I'm sorry, but wtf are you on about? He is sitting and that's it. I don't know how to use the pedal for shit yet, and I've been sitting similarly long before I ever started learning the piano.
Ok, so I pretty much always give the benefit of the doubt that these videos are real. Only two hours a day for a year? I was an addict when I first started playing piano. I was cranking out a MINIMUM of 5 hours per day, straight for a year. I woke up at 5-6am consistently to crank out a few hours of piano before school started at 8 am. Then I would play the entire day coming home. Within the first three months I started to learn stuff like animenz’s Guren no yumiya, after a few months I played Fantasie impromptu, tried winter wind but was not technically developed enough. Then at 1 year 1 month~ I uploaded a video of me playing Liebestraum. People who haven’t been TRULY addicted to something, like piano or even my recent chess addiction, don’t know how hard you can grind in a short amount of time.
Yes!! Not playing as much as you did haha, but you can certainly achive much. I have to say that pieces just slightly above my level are a really good way of not skipping anything and getting gradually better at the current level, but yeah.. good job 🤪
Yes, there are fake videos where people will claim that they are learning it for less time than they already are. But this might be true as well. Because talent is a thing. There are kids 10x more talented than him half or 1/3 his age, even though he is pretty talented. This is not just hard work. There's an abyss of talent differences between people. People have varying degrees of "getting it", it doesn't matter the skill involved. We should just accept this truth and move on, developing the skill we want to develop, doing what we love, doing our passion. Even though we will never reach the level of prodigies. I am a 27 yo that is just beginning to read sheet music and play the piano. I have a bit of talent in singing and my ear is decent. Maybe you don't believe in God, if you don't, just take what I will say as an analogy. I know that I have much less talent than people like him or those divinely gifted kids. I consider myself divinely gifted as well, but God gave me less. And I am fine with that because He gives what He wants to anyone He wants for FREE. Should I give up? No way. Because I accept my potential and want to develop it. Even though this potential is smaller; even though I will take more time and will learn slower; even though once it's developed, it won't be the best. In the end, I love music. It brings me joy. And even if you are not the best, you can still be good enough at it, joyful and bring joy to other people.
Sir, if i was playn piano as long as video games during 1 year i would be among top 1% pianists. its possible, and can be played more efficiently and better within 1 year.
someone said : " am starting my 7th year of piano, as an adult learner, and I am far behind that level. Should I just quit?. NO, everyone has a different learning path and, I would say, if that 1 year time is legit, most people don't reach that level in that time. So, don't feel bad and ENJOY THE TRIP !!!"
My story too! I gave up due to too high expectations but I find myself returning to piano time and time again. Everyone’s journey is different in the end
And there are kids 10x more talented than him, even though he is pretty talented. This is not just hard work. There's an abyss of talent differences between people. People have varying degrees of "getting it", it doesn't matter the skill involved. We should just accept this truth and move on, developing the skill we want to develop, doing what we love, doing our passion. Even though we will never reach the level of prodigies. I am a 27 yo that is just beginning to read sheet music and play the piano. I have a bit of talent in singing and my ear is decent. But I know that I have much less talent than people like him or those divinely gifted kids. I consider myself divinely gifted as well, but God gave me less. And I am fine with that because He gives what He wants to anyone He wants for FREE. Maybe you don't believe in God, if you don't, just take what I said as an analogy. Should I give up? No way. Because I accept my potential and want to develop it. Even though this potential is smaller; even though I will take more time and will learn slower; even though once it's developed, it won't be the best. In the end, I love music. It brings me joy. And even if you are not the best, you can still be good enough at it, joyful and bring joy to other people.
I learn so much from your videos. I took lessons for a couple years with no interest at a young age and am now teaching myself and your videos are super helpful. I’m going to start looking at my pages more than before and practise reading music.
Naah... you can tell his fingers are quite rigid the first 6 months. Which is normal for a beginner. Had he had 1-2 years earlier, his fingers would have been much more relaxed and his scales flow much easier. What he did is very doable if you are serious about it and you like it.
I am starting my 7th year of piano, as an adult learner, and I am far behind that level. Should I just quit?. NO, everyone has a different learning path and, I would say, if that 1 year time is legit, most people don't reach that level in that time. So, don't feel bad and ENJOY THE TRIP !!!
I dont know why 2 hours a day is so unbelievable. When I got my first guitar, within the first few weeks, i was practicing 6-10 hours a day, with a minimum 4 hours of scales and exercises. Some people are just built that way.
