Have you ever wished you could play the piano? Well, now you can! Scott "The Piano Guy" Houston teaches you to play the way the pros play, in a style enormously simpler than traditional classical piano and with an absolute minimum of note-reading. By focusing on playing the melody with the right hand (one note at a time) and simple chords with the left hand, Houston gives you the tools you need for a lifetime of musical enjoyment. Best of all, your tour guide to this adventure forces you to have fun along the way!

So, armed with this new-found knowledge and confidence, I made another wise decision. I ordered several "fake books" by Hal Leonard Publishing (all can be ordered through Amazon) containing the lead sheet music with chord symbols that Scott suggests. I now have "Your First Fake Book," "The Best Fake Book Ever," "The Ultimate Fake Book," "Gospel's Greatest," and "The Ultimate Christmas Fake Book."

Now, here's where I get to brag. I have learned 14 new songs in just over a month! These are the songs that I have learned in the order I learned them:

Alexander's Ragtime Band
Do-Re-Mi
When The Saints Go Marching In
Seventy-six Trombones
Blue Suede Shoes
Maria
Beauty and the Beast
Can You Feel the Love Tonight
Angels we Have Heard on High
Auld Lang Syne
Away in a Manger
Frosty the Snowman
Deck the Hall
Do You Hear What I Hear

And the best part is that I have learned them all by heart now. That will leave my books free for those who want to sing along because all of the books I have mentioned come complete with the lyrics. As you can see, I'm quickly trying to learn some Christmas songs to impress my family and friends this year.

Now, here is the best part for you. I know you can do it too. I spend just one hour per night practicing. It usually takes me 2 nights (i.e., 2 hours) to completely learn a song and to start to play it reasonably well. Almost every night I spend the first part of practice playing my entire repertoire before going on to the next song. This system seems to work very well for me.

I know you can do it too. Scott is right. The best way to learn chords is by playing them in songs. Bless you, Scott, for unlocking the dream. I love the piano!

P.S. My 6-year-old son has been taking traditional lessons for 2 years now. He is currently learning a little 2-liner called "Grumpy old Troll." But I can see a little envy in his eyes when I sit down and whip out a nice version of "Beauty and the Beast." We may start to have a problem if he sees his father getting too good too soon.


Play the piano in weeks instead of years   June 10, 2002
Harold McFarland (Florida)
188 out of 197 found this review helpful

"Play the Piano in a Flash!" teaches how to play the piano using chords and melody lines instead of the "classical" technique. Why would you want to learn this method? Actually that is easy to answer, other than classical piano pieces, most piano players use this method and it is the easiest method to learn.
Scott Houston teaches you to play in this style and has you playing your favorite pieces in just hours of practice instead of weeks and weeks of learning to read notes and painstaking lessons. You will not learn classical concert piano techniques, but you will learn to play your favorite pieces with confidence.
If you just want to learn to play piano for the purpose of having fun or entertaining at a party or playing for a pop, rock, or similar group then this is a wonderful guide. If you want to learn classical piano then it is not what you need. Absolutely the easiest method and a lot of fun, I enjoyed the book greatly.... and can actually play a few tunes after about four hours of practice.


Why didn't my piano teacher give me this book 20 years ago?   January 22, 2002
N.C. (Indianapolis, IN United States)
72 out of 73 found this review helpful

This is a great tool for those who don't want to be a classical pianist but just want to have fun! The author gets to the point quickly with no "fluff" and tells you exactly what you need to do to sound good immediately. Although I had taken a few piano lessons as a child many years ago, I couldn't play a thing. Now I am able to play songs that I want to play, not songs my teacher wanted me to play... Will it take some effort? Yes, but now I am looking forward to playing what is fun instead of "Chopsticks"! It is also a lot cheaper than lessons...


If you have struggled to play the piano, get this book.   January 1, 2004
57 out of 58 found this review helpful

I took piano lessons for 9 years from a classical pianist, as an adult. I had advanced to a fairly high level and could play some hard stuff - pretty well I think. But I never could sit down and just play the piano like I wanted to. It became too much like work, and I quit taking lessons about 12 years ago. But I never lost my love of music, or the desire to play. I have been searching for the perfect sheet music for years and playing off and on without any great success.

I watched his show on PBS a month ago. At first I thought "this is stupid - you are not telling me anything". But I started to think about it more and the next day I bought a fake book to give it a whirl. It has been almost a revelation for me. I was hung up on reading music and not playing it. Now I am having more fun playing piano than ever. The benefits of having played for years, or trying to play for years, are paying off. And suddenly, the "music theory" side of it is much more interesting and have started restudying some old theory books that I had from before (but were not interesting before). Maybe people who never played the piano before would benefit from taking some lessons at the same time. This might lead me to try to find a teacher who teaches using a similar approach.

The book really reflects more of a philosophy or approach to playing the piano, which is the secret. I regret that I did not see this about 25 years ago.


Wish I'd had this 2 years ago   April 4, 2003
CYNTHIA L SPANNUTH (PITTSBURGH, PA United States)
60 out of 63 found this review helpful

I got this book the other day, read through it, and then reread it. Then I sat down with a song I had always wanted to play, practiced the chords, and played it. Good grief! I took lessons, bought theory books, practiced, practiced, practiced. And yet I never played "Bewitched" in entirety. I did last night. I must say to my ear, I sounded pretty darn good. If you want to play for your own enjoyment and don't plan on a gig at Carnegie Hall, buy this wonderful book.