Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum Duane Shinn 52 Week Crash Course

Wanted to share my experience with this course.

I’m an old beginner (still working a demanding high tech job) , and after buying a few courses (Alfred all in one, Master and Learn Piano, piano for all) starting and stopping many times in the past decade, I finally decided to take piano lessons.

I started with my neighbor, which teaches piano to kids, but did not like her seemingly erratic approach so called it quit after a few months.
I then signed up for a night group class at the local adult enrichment education program , but the class was cancelled for low enrollment….bummer.

I read around the forum about Duane course and watched a few of his videos on youtube.
I liked his playing style and teaching approach and decided to give it a try and ordered the 1st month (4 lessons) of Duane Shinn 52 weeks of Exciting Piano Course.

The total cost was $110, 100 for the lessons and 10 for shipping from Oregon.
The package came in relatively quickly, I ordered on Tuesday May 10, it was shipped via USPS Priority Mail on Fri May 13 and finally received on Monday May 16. So expect to wait around a week, if you buy the course by the week.

The package consist of a binder with a sleeve containing two DVD, one with the four lessons and one with an introduction to the course.
In addition you also get two books, a note/finger chart and a few leaflets advertising additional Duane piano courses (a lot of them!).

The two books are Hal Leonard “Modern” Pianist Book method and a supplemental song book.
Now I put “Modern” in quotes since the book was published in …1962! I could not find it anywhere on the interweb.
In the videos Duane says that the complete method consist of of 4 books plus one supplemental song book for each for a total of 8 books.

I use iPad/Mac so 1st things on order was to rip the DVD to mp4 format , as I do not have DVD players anymore. I did it on a old windows PC I still have around for situations like this. After an hour or so I had the mp4 videos uploaded to my iPad to watch and follow.

In the first introductory video, Duane tells you how to practice and some general info on the course. Quality is bad with VHS tracking noise at the bottom, but is is short (not sure why the separate DVD instead of putting the video on the lesson DVD).

I watched the first 2 lessons, 1st lesson is around 43 minutes, while the others are around 25m each.
At first I got a bit disappointed. Duane jumps right in (which is good) but literally reads from the modern pianist book and tells you to go through the various pieces and exercises. He plays the pieces for you a few times and tells you how to count, hands positions etc. and explains some of the theory. Video quality is VHS, so no HD 1080p 16x9 here

In the videos, you can see him sitting at the piano in full figure for most of the lesson, and only toward the end he will switch to the “aerial” view showing his hands on the piano. I like the approach. It is like having the teacher there in your room with you, instead of a headless person talking while playing. In his youtube videos, Duane only shows his hands. He actually call himself the “headless piano teacher”

For 1000 dollars, respect to what other courses offer, Duane course seemed a bit of a rip-off, but for some reason I like Duane explaining the book, as a teacher would for definitely more than $25 a lesson I’m sure.
He’s straightforward and tells you that not everything you will learn is in the book (as a matter of fact there is also a sheet of paper saying exactly the same thing, almost as a warning) and that he will provide tips, tricks, techniques in the videos.

So I decided to go give it a try and see how far I can go before price vs what you get is not worth or most likely motivation goes down again.
I just completed the first two pieces in a couple of hours and will start the 3rd one (lightly row) next.
Will see where the first month of lessons will take me.

Hope this helps if you are looking to try Duane 52 weeks piano course.

Stopparde:

Thanks for the "fresh eyes" view of the beginnings of the course. I am sure that many who are reading this will appreciate your honest appraisal. To be sure, the video is definitely not up to today' standards, but the teaching contained within is certainly well worth it. All the DVD are transferred from the original VHS tapes.

As the course progresses (I am only on lesson 6), you will find that Duane does give extra information and explanation, but he does continue to read the book lesson verbatim (throwing in comments as he goes along).

One thing I would suggest is watching the entire video lesson for the week when starting a new lesson. The reason is that he seems to deviate on some things from what the book says. At the bottom of the page on some lessons, the book will say to start using the sustain pedal. Duane, on the video, will say not to. However, when he does start getting into using the pedal, he will explain what all three pedals do, and then really focus in on how to use the sustain pedal. At the end, where he gives you the overhead shots, he will show you exactly what proper pedal usage looks like.