Thank you so much for this! Your comment at 6:22 about how he is playing without reading the sheet music is exactly the predicament that i’m in now. You’ve finally made me realise why I’ve not seen much improvement in my playing in the past 2 to 3 years. I’ve been playing for about 10 years and my ability to sight read has plummeted because I was learning pieces by memorising the hand positions or learning pieces exclusively by ear. I’m actually pleased with my ability to play by ear, but letting my sight reading slip meant that I subconsciously avoided any pieces that were above my level. I wasn’t progressing because I was using my ear as a crutch and not struggling with more difficult pieces by sitting down and reading score.
It’s a very common problem! I also started by learning by ear and I had to put in a lot of effort to go back and read lots of easy music to build that skill up when I had been playing much more complex pieces (without any real understanding). In the end, understanding music and being able to read music are definitely worth investing time into! 😊
@@matticawoodim in the same rabbit hole but how am i meant to do big jumps while not looking? Is it like glancing at the hands for difficult moments and going back to the sheets? Or am i supposed to be glued to the sheets 😅
I started playing piano without being able to read sheetmusic. Just started recently and it‘s going alright. After this video I‘ll def look at the paper more instead of my hands so i can sightread soon
I played quite a bit at university, self taught. I read the music easily enough as I used to play the cello. Then had to drop piano for a couple of decades or so. Restarted playing a couple of years ago or so, learn everything off by heart, and HAVE made some great strides by going for Chopin, Debussy, Schubert, Clara Schumann, Bach, all of which made me learn how to get past lots of technical issues. Now working into my third Rachmaninoff prelude. On the way I made myself play scales and octave scales, and most of the first 20 Hanon exercises, and some partly made up trill exercises so I could play Bach. But yes, my sight reading is rubbish. And arpeggios non-existent. I have strayed from the straight and narrow. I need to get a teacher. I know. Just as soon as I have finished learning that Rach prelude (Op23#6)... and maybe the Fantaisie Impromptu... LOL.
You’re quite exacting in your review, but I can see the passion on your face when you play yourself. I’ve also left reading way behind as I play for ‘just fun’, but I WILL go back and learn theory no matter what.
Not gonna lie... The reason why he became so good so quick was because his motivation was to play Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts piano arrangements LOL The love for the music in those games is unbelievable.
As a dad who just passed his first year of lessons and practice, I’m super envious of this person. Wish I had at least an hour a day to practice but life, kids, wife, dogs, house, friends, etc all become obstacles. 😜
I enjoyed both your reaction videos. I have just bought a digital keyboard last week, although I regret not buying one with a pedal. I am trying to self teach me as I don't have much time. Would it be possible for you to create a video about roadmap for self taught beginners? Like how should one proceed, should one learn chords first, read sheet music, which pieces should one focus on what time and similar things. It would be incredibly helpful.
Thanks! I sure can, I’ve done a few videos in the past around starting the piano… but I can definitely do a better video with how to start as a self taught player 😊
I am a self taught beginner. For me, learning to read music was THE most important thing. I tried the chord method, it was OK if all you want to do is pop songs, but I prefer classical.
I have been playing piano for about 10y, and played songs like für Elise on my third year and a couple sonatas. I very often played more then 2h a day, turns out that's very annoying for your siblings when you don't use headphones... (I am learning rachmaninoff prelude atm)
Im also an adult beginner and it took me one year to learn für elise 😅 and after 4 years of daily practice and lessons I can say I am an intermediate beginner… so no pressure. Learning piano is slowly progress, patience and a live-time-journey.
@@CT2507 As an adult you have more obligations and responsibilities than you do as a 9 or 11 year old. It's ironic that you try to display your ability to learn while lacking common sense.
@@Dallas867 Have you noticed how adults invest more time in making excuses and justifying their shortcomings? Kids dont do that. They either practice or they dont, either like playing or they dont. But they don't make pathetic excuses. Also, dumbass, Für Elise is a relatively simple piece. Also, twat, I was only practicing about an hour per day, sometimes less, because I wasn't that crazy about the piano. If you as an adult dont have an hour to practice, dont take up an instrument. See...? That's common sense. Cheers friendo. :))
@@Dallas867 Oohh... Someone got their snowflake in a twist! ;) As an adult it sounds as if you make too many excuses and justifications for your shortcomings. -First of all: if you want to talk common sense, kids dont know how to work and practice. They must be taught propper work ethics. Adults should have it in them by now. Adults can work much more efficiently. Meaning, what a kid spends 3 hours on, an adult should be able to do in just 1hour, IF they take it seriously! -Second: Für Elise is a comparatively easy piece. It only requires a bit of basic scales and basic left/right hand coordination. -And third: I and my sister only practiced about 1 hour per day. Some days I practiced none at all because I wasn't that crazy about the piano. If a grown up does not have 1 hour to practice, then they should not take up learning an instrument. It's not about obligations and responsibilities. It's about priorities.
