Learning to play the piano is an intimidating but achievable goal, especially if you pair that goal with an online course. Skoove ($149.99, originally $299; stacksocial.com) is a great place to start. This service breaks down learning to play piano into a multitude of lessons that are easy to follow and engage with. The company pairs that with plenty of high-tech aspects, which mix the courses up.
Better yet, there are over 400 lessons available on Skoove that feature an ability to listen to what you’re playing and offer correction in real time. We’ve spent the past few days learning and playing to give you the rundown on Skoove.
Using Skoove
Skoove breaks down learning the piano into digestible lessons. When you start your first lesson you’ll choose whether you’re using a USB/MIDI-connected piano or an acoustic piano. We opted for the acoustic piano, as a USB/MIDI-connected keyboard wasn’t available to us. Fear not, though, as it uses the microphone on your device (it’s compatible with computers, laptops, iOS tablets and smartphones) to listen to your playing. It’s really handy.
Furthermore, when you make a mistake while playing, Skoove will correct you. This provides a high-quality experience, and in a time when having an instructor next to you in your home isn’t the safest option. Truthfully, having a computer listening to help you learn is the next best thing. You’re also given the option to chat live with a piano instructor if you have any questions. The chat feature is nice, but we didn’t find ourselves using it too much.
While you’re learning basic skills (think finger placement or posture at the piano) and how to read music through Skoove, you’re also learning basic melodies of classical composers like Mozart and Bach. They’ll likely be familiar, as they’re classical songs most of us have encountered. We like that you’re learning tunes you’ve heard because it helps speed up the process of playing them. We found that when you know how a melody is supposed to sound it was easier to pick up the finger movements on the keys.
Once you’ve progressed through a few lessons, you’re introduced to melodies by contemporary artists currently found on top hits radio stations. It’s awesome that Skoove provides a whole host of melodies to learn, as it’s fun to learn to play your favorite songs by new artists. And as a bonus, new songs are added every month. So, when you do finally manage to work through everything in the course (and we’ll be the first to tell you that would be no small task), you can come back and learn new tunes to play. This adds a lot of value to the courses and Skoove as a whole. While most courses offer you lifetime access and are updated often, knowing there are additions to Skoove every month is awesome.
Bottom line
We’ll admit that the price tag for Skoove is hefty at $149.99, but the price tag is our biggest and only complaint. It’s definitely an investment, but when you consider what you’d pay for other online piano courses, the fact that it’s updated monthly with new songs to learn and the copious amount of content within the course, the price tag is justified. Skoove is an investment into a skill you’ll carry with you for a long time, and you’ll always be able to return and further your skills.
You can purchase a lifetime subscription to Skoove for $149.99, down from $299, from StackSocial.