down. Both philosophies have strengths, but both are equally flawed in that each method purposefully excludes the other. Here, we seek to unite these two methods to achieve a well-rounded whole. We will learn to take the music that we read, and add improvisation based on the style of our choice.

Connect With Others

If you want to connect with others, ask questions, and share ideas, then please consider joining the Evangelisic_Gospel_Piano Yahoo! group that I moderate. You can join by visiting the site listed below. Discussions are shared through e-mail, and you can leave the group at any time (instructions are at the bottom of every email). We currently have over 1, 000 members!