@@CT2507 While we are on the topic of common sense, it’s common knowledge that as a child we have an easier time learning than we do as an adult because of the way the brain develops. I’m unsurprised you didn’t know that because seeking validity by telling someone you learned a song faster than them speaks volumes about your intelligence.
Same comment I left on another one of your feedback videos… great advice for me as a beginner. Main takeaway point to adjust my current trajectory is incorporating sheet music and sight reading. I may buy your book (this is not an ad!) as I love the idea you avoid memorization in it by doing each exercise only once.
Matt, can you do a video explaining the grades of piano you keep mentioning in your vids? And what are the recommended songs that beginning players should play at each grade?
I am also self taught and the first part of Fur Elise is also the first 2 handed song I ever learned to play. It is the standard tutorial song on every keyboard with a learning tutorial by following the lights I have ever seen, and it is also a surprisingly easy 2 hander. Since you only ever use both hands at the same time to play a single note in each. The second part however is still an enigma to me and I am unsure I will ever learn it.
Same! :D It's been a month and Its the first piece ive just finished learning which includes both hands haha. Ill probably follow Matthew's advice and look at the sheets while i keep practicing it. Took a break from my book lessons and played from online videos for like 2+weeks now. Think its time to go back to formal learning lol
You only ever play one note at a time with each hand in the finale of Chopin's op.35 sonata as well - except for the final chord. That thing is excruciatingly difficult.
@@classicallpvault8251 You are kind of missing the point there though aren't you? But I perhaps could have done a better job at describing why the first part of Für Elise is not a difficult 2 handed part, so here it goes: You don't actually play both hands together. You play them separately. Your right hand plays a couple of notes, and then your left hand plays a couple of notes. Then your right hand plays a couple of notes again, and so on. The only time you are actually playing the hands together is where the last note and the first note of each hand are played simultaneously. Thus, you're not really playing both hands together, making it surprisingly easy for a beginner to learn. I hope that clears things up!
someone people are just inherently more talented than others…. He’s playing all the pieces I wish I could play and I’m 1.5 yrs in. But I’m also 41 yrs old and only play 30 min a day
I've been playing piano for about 14 years, and I only recently committed to practicing 2 hours a day. I miss a lot of days though, it's very hard to keep that super consistent, so I think it's unlikely he kept that up for a whole year.
It’s definitely hard to be really consistent when it’s 2 hours like that. I used to practice 6-9am every day which made it a bit easier because it felt like I’d done a days work before everyone had got out of bed, but I also think sometimes it’s best to practice based on what I want to have learnt in a day rather than overly worrying about time. 😊
@@matticawood I completely agree with you, although I tend to focus on more brain-intensive stuff early in the morning from 5-7 (I’m writing a book, also scripting and editing YT videos). I haven’t found a set time to practice piano and keep it consistent every day, which is why my practice wavers a bit. I want to set up that habit so it’s second nature at the same time every single day!
The issue with reading music is the same as reading books. Pretty much everyone knows reading books is better for your brain than watching TV and yet don’t do it because it is a skill you have to develop more slowly. Learning to read music correctly is both the biggest benefit and biggest hindrance to people learning musical instruments.
man, I've been playing almost 2 years and not playing pieces anywhere near this difficulty. very impressive how much he learnt so quickly! When I first started the piano I expected after a year I would be expert like this guy, but 2 years on and I'm doing well if I learn a grade 4 piece in a month.
memorising music had a bad turn for me i tried memorising everything and always played the same sons and after a while i find reading the sheet music hard but i stoped trying memorising and now 8 years later i started memorising cause i know i am good enough and played so much pieces so start with easy sheet music pieces and move on withe the sheet music and you will get better
I just turned 48 and bought a digital piano. I will be learning as a complete newb .I will however take some lessons first and try and learn the basics, proper technique and reading music before I attempt the self teaching phase. I do have about 4 hours every day I can commit to practice. I'm hoping my love of music will keep me engaged and motivated to keep at it aggressively. Interstellar would be a goal piece to play sometime in the future.
My piano journey started with canon in d,I came to my teacher and told her I want to play it,thinking back it was worth it a even though I spent a month learning it I then easily learned other peaces
I started with the same piece but without teacher. It took me about 2 months to learn (I started with some simple version and then compiled it with a bit more advanced version). But now, after a year (let’s say 300 hours) of practicing piano I still can’t say I’ve mastered it.
6:47 This. absolutely this is the problem that i have right now. Having to cut your theoretical limit just to do the "right thing" is very difficult because you are so used to hear and see the result of your "training" right as you play, and then BOOM you loose your confidence as a pianist.
