PIANO (Acoustic Grand/Upright) & KEYBOARD LESSONS (Electronic/Digital)

REQUIREMENTS:

• Must be at least 5 years of age. Starting with piano will give you an excellent understanding of music theory which can be translated to any other instrument if you choose to become multi-instrumental.
• Must already own a piano/keyboard or plan to purchase one soon so you can practice in between lessons. If you already own one that’s ok. If you don’t own a piano or keyboard that’s even better. I can assist you in finding the perfect one for your age, skill-level and budget.
• Must be very passionate about music and have a deep desire to learn this instrument.
• Must be committed to your lessons. This means showing up for your scheduled lessons and being focused and attentive. This also means that you must practice in between appointments so that you will be ready for the next lesson, otherwise you will not improve.

SKILL-LEVELS:

• I teach beginner & intermediate curriculums.

SCHEDULING YOUR LESSONS:

• I offer 3 plans:  Take lessons weekly, bi-weekly or monthly to fit your schedule and/or budget. I highly recommend taking one lesson per week but you can change your plan at anytime.
• I’m available everyday except Sunday and I offer a wide range of times to choose from.
• Please view my AVAILABILITY CALENDAR to schedule the best day and time for you.

PAYMENT POLICIES & OPTIONS:

• I accept Cash (locals only), Check (locals only), eCheck/EFT, Debit & Credit (Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express) via Stripe, Paypal, Apple Pay, Venmo & Cash App.
• You only pay if you take a lesson. There is no need to prepay for lessons in advance unless that option is more convenient for you. If you are unable to make your appointment for any reason, just let me know as soon as you can and we will try to reschedule for that week. If we are unsuccessful in rescheduling your lesson then we will just skip that weeks lesson and you can resume during your next scheduled appointment. You will not be charged for any missed/canceled lessons.
• “Gift Certificates Are Available” - Piano or Keyboard Lessons make a great gift for birthdays, anniversaries & Christmas. Buy one now!

