Every Piano Teacher Should See This Scene

The “piano scene” from the movie Ray, where young Ray Charles is taught how to improvise a solo using just three notes. This scene is based on a real occurence in Ray’s life. He discussed it in several interviews.

Everyone who teaches piano should see this scene from the movie Ray, where a man introduces Ray to the piano by showing him how to improvise a solo using only three notes. The man point out three notes, and numbers them “one,” “two” and “three.” Ray said that this simple lesson was a pivotal moment in his life. This goes to show that it’s possible to introduce piano without notes, or even fingerings.