I think i am suffering from this. Now....i cannot look at the sheet and play. I have to look at the piano all the time and only once or twice at the sheet. I'll have to start applying this from now on and practice. How are u doing?? Any tips for me?
It took me a while to learn music notes, I used to have to write every note and I’m definitely getting better. I started in school piano classes (90 minutes) twice a week since we only had school Monday/Thursday
Regaarding the 700 hours in a year equating to 2 hours per day well when I started playing guitar I'd read and article about a young Steve Vai that did 10 per day, other like John Petrucci that practised 10-12 per day when learning. I personally spent 4 hours a day 6 days per week for a full 18 months (1 hour for chords, scales, finger picking and just general making noise or trying to jam along to favourite bands). So to me 2 hours per day is completely in the realm of moderate practise.
What always surprised me in his learning process is that on his first day he has no pedal, but he puts his right feet naturally at the place where a pedal should be.. on our first day of piano who cared about our right foot placement ? Yeah no one
1. if anybody in his family plays piano or you even just look at a youtube tutorial, c major correct fingering is entirely believable 2. fur elise is the first piece i learnt as a child. before i even tried to learn piano. its just very memorable and arpeggios arent hard if you dont overthink it or try to get correct fingering 3. pedalling is intuitive just like playing drums some people start with better rhythm than others 4. he isnt doing exactly 2 hrs a day, probably heavier on weekends
I started lessons in September’23 and I am no where near this level. Makes me feel slow and bad haha. I’m working on Beethoven’s Sonatina in G. And my teacher just gave me Chopin’s Prelude in E minor. I’m struggling with dynamics and sight reading. Appreciate the tips in this video they are really helpful!
I am amazed, even I dont play that good yet and been training 3 years Or so myself.. But I got dyslexia if even wrote that correctly. Also my medicene for my epilepsy makes it really Hard to focus, so my actual skill for his is like 2 weeks Or 1 month.. Good video ❤❤
Yeah totally agree. I am a long time rock guitarist and play to a high standard, but always wanted to learn piano. I started 10 months ago, and started with chords, and then started singing too. Lots of Taylor Swift songs LOL! Once you get chords down, you can play pretty much any song. At the same time I use my experience as a guitarist to work out finger exercises, guided by some excellent RUclips videos (keep you hands relaxed - don't play with tension!). I have learnt the Entertainer, and can play the first 16 bars of the Maple Leaf Rag - reckon I'll have the whole thing down in another 3 or 4 months. I totally recommend playing everything to a metronome though, and slooowwwiinng it right down before speeding it up. We do that a lot in guitar world. Cheers ...
This guy has taken great strides within 1 year! However, there are some striking mistakes : 1. finger positioning is poor -fingers must stay rounded close to the board 2. He has some inconsistencies with the rhythm (especially on the left hand ) , 3. He is not working with the wrist which can cause stiffness and injuries 4. The left hand has to be usually lighter
I gotta say that it's some great progress. I myself started 3 years ago where i played for 1 1/2 year and then had a break. I have now played for around 6-7 months but i play pieces like he played 3 months into his journey. I myself lack motivation to play and have a hard time playing 15 minutes every day so 2 hours seem like a lot for a beginner.
I've only started 4 days ago, I do think reading sheet music and metronome really helps. I always use a music sheet to learn the piece, but I might have made a mistake to learn the 1st movement of Fur Elise before I could read that fast, so I used the sheet to learn the piece, but then when playing I can't read that fast. But for the method book I am using for learning that has easier pieces I read as I play. Overall, I can say that piano is an amazing instrument and I respect all pianist who dedicate their life to mastering such instrument. I really wish I've started younger, but better late than never :)
I’m 11 months in learning piano . I have two paid lesson a week with a classically trained pianist. I average around 5-7 hrs a week practicing. I didn’t learn correct fingering technique for the C scale for around month 6 and now I do a D major scale and Hanson exercise 1 . The pieces I play are generally short and basic , think ode to joy , when the saints ect . Maybe because I’m doing music theory as well my playing progress is slower but the upside is being able to hear music and play it by ear , knowing how to construct your own music ect . I’m also 49 so my level of learning on some aspects is going to be slower but other parts so much quicker . I do think that he had played in some basic form because to know middle C and then do it as a scale with the correct fingering of thumb under 3rd finger both ways with no form of instruction is B.S
I’ve gone 2 years playing the piano, and it’s only 5 months ago I started to get piano lessons to read sheet music (I had been learning everything from midi lmao)
hey Matthew, Surrounding your comment about not looking at your fingers and focusing on the sheet music. In my my experience, during ‘learning a piece’, paying attention to your fingering (positioning and relaxation) is an important part of learning the piece and once you begin to perform the piece then the need to look at fingers. Would you agree? Note: Sight reading should always be part of a piano journey.
