Most students try too hard. They really want to be able to improvise. To sit down at the piano and express through music. But they try too hard and miss the point of it all. It doesn't have to be that way. In fact, improvisation should be a joy. If it isn't you are doing something wrong.

Here's a simple method to get you going. Look at Lesson 3: "Rainforest." Here we have a strategy for successful improvisation. The left-hand takes care of the background while the right is free to create whatever it wants from the G Major scale - an excellent method for beginners.

The key here is to forget about the left-hand ostinato pattern and shift your attention to creating melody in the right. Once you get the pattern down your focus should be on melody creation. What's great about "Rainforest" is that you only get 2 chords to play in the left-hand. Something beginners can accomplish easily. But here's where some students get stuck. Why? Because they play something beyond their technical ability and either lose the left-hand pattern or stop playing because they don't like what they're hearing.

Here's a secret - go as slow as you need to. There's absolutely no need to be a speed demon here. The goal is to make music, not show off and see how "well" you can play. Go slowly and play with sensitivity. Here's another bit of advice - the sensitive player will ALWAYS SOUND BETTER than the player with technical proficiency.

It doesn't matter if all you know are the notes from the G Major scale, but, if you play with sensitivity and feeling, you will sound better than the musician who knows everything there is to know about music!

Edward Weiss is a pianist/composer and webmaster of Quiescence Music's online piano lessons. He has been helping students learn how to play piano in the New Age style for over 14 years and works with students in private, in groups, and now over the internet. Stop by now at http://www.quiescencemusic.com/piano_lessons.html for a FREE piano lesson!