Piano Tips Want to know what piano teachers don't show you?  That's how Yoke Wong starts off her introduction at her website called PlayPianoTips.com.  And it's a good point she makes.   PlayPianoTips is all about improvisation techniques.  Here's the next set of questions she poses:   Are you a pianist who does not know how to improvise using lead sheets/fakebooks? Would you like to be a church pianist but do not know how to improvise or arrange hymns? Do you always make up piano pieces with the same type of left hand/right hand arrangements, and they sound boring? Do you feel lost playing piano without sheet music? Are you afraid of playing the Happy Birthday song without referring to the sheet music? Have you been playing piano for years and still have no clue on how to improvise If you answered yes to any of the questions above, Yoke's site is a place you should go to immediately. Here's what one of her customers said: I am extremely impressed with Yoke's lessons. She teaches so many different styles -- yet the instructions make each easy to learn. I tried them myself and with my piano students.  We particularly enjoyed the 12-Bar Bass.  For a group lesson, one student played a simple 12-Bar Bass in quarter notes.  Another student improvised in the treble clef on the same chords.  They loved it!  I have taught for over 25 years, but never thought to have the students improvise on the Middle Eastern sound.  They enjoyed improvising a "camel" piece. My improvising has certainly improved, too.  Even with "on-line" lessons Yoke makes them personal with her affirming words.   Peggy Schlieker, NCTM  Omaha, NE, USA   Yoki offers 26 lessons for a price you won't believe...you'd be lucky to get 2 lessons at this price from a private teacher.  Here's the list of lesson titles:  1. Pentatonic Scale and New Age Improvisation (Learn to improvise using pentatonic scale) 2. Country Western Style Made Easy (Learn to make up your own country western music) 3. How to decide what chord to use on your left hand (Learn the techniques of playing by ear.  Once you know how to predict the left hand chord, you can play any song by ear) 4. Right Hand Arrangement Techniques 1 (One way to improvise a song is by using good arrangement techniques: we will show you five ways to do it) 5. Left Hand Arrangement Techniques Series 1 (Left hand arrangement techniques is so crucial, by changing the rhythm or style, you are creating a whole new piece) 6. Left Hand Arrangement Techniques Series 2 (We can't emphasize enough the importance of left hand arrangement techniques. You will learn a few more methods to create refreshing styles) 7. Be a Master of the key of C major and A minor (Think you know enough about C major and A minor?  Wait till you complete this course and assignment!) 8. How to fill up long measures series 1 (Whenever you come across notes that last for many counts, it is time to show off your improvisation skills) 9. Chord Inversions and Improvisations (Chord inversions are so important in improvisation that your piano playing life is incomplete without them) 10. Meter Challenge and Improvisation (Find out how you can improvise by altering the meter of any songs) 11. 12 Bar Blues and Improvisations (12 bar blues is so much fun to improvise.  Learn the 4 steps to create your own blues) 12. Major 7th chord and Improvisations - Color Chord Series 1 (Learn how new age and jazz pianists create their riffs from this beautiful major 7th chord) 13. Minor 7th chord and Improvisations - Color Chord Series 2 (Learn how contemporary pianists form their warmth-feeling melody) 14. The Seventh/Dominant 7th chord and Color Chord Review- Color Chord Series 3 (This color chord is often considered a power chord - commonly used in the blues) 15. Middle Eastern Music and Improvisations (Discover the techniques to create Middle Eastern music and ways to improvise them) 16. Chord Substitution (Experience the wonders of chord substitution and learn how to surprise your audience with unexpected chords) 17. Modulation (Learn the technique of modulating from one key to another key) 18. Great Endings (Learn five effective ways to end any song) 19. Transposition (Discover what it takes to transpose from one key to another key easily) 20. Embellishments/ornaments and improvisation (Experience the power of using ornaments or embellishments in any piece) 21. Improvisation technique by switching keys (G major and E minor) (Great composers know this technique and so will you) 22. Block hand style arrangement technique (Jazz pianists use this technique to create a spectacular melody) 23. Rubato piano playing and phrasing (Invent your own melody by adjusting the tempo and rhythm of the melody) 24. Melody Improvisation (Create your melody by combining scales and chords) 25. Oriental music and improvisation (Master the key of Gb major and make up a tune that sounds like oriental music) 26. Ragtime techniques and improvisation (Find out how to make your song lively using the technique popularized by the "The Entertainer")   Yoki even has a toll-free customer support number.  There's a set of free tips you can get too!  So...if improvising on the piano is on your to-do list, what are you waiting for?  Go to PlayPianoTips.com right now!