in comparison, i was able to finish the Pathetique Sonata in my first year of piano. BUT, i am taking lessons with a professional which has really helped ALOT
Hi Matt! This is a fun video to watch. I am a selftaught pianist (Or keyboardist? not sure) I have been watchin your videos for over a year now and i learned alot from you!! thank you :))
I gotta start practicing my scales honestly man, I'm a beginner and I know only 1 piece (Prelude in C major 846 by Bach) The thing is that I know how to play scales with different hands but when it comes to both hands I just fail. How do I improve that?
The Bach C major prelude is a great piece! Coordinating hands in scales is quite difficult to get, but once you can do it…you will have no problem! Try practicing just the first 3 notes of the scale both up and down. Then add the fourth note (with the correct fingers) and keep playing the 4 notes up and down until you don’t have to think about it, then add the 5th and 6th notes and do the same. Building up the scale like that makes it super manageable to really get perfect without having to work too hard and practicing in mistakes 😊
@@matticawood thank you so much, I'll try to get each note with correct fingering, I'll also try to use a metronome even though I'm not good with rhythm. Thank you!
*Motivation left the chat* I don't know, to me the guy is playing great and I would be impressed beyond believe when a friend would suddenly play this after one year. I would like to vote for not looking at the flaws. This level will probably not be reached by 99,99% of the players that start as adults or lost focus a couple of years down the line. Even half an hour a day is crazy when you have kids and work.
Is it possible to find somewhere a detailed to-do list, a schedule for self-taught players like: learn A, then B, then play C, then practice D before you play E?.. Without any lessons or instructions, only dry goals. Is there anything like that?
I did a video that does this 2 years ago, it’s quite a bad video as it’s too much information and not very well explained…but it’s essentially what you are looking for 😊 ruclips.net/video/OVDmj2YhoHg/видео.htmlsi=XFNJ0S743VwbzieH
He is playing all of the pieces I want to learn, especially Zelda and Kingdom Hearts. When I get my keyboard, and after I do the research I still currently doing, I am going to record my progress. When I make the channel, I am still debating on whether or not should I make the videos into segments or one long video over the course of weeks or months. Since I already have video editing skills, from making content on the channel I am currently writing this on, I have quite a setup in preparation for this. I don't know if condenser microphones are capable of capturing the piano since they are made to capture voice. I do voiceover, animation, and presentations geared towards some weighty topics on this channel (philosophy, science and religion), and have done some videography with a DSLR camera on my yoga channel, so this gear and knowledge should make my content higher quality. Hopefully.
Day 1 learning the C Major scale with proper fingering is actually very likely, I started my own piano journey last year, and the first thing I did was hire a piano teacher, and the first lesson was 30 minutes, in that 30 minutes he taught me how to read sheet music (not fluently, literally just acronyms for each note position), and play the c major scale with proper fingering. After That first lesson I bought a cheap electric piano. And after the third lesson, when he taught me my first simple song, camp-town races, I started putting in 3 hours of practice every day. And jumping ahead in the books by myself. After the second month I was playing everyone's first recital piece: Minuet in G major, I have been improving ever since at a similar rate, hit a bit of a wall when learning fast arpeggios, but I got over it. So tldr, day one proper technique is very very possible. That being said, this guy was obviously faking he started making these videos with at least intermediate skills.
I talked to sarod player in India and not only him and he told me when he started he practiced 8 hours a day for first year and then 12 hours a day for next 10 years . And yes he is a great player and yes it’s India and yes entirely possible for beginner to practice 2 hours a day for 2 years
Great review video. I’m 45 and trying to learn using Yousician which forces me to learn to read. I’m on my 3rd month and I put about 8 to 10 hours a week but I had no music background. It’s been quite difficult. I have a couple questions: 1. Should I try reading sheet music outside Yousician sheet that moves along with the music beat and informs you the notes or tempo you didn’t make? 2. Should I try to force learn more music without reading for now or should I stick for longer on mainly reading music and not playing without reading?
A fair analysis of a beginner's progress. Reading at a proficient level would take months if not years. Many including myself tend to fall back on familiar pieces. Even a piece that is not familiar we can get the notes memorized or at least get the fingers to play by muscle memory by repeating it many times instead of having to read. Some people including myself are good memorizers while others rely on reading sheet music to some extent even after practicing a piece for many hours. In a performance I've seen pianists read their pieces with someone standing beside to turn the page. And there are those who perform the entire recital from memory. In the learning stage we expect people to be reading off sheet music. When someone like myself repeat the same piece over 50x, at some point I wouldn't need to read. The fact that someone is playing from memory means he/she has been practicing the same pieces for many hours than coming to the conclusion that so and so is not a good reader. To become a good reader, a student needs to play new pieces off sheet music regularly. At some point he/she would be able to play with a high degree of accuracy the first time. Once you repeated a piece many times, it becomes familiar to the point of playing from memory.
