The PianoSeesaw

The new method for piano beginners

The method in action:

Reading approach:

• To look through the method for free:  Click here.
• Purchase it for iPad/iPhone:  Click the AppStore batch.
• Designed for students ages 6-11.
• Available in three languages: English, Deutsch, Norsk.

Piece no. 3:

View the method, guides and more:

• English version of the method – click here
• Deutsche Version der Klavierschule – hier klicken
• Norsk versjon til klaverskolen – klikk her
• Slower backing tracks – click here

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Method Description:

< Innovative – creative – straightforward >

< Black Keys – Keyboard Awareness – Musical Notation Transformation >

The PianoSeesaw is a kick starter for beginner students which can be used before you start with method books. The PianoSeesaw is based on self-explanatory learning materials which give you a real new teaching experience. Everything gets so much easier. The method contains some super hits which the students still like to play after years of piano lessons.

When the pieces were composed it was taken care of to avoid all these places where all the students play wrong notes or wrong rhythms and from which the teacher in advance knows that this will happen.

The notation is based on “Musical Notation Transformation (MNT)” which starts off with a self-explanatory notation system that transforms smoothly into the regular notation system with the grand staff. The students literally learn to read without being aware of it.

For those who want to dive deeper into the method’s approach there are guides for every piece with suggestions for improvisation, composition, ear training and musical games.

Experts all over the world agree that piano beginners, regardless their age, should start off by playing on the black keys, because this is the easiest way to achieve a good and healthy technique and solid keyboard awareness skills (means: the ability to play without looking at the fingers).

Before this new method, when music reading was introduced while playing on the black keys, it was mostly realized with note symbols off the staff in conjunction with the respective fingerings. In this way most pupils were unintentionally conditioned to focus on the fingering and look away from the notes. Like in: “Look 👁 a fish 🐟!” You’ll probably look at the images (fingerings) and not at the written text (note symbols). Other methods which tried to avoid using fingerings to help the pupil find the right keys, mainly introduce reading by using the white keys, which makes it more difficult (not impossible of course) to develop a solid haptic orientation and a good and healthy technique. The PianoSeesaw approach incorporates the pros of the two approaches and eliminates the cons. With the PianoSeesaw notation system despite of playing on the black keys no fingerings are necessary because the system graphically establishes a direct connection between the tone (note) symbols and the keyboard keys. In this way the pupil is conditioned to focus at the actual tone symbols (not fingerings, letters or something else). During the method the tone symbols get smoothly transformed to regular note symbols (see: Musical Notation Transformation – MNT).

Because the PianoSeesaw notation system is highly simplified in the beginning, the pupil succeeds in reading the music already at the very first attempt, without the need for extensive theoretical explanations given in advance.

Musical Notation Transformation – MNT:

For every piece there is a guide included which provides explanations, teaching ideas and background information. In addition, many suggestions are given for:

• improvisation
• composing
• aural training

The PianoSeesaw can be used both as standalone course or as supplemental material to train orientation on the keys, to learn reading (never seen before approach) and to start composing and improvising.

Because the method is starting off on the black keys it is predestined to be used before any other piano method or in conjunction with methods starting off with rote pieces on the black keys (age group 7-10). It also works very well as a teaching supplement for pupils who have learned to play the piano by ear and now are supposed to learn to read music. For these pupils, it would be advisable to begin directly with piece number 2 or 3 (“Waltz of the Bear” or “Triplet- and Twin-keys Song”). The notation system of this piano method is also suitable for teenagers and adults. But the vocabulary which is applied in this version of the method is quite unsuitable for this age group (mouse, bear, childish lyrics, etc.). A version for youth and adults will soon be released.

The PianoSeesaw can be used both in private lessons and in group lessons. The suitability for group lessons is ensured primarily through the method’s unique reading approach. It starts off with a simplified notation system which is immediately understandable after a brief introduction. Individual explanations for each pupil, which would deflect the teacher’s focus from the group, can therefore be avoided. This method is probably suitable for self-instruction, however no studies on this have been carried out yet. The written instructions for the individual pieces are meant mainly for trained piano teachers and pedagogues but should also be understandable for autodidacts.

The regular notation system with treble clef and bass clef presents its musical information in a non-intuitive way. All aspects like rhythm, pitch and its connection to the keyboard have to be explained and learned before a student is able to decode the notation. This often results in frustration which could have been avoided by starting off with a simplified notation system which can be understood intuitively. This fact was the main reason for developing a new approach to learn to read music. At the end of the PianoSeesaw method the students read the regular notation system but it starts off with a simplified notation system which uses note symbols assigned to an image of keyboard keys. This system is readily understandable for children and easy to implement. The students just understand intuitively what the symbols mean. There is no learning required because it is self explaining. During several stages the musical notation transforms smoothly and at the end of this process the notation shows the regular staff with treble and bass clef (watch video about Musical Notation Transformation – MNT above or here). The pupils learn to read music effortlessly, so to speak, without noticing it.

The PianoSeesaw comes completely without embellishing images or illustrations. The reason for this is that the musical notation often fills the sheet pages almost completely and additional images would therefore interfere with reading. During a long testing period, no pupil has missed images or illustrations.

Pupils who learn to play the piano using the PianoSeesaw method like to avoid looking down at the keys while playing and instead are highly motivated to read the music. Now that the pupils don’t have to spend time understanding the notation of a piece, valuable lesson time becomes available for developing conscious listening, improvisation and composing.

Teachers and pupils can both look forward to exciting, varied and creative piano lessons.

Have fun and start playing the piano right away!