FAQ - KEYBOARD
The online and USB lessons are taught through videos that I spent a lot of time putting together with different views to give over the material very effectively. They teach the method that I’ve been teaching for many years and many people are using them successfully. It also gives you the flexibility of taking the lessons at a time that’s good for you and remain available to review if your membership is current.
I also give pdf’s in each lesson that show the current song. They are not notes; they are my own sheets that are designed to help the student learn how to play by ear.
Complete the student information form https://basslinepro.com/home-template/usb-signup/
After purchase, USBs can be picked up in Lakewood or mailed.
My method of teaching is by ear. This means that I am not teaching notes which are those round circles with lines in them. I use my own papers which have the A-B-C letters on them. They are clear, easy to learn and sound professional if followed. The idea is for students to use these papers as a guide to learn the song which in turn trains their ear to get used to chord patterns and how different types of songs work. This is what I call playing by ear. What’s nice about it is that it isn’t tedious like learning notes, which is similar to learning a new language. It teaches how to use the keyboard – and quickly.
The lessons are via videos that I have spent a lot of time putting together with different views to give over the material very effectively. They teach the method that I’ve been teaching for many years and many people are using them successfully. It also gives you the flexibility of taking the lessons at a time that’s good for you and are available for review, as long as you are a member.
I also give pdf’s in each lesson that show the current song; they are not notes, rather, my own sheets that are designed to help the student learn how to play ear.
The Lesson duration varies. Sometimes, it can be just a few short minutes. However, some information takes more time to explain and to describe how to do. Some lessons are 10-20 minutes (or more!). I’m really focused on giving over specific material in each lesson rather than the duration of the lesson. The most important thing is the amount of time the student spends practicing over the week. That is where the real growth occurs!
Unfortunately not – due to security and ease of sharing the videos are strictly not downloadable.
In general, the weekly videos are not that long. It may be an option for an adult to sit in the area while the student watches the lesson and prints the pdfs. After that point the student can practice for the rest of the week on his/ her own without being connected.
We also have a USB option that does not require any internet connection. https://basslinepro.com/home-template/usb-signup/
You have access to your video lessons only as long as you are a member. It is recommended to print out all your material and keep it organized in a loose-leaf. This you would keep forever (as you would by in person music lessons). If necessary, we can create a freeze plan which gives you access to all your past lessons for a low fee of $10/ month.
In general, registration is per student.
I do, however, offer 2 levels of discounts for simultaneous multiple family members:
20% off 2nd member
30% off 3rd and on
If siblings are on different priced memberships, the larger discount gets applied to the lower priced
membership.
Usually for younger children I recommend standard and for anyone ages 11 and older, I recommend the
fast-track. But this is absolutely not set in stone. It depends on each student, their schedule, and your
budget. Keep in mind, that you can always switch to a faster or slower track down the line if you feel you
need a change of pace. Simply contact us and we will set that up for you.
Generally, if you have a decent keyboard (even if it’s not Yamaha), I advise you to stick with it to start –
you can always upgrade later. If your keyboard cost under $100 that’s when you should be looking to
purchase the proper keyboard so that you can be sure you have all the needed features that are taught
during the lessons.
Hal Leonard ABC Keyboard stickers (available at B & H Photo and other
stores) https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1294450-
REG/hal_leonard_abc_pack_abc_keyboard_stickers.html
1 or 2 inch loose-leaf
Sheet protectors
There are few options:
You can slow it down to 1 lesson per week if you are on the fast-track.
You can go onto a freeze plan for $10/ month which gives access to all past lessons
without giving any new ones to give you time to catch up.
You can cancel the plan: For those using the USB option, you can return the USB and stop being
charged and can always continue from where you are up to at a later time. There will be a $34.95
setup fee for every time we set up a USB for you.
Online users can just cancel membership and let us know when you want to start up again from
where you left off (you would not have access to any lessons during the cancelled membership
time).
It’s a good idea to take note of which lesson you are up to as well as print out all the material before
cancelling.
The program is geared towards keyboard – to use the beats and features of the keyboard. There is some overlap between keyboard and piano though.
Having said that, the first 10 lessons can be done on the piano if you want to try it that way first.
FAQ - GUITAR
My method is teaching chords and songs. This gets my students playing a song literally from the very
first lesson. Along with every lesson, I provide sheets which have songs written out in a way that is clear,
easy to learn and will sound professional if followed. I do not teach conventional music notes (called the
“staff” with symbols, circles and lines) which take much longer to learn. The idea is for students to use
these sheets as a guide to learn the song, which in turn trains their ear to get used to chord patterns and
how different types of songs work. This makes the learning process quick and user friendly, unlike the
more difficult and time-consuming study of mastering the reading of music notes. By following this
method, my students are able to play full songs in a very short time. Students who are more musical
may actually start figuring out songs on their own!
The lessons are geared toward regular guitar. That said, all of the information you learn for regular
guitar is used on electric guitar as well, so you are actually learning skills for both at once. I do play and
teach electric guitar and it is possible that we will add even more advanced lessons for students who
want to take their electric and/or acoustic guitar playing to the max.
Yes! (See below how you can tell if your guitar is working well enough to use for the lessons.)
First of all, if you suspect that your guitar has problems, bring it to a music store to have it looked over.
Learning on a bad guitar can be impossible and may make you give up!
Generally, if you have a working guitar, there is no need to get another one. However, here are some
basic “must”s for your guitar:
1: It must have all 6 strings on it. (NOTE: Strings are easily replaced. You do not need a new guitar just
because strings are frayed or snapped. A music store can replace them for you.
2: The knobs at the end of the guitar which turn to make the strings tighter and looser (called tuning
machines) must work (these are also easily repaired/replaced at a music store if need be. But if they
charge too much to fix it, you might as well get the guitar I told you about above).
The Lesson duration varies. Sometimes, it can be just a few short minutes. However, some information
takes more time to explain and to describe how to do. Some lessons are 10-20 minutes (or more!). I’m
really focused on giving over specific material in each lesson rather than the duration of the lesson. The
most important thing is the amount of time the student spends practicing over the week. That is where
the real growth occurs!
There are different opinions about this. In general, our instructor recommends simply using a righty guitar and doing everything as a righty would.
Lead Guitar FAQ
Lead (also known as “melody”) is the actual tune of the song (as opposed to the background sounds or chords). For example, we sing the “lead/melody” of Shabbos Z’miros. A singer who performs is also singing the lead/melody of the song