I heard someone say once: “It isn’t about the most difficult piece you can play. It’s about the most difficult piece you can learn to play in a week.” A week as a timeframe seems arbitrary, but I think the sentiment holds true.
I think it's fake. I started playing a little over 3 months ago an have been working on fur Elise and I'm just now making thru the second section of the piece an I still can only play it at half speed. I also have an understanding of reading music just due to being in band as a teenager an having to read music all thru highschool.
Well, actually I have learned all of Fur Elise in five days with pedaling and expression. And i have only been playing piano for two weeks. And i have only spent about an hour a day on it. So I don't believe that it is fake.
I started learning piano five minutes ago and can already play most of Chopin’s music using my elbows while standing upside down on my head. It’s really just about practicing smart not hard.
I sometimes practice 3 -4 hours a day. Need to as I'm nearly 69. spent at least 1 hr every day playing scales, although my tutor told me I need not bother to know all scales till grade 6, But I decided to learn all major and minor scales at an early stage, and to be honest I found it helped me, with my hand positioning. As for Fleur de Lys, I think it's boring, "everyone" plays it. I personally like the schirmer progressive books and currently playing Burgmuller The grade 5 tunes.
Not sure if you'll see it Matthew, but what are the beginner pieces you'd recommend instead of Für Elise? I learned it along with Moonlight Sonata 1st mvt, Air on G and some others you'd cry to hear 😂 (simplified Liebestraum, parts of Moldau by Smetana, started Summer Presto 😀) I really like Moldau (and left hand arpeggios), and full, robust pieces (like Waldstein), but usual beginner pieces are super boring and I loose my excitement to learn them. If you could recommend pieces that are suitable for a beginner (like 6 months - 1,5 years of starting to play) and sound nice and has some challanges it could be awesome (and it could be a good video topic too 🤔)
I find "German Dance in Eb major" really nice and learned it as a beginner (well the last part is kinda tricky lol). Otherwise, (you know that anyway) there are many simplified version e.g. from Interstellar etc etc
I learned some Bach pieces in my first year - minuet in G... also lots of very short pieces to expose myself to as much music as possible. I used classics to moderns books 1,2 and 3. Then some ABRSM pieces up to grade 3
I have honestly and truthfully practiced 700+ hours in 7 months. Some days I spend 8 hours at the piano. I love it so much and get carried away. _but_ my progress does stall depending on what I'm working on. I can read music (played trombone in band through highschool)
I learnt myself without music I still don’t know how to read music I do everything by ear I see patterns a year and a half I’ve been playing made my own up as I song write and sing
Over the course of a year, I learned many songs on ocarina, I got familiar with the instrument to the point I could play a song without finding the ocarina tabs for it. I hope to do the same with piano.
try some hanon exercises,you could actually start with the first pages, they are really helpful if you think you struggle if hand independence. Try not to instantly play something together, start by only playing the right hand and then the left hand, if you feel confident enough put them together and keep a slow rhythm. You can gradually try to play it faster if you think you can do it. hope that helps motivates you a little bit :)
to be fair, i don't really think that that is his progress in a year, in the first days I clearly see his fingers are kind of relaxed and curved, that is really unusual for someone that already began and is delf taught, his body also is in a good position, just by these small things I find it a bit suspicious and some sort of a clickbait video. It would be really easy for me to film some clips of me being bad and then 5 months later casually pulling out a chopin etude, but idk xD
To your point at around 3:20 on not knowing the why behind musical choices in higher grade pieces, maybe that insight is what would get me past a block with learning piano. How would I get that knowledge in the first place? I can find etudes easy enough, and I can easily source and practice easier pieces that I personally enjoy, but at no point doing those do I actually end up learning *why* or what the significance of any of it is.
As an 50yo who is considering buying his first piano/keyboard and start learning to play, I understand when you say how important is to always play while reading sheet music, but then I must ask how easy is to play without it when you don't have one around. I mean, wouldn't you get lost playing without reading when you always do sight reading?
I disagree that you should focus on reading sheet music instead of memorization. Both skills are useful, if I can only pick one of the two, I’d rather be able to sit down at any piano and just play from memory. I am quite good at sight reading, but I don’t remember a lot of pieces I have played because I rely on sheet music too much.
