play bach only if you enjoy Bach, otherwise you're going to hate your life. If you're someone who loves jazz, play jazz; if you love what you play you'll practice for hours no effort. I dont know why the "just play more bach bro" advice is so popular. Sure, it's a good way to practice hand independence but shits boring as hell if you're not into baroque music.

I completely agree with your tips, especially memorization, easily the most important. I'd add one more tip: recording yourself and listening back, it's like becoming your own teacher.

I totally agree with all of your points! I started playing piano after I retired about 10years ago. The only addendum I would add is to learn and understand music theory, it’s not difficult and it fits into your improving your reading skills. Yes, playing Bach is an absolute revelation, the only way to discover his genius is by playing it, but a warning - it might also do your head in. Thank you for posting this, I will share this with my friends who have like me recently discovered the piano.

Completely agree, I was waiting for a video like this to come up somewhere. Well done man. Bach is the best to start with. All of these people selling their courses make me sick. Knowing to play some chords in repeated fashion doesn't actually make you good at playing the piano. Well said.

I've been working on Bach for a couple months. The Old Testament.

I think composing and improvising is very important to become a better pianist and even more importantly, a musician.

For the first 2 years all I learned with my teacher were etudes, etc. Thanks to that, at year 5 I play Rachmaninoff(etude tableaux), Scriabin, etc and have hopes of tackling difficult pieces like scriabin sonata 4. I am very thankful for those 2 years

@ClassiTope

Жыл бұрын

It's the best feeling looking back! 😊

I agree with virtually all of your points. I have always maintained that if one can't play the piece from memory, he hasn't really learned it. I say that because when you are performing, it seems to me you really need to focus on the sound you are producing rather than just hitting the right notes. Having the piece memorized frees you up quite a bit to do just that. Besides, everybody listening to you is usually impressed by only two things: how you can be doing different things with the left and right hands at the same time, and how you can memorize all those notes! I am just now coming back to playing the piano again after a 7 year layoff (I had to sell my Steinway after 50+ years for a move) and have been struggling recently with exactly how to practice so as to progress faster. Thanks for the excellent tips. I will structure my practice sessions with them in mind.

Nice video! I would add one more tip: Learn how to play well with others. Band, choir, vocal music, brass accompanying, string sonatas, chamber music, concertos with orchestra ... There are so many opportunities for a musician to play with others and share the joy of music, but what people don't talk about is how much it shores up your rhythm and forces you to master every inch of your music to avoid stumbling and screwing up the other musicians. Fast-track to success right there!

@ClassiTope

Жыл бұрын

I believe it was Rachmaninoff who said that to improve to technique, accompanying a vocalist is the best way to do so. I agree with you, but I didn't include it since it's not accessible for everyone, especially for beginners.

Great tips. Thank you

Thank you for this great video! I'm currently a beginner but it will help when I want to conquer some difficult music in the future. I subscribed to you!

Excellent video. I needed to hear this.🎉

I am currently going to perform Ravels Sonatine and I sometimes get discouraged playing it so slow but having you enforce what I'm doing is so rewarding. It's impossible to hear the beauty of the harmonies atempo and I even did a professional recording of it in the slower tempo since it reveals Ravels beauty and genius.

@ClassiTope

Жыл бұрын

I loved reading your comment!

@pianoplaynight

Жыл бұрын

The Sonatine is a beast disguised as a kitten.. Took me like a year to get it to performance level

Thank you very much! Great advices, edited in a great video!

No nonsense legit advice - well done.

Priceless advice Sir❤❤❤

As a guitar teacher I find many parables in teaching to this video. 'Play more Bach' and 'practice slowly' being the highlights.

