PianoForAll by Robin Hall - HONEST Review (2023)
PianoForAll by Robin Hall - HONEST Review (2023)
Unlock your musical potential with PianoForAll, an innovative online piano learning program. With its unique teaching approach, comprehensive learning materials, flexibility, and affordability...
What is PianoForAll?
Robin Hall has created a collection of piano lessons called Piano 4 All. This e-book program consists of ten lessons that are designed to teach beginners and advanced students.
Aside from the main topics, this course also covers various techniques related to chord change and melody. Music master Robin Hall has created an e-course called Piano 4 All which consists of 10 piano books.
It includes 500 audio lessons and 300 video lessons. All of these are downloadable in PDF format within 30 minutes.
This e-course has plenty of lessons to ensure that you are able to quickly master the basic techniques of playing the piano. Each lesson has a unique and individual approach to teaching.
The author carefully explained the various steps and strategies in each lesson. This book is ideal for students with varying abilities.
What makes Piano For All different and easy?
Firstly, the way Piano 4 All works is very different from the way traditional piano lessons are conducted.
Here, you’ll start off by learning the rhythm. Forget about the old-fashioned songs or scales, this course goes beyond that boring and outdated style of teaching piano.
You will quickly pick up the skills that will enable you to play any musical genre of your liking. The very first set of lessons you will learn is the ‘Rhythm Style’ piano akin to that of the Beatles, Cold Play, Elton John, and Billy Joel, among others. These classics are definitely fun and will take you step-by-step through each and every rhythm and chord you’ll ever need.
Once the basics have been mastered, the subsequent lessons keep adding new riffs, patterns, inversions, extended chords, and harmony. A lot of other piano lessons out there do not introduce chords until later in the series but with this course, chords are part of the basics and are an essential part of learning how to play the piano.
All this includes Robin’s tricks of easy piano, which include formulas, memorization techniques, as well as his signature ‘bluffs’, which all aid to speed up the learning process. There are specific lessons dedicated to teaching you ‘speed’ (how to play the piano faster).
An example of a step-by-step video lesson of the 300+ available on PianoForAll:
How Long To Complete PianoForAll?
Usually, most of the customers who’ve bought the course have completed it within 6 weeks. But you decide the pace at which you’re going to learn it.
What You Will Need
PianoForAll is quite flexible in terms of what you need to use, but it is obviously required to use a piano or a keyboard.
A 61-key keyboard should be obtained to start practicing.
However, if you are serious about learning the piano, I would still urge that you upgrade to an 88-key digital piano with fully weighted keys as soon as possible.
Most 61 keyboards are unwound or semi-weighted, making them significantly lighter and extremely distinct from an acoustic piano.
The digital pianos contain 88 hammer action keys on the other hand, which attempt to imitate as closely as possible the feeling of an acoustic piano, thereby developing adequate finger strength and technology.
With regard to the technology, the Mac, PC, iPhone, iPad, or Android can download the E-Books.
You need Adobe Reader and Flash Player for accessing the videos and listening to the sound snippets embedded in your E-Books if you are using a Mac or PC.
The Readdle Documents app is needed for an iPhone or iPad.
The EZPDF Reader Lite app requires an Android device that sadly costs one dollar. You can also check for free alternatives on the Play Store.
There are detailed instructions and links on the Pianoforall site for downloads and an extensive troubleshooting section for when the setup does not go properly.
What's Included in PianoForAll?
You will receive the following items as part of your one-time course purchase of only $49, and if you use our exclusive deal with coupon SAVE20, you get an additional 20% off:
Nine e-books and 1 extra book. These complete e-books connect you to several piano music styles with chords, tunes, and exercises, which will teach you enough theory per lesson. In every book below, I'll go into detail.
300 video tutorials – These videos, which are embedded in the e-book, reinforce skills with Robin Hall's explanatory keyboard demonstrations.
He demonstrates the lesson on a lower piano while an animated keyboard above displays the notes he is playing, making it clear which notes you should play, how your hands should look, and how it should sound.
500 tunes and exercises on audio – These are next to each exercise to quickly show you how it should sound. Hearing each activity before doing it will aid auditory learners in particular.
Pros of PianoForAll
Unique and Practical Teaching Approach: PianoForAll's chord-based learning method allows students to start playing popular songs quickly, boosting motivation and enjoyment.
Comprehensive Learning Materials: The program offers a wide range of interactive ebooks, video lessons, and audio examples, catering to different learning styles and providing a well-rounded learning experience.
