WHAT YOUR PIANO TEACHER DOESN'T TEACH YOU

While years of piano lessons can prepare you for many possibilities, hours upon hours of playing scales can increase your agility and Hanon Studies can get you just a little closer to carpal tunnel syndrome, there's something piano teachers don't teach you in piano lessons. It's a trade secret called "faking". Faking is a skill that is used by all levels of musicians, from the novice beginner to the seasoned professional. The skill involves interpreting the Chord Symbol and creating the accompaniment. A working knowledge of music theory is helpful, and the ability to read simple musical notation in the treble clef and where those notes are on the keyboard are essential.

Here's my confession: After years of playing piano as well as completing a music degree, I recently became a faker. I'm totally sold on the concept. Quite often, one ends up playing more notes than the original accompaniment might have written. It usually even sounds better! I've learned more about chord construction as a faker than I ever learned in Music Theory I, II, III or IV. My only regret is that I wish I had known about his earlier. Just a little practice goes a long way—and there are even a couple of good books that teach the concept. Scott the Piano Guy (http://www.scotthepianoguy.com/) (from PBS) has even made a career of teaching this technique to the multitudes. Maybe that's how I'll make my next million!