TESTIMONIALS
​Check out the testimonials from both students and teachers of Chord Piano Is Fun!
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Using Chord Piano is Fun helped me to write a song called “A Chance For Hope”. I never thought I would be able to write a song. But, with this book it is so easy to understand chords and how to use them to write songs. I recommend it to you if you are learning piano!
Mallory M.
Piano Student, 11 Years Old
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​Your book is just fantastic. It’s so much easier to follow and understand than others I have looked at (and I’ve looked at lots). My daughter and son have taken piano lessons for 12 years and I regret I did not find your book sooner. I will be ordering a couple more books from your website soon for them. I always tried to get their teachers to teach them the Chord Approach to playing without success. I recognized long ago that they would never become Professional Performers and wanted them to use this system so they could have fun with the piano. I’m trying to get them re-started on piano now even though they are adults and believe your book will do the trick. It is sure helping me.
Thanks again.
John T.
Guyton, Georgia
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When I first began learning to play the piano at age seven, the theory, techniques, and different aspects of music was entirely overwhelming to me, but I was ready to learn nonetheless. With the help of Chord Piano is Fun! I was not only able to understand the concepts of chords and their structure, but also, ironically, have fun while I was doing it!
This book has acted as a catalyst for many of the songs I have written in the past and for the songs I plan to write in the future. The first song I wrote, at the age of 11 years old, with the help of Chord Piano Is Fun! is called "Where Am I Here." I play this in my sets even today!
Music has always been such a beautiful part of my life, and understanding it in an easier way helped my love for it grow even stronger. I am able to learn songs that I perform in my sets in a quicker, versatile way that gives everything a unique new approach. That is all because of Chord Piano is Fun!
T.K. Goforth does a fantastic job of helping new piano players, as well as seasoned ones, in comprehending some of the more complex aspects of chord playing with an approach that makes everything feel so much more natural. Bravo to her!
Sydney Bryant
Musician, Songwriter, www.sydneybryantmusic.com
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Just wanted to let you know that I got your Chord Piano is Fun book and, honestly, it's the most comprehensive book I've ever seen on chords, teaching chords, and key signatures. I've tried a few other chord based approaches with students, and there's something missing in all of them.
I like the language you used in your writing. Very practical and down to Earth. Almost anyone would be able to follow your steps and understand the process. The other thing I really like is all of your charts and visuals. I LOVE the one where you illustrate the key signatures and what sharps are in each one...fantastic!
Rachel B.
Piano Teacher, Spokane, Washington
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Chord Piano is Fun is the perfect resource for those that long to play piano but can’t seem to make sense of all those black dots on the page. The book will get you quickly creating music at the keyboard through a step-wise and enjoyable understanding of chord construction. I like how things are broken things down to approachable and achievable bite-sized steps, which is especially good for busy adults. This is not only a great tool for the pianist but also for songwriters who want to write music at the piano. This book is very well put together and the kind of resource that I wish existed when I first desired to play piano in my teens.
Marty Nystrom
Songwriter ("As The Deer" and other worship songs)
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FIRST RATE CHORD PIANO METHOD BOOK
More and more lately, I'm hearing from my current and prospective piano students that they want to be able to play popular music (and many want to accompany themselves as they sing). As a piano teacher, I see this as a wonderful way to give students what they want WHILE also developing them into well-rounded musicians. Chord Piano is Fun! by T.K. Goforth is now a required music book for my piano students. So now if they choose to purchase popular sheet music, they don't have to be strictly 'married' to the written notes ! (but will be able understand and play from the chord symbols - a skill that many have not learned)
I can already see how it is inspiring and equipping my students. It's creating a domino effect in their musical growth, in that some are now even listening to recordings of their favorite popular songs to hear and identify the chords.
Chord Piano is Fun is a wonderful and thorough introduction to chord piano, breaking down the concepts and getting students quickly applying the relationship between notes, scales, chords, chord progressions, and songs. Applied theory at its best, since it has you not just read about the concepts, but guides you in understanding and practicing them right from the piano. The book is broken into various lessons which have a focus concept, practice instructions and techniques, places to write in the book answer questions, etc. There are also review sections and worksheets to further reinforce the concepts. There are plenty of song examples in different keys for students to use in their practice.
The information is presented in a logical and progressive way. It also has lessons on: Writing a Song, Playing the Blues, and Accompanying Yourself or Others. This is offering the kind of well-rounded introduction that is often missing in books like this. I also like how the author offers additional resources and support for continued learning through her website and other resources mentioned in the book. It also has helpful addendums containing scales, chord reference sheets, major and minor circle of 5ths/4ths, and more. This book gets an A from me! As a teacher it's given me a solid introductory resource to help meet the demand for chord piano in my studio, and it's unlocking a whole new world of pop/jazz music for my students.
Anita H.
Amazon.com Review
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Written with an understanding of the beginner. I have a dozen or more piano instruction books, and this is the best. Makes what appears to be a complex subject simple. One of the first books I have bought that I feel is well worth the money.
James H.
Amazon.com Review
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I have to tell you that I have only made it through three lessons so far and I already feel so successful! This is fantastic!