Thank you 🙏😊

I had lessons when young but never really enjoyed them much. Like so many others I stopped playing at some point. No doubt because playing the piano well is hard. Fast forward 50 years and I started learning piano on my own seriously after I retired 6 years ago. I totally agree there is no fast track gimmick to learning piano anymore than a fast track gimmick to learning to speak Russian fluently. Now I'm a bit different than most of your viewers because I play predominantly modern music from Bohemian Rhapsody to Gershwin with some classical thrown in. What I have found is that if you practice correctly over time you will notice every once in awhile " I'm getting better ". It took me about 1 and 1/2 years to notice the first " step up" in ability. I also don't entirely agree that pushing yourself to try more advanced pieces is a total waste of time. I have found working on areas of difficult pieces will translate to other pieces, which brings up my next area of disagreement. I enjoy working on more than one piece at a time. I don't believe you need to master one piece at a time before moving on. For me that would be soul killing. I now practice 2 hours a day on multiple pieces and have found over time , multiple pieces are all getting better at once because I am getting better because AND THIS IS THE CRITICAL POINT - all the practicing has changed my brain in multiple ways. And these changes take a long time. Hours and hours of practice. Correct practice. I can now do things that would have been impossible 5 years ago. My fingerings in certain songs has even changed over the last few years because I now can fully utilize my 4th and 5th fingers. They're stronger and the neurons that move them are stronger. One last thing. Always play music you enjoy. Why struggle to learn something you don't like ? Bottom line: it takes a long time of correct practice to get better and there is no substitute for the hours you put in because it is during this time that your brain is remodeling and allows you to do things that a few years before would have seemed impossible. Just like becoming fluent in Russian you will most likely need to live in Russia and speak Russian on a daily basis for a long time. It's the constant repetition over time that produces the magic.

@ClassiTope

Жыл бұрын

Thanks fo the comment! One should definitely play multiple pieces at a time, it allows you to progress faster because the sessions aren't so monotone. You should always push yourself, but often I see people burning themselves instead.

@famousatmidnight15

Жыл бұрын

Tend to disagree. Too much trying to play classical and not enough improvisation. All the great composers were good improvisers then became great writers. Todays students are beaten until they can play like Bach. It’s so stupid and takes all the enjoyment from music.

@aidenless3479

7 ай бұрын

@@famousatmidnight15 I agree, but all the great composers were taught to improvise within the structure of Bach, so it's equally important to study both!

The most important factor is having incredible passion for the craft and an unquenchable thirst to play. This grants you incredible musicality and even if a performance is not technically perfect, the listener will still be in awe.

I started taking piano lessons at 41, with zero prior experience in music. Now after 2 years and a half i learned Invention n.1 bwv 772, little prelude in Cm bwv 999, i'm halfway through little prelude in C bwv 924, i'm studing Khulau sonatine op. 55 n.1 and i'm always doing some study from Czerny's as well. I start every session with some Hanon and the scales and scales and scales. I't's a long way and it takes ages and sometime is boring or/and frustrating but being with the head stuck over the piano with organisation and a plan it's the only way to go forward.

@ClassiTope

Жыл бұрын

Wow! You're going the right route, love your pieces!! I"ve also played the Kuhlau and the invention. I recommend you take a look at invention 13, maybe you'll like the piece.

@paolopellegrino9915

Жыл бұрын

@@ClassiTope I’m planning to learn n.4, 8 and then 13. Number 13 is my favorite!

@ClassiTope

Жыл бұрын

@@paolopellegrino9915 I also played 8! Take a look at 6 if you get the chance, it's not that hard to read but focusses on legato playing. Four and eight seem to be very similar in technique, still lovely choiches!

I am an intermediate. I write all fingerings down as I am learning a piece. I felt that maybe I was going over board but it is a meditative activity and helpful so that I can not only learn the piece faster, but if I stop playing it for a few months I can come back to it more easily. Glad to know this is a good strategy all around.

@aidenless3479

7 ай бұрын

I see practice as a very meditative activity all around, and the better your focus gets, the more efficient you become with your time. I think it's really good that you take the time to focus on the fingerings and give them the attention to detail that they need. I should try it myself lol

You had to call me out *specifically* at the end of the video?? Wowww. I had played violin for years, but never piano. I watched the movie "Shine" (the David Helfgott story), and got obsessed with La Campanella. I didn't try to learn the whole thing, just the excerpt from the movie that captures the last minute or so of the piece. I'll say this: my ignorance may have been a blessing, because I got that excerpt down pretty solid after a few months! It was painstaking, note-by-note annotation and slow practice (a couple of your tips here), and the result was a bit inconsistent but not terrible :) I did have extensive music theory from violin, so that helped. But yeah, it's a showpiece I can still play today!

