As someone who is self-taught, I would also add that sometimes it's important to remind yourself of the progress you have made, Often we keep looking towards our goals and keep trying to move forwards, but it can cause us to get sucked in, and be discouraged if the progress is slower than we like. I find if I notice I start to feel this way, I will pull up a piece I learned a long time ago to show myself how far I've come it can really help with slumps. Great video, man keep up the good work.
This is great, thanks! I just started learning about a month and a half ago. I'm already following most of these rules and making what I feel is pretty solid progress, but a couple of your comments were unexpected and interesting, especially about understanding the musicality of a piece and the benefits of working with a teacher.
Glad you found it helpful! Congrats on starting your journey, sounds like you’re off to a great start. Stick with it because it just gets more and more fun the more you learn. And just remember that progress isn’t linear, especially as you move up on difficulty.
Thanks for the comment! Can’t think of a better lockdown hobby, I just played an unhealthy amount of video games. What are some of your favorite resources as a self-taught?
@LearnThePianoWithMe I actually still don't know how to read sheet music. I started off by following basic RUclips tutorials for songs I know but then eventually learnt how to play by ear. Now I'm just exploring different genres of music and learning a lot more theory.
Good question! For me, I knew I wanted to have enough ability to skip past the “this note is middle c, this is the treble clef, this is the key signature, this is a whole note, let’s start with Mary had a little lamb, etc.” stage of piano lessons before I even wanted to consider piano lessons. I knew it was time to start with a teacher about 6 months in for 3 main reasons: 1. I was having trouble finding appropriately difficult songs. I would either choose songs too easy that wouldn’t push me or too hard that would discourage me. I probably could have done more research on RCM levels but I don’t have a ton of time so it would have taken away from actual practice. 2. I hit a plateau on songs I was working on, and I figured it had to be partly due to poor technique. I wanted to fix those poor techniques before it became engrained. 3. I tend to pick hobbies up and put them down. After 6 months I realized that this is a hobby I want for the rest of my life and so wanted to invest some money in some proper teaching.
As someone who is self-taught, I would also add that sometimes it's important to remind yourself of the progress you have made, Often we keep looking towards our goals and keep trying to move forwards, but it can cause us to get sucked in, and be discouraged if the progress is slower than we like. I find if I notice I start to feel this way, I will pull up a piece I learned a long time ago to show myself how far I've come it can really help with slumps. Great video, man keep up the good work.
@@bot1428 good point, it can be easy to get down on yourself in those slumps! Thanks.
This is great, thanks!
I just started learning about a month and a half ago. I'm already following most of these rules and making what I feel is pretty solid progress, but a couple of your comments were unexpected and interesting, especially about understanding the musicality of a piece and the benefits of working with a teacher.
Glad you found it helpful! Congrats on starting your journey, sounds like you’re off to a great start. Stick with it because it just gets more and more fun the more you learn. And just remember that progress isn’t linear, especially as you move up on difficulty.
Self taught keyboardist here! I started during the lockdown in 2020 and could pretty much relate to everything you're saying. Keep it up man!
Thanks for the comment! Can’t think of a better lockdown hobby, I just played an unhealthy amount of video games. What are some of your favorite resources as a self-taught?
@LearnThePianoWithMe I actually still don't know how to read sheet music. I started off by following basic RUclips tutorials for songs I know but then eventually learnt how to play by ear. Now I'm just exploring different genres of music and learning a lot more theory.
Nice! Playing by ear is something I’m actively working on, such a cool skill
At what point did you say I need a teacher instead of self winging it?
Good question! For me, I knew I wanted to have enough ability to skip past the “this note is middle c, this is the treble clef, this is the key signature, this is a whole note, let’s start with Mary had a little lamb, etc.” stage of piano lessons before I even wanted to consider piano lessons.
I knew it was time to start with a teacher about 6 months in for 3 main reasons:
1. I was having trouble finding appropriately difficult songs. I would either choose songs too easy that wouldn’t push me or too hard that would discourage me. I probably could have done more research on RCM levels but I don’t have a ton of time so it would have taken away from actual practice.
2. I hit a plateau on songs I was working on, and I figured it had to be partly due to poor technique. I wanted to fix those poor techniques before it became engrained.
3. I tend to pick hobbies up and put them down. After 6 months I realized that this is a hobby I want for the rest of my life and so wanted to invest some money in some proper teaching.
@ great answer!
Great content, but why is the audio quality so incredibly awful? It's almost unbearable to listen to this voice.
@Peter_Cetera haha, fair. Honestly, it’s probably due to a crappy mic and trying to not talk too loud as everybody in my house sleeps