Danny
Portland, Oregon
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I realised some years ago that many piano students are discouraged by having to concentrate only on classical repertoire, while being unable to play even relatively simple popular songs, jazz standards or sic from the shows. I was brought up with a very traditional, classical approach to piano and piano repertoire which has been an amazing thing by itself but relatively recently I discovered jazz piano and chords and wondered why no one had ever told me about these things. I've seen some amazing results introducing piano chords to some of my pupils. Suddenly they have found a new enthusiasm for their piano studies, by being able to play songs they like, both hands together, without a great amount of effort. While I was introducing piano chords to my students I was very much explaining it all to them in the best way I could think of at the time without any particular method or sequence of learning. I would select songs from fake books, trying to pick the easiest ones first without too many difficult chords while always wishing I had a book that explained in simple terms how to form the chords while providing some introductory simple melodies to go with them.
Chord Piano is Fun by the American jazz musician and teacher T.K. Goforth may well have been just the book I was looking for. Her aim is to enable students to understand how music is put together by chords so that they can play from chord symbols, enabling them to learn popular songs with left hand harmony very quickly. What I find fascinating is that I, myself didn't know many of these basic musical ideas after 20 years of piano lessons and a professional classical career. This book would I think, based on my efforts to teach chords to adults who already have some proficiency in piano playing, be useful for children and adults, beginners and more advanced students who would like to learn the very valuable and enjoyable skill of reading chord symbols.
Miles Lallemont
Music Teacher, London
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Chord Piano is Fun really is fun. I took piano lessons when I was a teenager, and again when I was in my forties, (I am now in my eighties) but I am so poorly coordinated I could never get two hands together. Both times I gave up before I really learned to play anything. Now I do a mean rendition of "When the Saints Go Marching In", and other recognizable pieces. This is something I can do so I am grateful for this book and wanted everyone to know!
Myra H.
Clear Lake, TX
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Chord Piano is Fun is a well-written, easy-to-understand resource for learning to play the piano using chords. The book is so logically organized that it is possible to start at the beginning, with little or no understanding of HOW TO PLAY or HOW TO BUILD CHORDS, and to complete the lessons with the ability to play many songs in various styles! The method is not just for beginners, but also for the seasoned pianist who wants to play with the freedom chords allow in many kinds of music from hymns to pop. It is especially useful for the church musician who wishes to embellish the hymns or praise songs.
As a retired public school music teacher, private piano teacher and church musician, I know how valuable learning chords can be in the areas of theory concepts, ear training and just enjoying playing whatever you wish. I regret that I did not have this book when I was teaching, as I spent many hours creating my own worksheets for chord study. CHORD PIANO IS FUN.......REALLY IS!
Carolyn S.
Former Piano Teacher, Camano Island, Washington
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Finally we can learn the keys again. This was a great way to get back into playing the keys. Very easy to understand.
Chris
Amazon.com Review
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As a seasoned piano/vocal teacher, I have been looking for a book to teach a chording method without having to write it myself! This book is exactly what I have been looking for! Chord Piano Is Fun is a fantastic tool -- a very clearly written, easy-to-understand, and thorough method of piano chording. It can be used to self-teach as well as used as a method book with a teacher. I have added Chord Piano Is Fun as a mandatory supplement for even my youngest students to the traditional method lesson and theory books.
I have found Chord Piano Is Fun to be a very helpful tool in the areas of ear training and improvisation as well as a fun way to teach my students how to play popular music. I have further found that some of my students who were not responding quickly (or at all) to the basic method, yet were very bright as well as musically talented, were becoming so discouraged that they wanted to quit taking piano lessons altogether. At that point, in trying to salvage their self-esteem as well as their interest in piano playing, I gave them a copy of Chord Piano Is Fun and basically started over with them. What I found was renewed interest, increased passion, and a super sense of success in each of those students! At my last recital, one of those students accompanied herself with chords while she sang a beautiful song, and the other played a fairly difficult Disney piece (Under the Sea) using only the treble clef and chord symbols along with some improvisation on his part. Both were FABULOUS performances and I accredit both to the fresh start with Chord Piano Is Fun!
I also put two of my students with learning disabilities (particularly in reading) as well as ADD/ADHD students on Chord Piano Is Fun and all are excelling and enjoying playing piano when other teachers gave them no chance of learning how to play the piano! THANK YOU FOR CHORD PIANO IS FUN!
Laura Beasley
Piano Teacher, Mandeville, LA
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Chord Piano Is Fun is the perfect title for this easy to follow, fun approach to learning to play chords on piano. There are 27 lessons which most beginning piano students will be able to follow and practice. Each lesson takes about 25 minutes or less. The book explains the basics of music clearly and concisely. It provides worksheets, technique practices and pages of scales and harmonized scales making practice time practical and fun. This book has inspired me to return to learning to play piano after taking a 12 year hiatus. I will be using this accessible method when my nine year old begins lessons later this year. If there was one thing about this book I would change it would be to have had this book published years ago when I first started piano lessons!
Kim S.
Bellevue, Washington