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

• What is your typical process for working with a new student? This process depends on the student's current skill level:
  Beginner - Our first lesson will give us a chance to talk about the students reason and/or desire to learn their choice of instrument. We'll discuss their inspirations, favorite artists, styles and genres of music. More imporantly, we'll talk about their goals and expectations. This initial encounter will also give us an opportunity to get to know each other's personalities and demeanor which will help me to develop the most effective and individualized approach of teaching style and method. FYI: I have successfully tought students with ADD, ADHD, autism, alzheimers and early stages of dementia. I will of course begin your instruction on the very first lesson so you will have some material to take home and practice before we meet again.
  Intermediate - Our first lesson will give me an opportunity to identify what the student already knows and what they need to work on. I give my students the option of continuing exactly where they left off with their original course materials or to start at the beginning with my specific combination of "Alfred Method" and customized reinforcement/accompaniment instructional materials. If the student chooses the latter option, he/she will progress very quickly over the areas that the student is already familiar with. This allows the student to refresh their memory with a quick review, but more importantly, this process will make sure that all of the essential foundational topics are covered and that nothing important is missed.
  Advanced - Our first lesson will primarily focus on discussing what specific areas of music the student would like to work on. I will listen to the student play and get a feel for their level of expertise and identify any weaknesses that we can target and develop. We will talk about goals and expectations as well as a plan of attack for customizing and administering a curriculum to suit their specific needs.
• How long have you been playing the piano? I started at the age of 25 and I am now 43, so around 18 years.
• How long have you been a music instructor? I started in 2000 at the age of 23, so around 20 years.
• Can you teach more than one student at a time and if so how much extra will it be? Although 1-on-1 instruction is much more productive, I am willing to teach a maximum of 3 students at once but they must be close in skill-level. There will be no extra charge for this. The students can simply share materials that I give them or you can make copies so each student can have their own materials to study and practice in between lessons.
• Are parents allowed to monitor their children during the 1-on-1 lessons. Yes, of course. Parents are welcome to watch their children’s interaction and progress when ever they choose to.
• Can I/we meet with you before a decision is made to move forward with lessons? Yes. I offer meet-and-greet consultations at no charge. Just view my AVAILABILITY CALENDAR to schedule the best day and time to meet.
• How are your lessons structured and how well do they work? I have a very special, uniquely customized curriculum that I have continued to improve upon over decades of teaching. I mainly focus on the Alfred Music method but I have pulled from hundreds of other resources and have implemented many of my own to create what I feel is the most powerful, comprehensive and successful piano instruction delivery method available today. Whether you’re a beginner or intermediate player, I will teach you everything that you need to know from the ground up. Even though I teach the same curriculum regardless of age and skill-level, I always take a 1-on-1, tailored approach on how I teach these methods & principles based on the students’ needs.
• What genres/styles of music do you teach? I teach a large variety of music including rock (soft & hard), techno, EDM (electronic dance music), dubstep, electro, pop, indie rock, alternative, rhythm & blues, gospel, country, jazz and anything in between. Keep in mind, these are your lessons, so we can focus on any type of music you’d like.
• What kind/type of piano or keyboard do you teach your students on at your studio? I use a full size, 88 key, fully weighted, professional Roland A-88 keyboard with all 3 floor pedals. This keyboard not only sounds and feels just like an acoustic grand piano but it offers so much more versatility and flexibility for instructional purposes.
• Can I choose to take a 30 minute lessons if I’m over the age of 10? Yes. I offer 30 minute lessons only as a recommendation for younger students based on attention span, however, if you are older, I highly recommend taking 45 minute lessons because it’s much more cost efficient.
• Are you willing to give students under the age of 10 a 45 minute lesson? Yes. This is only a recommendation based on attention span. We can definitely try a 45 minute lesson to see if the student is willing and able to remain focused for a longer period of time.
• Do you have an older age limit? No. I teach many adults who are over the age of 70. If you have the desire to learn then I am more than delighted to teach you.
• Do you have any ratings and/or reviews from current or past students that I can read? Yes, you can view this information on the bottom of the "About" page.
• Can I take more than 1 lesson per week? Yes, however, I generally recommend taking only 1 lesson per week so you have sufficient time to study and practice the materials that are given to you so you are fully prepared and ready to move forward with the next lesson materials.
• How many lessons will it take to become proficient? This all depends on how often you study and practice as well as how skilled you desire to become.
• How many minutes per day should I study and practice? This all depends on how good and how fast you would like to progress through my curriculum. I typically suggest at least 15 to 30 minutes per day but if you have the time and the desire to practice more then you will become more proficient at a faster rate.
• Do you offer piano repair & tuning services? Yes. I have worked on a variety of both acoustic grand & upright pianos. What ever you need done, I can not only do very professionally, but at a more affordable price than my competitors. Please select the REPAIR/TUNING tab above for more information.
• Can the Gift Certificate be redeemed for other services that you offer? Yes, not only that but it’s 100% transferable & it never expires.
• Is it OK to digitally or physically copy (reproduce) the lesson/curriculum plans/materials that you give to me? All of the materials that I provide to you have been uniquely customized and/or created and is copyrighted by “Kevin Cody Music.” You do however, have my express permission to reproduce any of my copyrighted material if and only if it is for your sole personal educational use and/or archival purposes. You may not share these materials with anyone else including but not limited to online publishing for any reason what so ever or you will be in violation of my exclusive rights and may be subject to prosecution in a civil court of law for copyright infringement.

Basics:

• Arms, shoulders, elbows, knees, feet, hand and finger position & placement
• Assigning finger numbers for both hands (fingering)
• Naturals/white keys vs. black keys & black key groups
• Finger reaching
• Keyboard sizes and # of keys

(86+) Chords - Includes the most commonly used voiced (partial/full) chords with all position/inversion/slash variants:

• (3) C (root, 1st inversion & 2nd inversion)
• (3) F (root, 1st inversion & 2nd inversion)
• (1) G7 - partial 3-note chord excluding the 5th note (2nd inversion)
• (4) G7 (root, 1st inversion, 2nd inversion & 3rd inversion)
• (3) G (root, 1st inversion & 2nd inversion)
• (3) D7 - partial 3-note chord excluding the 5th note (2nd inversion)
• (3) D7 (root, 1st inversion, 2nd inversion & 3rd inversion)
• (3) Bb (root, 1st inversion & 2nd inversion)
• (3) C7 - partial 3-note chord excluding the 5th note (2nd inversion)
• (3) C7 (root, 1st inversion, 2nd inversion & 3rd inversion)
• (3) Am (root, 1st inversion & 2nd inversion)
• (3) Dm (root, 1st inversion & 2nd inversion)
• (3) E7 - partial 3-note chord excluding the 5th note (2nd inversion)

(17) Keys/scales/modes - includes the most commonly used scales and modes:

• (7) C & Am diatonic scale with all 7 modes - ionian, dorian, phrygian, lydian, mixolydian, aeolion & locrian
• (1) G diatonic scale in ionian/major mode
• (1) F diatonic scale in ionian/major mode
• (1) A harmonic minor scale/mode
• (1) A melodic minor scale/mode

(252) Exercises:

