I studied piano for a couple years as a young adult. I enjoyed it, but got busy with school/activities/other instruments and it fell by the wayside.
I've been interested in picking it up again and have read some FAQs on the web that suggest a different way of learning than I've been exposed to...basically foregoing scales, individual notes, and complex fingerings, and focusing on learning chords (and patterns) to play full songs. This is interesting because it would allow me to play full songs pretty quickly.
Despite the more traditional concerns, is this a valid way to learn Piano? Has anyone done this with much success? And if so, any suggestions on how to do about doing this (i.e. take an online course, get a teacher, etc...)?