PIANO PLAYING MADE SIMPLE
Built for adults who want to actually learn to read music.
Not a random playlist of tutorials. Not a method book digitized. A structured, step-by-step program that teaches you the real skills — the visible ones and the invisible ones — so you can sit down at the piano and play with genuine confidence.
Whether you're starting from zero or returning after years away, this is where real progress begins.
This one teaches you how to play.
There's a difference between memorizing a piece and actually reading music. Between copying what you hear and understanding what's on the page. Between practicing for years and actually getting better.
The Piano Playing Made Simple curriculum is built around that difference. Every lesson, every piece, every theory section exists to build the underlying skills that make everything else click — including the invisible skills most teachers never name.
When you learn this way, something shifts. Piano stops feeling like a wall you can't get over and starts feeling like a language you're actually beginning to speak.
A sustainable practice routine that actually fits your life
The ability to read music fluently — not guess at notes or rely on memory
Strong technical foundations through scales, chords, and arpeggios
Real familiarity with music from the Baroque, Classical, and Romantic periods
Intermediate-level piano skills — and a clear path to keep going
When you can truly read music, almost every style opens up to you. This is the foundation that makes it possible.
Each stage builds directly on the one before it. Every book comes with video lessons recorded by Barb, so you always have a teacher in the room — even when you're learning on your own schedule.
Stage 1
The essentials of classical piano. Middle C and C positions, fundamental technique, and your first real pieces. This is where it all begins — properly.
Stage 2
Legato and staccato, the full grand staff, the damper pedal, sharps, flats, and intervals up to an octave. Your reading range expands significantly here.
Stage 3
Pentascales and chords across six major keys, sight-reading, rhythm counting, and your first repertoire from Baroque, Classical, and Romantic composers.
The feedback doesn't have to be.
You can work through every lesson on your own schedule — pausing, replaying, and moving at whatever pace suits your life. But there's one thing no self-paced course can fully replace: a trained eye watching you play.
"You don't know what you don't know."
That's why Barb offers two ways to add personalized feedback to your curriculum study:
As needed — Book a 1:1 Zoom lesson with Barb whenever you want a check-in, hit a wall, or want to make sure you're building the right habits. No ongoing commitment required.
Regular live lessons — Book a recurring lesson time for more consistent guidance alongside your curriculum work.
Most students find that even occasional feedback makes a significant difference in how quickly — and correctly — they progress.
In-person lessons typically run $50–$60 per hour. PPMS gives you a full curriculum, video instruction, and on-demand access to everything — for a fraction of that.
1:1 Zoom lessons with Barb are available separately, as needed or on a regular schedule.
Not guess. Not memorize. Read.
The Foundation Stage is where that starts.
If you're not sure which stage of the curriculum is right for you — or if you've tried piano before and want to understand exactly what's been holding you back — a 30-minute diagnosis lesson with Barb is the best first step.
She'll watch you play, identify exactly what's missing, and tell you precisely where in the curriculum to begin. No guesswork. No wasted time starting in the wrong place.