• (4) 3 finger chromatic scales up & down with both hands individually
• (2) 3 finger chromatic scales up & down with both hands simultaneously in contrary motion
• (2) 3 finger chromatic scales up & down with both hands simultaneously in parallel motion
• (4) 5 finger natural keys up & down with both hands individually
• (2) 5 finger natural keys up & down with both hands simultaneously in contrary motion
• (2) 5 finger natural keys up & down with both hands simultaneously in parallel motion
• (4) Repeated 5 finger pattern w/1 natural key increments up & down with both hands individually
• (2) Repeated 5 finger pattern w/1 natural key increments up & down with both hands simultaneously in contrary motion
• (2) Repeated 5 finger pattern w/1 natural key increments up & down with both hands simultaneously in parallel motion
• (4) 8 natural key melodic Intervals up & down with both hands individually
• (4) 8 natural key melodic Intervals up & down with both hands simultaneously in contrary motion
• (4) 8 natural key melodic Intervals up & down with both hands simultaneously in parallel motion
• (4) 8 natural key harmonic Intervals up & down with both hands individually
• (4) 8 natural key harmonic Intervals up & down with both hands simultaneously in contrary motion
• (4) 8 natural key harmonic Intervals up & down with both hands simultaneously in parallel motion
• (28) C, G, F, Am, A harmonic minor, Dm & D harmonic minor scale with over/under method up & down with both hands individually
• (14) C, G, F, Am, A harmonic minor, Dm & D harmonic minor scale with over/under method up & down with both hands simultaneously in contrary motion
• (14) C, G, F, Am, A harmonic minor scale, Dm & D harmonic minor with over/under method up & down with both hands simultaneously in parallel motion
• (10) Key of C, G, F, A harmonic minor & D harmonic minor primary block chords twice with both hands individually
• (10) Key of C, G, F, A harmonic minor & D harmonic minor primary block chords twice with both hands simultaneously
• (20) Key of C, G, F, A harmonic minor & D harmonic minor primary broken chords twice up & down with both hands individually
• (10) Key of C, G, F, A harmonic minor & D harmonic minor primary broken chords twice up & down with both hands simultaneously in contrary motion
• (10) Key of C, G, F, A harmonic minor & D harmonic minor primary broken chords twice up & down with both hands simultaneously in parallel motion
• (44) C, G, F, D7 (full - not partial), G7 (full - not partial), Bb, C7 (full - not partial), Dm, E7 (full - not partial), Gm & A7 (full - not partial) root and inversion block chords up & down with both hands individually
• (44) C, G, F, D7 (full - not partial), G7 (full - not partial), Bb, C7 (full - not partial), Dm, E7 (full - not partial), Gm & A7 (full - not partial) root and inversion broken chords up & down with both hands individually

Techniques:

• Finger over/under method
• Playing with dynamic (p, pp, ppp, mp, mf, f, ff, fff, crescendo/< & diminuendo/>) & changing dynamics
• Playing at different tempos (English or Italian word vs BPM/beats per minute), immediate tempo changes & gradual tempo changes (ritardando/rallentando, accelerando, a tempo, slower & faster)
• Defining & correlating tempo markings between English, Italian & various interpretations of a vague BPM range
• (3) Playing with phrasing - Normal, slurs/curved lines (legato style) & staccato/over or under dotted note
• (3) Playing with pedals: Left - soft pedal/una corda on grand & half-blow pedal on upright pianos, middle - sostenuto pedal & right - sustaining/damper pedal
• Playing with overlapping pedals
• Defining different pitch, tone, texture & timbre and how to achieve this to color your sound and style of playing
• Fermata/pause/hold sign for notes and rests
• Changing positions including octave/8va jumps up/hi and down/low and how to read these notated changes
• Changing positions with hand over/under method
• Changing positions with static finger patterns/shapes
• Playing fragmented positions
• Playing a single chord with both hands
• Playing notes unevenly such as alternating between long & short note durations common with blues music
• Changing fingers on the same note
• Playing arpeggios/arpeggiated chords
• Finger substitution
• Playing harmonies or chords with the same hand with notes of different counts

Theory:

