Learn to Play Gospel Piano

This DVD is just wonderful. Ethel Caffie-Austin truly wants you to learn how to play gospel piano, and she is a great teacher that breaks down songs into simple elements before building them up into inspiring and beautiful songs.Let me first talk about the lessons themselves, before I say more about Ethel. In the first lesson she starts out with single note melodies and then builds up from there, teaching tons of tricks along the way. The first three song lessons advance in difficulty within each lesson and then across the lessons. In other words, for each song she presents a simple version, then a more difficult version, then an advanced version. And overall the lessons tend to build on each other and develop your skills with progressively more interesting ways to play. Along the way Ethel makes it clear by example that there is no one single way to play a song, but rather that you have choices in terms of the style and level of embellishment you wish to add to a tune.Another thing I really like is the accompanying .pdf booklet of transcriptions. The transcriptions are for the most part very accurate and reflect what she plays on the DVD, almost exactly as she plays it. (eg first single note melody, then more embellished, etc) I have been able to do most of my practicing without having to constantly pause and rewind the DVD--I simply watch each lesson a couple of times and then use a printout of the transcriptions to practice, referring back to the DVD only for tricky passages.On the topic of practice, if you're like me (beginner to intermediate player), you're going to need a LOT of practice. You need to have a fair amount of hand independence to play this music, so this is not for absolute beginners. I've had to practice a lot to come even close to the sound I want, but the results have definitely been worth it. I'm playing better than I ever have in my life. I certainly can't play at a professional level, but this DVD points the way very well and it inspires me to keep at it.Next, I've gotta talk about Ethel herself. What an amazing musician! I also think Ethel must be a genuinely wonderful and caring person, and she is surprisingly open to sharing so many masterful piano playing techniques. I feel fortunate that she has shared so much. Her approach is intuitive and easy to follow, and it does not rely too heavily on music theory, although she does allude to chords/etc that you can use if you like to think that way.Lastly, I should add that I also started out using Harrison's "Gospel Keyboard Styles" book and found it helpful initially to use both of these resources at once. The Harrison book gave me patterns and theory that I used for practice drills, and the Caffie-Austin DVD gave me a less theoretical approach with very beautiful playable songs. But once I got going, I'm relying much more on Ethel's DVD--it just inspires much more and teaches a more complete sound. I have a feeling that if I keep working diligently for a few more months, I might be able to play Gospel the way I really want to.

I've had years of formal classical piano instruction, but gospel is the only music that makes me cry. You'll find arrangements of gospel tunes, but in my experience few of them capture that energy you hear from Mahalia Jackson or others. This is the real stuff.The format of this DVD is rather conversational, like you're in the room with Dr Caffie-Austin, while she shows you the basic tune, then adds licks, throws ideas for what you could do. She can just turn it on, then turn it up. Inspirational! The accompanying booklet (you print off the PDF included on the disks) shows you all the dots you need to do it yourself. The lighting is not the greatest, but the combination of her straight-fingered style and overhead camera angles make up for it so that you can really see everything she's doing.Many pianists are taught to learn only what's on the page, to "hear with their eyes", so may find it challenging to learn in this manner, where it's all live - she shows this, then that, then goes back and puts them together. But press on, and you'll be rewarded. If you're used to a more vernacular form of music (e.g., rock, folk music) that's passed along orally/aurally, it'll probably be much easier for you. But what I like about this is that you get it all - the video, the commentary, and the printed notes. We all need to find our own way in, and I think she's given us all the chance to find ours here.

This DVD is a little advanced for me, but it deserves its 5-star rating. If you can play a bit and are dedicated enough to stick with it, you will learn how to "gospelize" simple melodies into full arrangements. Lead sheet and by-ear players who want to learn to get that funky gospel praise sound need look no further. I don't mind chipping away at this for a few years.Some hand independence and comfort with four-finger chords are pre-requisites to making the most of this, though you can use the DVD to learn these skills if you're patient and not afraid to practise hard. Caffie-Austin is a beautiful player and the video shows well what her talented fingers are up to. She has a wonderful voice and engaging persona too.If you are unsure about your skills, or are just beginning, I recommend you start with something simpler like Bradley Sowash and Scott Houston's "The Next Step" before tackling this.

This woman absolutely blows my mind. I have played the piano since I was 5 (I am now 64) and she has articulated and demonstrated WHY a hymn or a spiritual can be really, really, boring or fantastic. I love her attitude and the straightforward way she shares her talent and displays the little "tricks" that make a huge difference. I would have guaranteed you that "What a Friend We Have in Jesus" and "Blessed Assurance" were two of the most boring hymns on earth....not after you've heard it "her way." Without any doubt whatsoever, I will be watching these videos over and over and over. She's got lots to say and share. I wish she'd make more, and I also wish she'd produce some sheet music. I'd buy ALL OF IT TOMORROW! And if she didn't live on the opposite coast, I'd want her for my piano teacher.If you have any interest in this subject whatsoever, I'd advise you to buy this pronto.

She is a wonderful player and shows you some of the styles of Gospel music, how they differ, and how the chords work together with the melody. I've gleaned a lot of what she does into what I'm trying to do. I've been a professional drummer my entire life, retired, and decided I wanted to learn piano. This DVD along with some others has helped me on the road to playing the piano the way I want to play: R&R, Gospel, R&B, Honky Tonk. Practice Practice Practice. These DVD's are only good if you Practice.

Fantastic riffs and ideas. Champion musician! Highly recommended simply for listening, for inspiring you with new ideas, and for learning.

Hi, my name is Mario and I am from Germany. Since ever I am playing a bit piano. Not professional of course but always a bit. Then I came across this thing called "gospel piano" ... since I was trained on playing classical piano with notes and sheets and that stuff this is a completely different approach. And now I know it, I recommend it to every other piano player! It gives you an approach to learn to play by heart and ear. And especially the sound of the gospel songs makes it even greater!

Very basic and doesn’t really teach much more than is obvious

I find the DVD really helpful for an intermediate player like me. Its really beneficial if you have have prior knowledge rather than starting from scratch.