Flexibility and Convenience: PianoForAll allows learners to study piano at their own pace and from the comfort of their homes. This flexibility is particularly beneficial for busy individuals with limited time availability.
Positive Student Testimonials: Numerous success stories and testimonials from students highlight the effectiveness of PianoForAll, demonstrating its ability to help learners progress and achieve their musical goals.
Affordability: PianoForAll provides exceptional value for its price, offering comprehensive learning materials that are equivalent to several years of traditional piano lessons at a fraction of the cost.
Cons of PianoForAll
Limited Personalized Feedback: As an online program, PianoForAll lacks the individualized feedback and guidance that can be provided by a live piano teacher. While the program offers a comprehensive learning experience, students may miss out on specific feedback tailored to their unique needs.
Self-Motivation Required: Learning piano online requires self-discipline and self-motivation. Without a scheduled lesson or an instructor present, some students may find it challenging to stay motivated and maintain consistent practice habits.
Limited Advanced Instruction: While PianoForAll covers a wide range of beginner and intermediate skills, it may not provide the depth of instruction required for advanced pianists or those pursuing professional careers in music. Advanced learners may need to supplement their studies with additional resources or seek advanced instruction elsewhere.
Lack of Real-Time Interaction: Online programs like PianoForAll do not provide real-time interaction with instructors or fellow students. Some learners may prefer the social aspect and immediate feedback that comes with in-person lessons or group classes.
Technical Requirements: Access to a computer, tablet, or smartphone, as well as a stable internet connection, is necessary to fully utilize PianoForAll. Individuals without reliable access to these technologies may face limitations in using the program effectively.
Curriculum
Each e-book focuses on a distinct component of piano playing and builds on the previous one so that you can use what you've learned.
Except for Book Nine, which can be read at any time, the e-books should be read in order.
Book #1 - PARTY TIME – RHYTHM STYLE PIANO
The first ebook serves as a primer on the program as well as the keyboard.
It starts by establishing Pianoforall's main principle: that it's crucial to create a foundation of chords and rhythms before moving on to improv, melody composition, and sight-reading.
It starts by teaching you how to read notes on the keyboard before jumping right into playing some simple three-note chords, reminding you that, just like learning guitar, it's more important to perform than worry about theory at this stage.
Musical notation, including rests and basic rhythm, is also introduced in Book One.
This portion advances rapidly, unlike most traditional curricula, which spend time on note-naming and rhythm exercises. You'll probably need to go through it again to understand the rest of the activities.
The rest of the book develops by teaching you a family of chords and providing a popular music rhythm that you can use to play a song using the chords.
In total, Book One will teach you ten rhythms and eleven basic chords.
The chords are taught assuming that you will be reading chord symbols in songbooks as guitar players do. As a result, it demonstrates what to do when you come across seventh chord or slash chord symbols.
You should be able to play the chords and rhythms of several popular songs as you and/or a friend sing the melody by the end of the book.
You should also be able to perform the charming “Amazing Broken Chord Ballad,” which is only a few minutes long.
Book #2 - BLUES & ROCK N ROLL
Book Two expands on your previous knowledge by teaching you how to employ blues rhythms with the chords you already know.
The first principle it emphasizes is that left-hand rhythms should be practiced far more than right-hand rhythms until you can play them in your sleep.
Although this book is shorter than the first, it nevertheless teaches five blues rhythms as well as how to play a twelve-bar blues in any key.
Book #3 - CHORD MAGIC
The third book is a big one. It teaches you all of the chords in every key, as well as their inversions.
Thankfully, it also includes an “all chords memory trick” to make the information dump more manageable, as well as numerous practice progressions to help you get the swing of the new material.
You'll also come across the "cycle of fifths" (sometimes known as the "circle of fifths"), a notion designed to motivate you to practice all of the keys, teach you the relationships between them and aid your understanding of music's overall structure.
Book #4 - ADVANCED CHORDS MADE EASY
Starting with a "magic formula" for bluffing a few more difficult chords, this book continues to teach you how to play chords from chord symbols found in songbooks.
Before attempting to produce a Manilow-style work of your own, explore new musical devices with "Manilow Mood," a tune inspired by Barry Manilow.
Following that are diminished chords and cluster chords, as well as a number more practice progressions.
The book concludes with a lesson on the Beatles’ Style as well as a big list of Beatles songs that you can play using the rhythms and chords you already know.
