Hear and Play   Jermaine Griggs has put together a great offer at his site at Hear and Play( www.hearandplay.com ). There's some much material there that it's hard to know where to start to describe it!  But I will try. First of all, just for signing up for the newsletter, you can get access to over sixty free piano lessons, that cover a lot of material. The free lessons are taken from the 300 page product that is available for purchase.  There are a ton of extras included too.  I'll give you a summary of some the free lessons, then tell you what is in the 300 page Hear and Play product.    Hear and Play Beginner's Lessons The Beginner's Lessons start out, as you would expect, with an introduction to the notes on the keyboard.  Scales and octaves are introduced, and the material is clearly and cleanly presented.  The next lesson in the beginner's series introduces the concept of whole steps and half steps on the keyboard.   Whole step intervals skip a key on the keyboard and half-steps don't.  The lesson has a table that shows you the number of whole steps and half steps between each note on the keyboard.  Sharps and flats are next and another useful table is presented to show you the relationships between sharps and flats. A lesson on sight reading follows, which introduces the treble and bass clefs, places the notes on the staffs, and shows you how to read the ledger lines above and below the staffs. There's more material in the Beginner's Lessons, but I'll jump ahead to the next set of free lessons.  All you need to do to get the rest of the Beginner's Lessons is visit hearandplay.com  and sign in. Hear and Play Music Theory Lessons Music Theory does not have to be complicated and the introduction to it presented here is very clear.  The "circle of fifths" diagram is shown to tell you how to learn all 12 major scales and how to change one scale into another.  For example, by learning the circle of fifths diagram, you'll be able to change a C major scale into an F major scale in no time at all.  Don't be put off by a few technical terms!  This is basic knowledge that every aspiring musician needs!   The music theory section continues by presenting the proper fingering techniques for playing the major scales.  Nicely presented tables summarize the finger patterns appropriate for each scale.  The music theory section also contains lessons on scale modes, playing natural minor scales, and playing blues scales. The last lesson in this section shows you another way to remember the major scales in case you find the circle of fifths picture daunting. The Hear and Play Chord Series The Chord Series lessons start off by telling you about intervals, or the distance between two notes.  Melodic and harmonic intervals are defined,  as are perfect and major intervals.   Again, the new concepts and terms are nicely summarized in a table in the lesson. Now remember, what you are seeing in the free lessons is just a section of the whole lesson that is included in the product. The lesson in this section called "How to Form Major Chords" clearly shows you how to use the right scales degrees (notes) in a particular key to form a major chord.  Again nicely illustrated.   The Chord Series is large: go to the site , sign up, and read the rest.  The amount of material available in the free lessons is staggering!  Don't pass up the opportunity to learn for free. The free lessons continue with sections on Chord Progressions, Gospel Lessons, and, in addition, there is a slew of free midi downloads available too.  Read and listen.  To get the complete lesson package, which includes a set of extras too long to describe here, got to the site at hearandplay.com.  There is a description page on the site that tells you all about what is offered.  If you're really interested in learning to play, and in working on your ability to play by ear, this is the site for you.  The site hosts online chat sessions and other bonuses, and a there is a lifetime money-back guarantee too.  Take a look at Hear and Play  hearandplay.com.   ---------------------------------------------------  HearandPlay.com Frequently Asked Questions Serving 205,000+ Musicians Worldwide! Toll-free: 1-877-856-4187  * International: 562-981-3005 Hi, Since I sent you an e-mail last week announcing the release of the brand new 'ChristmasKeys' dvd series, we have received quite a few questions from members about this revolutionary course. I'd just like to take a moment to answer them all at once... So without further delay, here are the top 6 most frequently asked questions we've received about our brand new Chritmas Keys 3-hour dvd course:   Frequently Asked Question #1 - After this video course, what will I be able to do? Answer: The Christmas Keys video series is all about teaching you how to play classic Christmas and holiday songs by ear. Step-by-step, I take you by the hand (whether you're a beginner or an experienced musician) and show you how to play these popular songs from scratch --- without sheet music. ...And, it doesn't matter if you've been playing for 3 weeks or 30 years. This Christmas Keys  course has something for everyone as I teach you THREE different versions of each song: There's a basic version for the beginners where I slowly go through all the notes, chords, and melodies you'll need to know to play these songs. Then, we put it all together in a way that not only allows you to play the songs I'm demonstrating, but literally dozens of songs with the same patterns and principles I'm teaching! For experienced learners, my expanded version will teach you fancier and more complex ways to play the songs. From left-hand tips and tricks to right hand voicings and an unorthodox progressions, you'll take songs like "Silent Night," "The First Noel," and virtually transform them into masterpieces! Simply put: If you want an informative, educational, and entertaining approach to learning your favorite holiday songs (...while grasping the very same principles I use to learn thousands of songs by ear), then I highly recommend that you get the Christmas Keys 3-hour dvd course before it's sold out.   Frequently Asked Question #2 - How long does it take for me to receive my course in the mail? This course has been available since December 1, 2005 (the beginning of this month) and the average shipping time, even with the holiday rush, has been 7-8 days for U.S. customers. For international students, delivery will take about 14 days via global priority mail. With my official online shipping guarantee, you can be assured that your package will arrive before Christmas. Honestly, for international customers, at this point, it probably wouldn't arrive before Christmas. The last day to guarantee Christmas shipping is Friday, December 16, 2005 by 12 noon (pacific standard time). After this, it probably wouldn't make any sense to order the course (...this is my honest opinion rather than to make up some excuse of why you should still get the course). After Friday, you're better off getting my GospelKeys 500 course, if you're into fast, uptempo shouting music! Cheer up. There's always next year.   :)     Frequently Asked Question #3 - Do I need any other courses in order to understand these videos? Answer: No, not at all. The video is designed so that you'll understand it even if you haven't taken our 300-pg course. Each melody line and chord progression is broken up and explained, step-by-step. However, we have found that those who use our training videos along with the 300-page course  grasp the concepts much faster. This is not to say that you must have the 300-pg course. But if you want to truly get deep into music theory and how things are done, then you might want to consider using both resources together as they compliment each other. Frequently Asked Question #4 - Is this Christmas Keys video course for beginners? Answer: Yes. The "basic version" of each song is designed for a beginner. Each scale, chord, and progression is broken down, note-by-note and chord-by-chord, so that nothing overlooked. Frequently Asked Question #5 - I've heard that you can get the new GospelKeys 500 "Experiencing Shouting Music" early at the Christmas Keys order page? Is that still available? Answer: Yes. Early copies were made available to customers who ordered the Christmas Keys course. Since ChristmasKeys will only be available until Friday, this will be the last time you can get "early bird" copies of GospelKeys 500. After then, you'll have to wait until the official launch of GospelKeys 500 in a few weeks (when the website has been officially released). Frequently Asked Question #6 - Is there a money-back guarantee on this video course? Answer: While most companies don't offer a refund policy on such items (videos, software, etc.), we stand behind our courses 100%. If our video course doesn't deliver exactly what you expected, you can return it for a f u l l    r e f u n d (minus the shipping) within 90 days --- no questions asked. It's that simple and we honor all returns. We only hold a 3% return rate for our other products. We hope for the return rate of this video course to be no more than 1% compared to the industry standard of 15%. That is why we spend so much time spelling out every single detail of our courses online. We want to make sure that you understand every aspect of our products before purchasing them.   Get the full view at hear and play       All the best, Jermaine Griggs Hear and Play Music, Online! P.S. - Remember: I can only guarantee holiday shipping if you order before Friday, December 16, 2005 at 12pm noon (Pacific).