Online Piano Lessons for
Creative Adults
1:1 Virtual Private Lessons
Feeling lost about learning piano as an adult? Creative Keyboardist’s comprehensive, customizable, adult-centered approach will get you playing, understanding, and creating music in no time.
Play. Understand. Create.™
Long ago, music students learned to play, understand, and create music.
For a reason – each skill reinforces the others.
Play
Learn to play (and read music) well. Customize the curriculum with the music you love. Optional: learn to play by ear.
Understand
Master the vocabulary and grammar of music – chords, scales, chord progressions, and much more.
Create
Get creative! Learn basic to advanced skills for improvising, arranging with lead sheets, and composing music.
What You Will Learn
We’ll create a personalized approach for you based on your previous musical training (if any), your musical goals, the styles you want to play, and your musical strengths and weaknesses:
- Play any style including classical, jazz standards, blues, rock/pop, R&B, ragtime, videogame, film/anime, electronic and more
- How to read music, or read it better
- How to play by ear and/or develop your musical ear
- Basic to advanced chords
- Improvisation, in your own personal style and/or blues or jazz styles
- How to read and play lead sheets
- Healthy and natural keyboard technique
- Rhythm skills
- How to play music at sight
- Efficient practicing skills
- How to compose music or write songs
- How to develop your musical memory
- Arranging (creating a personalized version of someone else’s music)
- Music theory (how music works, including chord structures, scales, the circle of 5ths, chord progressions etc.)
Your Teacher
Founder of Creative Keyboardist, Doug Hanvey holds a master’s degree in adult education and is the author of the Creative Keyboardist Adult Piano Course, a systematic and sequential method designed especially for adult learners. Doug started playing piano at age 6. Doug studied classical piano and music composition at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University Bloomington (one of the foremost music schools in the US), later working as an accompanist at the School. In Los Angeles, Doug studied contemporary (jazz/blues) keyboard styles with John Novello, one of the country’s leading keyboard teachers who has taught and/or played with Chick Corea, Stevie Wonder and Andy Summers of The Police. Doug was later mentored as a teacher by Novello. Doug has regularly gigged and worked as a music director in Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area. Doug has composed hundreds of piano pieces and songs and the score of a full-length musical.
What Students Say
Doug is an incredible teacher. The lessons are well-structured and offer a balance of theory, technique and practice. Doug is very knowledgeable, patient, and articulates feedback in a kind and encouraging way. I appreciate his ability to unpack the music that we are working on and explain tricky concepts with ease, and he makes me feel like a more confident musician every week. I highly recommend Doug to anyone looking to reach their musical goals.
– R. Maas
Doug has patiently guided me on my journey to recapture skills I learned decades ago and take me beyond them. He is intuitive, creative, and seems to know what I want to work on before I do. He stresses positive practice routines and takes his time explaining and demonstrating. My experience has been positive and uplifting.
– G. Robinson
Doug is an incredibly talented and well-rounded teacher with a wealth of experience to help guide you towards your musical goals. I’ve explored so many genres of music including classical, ragtime, jazz and pop, while also building new skills in arranging and improvisation. Through Doug’s mentorship and teaching I’ve become a much more well-rounded musician.
– N. Rodman
I’ve had numerous music teachers over the years, but Doug is the best teacher I’ve ever had, bar none. I am learning and making changes on multiple fronts. My “unattainable” goals now seem within reach because Doug possesses a unique blend of traits: patience, broad and deep musicianship and technical knowledge, and superb teaching skills. He has an instinct for breaking challenges into small steps, and the superb ability to communicate and demonstrate ways to do things. I have found my pedagogical “home.”
-T. Ludvigson
Scheduling and Tuition
Lessons are 30 or 45 minutes long
Lessons may be scheduled weekly (optimal learning experience)
or every other week (more cost-effective)
30 minute lessons are $65/lesson (weekly only)
45 minute lessons are $90/lesson (weekly or every other week)