Jarvis Piano - Learn Songs, Chords & Play by Ear

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$120

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About

Most piano lessons only teach you how to read music—and nothing else. My lessons are for students who want to sit down and just play: arrange songs, jam with friends, read a chord chart, play by ear, or make something up on the spot. With practical, at-the-piano music theory, you’ll be able to: 1. Make your own covers of your favorite songs in different styles and moods. 2. Hear a song on the radio and figure it out at the piano on the spot. 3. Confidently jam with other musicians in all kinds of musical settings. 4. Play the music you want to learn: pick up new genres—jazz, rock, classical, pop, with much more ease 5. Read music better, too: ironically, you’ll read sheet music more fluently because you understand what’s going on—you understand the language of music. ABOUT ME: Pianist Harrison Batten Jarvis experienced his Carnegie Hall debut at the age of sixteen and was subsequently named to CBC Music’s “30 Hot Canadian Classical Musicians Under 30”. He has soloed with orchestras at Lincoln Center in New York City, at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia and with the Etobicoke Philharmonic in Toronto. He holds degrees from the Royal Conservatory of Music (A.R.C.T.) and Bard College Conservatory (B.Mus in piano performance and B.A. in written arts). Harrison's teachers have been named to the Order of Canada (Andre Laplante), been a finalist for the National Book Award (Jenny Xie), won a Pulitzer prize (Elizabeth Frank), and had a composition played in honour of the 2020 Presidential inauguration (Joan Tower). Their pedagogical lineages trace back to John Ashbery, Franz Liszt and Beethoven. Send me a message and I’d be happy to set up a free trial lesson.

Overview

Current Top Pro

Hired 13 times

Serves New York, NY

Background checked

1 employee

6 years in business

Business hours

This pro hasn't listed their business hours.

Payment methods

This pro accepts payments via Apple Pay, Credit card, Google Pay, PayPal, Samsung Pay, Stripe, and Zelle.

Services offered

Musical style

Classical

Pop

Jazz

Work location

I work remotely (phone or internet)

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Reviews

Customers rated this pro highly for work quality, professionalism, and value.

Exceptional 5.0

25 reviews

5

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Read reviews that mention:

Mackenzie T.

2 days ago

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Hired on Thumbtack

I’ve really enjoyed my lessons. Harrison brings a certain energy that I need in a coach, and I was trying to find the right fit. The lessons are going great, and I’m practicing fundamentals, which I’m really excited about. I love Harrison’s approach. It’s vastly different from what I was initially taught over a decade ago in my piano class, and it just clicks for my brain way better. Learning with chords shows piano in a different light — it’s not so clinical. I’m learning the chords and connecting more with the music. I’m excited to be able to sit down and either look at sheet music and just start playing, or even not do that, because I’ve learned chords and I’m able to hear the music and play a song based on how I remember it sounding.

Details: 26 - 44 years old • No, the student cannot read music • 0 - 2 yrs of formal training • Classical • Yes, the student has a keyboard • 45 minutes • At the pro’s location • My home, venue, etc. • Remotely (phone or internet)

Piano Lessons

Zanetta S.

4 weeks ago

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Hired on Thumbtack

Piano lessons with Harrison have been awesome. The way he explains things makes it easier to take what I’m looking at on paper and actually apply it to the piano, and it makes a lot more sense practice-wise. It doesn’t feel so self-defeating trying to learn by myself anymore. The pace is awesome, the explanations are awesome, and I can honestly say I walk away from each lesson feeling like I actually learned something. I had very limited knowledge of the piano and the keys — really just the basic things we learned in school — and I hadn’t been around it for years. It’s been really nice to jump back in, get a solid review, and move at a good pace at the same time, so I don’t feel stuck in one spot. One of my goals isn’t necessarily to jump straight into gigs, but to be able to accompany myself and other singers. A lot of times my mother will get up and sing and we won’t have musicians around, so it’s been great learning how to just hop on the piano or keyboard and accompany without needing sheet music.

Details: 45 - 64 years old • Yes, the student can read music • 0 - 2 yrs of formal training • What the teacher recommends • Yes, the student has a piano • I'm flexible • My home, venue, etc. • Remotely (phone or internet)

Piano Lessons

Sean G.

1 month ago

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Hired on Thumbtack

Learning piano with Harrison’s method is helping me understand the structure of music better and move beyond my childhood classical piano training. From these early lessons I had learned to start with scales/exercises and then to learn songs, I would work on the right hand, the left hand and then try to glue them together. After quitting piano in 8th grade, detours into playing bass in bands and helping my kids with their music lessons, I finally started playing piano again. It was fun, but I quickly hit a dead end — I didn’t have the tools to get where I wanted to go harmonically. I wanted to understand music better and to feel more comfortable and creative on the keyboard. Harrison’s approach is giving me a way to understand music theory and apply it on the keyboard without requiring a strong jazz focus. Already I feel it is really working for me. I’m hearing harmony a little better, feeling more comfortable on the piano and am motivated for the challenges ahead. Harrison’s method feels less like learning individual songs and more like learning to understand music itself.

Details: 45 - 64 years old • Yes, the student can read music • 4+ yrs of formal training • Jazz • Yes, the student has a piano • 60 minutes • At the pro’s location • Remotely (phone or internet)

Piano Lessons

Thomas W.

Dec 20, 2025

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Hired on Thumbtack

I’ve really enjoyed the lessons so far, and there’s a reason I chose Harrison as my teacher. I looked at a lot of other methods and teachers, but many of them felt like the same traditional approaches that never really resonated with me. Harrison’s approach was completely different and immediately stood out. He simplifies things in a way I didn’t even know was possible on the piano. I studied piano for several years as a kid, but the traditional, laborious way of learning is honestly why I never got back into it. Harrison has a completely different perspective from any piano teacher I’ve had before. After just one introductory lesson, I already felt like I had grown as a musician. He quickly identified where I should start, and even that small amount of guidance made a big difference. One of the biggest things for me was learning to play by ear. We learned ‘Amazing Grace’ by ear right away, which I had never experienced in piano lessons before. For someone with musical experience who wants to become a better musician and songwriter, ear training is essential. That really resonated with me. I do want to learn to read sheet music, but ultimately I’m here to develop as a musician. Training my ear and using the piano as a tool to write music is more important to me than just playing notes, and Harrison’s approach aligns perfectly with that.

Details: 26 - 44 years old • Yes, the student can read music • 0 - 2 yrs of formal training • What the teacher recommends • Yes, the student has a keyboard • I'm flexible • At the pro’s location • Remotely (phone or internet)

Piano Lessons

David C.

Dec 2, 2025

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Hired on Thumbtack

My lessons with Harrison have been fantastic. He’s very thorough and adapts really well to my learning style and how I understand music. Learning songs through chords instead of sheet music has felt way more intuitive. It helps me focus on what I’m hearing instead of just what I’m looking at. It’s been a long time since I last tried piano, but this has honestly been the best experience I’ve had. I’m excited to reach the point where I can just sit down and play music instead of fumbling through beginner pieces.

Details: 45 - 64 years old • Yes, the student can read music • 0 - 2 yrs of formal training • What the teacher recommends • Yes, the student has a piano • 45 minutes • My home, venue, etc. • Remotely (phone or internet)

Piano Lessons

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Harrison Jarvis

Jarvis Piano - Learn Songs, Chords & Play by Ear

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