If you get an opportunity to play piano for your church or any church, remember who is giving you the chance to play in the first place. It’s not by accident that you are in the position that you’re in. I’ve seen to many pianists who play for the church thinking they are the best piano players that ever graced the face of the earth. Eventually they are brought back down to earth, hard. They no longer play the piano for anyone and they wish they had their position back. Pride comes before the fall. It’s true. God can put anyone who is willing and has the right heart in place of you if you are not humble. I tell you this because I don’t want you mess things up for yourself. Even if you are brand new to the piano, keep what I have said in the back of your mind.

Never think that you are at a concert performing. People may cheer or clap and you might feel like your putting on a show. You’re not in show business when your playing worship piano for the church. You are there only to benefit the body and glorify God. I said that twice because you have to know this. Of course you can have fun with songs. You can ad your own musical spin to songs but don’t be self centered. If the worship leader wants a certain thing played, don’t argue with them. If you are the worship leader, be sensitive to what God wants you to play. Yes, God speaks through his Holy Spirit. If you feel strongly about something you don’t always have to make it known. Sometimes you may have to play song that you don’t particularly like. If found that these things have built character, improved my piano playing and even helped my have a deeper relationship with God.

visit http://www.lifesmusic.com. My name is Bryan and I’ve been playing the piano for over ten years. To learn to play the piano by ear go to http://www.lifesmusic.com.

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Now that your arms and legs are flying in all directions, the pressure is on and although you are working very hard at every opportunity, you are still finding it difficult to keep up with the requirements of the job.

So what do you do next – how can you make the transition to the organ, keep your sanity and still give a good account of yourself on a Sunday?

When I first started to play the organ at church, my biggest worry was that I would make myself look stupid. Surrounded by people who would tell me how brilliant the organist was in the church down the road, and how if they had a bit more time, would take on the job themselves, I thought I was playing to a congregation of retired organists!

After a time, I realized that some people do tend to exaggerate and that I was the most eligible candidate for the job because I was the only person who could play the piano to any degree of proficiency. However, I also realized that I would only accomplish the transition from pianist to organist if I could play to my own expectation, which at the beginning was higher than was practical.

The first tip I would give to someone in a similar position is to play easy music well – not difficult music badly. People listening to organ music, or any music for that matter, cannot usually tell if the music is hard or easy to play, but most people do know if there are any mistakes. Playing easier pieces will also make the transition easier.

The next tip I would give is to learn to play the bass pedals. It may seem very difficult at first, but organ playing, especially hymn playing, becomes easier when the feet can contribute to the sound and you don’t have to rely solely on the hands and manuals. The pedals are often the most difficult hurdle when changing from piano to organ and it can feel like playing two instruments at the same time! Hymn playing is harmonic – based on chords – so if you can think of your feet as an extension of your hands so that your mind gets used to including the bass pedals in the chord structure, playing pedals in hymns should become a more natural process.

Lastly, be realistic about what is achievable, from yourself and the choir, and set yourself a practice schedule that you can stick to. Being too ambitious about the time you can give or the level of music you can play will probably result in disappointment. It is also encouragement that you need if you are to make the transition from pianist to church organist.

Nick Chenhall has been a musician and teacher for over thirty years and runs his own Reluctant Organist website with practical advice on how to survive the post.

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Most probably, you are thinking that learning the piano can be very difficult. After all, you must have heard that one should start young if he or she ever wanted to become good at playing this musical instrument. Well, even if you are already in your teens or adult years, you can still learn the piano. There are ways that can speed up your learning process to have you playing the instrument like a professional piano player. Below are some of the tried and tested formulas that will allow you to gain essential piano skills fast. Read on.

First, you need to develop your music listening skills. This is where learning the chords becomes important. With a good musical ear, you can learn how a particular note will sound and how it will fit if mixed with other notes to make music. You do not need to learn how to read a musical sheet, especially if you want to learn piano fast. A good way to know if you have developed your musical ear is when the pitch of a note on the piano sounds the same as your humming.

Next, always remember that learning the chords will be for naught if you do not practice using them. After you have learned all the major and minor chords, you can begin learning basic and intermediate pieces. When mastering the chords, it is a good idea that you start off with triad chords. Commit at least a couple of hours every day for piano practice. Along with mastering the chords, you can also start developing the flexibility of your fingers. So, make it a point to practice piano scales with one hand first, then with the other, and then with both hands together. Once you have improved the flexibility of your fingering skills, you can play more advanced piano songs with relative ease.

Finally, you need to get good piano tutorials. These can help you practice notes and provide you with a step-by-step plan on how to advance your skills. In other words, finding a good tutor or video tutorial can greatly bring down the learning curve in piano lessons. With enough dedication and practice, you will be able to play gospel piano like a professional. When that time arrives, you will surely add more delight to churchgoers and more reasons for fellow members of your church to attend services religiously.

Benoit is a Passionate Piano Tutor who’s life mission is to share the great wonder of playing the piano to spread happiness to the world. For more information on Playing Piano Gospel, visit http://www.PianoTutorialSongs.com

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If you know how to play the piano already, you probably already know how different chords relate to each other. If you don’t play the piano, it doesn’t matter. You can learn to play. Just knowing how chords relate to each other is not enough. For instance instead of playing a basic C major chord, why not play a C in the bass (left hand) and play an E minor chord on your right hand. You can play a C major 7 chord if you want. I don’t like this chord. There is so much you can do on the piano. To play worship piano you should know not only basic chords but how to combine different chords to produce different sounds. This is one key to effectively play worship piano.

Another vital thing about worship piano is dynamics. By dynamics I mean when to play loud or soft. For some people this comes naturally. For others, you are going have to listen to worship music. To play worship piano you need to listen to worship music. It’s as simple as that. You need to learn when you are supposed to quiet down. Maybe someone may be talking and you don’t want to play over top of them. You also need to learn techniques to playing worship piano when playing louder. Remember there is always something you can still learn.

You don’t have to be extremely talented to play worship piano for your church. All need to do is work hard. Hard work is the answer. I’m not talking about playing the piano until you are sweating bullets and your fingers are cramping up. I just mean that you need to practice everyday. If you do, you will not only be able to play worship music but any other type of music you put your mind to.

Visit http://www.lifesmusic.com My name is Bryan and I’ve been playing the piano for over ten years. To learn to play the piano by ear go to http://www.lifesmusic.com.

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