What I do is watch a lesson completely, and take notes. I write down what pages/songs to work on for the week, as well as any extra information he provides. I will go back to certain sections of the video during the week if need be, but having some notes from the video really helps.

I purchased the entire course at once, so I have no idea what does and does not come with it when you buy it in pieces. In that packaging, at the time I purchased it (2003 - 2004), there were two extra DVDs and one CD that were collectively about how to practice and get the most from the course, along with several sheets of paper such as the story "Message From Garcia", the main points of power practicing, etc.

Tony

Whew!
One week off from playing and it's like my fingers forgot everything! lol. I started lesson 31 last week but didn't really make any progress because I basically had no time to practice. I went back through lessons 29 and 30 and ugh! I need to spend more time with them. #frustrating #that'sLife. I finally took some time this evening to go back through lesson 3 so that I could do my "pseudo weekly review." Finally something easy It's funny, I found all that fake book stuff so hard when i went though it the first time. I would change chords when I wasn't supposed to, flub even simple melody stuff, etc...

Now I just do it. I can throw in swing bass or alberti bass, or walk downs or walk ups, or with my right hand play octaves or chord notes along with the melody or do a dozen other things. The difference between me and Duane is that he can just do it, and I still have to work out what I'm going to do ahead of time and practice it a bit with each song I put the technique to. But I can do it and that's fun and huge progress. I kinda have this goal in mind of finishing the course by christmas, but i'm going to be in europe for 3 weeks this summer with no (or limited) access to a piano so we'll see. I think I can do it, but it's taking me 2-3 weeks to get through a lesson now, sometimes 4. In the end though, it doesn't matter how slow or rapidly I move through the course, I've learned so much, I'm learning so much, and I'm having fun (and only occasionally wanting to rip my hair out

In any case, I plan to keep reviewing the old lessons here more or less once a week (missed this past week already doh! but it was finals week and I had a bad cold so hopefully I'll get a pass *grin*). Anyway, here's my review/comments on lesson 3
------------

the lesson starts with Duane giving advice about how to effectively practice. In particular he discusses the virtues of spaced repetition. Rather than practicing in one long block, it's much better to have several shorter practice sessions spaced throughout the day. He advises also focusing on only one thing at a time as you practice. First get the notes down with the left hand, then the right. then add the correct timing, then add dynamics. then put them together, etc... He also describes the value of keeping a practice journal which I strongly agree with.

Then we move on to the songs. the first is Beautiful Isle of Somewhere. Duane begins it with a discussion of how different chords relate to the key of the piece. He talks about how (so far) all the songs we've had are in the key of C. He discusses which chords are most likely to be found in a song and how you can use that to predict which chords are going to be most likely to be found in a song.

The Beautiful Isle of Somewhere has 5 chords in it, C, G, G7, F, and D7. So it gives you a good workout in reading chord symbols and changing chords quite a bit in one song.

The next song is Bicycle Built for Two. In this song he notes that there are patterns evident in the melody, that there are broken up chords. If you see the notes as part of the chord as well as individual notes, it can help you with your reading.

The next song is Aura Lee, which is presented in lead sheet notation, and then the course introduces the Bass clef. Chords are taught by their position on the bass clef. Again, you are learning to recognize them as groups of notes.

He talks about both clefs and using acronyms to learn the names of the note positions on the staff. I personally don't think that's necessary, and it's counter productive. Fortunately Duane covers it but doesn't really do too much with it. It's much better (imo) to have a bunch of landmark notes and then recognize which notes one should play by intervals. This is also something that Duane teaches (though not in this lesson specifically). I suppose the old acronym approach works well for some people with a different learning style than mine, so it's probably good that he presents a variety of approaches.

Then it's on to the supplementary book. The next song is Down in the Valley which goes back to working with lead sheets. This song is really simple and easy. The next song is a little bit more complex, The cowboy's dream (aka My bonnie lies over the ocean). That was actually interesting to me, I didn't know that My Bonnie had a completely different set of lyrics. One thing that's interesting in this song is that (since we're still using the pointer chords), the chord note overlaps with the melody note. Duane teaches how to handle that. (Later on we'll learn that you can just move to a different inversion). The final song of the lesson is One, Two, Three, Four. It's another simple song (the melody is really simple, lots of half notes and dotted half notes...lots of space for throwing in fills .