These were great tips. I agree with everything you said. As someone who is teaching themselves I can concur that this seems pretty accurate

Most practical musical advice I've heard in ages! Especially the point of music reading as opposed to sight reading. It's akin to pronoucing a word you have never heard, never seen, and do not understand. Highly impractical. Writing out fingerings and then using them? Tablature? These are concepts that are highly practical yet frowned upon by teachers for some odd/elitist reason. I've never become a proficient sight reader but I do understand how to apply musical concepts because of my understanding of the staff. Not a piano player just a guitarist. The basic building blocks are the same. I've played for people for decades. Never been asked to sight read. Have been asked to play songs I've never "learned" all my life. Here's a clue. Nobody has sheet music of their favorite song. They will only ever request a song that you don't like, don't know or don't care about! Seriously though this is foundational advice. Keep up the great work my man!. Now on to some Bach! Greetings from New Mexico!

Thank you for this frank advice! Bach it is!! 🎶🎶

I asked my piano teacher if he did Hanon or Czerny. Neither was the answer, “I did Bach.” Was the response.

your video is gold, great channel

Thank you for going out to the highways and byways. You're not just stuck In a huge building with a expensive suit and shoes. I just love your down to earth way of sharing Christ. May God continue to use you mightily.

This video is really good advice for early intermediate players, but the way it is made bro... I have never heard anyone speak about reading music so dramatically.💀

I personally disagree with the Bonus Tip I've been playing piano for 6 years but I started taking it serious 1 year ago When I first started taking it serious I was level 3 or so I picked up Rach op3 no2 ofcourse and some other pieces then started learning Ballade No1 and throughout the 9 months of me learning the ballade and other pieces that were way above my skill level I improved better and quicker than I ever could have imagined and now am level 10+ just 9 months later because of it I guess everyone's different

This video was a call out specifically to me because Chopin's 1st Ballade is my dream piece and the exact page of music at 8:19 sitting on my piano right now as I write this comment. My hardest is currently mvt. 1 of the the Bartok Bagpipes sonatina. I think ima go find myself a Bach piece now, I'll comment again in a year. Update 1: found my Bach piece

@yords7750

Жыл бұрын

Bruh same his first ballade is my most favorite piece i want to play, will definitely be starting on bach if it is the way to get there

This was the best .. thank you I’m on a mission 🖤🎵🖤

@ClassiTope

Жыл бұрын

Great to hear! I hope to aid you in your mission.

great video and 100% true.

Very Nice.

I disagree with your last tip because I think as long as you practice very carefully and take your time it's okay to work on a piece that's too hard for you to perform currently, because it gives you an idea of what to work towards. The other thing I disagree with is that I believe you can memorize multiple pieces at once. I do it all the time and I don't think it hinders me at all, I just get bored if I only work on one piece at a time until I perform it and then move on to the next one. Otherwise, I think you shared all very solid and extremely helpful concepts that definitely make the difference between a serious musician and an amateur.

Good points have you listed, thank you so much.

@ClassiTope

Жыл бұрын

Glad it was helpful!

@Salomaor

Жыл бұрын

How can we talk to you???

@Salomaor

Жыл бұрын

I think that have a lot of things to share about piano, It would be useful

So your advice is to Unfollow all online tutors, Software and play Bach!!?? How am I supposed to do that when I can barely move my hands over the C Scales in 2 octaves one for each hand ? Barely read the grand staff if the notes were separate and get lost, intimidated when the score is crowded!

@goettling

11 ай бұрын

I know your struggle, been there myself. Get grade exam books (1, 2, 3 etc.) and work on the pieces and scale requirements. This has helped me stay on track. Now I tackle a little more difficult stuff and have fun learning. 76 years old, relearning and now 1 1/2 years into my journey. Keep going!

really solid advice, glad to have found this new channel. please get a good mic!

@ClassiTope

Жыл бұрын

I'm working on the audio... 😬

What is the melody called from 4.00 ? Great video btw

This is all fine if you have the goal of being a concert pianist or some type of piano virtuoso...but if you just want to have a fun and fulfilling life playing your favorite.songs none of this applies

@ClassiTope

Жыл бұрын

If there's no desire in the student to progress, then there isn't any use for a teacher. I made this channel to help ambitious people, there's enough second-grade channels (my humble opinion) who'll help you enjoy in moment. In 5 years you'll be at the same level you are now however if you follow that path.