• Reading music notation: Clefs (treble/G & bass/F), staves (treble, bass & grand w/brace), ledger line, measures/bars, bar lines, double bar line, names of note & rest shapes, count/beat values including tied & dotted notes (eighth, quarter, half & whole), sharps/#, flats/b, naturals/#, accidentals, eighth notes beam vs. tail, time signatures/meters, repeat signs, melodic & harmonic note intervals (same, up or down second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh & eighth), courtesy signs, stems, octaves, key signatures vs. key, key changes, incomplete measures, eighth note triplets, musical shorthand (D.C./da capo, fine, segno, coda & numbered brackets) & accent signs
• Understanding that a song can be written/played (composed) a variety of ways depending on it’s purpose such as for learning to play the piano for familiarity reasons in which case the melody replaces the syllables of the lyrics which is not how music is generally composed
• Defining melody vs. accompaniment & the roles they play
• Defining harmonies & chords
• Defining rhythm, phrase, syncopation & syncopated notes
• Most common way to memorize notes on both the treble & bass staff
• Two different ways to interpret and memorize seven different note intervals on a staff
• Chord notation, construction, voicings (partial, full, octaves), inversions & alternate chord symbols/names
• Importance of using dominant/tetra vs. major/triad chords
• Primary chords with a focus on the key of C, G, F, A harmonic minor & D harmonic minor
• Three chord progression theory based on chordal harmony using lower case roman numerals for minor chords & upper case for major chords with a focus on major, minor, harmonic minor & melodic minor keys
• Playing different positions: C, G, middle C (thumb sharing), F, A & D
• Sheet music vs. lead sheets & improvisation
• Block vs. broken chords
• Theoretical form of notes in the diatonic scale
• Theoretical form of intervals in the chromatic scale
• Defining half/whole steps, scales, modes & alternate scale/mode names
• Defining the major scale (first diatonic mode/ionian) with the half & whole step pattern of a tetra chord
• (5) 12-Bar Blues Patterns
• Circle of fifths (clockwise) & circle of fourths (counter-clockwise)
• Why and how we transpose music into different keys
• Song structure
• Reading and interpreting the various meanings of ghost notes (notes within paranthesis)
• How to quickly and easily identify all 15 Key Signatures for all 12 Keys

(63) Complete Songs:  (Most songs are part of the core curriculum and some are optional but I can teach you any song you can think of.)

• Ode to Joy
• Aura Lee
• Rock Along
• Mexican Hat Dance
• Au Claire De La Lune
• Tisket a Tasket
• Rockin’ Intervals
• Good King Wenceslas
• My Fifth
• Jingle Bells
• Brother John
• Here’s a Happy Song
• Merrily We Roll Along
• Largo
• Mary Ann
• Rockets
• What Can I Share
• When The Saints Go Marching In
• Love Somebody
• A Friend Like You
• The Donkey
• Money Can’t Buy Everything
• The Cuckoo
• Harp Song
• Beautiful Brown Eyes
• Alpine Melody
• Waltz Time
• Good Morning To You
• Happy Birthday To You
• Standing In The Need of Prayer
• The Gift To Be Simple
• Alouette

Riffs:  Want to learn a specific riff? No problem, I’ll teach you whatever you would like to learn.

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION:  My Studio is local but not limited to the following Cities: Acworth, Alpharetta, Apalachee, Arcade, Arp, Ashland, Athens, Atlanta, Auburn, Bethlehem, Between, Bishop, Bogart, Bostwick, Bowman, Braselton, Brookhaven, Buckhead, Buford, Campbellton, Canon, Canton, Carlton, Carnesville, Chestatee, Coal Mountain, Colbert, College Park, Comer, Commerce, Conyers, Coventry, Covington, Crabapple, Crawford, Cumming, Dacula, Danielsville, Dawsonville, Decatur, Dewy Rose, Douglasville, Duluth, East Cobb, East Point, Elberton, Fairburn, Flowery Branch, Forest Park, Fort Lamar, Free Home, Gainesville, Gillsville, Godfrey, Good Hope, Gratis, Grayson, Holy Springs, Homer, Hoschton, Hull, Ila, Jefferson, Jersey, Johns Creek, Jonesboro, Kelly, Kennesaw, Lakeview Estates, Lavonia, Lawrenceville, Lexington, Lilburn, Lithia Springs, Lithonia, Loganville, Lula, Mabelton, Madison, Marietta, Maysville, McDonough, Milton, Monroe, Morrow, Newborn, Nicholson, Norcross, North High Shoals, Oakwood, Oxford, Pendergrass, Planter, Porterdale, Powder Springs, Redan, Riverdale, Roswell, Royston, Russel, Rutledge, Sandy Springs, Silver City, Smyrna, Snellville, Social Circle, Statham, Stockbridge, Stone Mountain, Suwanee, Talmo, Tucker, Union City, Walnut Grove, Watkinsville, Westside, Winder, Winterville & Woodstock which spans the following Counties: Barrow, Clarke, Dekalb, Fulton, Gwinnett, Hall, Jackson, Oconee & Walton.