So that's lesson 3 in a nutshell. I'll try to not be such a slacker and get a review in of lesson 4 next friday and get back to my regular schedule. I plan to try to keep the pace of reviewing an old lesson once a week at least until I catch up to where I am in the course. As always, we'll see how it goes.

Stopparde

Yes, Clearly the videos were made long ago. Somewhere in the course he's moved his computer, a Mac SE into the frame of the shot. So this course is probably older than some of the people reading this forum. . The content though, that’s the important thing! The presentation is not very pretty (we'll be kind and call it utilitarian . But the content is great!

And yes, each lesson is short. But as Duane points out, in an “in person” lesson you would be talking with the teacher, they would play stuff for you, then have you practice it, etc….but on video he’s providing a one way transmission of information. That’s not ideal as you’re not getting feedback directly from a teacher, but it’s good in the sense that there is a LOT of information conveyed in that 25-30 minutes of the typical lesson and it’s also good that you can watch it over and over. You can literally watch it every day as part of your practice because it’s short enough to reasonably do that. It’s a feature not a bug.

I hope that you’ll give the course a fair shake, It’s not for everyone, but it really does give a huge amount of information. And you’ll be practicing a LOT of different songs. And not just that, you’ll practice each song multiple different ways as you learn new arranging techniques.

It’s crazy hard work, but it’s so worth it! Good Luck with your study of the course!

TonyB,
Just FYI, there's actually one mistake that Duane makes in his discussion of pedal usage (not sure if it was in lesson 6 or later on). He describes the middle pedal as the sostenuto pedal and describes its function as sustaining the bass notes of the piano (so that you can sustain some bass notes then move both hands up to play melody). It's true that on a great many pianos that is indeed the function of the middle pedal, but that's not a true sostenuto function. A proper sostenuto pedal sustains only the notes that are currently playing (regardless of where you are playing them on the keyboard). So, for example, you could hit a chord and sustain it by holding down the sostenuto pedal then play some other notes and not have them sustain (which could make them all run together).

That's a minor nitpick. But I'm a scientist and a teacher, I'm pretty particular about the definitions of things.

I will have to try that on my V-Grand sometime. When I saw that part of the video, I quickly tried the middle pedal on some bass notes and it worked as he describe, but maybe it also works higher up too. I will try to remember to try that. The left pedal seems to make the piano play quieter. I just figure that when I have the technique and the need for those pedals, I will deal with that.

Tony

TonyB,
Yes, the leftmost pedal is called the soft pedal. It's also called the Una Corda (or one string). When you play a note on an acoustic piano, the hammer is generally striking multiple strings (for the same note) simultaneously, which gives more volume. The Una Corda pedal moves the hammers so that they only strike one or two strings. This has two effects: One it makes the piano play softer. Two it changes the way the strings sound (though it's a subtle effect) as there are different resonances at play. On almost all digital pianos, I think the una corda pedal just lowers the volume. I think the korg kronos actually has separate una corda samples to bring out the different tonal characteristics as well. Probably your V-piano does it as well, since it's simulation rather than sample based. A pianist could play their whole life and never use the una corda or sostenuto pedals. I've only ever seen a few scores with their use indicated. Actually, I think the Sostenuto pedal wasn't invented until the 1840's, so a lot of classical repertoire predates its existence.

Cristofori's (what a friggin' genius!) original pianoforte had an una corda function, though I think it was a lever that the hand would use to scoot the hammers over) so that function's a bit older. I think the effect was possibly more pronounced on those old pianofortes, with modern pianos the effect is, as I said, subtle which is probably why it's not used so much.

Warm Regards

Fizikisto,

Yes, the tone changes on the V-Grand when using the leftmost pedal. I probably neglected to say that. Thanks for all the info.

Tony

OK, I almost completed the 1st week lesson...and it will take two weeks instead of one.
I missed two days during last week due to working late, but I also got stuck on the second to last piece in 3/4 (sorry forgot the title of the song and I'm writing from work).