@michellemonet4358

Жыл бұрын

@@ClassiTope"No desire in a student" is a presumptious statement. i taught myself piano when Covid hit. Im becoming quite proficient by rehearsing over 4 hours a day for over 3 years. Dedication and total comittment to any creative endeavor is key. My goal is to finishing composing 72 songs Ive written for a.Broadway Musical a memoir audio book and a few albums. I wont have to hire a pianist!

yes.

What's the piece at 1:32?

great advise I personally have my old Bach beginner books out now even before watching the video If you are serious you know what has to be done

@ClassiTope

Жыл бұрын

Bach is the way!

I started learning near the end of February and I need to make progress 😭

@antonyperaza7173

Ай бұрын

Find a teacher a good one in your area or just do what I do and drive 2 hours lol 🤣

Thank you so much! I am a complete beginner and like your advice about Bach, as I admire his pieces very much. Is there a particular Bach piece that you would recommend for a beginner or intermediate? Could you improve the quality of your audio voice recording?

@ClassiTope

Жыл бұрын

Try Anna Magdalena Bach, little preludes, or the 2-part inventions. I'm not sure of your level exactly so...

@DSMS-nu4vj

Жыл бұрын

@@ClassiTope Thank you!

Song name at 4:06?

Best secret

Do you live in Belgium?

Yeah I really should have been more humble… did two weeks of basics. Went on to half learn a bunch of songs. Learned my first song that was a little hard. Moved on to the next song before 100% getting the last one down and now I can’t play it anymore. 6 months into piano and I’m 75% done with this pretty hard song that was and (still somewhat is) beyond my skill level. It honestly sounds pretty good, it sounds quite a better than what I see most others playing at 6 months playing BUT not even 1 full song fully learned in 6 months was definitely not the way to go hahaha…

you need to understand that it seems that *you* enjoy Bach, some people have different preferences. Some people want to play beatle tunes or billie eilish on the piano. second, flowkey is such a great app because you can see someone playing and *hear* the song from someone who knows how to play it. Unless you live with your teacher or your parents are teachers , when you look at a sheet music there is no way you can hear it played perfectly by someone who is a professional. I think your advice can be complimentary to these apps. I for once have several Czerny books that i really enjoy and i love Bach too. but sometimes i want to hear the tune payed and copy the player. because if i just play myself i will keep playing what i already know in my head. in India culture, music is never taught by books , but as a teacher student communication circle where the teacher sings and plays for the students and they imitate and reply. All this advice can be applied while using all the app and resources to simplify and be better. but you made me click on your video because it is a good marketing strategy to contradict the status quo, so kudos to the clickbait

@ClassiTope

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the comment. I'll make a video on why Bach is number one for me. 1) Bach might not be your preference, the video is titled: how to get good. It's not 100% about "fun" right know, as I mentioned in the video. 2) I made two video's already on the topic of hearing. You said: "flowkey is such a great app because you can see someone playing and hear the song from someone who knows how to play it". I obviously understand the appeal, there's a reason the app got so famous. If you're dependent on someone playing the piece for you, I'm sorry you're not going to progress as fast and you'll hit a ceiling. (once again: video title). We all sometimes want to just copy, copying is the easy route, not that of the true artist. 3) If you intention isn't to improve, that's totally fine. There' s a lot of enjoyability in just playing pieces you love to hear. This wasn't the reason I made the video, however.

@TheTeeProd

Жыл бұрын

@@ClassiTope you are using the same strategies as schools, you are forcing something(in this case is Bach) that will kill the motivation of the students. This is the reason why most students forget what they learn in schools. Study after study have showed us that motivation is the key aspect to keep going for the long run, and the should be relevant to the student. Other ear training studies have also demonstrated that if you hear the piece from the actual artist or someone who has more proficiency than you, it helps you learn quicker. Your points are not bad, but you shouldnt be too one sided(that never works) and understand the whole picture