Once you learn a piece fully by memory it always stays with you, just like riding a bike. You might get rusty after a while but that’s not the same as forgetting. Reading music certainly speeds of the learning process 10x but it is not essential.
Tbf, it seems more possible when you consider the fact that he might have practiced to play a song, not necessarily the piano. What I mean is that he could have just brute force memorized it all without really practicing sheet reading and such.
In the beginning you said he had to have practiced two hours a day, but that just couldn't be true in the first month or two. My guess is that he practiced around 30 minutes a day for the first couple months and then started practicing upwards of five hours a day later on to balance it out.
I also agree with that, because he is playing the piano without playing it. He puts no feelings into Chopin's pieces, and doesn't add important things like legato, simile, , pianissimo... He plays like he rushed everything. He never practiced the rhythm and feelings you put in such pieces. I play piano since 5 years, and play the pieces he played, but with the perfect rhythm and feelings. He is rushing, and I'm grinding. Yes I'm not that good, but I at least put time into the quality into the pieces I learn, but he rushes to the next one. Yes he can play his current piece, and he could start a new one, BUT he didn't even grind for the feelings the piece needs. He is good, but I would say he learned without knowing, how to really play those pieces.
@@leonardbackstein9694 It just looks like he is trying to sound like he is "new" to piano, but he just kind of sounds stereotypical. Not saying that it's intentional---This could be completely real, and I would be happy for him---But like you said, He needs to put feeling into his pieces.
@@leonardbackstein9694 my problem with the "new" is that you watch his hands.. if you had lessons from the start his ring finger and pinky are like way too straight.. when most kids start learning.. we've been told to think of holding a ball.. the technique of the hand seems par for the course for someone with no teaching guidance.. much of the technique is refined by playing scales, chords/triads, and other finger exercises (drills).. like the Hanon books that typically alot of people use..
I came back to piano last year after 10+ year break. I took piano lessons as a kid, but never got very far in reading and have always been much better with having an ear for it and playing by ear than reading. I started out about a year ago working on my reading, but felt like progress was SO slow I wanted to use the time I played to learn songs by ear/learn theory. I have made progress in that area but now I feel like learning to sight read will never happen. What should I do? 😕
As someone who is about to start learning its great hearing the advice you give watching the video, great reaction.
I’m glad I could help, good luck with getting started! 😊
im about to start learning too 😁
Look at how his feet are positioned as a complete starter. Despite having no pedals his feet are positioned as if he were to be using a sustain pedal.
I'm sorry, but wtf are you on about? He is sitting and that's it. I don't know how to use the pedal for shit yet, and I've been sitting similarly long before I ever started learning the piano.
@@TheJanstyler Left leg out of the way to the side, right leg position centre right where sustain pedal would be.
@@jamiebull1685 And? Because his leg is in that position? I sit that way as well. It's just a random sitting position.
@@jamiebull1685maybe he is just comfortable like that
Yeah I 100% believe he already had lessons
Ok, so I pretty much always give the benefit of the doubt that these videos are real. Only two hours a day for a year? I was an addict when I first started playing piano.
I was cranking out a MINIMUM of 5 hours per day, straight for a year. I woke up at 5-6am consistently to crank out a few hours of piano before school started at 8 am. Then I would play the entire day coming home.
Within the first three months I started to learn stuff like animenz’s Guren no yumiya, after a few months I played Fantasie impromptu, tried winter wind but was not technically developed enough. Then at 1 year 1 month~ I uploaded a video of me playing Liebestraum.
People who haven’t been TRULY addicted to something, like piano or even my recent chess addiction, don’t know how hard you can grind in a short amount of time.
Yes!! Not playing as much as you did haha, but you can certainly achive much. I have to say that pieces just slightly above my level are a really good way of not skipping anything and getting gradually better at the current level, but yeah.. good job 🤪
Yes, there are fake videos where people will claim that they are learning it for less time than they already are. But this might be true as well. Because talent is a thing. There are kids 10x more talented than him half or 1/3 his age, even though he is pretty talented. This is not just hard work. There's an abyss of talent differences between people.
People have varying degrees of "getting it", it doesn't matter the skill involved. We should just accept this truth and move on, developing the skill we want to develop, doing what we love, doing our passion. Even though we will never reach the level of prodigies. I am a 27 yo that is just beginning to read sheet music and play the piano. I have a bit of talent in singing and my ear is decent. Maybe you don't believe in God, if you don't, just take what I will say as an analogy. I know that I have much less talent than people like him or those divinely gifted kids. I consider myself divinely gifted as well, but God gave me less. And I am fine with that because He gives what He wants to anyone He wants for FREE. Should I give up? No way. Because I accept my potential and want to develop it. Even though this potential is smaller; even though I will take more time and will learn slower; even though once it's developed, it won't be the best. In the end, I love music. It brings me joy. And even if you are not the best, you can still be good enough at it, joyful and bring joy to other people.