I still have to go through the last remaining piece and then the two in the supplementary book. That will definitely need the rest of the week. I typically practice for less than an hour, in a few sessions of 20-30m each. if I spend more time I do not make any progress, so I stop for dinner for example and do another 20-30m again.

For those of you going through this course, was it the same or it is just me ? Any experience you can share also based on your progress through the rest of the lessons.

--stoppa

Stopparde,
Yes, I find that most of the lessons take me 2-3 weeks to get through, and I was not a beginner at all. I can imagine a complete beginner could take even longer (especially when you get to some of the later lessons -- around lesson 6 or 7 when you not only work on playing the songs as written but start learning different arranging and improvising techniques to apply to those songs, it can take a lot of time to get everything down). Some people consider it a bug rather than a feature that each video lesson is only 30 or so minutes long, but I suspect that they don't realize just how much content is packed into each lesson. I think the idea of completing this course in a single year is, extremely ambitious. But who cares how long it takes if you're learning cool stuff and enjoying making music along the way? Even if this course takes you 2 - 3 years to complete, if you stick to it you'll develop some pretty impressive skills and you'll have built a really solid foundation for going into whatever area(s) of piano playing strike your fancy.

I know this is probably a stretch but I will ask anyway. Does anyone have the course that is not using it / maybe have moved on or didn't like it and wouldn't mind donating it to someone in need... me preferably. I am really wanting to learn and would love this course. If not, no biggie. You can contact me anytime. Thanks.

Same here I searched e-bay, etc... I would be a buyer if I can find it used somewhere

I suspect that when we spend that much money on a course, it is a lifetime investment. Even after finishing the course, there is so much in it that we will want to go back to certain parts of it as needed. I see this as somewhat similar to DPs. I have the Roland V-Grand, and would not even think of trading/selling because something newer comes along, as I might with something I didn't pay nearly as much for. The 52 week course is an investment for the long term. Of course, it is possible that somebody somewhere will eventually have reason to sell the 52 week course, but I am not at all surprised that it doesn't often show up used.

Tony

Hah, that makes 3 of us. Unfotunately, in the years I've been eyeing this course, I've never seen it show up used on ebay or anywhere else.

There will be one on Ebay UK in the next week.

I purchased lessons 1-4 of the 52 week crash course a few months ago.
After working through them, I have decided that I want to take a different path and sell lessons 1-4.

They are "like new" condition and I would sell them for half of what I paid in September. Is there someplace on the Pianoworld forum where I could list them without paying a listing fee? The "products and services for sale" area seems intended for businesses, not individuals.

Thanks,
Alan

Any Updates on this course?

I'm an adult beginner (2 years playing) and I just finished "Learn and Master Piano" by Will Barrow and Legacy Learning Systems.

I'm pretty sure I'm going to purchase Duane's 52 week crash course. It's a substantial investment (1k), but I'm committed to spending the rest of my life - as my health will permit - learning to play to the piano.

Where is everybody at with their lessons? Has the Shinn course been worth it so far for you? Thanks.

God Bless,
David

I just finished the first book. It took me 6 months.
So far I'm enjoying it.
For me I need a method that goes slow and add small challenges with every piece.

The pieces are all quite old (all public domain) but so far very melodic.
You having finished L&M Piano, not sure though if there my be material that is too easy. I also have L&M Piano but never quite liked.

Stoppa

Isn't there like 8 books? Do you think it will take you 4 years to finish the crash course?

I read somewhere that the Learn and Master series could take up to 1.5 years to finish and it took me 2. However, I didn't work on it consistently. I worked on other pieces in between lessons. If I do the Shinn Course, I want to just focus on that and really try to get it done in a year.



I feel like the learn and master lessons gave me a good introduction to different styles of playing, and good foundation for chords, and got me started on sight reading, but I still don't feel like a piano player. I want to be able to play more than what is just written on the paper. I'm hoping the Shinn course will help me to do more.

Are you just learning to play what's in the book, or are you learning to improvise and enhance what's in the book? Thanks.

God Bless,
David

The course has 4 lesson books and 4 supplementary books with extra music.
While you do learn to play what's in the books, the real meat of the course is learning to enhance the music that's written. You could get through the course in a year if you tried, but to gain mastery of what he teaches could literally take you the rest of your life.