Book #5 - BALLAD STYLE
Book Five takes a step-by-step approach to ballad-style playing, presenting a way for writing your own ballad-style compositions.
Experimentation with left-hand chord patterns and the forgiving pentatonic scale is encouraged by this method.
This book is all about how to improvise and includes melody, left-hand pattern, and chord progression ideas.
Then, by constructing “Auld Lang Syne” from the ground up, you'll learn how to apply the ballad method to songs you already know.
Sheet music for a number of lovely ballads is included in this book, and you'll probably enjoy playing them.
Book #6 - JAZZ PIANO MADE EASY
This phase of the course is densely packed with information, but you'll emerge with a solid jazz and blues foundation.
Before moving on to jazz, it teaches you how to achieve a "bluesy" sound utilizing the blues scale, blues chords, and other techniques.
Rather than learning to read intricate jazz rhythms, you should listen to and replicate the audio samples to learn the rhythms.
Book Six takes you through jazz in four different keys, teaches you how to improvise jazz, and provides you with a variety of unique practice progressions.
You'll study everything there is to know about quartal harmony before moving on to a full session on seventh chords.
Book #7 - ADVANCED BLUES & FAKE STRIDE
Book Seven extends the blues rhythms you learned in Book Two by incorporating your advanced chord knowledge and entertaining new right-hand chord riffs.
You'll also learn about tremolo, slides, and turnarounds, which are all common blues elements.
The second section of this book covers both false and real stride piano, with the distinction being the length of the “stride” your hand is taking.
Book #8 - TAMING THE CLASSICS
Beginning with a review of musical notation and a fast lecture on key signatures, new symbols, and musical terminology, this portion mostly relies on sheet music. It also includes a list of helpful practice ideas.
Hall teaches you how to sight-read music "the Pianoforall way," which includes detecting common chords and patterns, as well as noting that notes that are sharp or flat owing to the key signature are highlighted in red for easy identification.
You'll then move on to playing classical piano works by Beethoven, Bach, and Chopin, among others.
Book #9 - SPEED LEARNING
The title of this book, which is all about scales, triads, and arpeggios, dubbed the "vegetables" of piano practice, is brilliant.
I think I would have been more ready to sit down and do it if my piano teacher had called it "fast learning."
However, as stated in the book (and as I can attest to), adding these elements into your daily practice is a critical method to enhance your playing.
Despite the fact that this is the ninth book in the series, it features practice "exercise" routines and memory techniques that should be employed right away.
Bonus Book: THE PRACTICE OF MINDFULNESS
This short e-book isn't specifically about piano, but it does feature advice on how to be more creative, focus, and include mindfulness into your daily routine, all of which are helpful when studying an instrument.
PianoforAll Testimonials on Reddit
Here’s what users who’ve tried Piano for All are saying on Reddit:
delusionalknitter says:
I got it on a good sale price. 61 keys is fine. Its good to learn chords and rhythm patterns ... it seems quite boring at the beginning, but over time I've learned is actually relevant and if you get through the first section there's a lot more to the course - BUT the first section is pretty foundational, so just struggle through it!
I find it very useful now that I've been playing for almost 2 years and want to get more into chording and improvising than just strictly playing from sheet music. I've been getting back to that course to practice progressions and rhythms.
cabell88 says:
I'm doing it... It's very good... Builds and builds.... You could do it with a 61 key keyboard.... You're mostly doing things in a very few octaves around middle C.
I need to start it up again.
Spooky_Nightman says:
I started it just last week. Enjoying it so far anyway! The price drops down to a tenner every now and again, so I'd suggest waiting for it to go onsale
Conclusion - Is PianoForAll Any Good?
Pianoforall has bold claims, but it may be able to deliver for the dedicated student. Pianoforall can help you achieve your piano goals as long as you understand what the course will and will not teach you.
Although this course does not prepare students for advanced classical music, you will get a variety of abilities that will be valuable for playing in bands, taking requests, and simply sitting at the piano and playing.
Furthermore, your abilities will provide you with a solid basis for exploring the kind of music you desire to play.
The importance of knowing chords, progressions, keys, and the structure of music in any type of music cannot be overstated.
Hall compares his training to knowing the alphabet and being able to write any phrases you desire. It's an excellent analogy.
Pianoforall actually develops your skills from the ground up, providing you with the foundational skills you'll need to perform not only other people's music but also your own.
It's a novel strategy that frequently feels like putting the cart before the horse, yet it works.