@adverse3792

Жыл бұрын

To me the advice in the video is pivotal to shaping one's ability to sense or even manipulate music as a whole, hence piano playing. It's just my statement, so you have every right to disagree with me haha. The video does address the notion of 'upskilling'; the clickbait element, however, is not that the title is misleading, but only that emphasis of personal opinion is not there. Here motivation is not part of the question the video is trying to answer. It connects more strongly to continuity or willingness than the 'ability to play'. To me (opinion marker so don't go harsh on me xd) piano playing and music theory and history are virtually inseparable, and so being 'good' at playing the piano is often tied to the demonstration of one's knowledge in music. Playing is about not only getting the notes right but also about economical hand and wrist movement, technique (vague indeed), recognition of scales, chords, cadences and the like, tonality, rhythm, phrasing, pulse, and so on. We pianists or piano learners don't learn these merely for the sake of knowing them, nor do we treat music theory and playing as separate entities (which is arguably worse), but we essentially exploit music theory to advance faster. These are what Flowkey does not provide (UNLESS they do have some sort of a wiki page or coaching videos laying out all the information), and they enable us to understand the purpose of every note without having to read note by note. I do agree that getting yourself a professional piano teacher helps sort all these out and saves all the hassle of figuring out all the secrets behind every piece/song all by ourselves, which isn't mentioned in the video as it supposedly concerns more with self-practice. Music theory definitely helps with playing modern pieces or works from the pop genre, a number of which are structurally much simpler than classical music, constituting recognisable (broken) chords and arpeggios.

@adverse3792

Жыл бұрын

And I must say listening is not to be overlooked either. It's all about music after all and we need to know how the notes sound like. Aural tests would've been pointless had listening been unimportant, right? Perhaps the biggest bottleneck for the Sinplypiano situation is to properly promote music education. Popularising music might be a step towards the right direction. I'd argue that learning piano the traditional way benefits us the most, albeit very very pricey. But who knows what the future holds? One day aspiring learners of newer generations might be able to learn everything about music through the Web and apps. I do believe nonetheless that efficient learning is key and it has to be properly taught.

hey man good video i see real potential in this channel but you really need a better microphone!

Whats the piece at 0:16?

@ClassiTope

Жыл бұрын

It's Bach: Fugue in C minor, BWV 847.

You forgot to mention the sole reason you are as great(even if your example piece was one of the easiest fugues to learn) as you are on the piano, having a piano teacher... And also the fact that your pianistic ability will come down to how early you started playing, but that is too black pilled I know.

@ClassiTope

Жыл бұрын

Exactly, let's focus on the things we CAN improve.

i dont get why i needa add my fingering numbers to every note i play

+1 more sub :)

The fingering sounds like guitar notes

Thank you for the advice in this video. That said, the audio in it is not at all good. You start by being drowned out by the piano music, then your voice gets so loud, every pop is over emphasized, then your voice just disappears again into the background and words become noise salad. Please work out the quality issues in post, and perhaps invest in a decent mic and pop filter. You have some great information for what might just turn into a great channel, but the audio issues are incredibly distracting. Again, great recommendations ... I'll incorporate some of what you suggested into my practices, so thanks for that! Wish you well on your YT journey, man.

Well nothing against this advice for what its worth but all this amounts to one way to get "good" at piano. If you don't like the sound of these ideas don't despair there are many other paths. Been playing for over 50 years this guy can do things i can't or dont and i bet the same works in the other direction. If you want to play Chopin and Debussy this is probably good advice along with invest in private in person lessons with the best teacher who will take you on

Man... Is memorization really that important? I do everything else except memorize since I feel it's just a waste. It's not like I ever find a piano without the sheet music

@ClassiTope

Жыл бұрын

What's your skill level? Memorizing is very important if you want to start focusing more on the musical aspect of playing the piano: tone color, rubato, voicing, etc...

Thanks, but now you just have to recommend a piece of music or collection of works for levels of learners.

So now there is "no bullshit" alpha male guides for piano?...

Come on, Richter did all the Bach 48 within one month. He could do anything. It has nothing to do with playing Bach. Bach wrote good music but piano music has evolved technically and mechanically way beyond Bach and playing Bach alone won’t get you up to supervirtuoso level. Yes, you also just contradicted yourself. Richter himself performed Chopin’s études with the sheet music (of course, he did memorize everything before, he just didn’t want to miss any single detail, mark on the score)

@ClassiTope

Жыл бұрын

Interesting comment! First of all, Richter *re*learned the WTC in a month, which is still impressive. Music evolved beyond Bach, but it's all based on Bach, he was the basis of all classical music. Bach is essential for anyone trying to progress, some may see it a as a puzzle piece, for me it's the foundation. A good interpreter of Bach almost always also does a great job of interpreting romantic composers. I don't believe this is a coincidence. As for playing the Chopin études with the sheet music, Richter still knew them from heart. I understand your comment but I was just trying to prove a point that achieving perfection is impossible without memorizing.