The course heavily favors American vernacular styles (blues, boogie-woogie, Broadway ballad). Classical repertoire is limited to simplified Beethoven and Mozart excerpts. Students seeking Baroque counterpoint or contemporary atonal music will need supplementary materials.
| Feature | Learn & Master Piano | Simply Piano (App) | Piano Marvel | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Music reading required | High (standard notation) | Low (guided scrolling tab) | Medium (MIDI-assisted) | | Real-time feedback | No | Yes (pitch detection) | Yes (USB MIDI) | | Stylistic depth | High (blues, jazz, rock) | Low (pop songs only) | Medium (classical focus) | | One-time cost | ~$199-$249 | $89.99/year | $110/year | | Teacher-like explanation | Strong | Weak | Moderate |
Learn & Master Piano remains a robust, cost-effective resource for the right student . Its greatest asset—deep, sequential instruction—is also its greatest liability when paired with minimal music-reading support. As a supplementary tool to formal lessons, it delivers exceptional value. As a standalone solution for the absolute beginner, it is likely to cause frustration. Potential buyers should first pass a simple diagnostic: can they play “Jingle Bells” from a sheet of standard notation? If yes, LMP is a five-star investment. If no, they should first complete a primer like Alfred’s Basic Adult Piano Course, Level 1 .
The course avoids the “cliff” effect common in method books. For example, Session 5 introduces simple left-hand patterns before Session 6 demands hand independence, allowing neural myelination time.
: The standard edition features 10 to 14 DVDs (depending on the version) containing over 20 hours of instruction.
The efficacy of any video course rests heavily on the instructor. Will Barrow brings a level of professionalism and pedagogical clarity that is rare in the digital space. His teaching style is methodical and encouraging. He breaks down complex techniques into manageable segments, often playing the piece at full speed, then breaking it down slowly while explaining the theory behind the fingering.
The primary strength of Learn and Master Piano is its comprehensiveness. Many students find themselves lost in the "YouTube rabbit hole," picking up random tips from various teachers without a cohesive path. This course eliminates that fragmentation. There is a clear roadmap, and the student knows exactly what to practice next.
The course comprises 14 DVDs (or digital downloads), a 200+ page lesson book, and an audio CD of play-along tracks. The curriculum is divided into three macro-phases: