Helping classically-trained pianists improvise with confidence
Watch this video to learn more about the Piano Brains course!
Hi, I’m Raluca and I am a classically trained pianist. When I was taking lessons as a child, I could only read sheet music. Then something changed in my teenage years – I learned that playing “by ear” is not a gift reserved to a select group of people. And it has nothing to do with your EAR, rather how your BRAIN interprets the information that the ear perceives. Today I make a living from composing, arranging and teaching other pianists how to play by ear. Will you be my next student? :)
If you were to sign up for 1:1 piano lessons at a local college, you'd be paying $2000 in tuition and materials PER SEMESTER. But that's A LOT of money for the average musician! You shouldn't have to go in debt over this. My goal is to make this knowledge accessible to AS MANY PIANISTS as possible. So, for a limited time, you can join Piano Brains for a ONE TIME payment of $149. Will you be my next success story? :)
WHAT YOU’LL LEARN
• IDENTIFY common chords (major, minor, sevenths, suspended)
• UNLOCK chords in existing classical repertoire
• BORROW improvisation ideas from classical composers
• PLAY chord charts + lead sheets
• DEVELOP right hand / left hand improvisation patterns
• TRAIN your brain to think fluently about music
AND you will JOIN our facebook group where:
• you will have direct access to me!
• you will have a support group!
• you can ask any questions as you make progress through the course
JOIN Piano Brains TODAY!
GOT QUESTIONS ABOUT THE COURSE?
Fill out the form below and I get back to you in 48 hours!
Have you ever wondered how can someone just sit down and play piano… without sheet music? And no, they didn’t memorize that piece ahead of time. They’re just playing what it seems to be “by ear.” Maybe they have a chord chart in front of them, maybe not. Either way, you are SHOCKED and perhaps JEALOUS of their ability. . .
Perhaps you’ve always wanted to do that yourself, but you thought “Eh, I don’t have a good enough ear to play piano like that. I need the note-for-note sheet music.” If that sounds familiar, this course is for YOU!
What if I told you your EAR is perfectly fine? When you play with sheet music, you can tell when you’ve hit a wrong note simply because your EAR is telling your brain: “Ding! Ding! Something’s off – move that finger to an F#!” You already have a GREAT ear! :)
Here’s the secret: it’s not the EAR that helps you play piano freely without sheet music; it’s your BRAIN. And no, you don’t have to be born with a special talent to play “by ear.” At the same time, you’re not doomed to a lifetime of sheet music. Even classically trained pianists can unlock that feature in their BRAIN in order to play piano freely.
I’ve spend over a decade teaching students how to play “by ear.” More specifically, I make sure they understand chord theory: from identifying chords in classical repertoire to playing piano on the worship team (where all they use is chord charts, not sheet music). And, to my surprise, this approach works!! My students are no longer intimidated by chord charts or lead sheets.
You can also experience that same level of excitement!
What’s Included in this course:
Module 1
INTRODUCTION TO CHORDS
Lesson 1 – What is a chord?
Lesson 2 – Major chords + minor chords
Lesson 3 – Other chords – diminished, augmented, suspended and dominant 7th chords
IDENTIFYING CHORDS IN CLASSICAL REPERTOIRE
Lesson 1 – Robert Schumann’s “Happy Farmer”
Lesson 2 – Muzio Clementi’s Sonatina in C major op. 36 no. 1, second movement
Lesson 3 – Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Für Elise”
Module 2
IDENTIFYING CHORDS IN SATB REPERTOIRE (church hymns)
Lesson 1 – Away In a Manger
Lesson 2 – Silent Night
Lesson 3 – We Three Kings of Orient Are
Lesson 4 – Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
Module 3
DEVELOP RH / LH / HT PATTERNS (actual improv skills)
Lesson 1 – Melody, Harmony, Bass Line
Lesson 2 – improvise on “Away In a Manger”
Lesson 3 – score analysis on “Lavenders Blue”
Module 4
SHORTCUTS (brain hacks)
Lesson 1 – Primary Chords
Lesson 2 – The Nashville Number System
Lesson 3 – Beyond “Piano Brains” – what to do next
Module 5
Fear not – your years of classical piano training are NOT wasted!! Your classical knowledge and experience are in fact THE BEST foundation for ANY kind of music you want to play. Your prior experience will come in very handy (pun intended) in helping you play piano CONFIDENTLY without sheet music!
But wait – you’re probably thinking…
“That’s all good BUT I WANT TO PLAY WITHOUT ANY CHARTS!! I just want to SIT DOWN and PLAY!!”
I hear you— That’s why I’m including these BONUS VIDEOS for you!
BONUS VIDEO #1: The Circle of FiftHs
(the greatest cheat sheet of all time)
In this bonus video, you’ll learn what is the circle of fifths and how you can use it to play ANY SONG by ear. Trust me, I’ve been using this trick since third grade and it’s served me very well.
It will CHANGE YOUR LIFE! :)
Don’t believe me? Maybe you’ll believe Barbara:
”Just want you to know that the Circle of 5ths cheat sheet is a life saver! It makes total sense and is very easy to follow. I've been playing around with it and can now play "Precious Lord, Take My Hand" in Ab, Eb, F, G, and C!!!! It takes practice but works well. Thank you for your insight!”
BONUS VIDEO #2: Write your own original melodies
Songwriting is a skill I absolutely LOVE teaching. And you can write songs too! You don’t need to have been born with a special gift.
