Although I played piano a little when I was a child, I always told myself that "someday I will take lessons again." Well, my "someday" occurred a little over two years ago and I was referred to Bill Keis by a piano tuner who played magnificently. Bill was actually this guy's teacher. (I had previously tried another teacher at a local music store who absolutely frustrated me. That guy was more interested in me listening to how great he played than teaching me. It almost made me quit keyboards altogether.) Fast forward to today. I am now reading music, improvising, playing jazz, blues, a touch of classical, and understanding much more about rhythm, harmony and melody. Bill is an experienced musician who actively plays live gigs, as well as an accomplished and sought-after arranger, composer and recording artist. Chick Correa? Jay Leno Show? Chico? Wow. He is the real deal. I can't recommend him enough as a teacher. I have weekly lessons at his studio, assuming my busy work schedule allows for it. It has proven to be a wonderful outlet for me. In addition, his book, The Complete Guide To Learning Music, is great for beginners, intermediate and advanced musicians as well. He has also authored a bunch of e-books for learning. I was not asked to provide this review, but am doing so in an effort to share my enthusiasm for Bill as a teacher. He is patient and can even work with a stubborn attorney like me! read more

Bill has been teaching beginner piano to my two sons (ages 9 and 14) for a couple of months now. He communicates well with them, and is successfully able to convey important fundamentals....The one-on-one setting is invaluable....I am pleasantly surprised with how quickly my sons are learning, especially my 14 year old son...I will have them continue their lessons with him... read more

My main requirement for a piano teacher was someone who is a great player. Bill is a virtuoso of jazz and fusion, and he is able to teach basic and advanced concepts very well. I started with Bill over 12 years ago with the goal of playing professionally. With Bill's help I was able to achieve that goal within a few years. Bill even turned a lot of gigs to me which has been an enormous help. Prices are quite reasonable and you can have him record you in his studio as well. read more

I grew up playing guitar starting in 5th grade, and majored in music production in college. I had taken basic piano lessons here and there to get experience with the piano, but never felt comfortable on the instrument. I have been producing dance music for years (sometimes professionally), but I always felt my lack of confidence on the piano was preventing me from expressing myself freely through my music. Before I found Bill I tried a few other teachers in the LA area, but they lacked the depth of knowledge and experience that Bill has, and were more interested in teaching me basic classical tunes or sight reading. The music they chose to teach me was boring and didn't speak to me, so it was hard to stay focused. Within a few minutes of the first lesson with Bill, I could tell that he "got it". I played him some complex modern music that really meant something to me, and he was instantly able to play the chords and explain the harmonic movement to me. It was a revelation in terms of his ability to demystify the theory behind the harmony and make it easy to understand. With the help of his excellent book, Bill helped me develop a practice plan that helped me build fundamental piano skills, as well as continue to get my hands around the meaningful funk, jazz, and dance music chord progressions that had always eluded me. His vast experience as a session player is an invaluable resource for gaining insight into the breadth of musical styles that I'm interested in studying. More than anything, I wish I had a teacher like Bill when I was much younger. So many of my piano teachers took my childhood love of music and snuffed it out with boring lessons that eventually caused me to focus on guitar for most of my life. When the choice is between Led Zeppelin and Chopsticks, every middle school aged boy is going to choose Jimmy Page. Bill's talent and understanding of the theory that ties together so many musical forms would have been the magic potion to motivate a younger me to focus on the less alluring aspects of music. Ultimately his biggest lesson to me has been the importance of taking the time to learn the fundamentals of blues and jazz that so much amazing and powerful music is built on. His lessons have inspired me to practice on a regular basis, and I have been enjoying a newfound dexterity and depth of understanding of the piano and music in general. read more

I have been taking lessons from Bill for seven months and it is the favorite part of my week. I am a 50-something attorney with no musical training, and in very short order, he had me practicing and playing songs and wanting to learn more and more. He is patient, his techniques are flexible and user friendly, and after each lesson I find myself going home to play some more. I can't say enough about this talented gentlemen, he provides insight and encouragement and guidance and I only wish I had started 30 years earlier. I have talked to many people who have tried Piano and quit. I'm not quite ready to quit my day job, but I am certain I will stick with Bill and hopefully keep learning to play better the rest of my life. He's a gem. read more