There is a huge amount of tuition material these days whether paid or free. You only need to do a search on google or YouTube to come accross many examples. But, as I’ve said before, a structured course or system when learning the piano is beneficial in many ways, especially for beginners. So what are the best free piano lessons online?
This is up for debate, but I’ve found some free beginner lessons from a guy who is a great teacher and is worth a look. He has several free videos on Youtube, so there are plenty of examples highlighting his talent.
Who is Nikolas Nuñez?
The guy in question in Nikolas Nuñez who has been playing the piano for 18 years. I couldn’t find much information about him, but it’s clear to me he’s a big talent with a huge passion for the piano and for teaching. He comes across as a confident, charismatic pianist, sometimes a little modest, but with his talent, who cares.
He has a passion for gospel music and plays in church, so this has an influence on his technique, style and attitude, which is a benfit to the student. He comes across as a nice guy.
I’ve not looked into gospel music before, so I look forward to following his Jazz, Blues and Gospel course at some stage.
There are plenty of Youtube videos of him playing covers and the occasional lesson, so be sure to check out his channel
Nikolas Nuñez YouTube preview.
What does the free course include?
The course comprises 6 high quality videos with a total time of just under an hour. You may think this isn’t much for a beginners course, but there’s a lot of material covered.
The videos cover
- Note names and getting started
- Creating a major scale
- Creating a chord
- Chord inversions
- Chord numbers major and minor
So, it seems brief, but there’s a lot that the student will need to work on themselves. For example, Nikolas will show you how to construct a major scale and the fingering needed to play one, but the student will need to go away and apply the knowledge as well as continue to practice to gain technical fluidity. This will take time.
Nikolas teaches in a relaxed manner, speaking slowly and explaining the concepts and techniques well. You can see his fingers on the keyboard as well as a lit virtual keyboard above. This is a good visual for picking up the points.
I would describe this course as a foundation and all the elements are essentall. If you learn the concepts and cement the theory and technique, they will serve you well.
The course appeals to me, as my initial learning of the piano was taken from my knowledge of the guitar which is very chordal based, rather than the traditional classical method of learning the piano.
There’s zero need to read music with this foundation class, which will appreal to many – especially adults. I would always encourage children to follow the traditonal classical method if they can, but I would rather a child enjoys their learning rather than being foreced to go down the classical route, only for them to get bored in the future. Very young children may find the course difficult, but teens upwards will be fine.
Nikolas embellishes the tuition with some song examples, but there isn’t much music for the student to play at this stage. This is more of technique and theory foundation which is fine. There’s plenty of time to play songs later. These skills are very important.
The fact the course is short is appealing, as you wont feel overwhelmed. Practicing scales and becomming fluid takes time. They are also a good warmup routine. The theory knowledge will help you communicate with other musicians and learn from other teachers at a quicker pace.
What else is available for Improv Piano tips?
Elsewehere on the site, you will find
- RythmTechniques4U
- Fundamentals of Jazz, Blues and Gospel
- Solo and Improvise Like Me
- Finger Strength and Accuracy &
- Pointers to playing by ear.
I bought the RhythmTechniques4u package some time ago and it’s a unique method, looking at developing solid, left hand rhythms with independance from the right hand. This is something I struggled with, so I found the course worthwhile. There’s some tricky techniques, but they are worth perservering.
The course was good value to me and at the time of wrting is $69. The other courses are roughly the same price. There’s a lot more to the paid course than the foundation, but the style is similar.
At the time of writing you can buy all the courses for $199, which to me seems good value.
The Facebook Group.
If you enrol on a paid course, you will gain access to the facebook group. As I write there are 279 members, who share posts, videos of their playing and ask questions to Nickolas.
Nikolas encourages students to send in their videos and provides feedback as well as some enhancements they can add to their pieces. Maybe a different chord voicing or differnt rhythm. Nikolas also includes lessons, that you wont find on Youtube.
I’ve found it a friendly and encouraging community and a nice enhancment when you sign up for a paid course.
Is it worth the investment in time?
There’s no financial investment with the foundation course and as an investment of time, it is thoroughly worth it. I have yet to find a series of free lessons that will teach this knowledge in an informative, yet enjoyable manner.
Please be aware I have no affiliation to improv piano tips and will receive no compensation for my recommendation. I simply have the intention of adding value and highlighting good courses and teachers.
The free foundation/beginners course is excellent and if you are thinking of paying for one of his other courses, I can thoroughly recommend his rhythm techniques course, which will keep you busy for sometime.
The skill sets from both the courses I have experienced are highly valuable and will enhance your playing.
I’ll update any future course that I take up.
Best wishes with your success as always.
Link to improvpianotips
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