Some musicians have a natural inclination towards songwriting, which simply means their brains are wired differently. We can re-wire any brain to achieve the same freedom, including yours!! :)
Real students, real change
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– Michelle W.
Very much enjoying the Piano Brains course! After a little chord types refresher I'm identifying chords in classical repertoire. Can't wait to get into the next module with SATB music!
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– Bonnie M.
Raluca's holistic approach to teaching piano has been such a gift to my 14 year-old, taking her musical education from just rote memory of notes to a true understanding of the structure and form of any piece she's working on. We'll be listening to music in the car, and my daughter Nora is easily able to evaluate the chord progression of a song, even some of the more obscure chords in pop music! Raluca's approach has also given my daughter more confidence in her playing, singing, and—most importantly—her song writing, which has been a joy to be a part of. I highly recommend her for her solid and unique method to teaching pianists how to learn and love music for a lifetime!
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– Courts F.
I enjoy the videos, you’re very animated which is rather appealing to those with ADHD (you’d know, ha!) and your passion is very evident. It makes a rather intense and course packed with information much more manageable
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Who is this for?
Intermediate or Higher Level
(Anna Magdalena Bach, Clementi sonatinas, Beethoven’s Für Elise…)^ Prior experience in playing melodies with the right hand and different accompaniment patterns in the left hand (block chords, broken chords, alberti bass etc)
^ Prior experience in playing closed SATB scores (such as hymns from the hymnal where the Soprano + Alto are on the treble clef and Tenor + Bass are in the bass clef)
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Interest in learning
You want to learn how to step away from written scores and be able to improvise at the piano by using chord charts and lead sheets.
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Module Breakdown
All five modules come with 3-4 video lessons as well as PDF summaries, worksheets, repertoire sheets, keyboard drills, so you can practice even when you are AWAY from screens.
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Video Breakdown
All these videos add up to over six hours of video instruction. Each video is 10-20 minutes long, but you need not be at the piano for the duration of the instruction; you can watch these videos from the comfort of your couch :)
After you watch each video, you print out the corresponding PDF, and THEN you go to the piano to practice what you’ve learned.
NOW YOU CAN HAVE ACCESS TO ALL THESE VIDEOS (and PDF materials) FOR ONLY $149!
And you get LIFETIME ACCESS, so you can re-watch the videos and reference the PDFs as often as you want!
You are only six hours away from becoming a more confident pianist.
WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?
Click below to join the fun!
- Raluca
PIANO BRAINS
PIANO BRAINS, the course where I (a classically trained pianist), will help YOU (fellow classically trained pianist) play piano without sheet music! Or if you prefer the other, more ambiguous term – I’ll help you play piano “by ear”
. . . (but we both know your ear is already fine)
FAQs!
Still have questions about the course? Feel free to reach out to me directly here.
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Not necessarily, but its helpful to practice! Watch the course modules on any device, anywhere, uninterrupted and internalize the content. While the videos don’t require you to sit at a piano and practice while you watch them, it would help to have access to one in order to practice the new skills.
Then, when you have access to a piano, practice with the course worksheets and video replays.
If you have access to a church piano or a high school piano, then you should be fine to take the course!
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Absolutely, that's fine – but as you grow in your skills, you may want to increase your work zone. No pedal necessary, but it will make it sound more “fancy.“ :)
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Some of the audio examples may sound confusing if you play the video and try something out at the same time. So, if you want to try things out WHILE watching videos, then I suggest you get it tuned. If you separate the two activities, then it's not a big deal.
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Not necessarily, but they will come in very handy (no pun intended). You can always learn them as you go and they are not a pre-requisite for the course.
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Absolutely! The online videos are easy to watch simply by clicking play and all documents are available to download with the click of a button. For technical help, a team member can assist you by reaching out to
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Not necessarily. Worksheets and summaries can be downloaded and used right from your screen. If you wish to print the documents, you can download and print one at a time at home as you go through the course OR a Piano Brains E-book will be available with ALL of the course documents for easy one-time public printing at FedEx or Print Stores.
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Included with your purchase is access to ALL future piano brains tutorials and modules that may be added. The Facebook Group is also the perfect place to voice questions and additional learning requests!
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No — Piano Brains is a one-time fee of $149 and includes lifetime, unlimited access to this course and all future Piano Brains Modules.
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Yes, you need internet access to watch the video content. However, you can download the PDFs to your computer and use them at any moment, even when on airplane mode! :)
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Start small! If you’re a church pianist, grab a hymnal (or go to hymnary.org where you can download thousands of public domain hymns) and play the melody in the soprano line with your right hand (the top note of the treble clef).
Then add the alto line (you play will two notes in the right hand). Then practice the left hand separately, learning the bass notes first (the lowest), then add the tenors. Then play hands together one phrase at a time :)
If you were classically trained, go back to the basics – minuets from the Anna Magdalena Bach notebook, Czerny etudes op. 599 (start with Etude No. 11), Schumann’s “Album for the Young” or look at piano literature collections such as Bastien’s Piano Literature Volumes 1 and 2.
If you can comfortably play from volume 2, you’re ready for the course :)
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You need to know the following fundamentals:
• all the notes in the treble clef
• all the notes in the bass clef
• time signatures (2/4, 3/4, 4/4, 6/8)
• key signatures (and / or the circle of fifths)
• note durations (quarter notes, eighth notes, rests)
• intervals (seconds, thirds, fourths, fifths)
• scales (how a major scale is built – where the half steps are)