💯
Not an expert but it seems to me this guy is completely faking this learning curve. He has hand gestures and positions that no beginner would use.
Sir, if i was playn piano as long as video games during 1 year i would be among top 1% pianists. its possible, and can be played more efficiently and better within 1 year.
I watched this guy's video when I started the piano to motivate myself and he managed to do the opposite since my progress was way far to his...
someone said : " am starting my 7th year of piano, as an adult learner, and I am far behind that level. Should I just quit?. NO, everyone has a different learning path and, I would say, if that 1 year time is legit, most people don't reach that level in that time. So, don't feel bad and ENJOY THE TRIP !!!"
My story too! I gave up due to too high expectations but I find myself returning to piano time and time again. Everyone’s journey is different in the end
And there are kids 10x more talented than him, even though he is pretty talented. This is not just hard work. There's an abyss of talent differences between people.
People have varying degrees of "getting it", it doesn't matter the skill involved. We should just accept this truth and move on, developing the skill we want to develop, doing what we love, doing our passion. Even though we will never reach the level of prodigies. I am a 27 yo that is just beginning to read sheet music and play the piano. I have a bit of talent in singing and my ear is decent. But I know that I have much less talent than people like him or those divinely gifted kids. I consider myself divinely gifted as well, but God gave me less. And I am fine with that because He gives what He wants to anyone He wants for FREE. Maybe you don't believe in God, if you don't, just take what I said as an analogy. Should I give up? No way. Because I accept my potential and want to develop it. Even though this potential is smaller; even though I will take more time and will learn slower; even though once it's developed, it won't be the best. In the end, I love music. It brings me joy. And even if you are not the best, you can still be good enough at it, joyful and bring joy to other people.
I agree yirumA is too...😅
I learn so much from your videos. I took lessons for a couple years with no interest at a young age and am now teaching myself and your videos are super helpful. I’m going to start looking at my pages more than before and practise reading music.
It smells like he may have had a year or two when he was young but well done to him either way!
I think he said in an q & a that he played the drums
Naah... you can tell his fingers are quite rigid the first 6 months. Which is normal for a beginner. Had he had 1-2 years earlier, his fingers would have been much more relaxed and his scales flow much easier.
What he did is very doable if you are serious about it and you like it.
You can clearly see the love into music in his trip. It’s definetly possible to learn that much in a year.
I am starting my 7th year of piano, as an adult learner, and I am far behind that level. Should I just quit?. NO, everyone has a different learning path and, I would say, if that 1 year time is legit, most people don't reach that level in that time. So, don't feel bad and ENJOY THE TRIP !!!
Also this one is probably fake too
We should only compare ourselves to what we once were at
There are people who are just insanely talented
I dont know why 2 hours a day is so unbelievable. When I got my first guitar, within the first few weeks, i was practicing 6-10 hours a day, with a minimum 4 hours of scales and exercises. Some people are just built that way.
The scariest thing is that I got a simply piano ad at the start of the video.
Same
Thank you so much for this! Your comment at 6:22 about how he is playing without reading the sheet music is exactly the predicament that i’m in now. You’ve finally made me realise why I’ve not seen much improvement in my playing in the past 2 to 3 years.
I’ve been playing for about 10 years and my ability to sight read has plummeted because I was learning pieces by memorising the hand positions or learning pieces exclusively by ear.
I’m actually pleased with my ability to play by ear, but letting my sight reading slip meant that I subconsciously avoided any pieces that were above my level. I wasn’t progressing because I was using my ear as a crutch and not struggling with more difficult pieces by sitting down and reading score.
It’s a very common problem! I also started by learning by ear and I had to put in a lot of effort to go back and read lots of easy music to build that skill up when I had been playing much more complex pieces (without any real understanding).
In the end, understanding music and being able to read music are definitely worth investing time into! 😊
@@matticawoodim in the same rabbit hole but how am i meant to do big jumps while not looking? Is it like glancing at the hands for difficult moments and going back to the sheets? Or am i supposed to be glued to the sheets 😅
I started playing piano without being able to read sheetmusic. Just started recently and it‘s going alright. After this video I‘ll def look at the paper more instead of my hands so i can sightread soon
I really enjoyed this video, I've learned a lot
your honest advice is reallly appreciated 🙌
I played quite a bit at university, self taught. I read the music easily enough as I used to play the cello. Then had to drop piano for a couple of decades or so. Restarted playing a couple of years ago or so, learn everything off by heart, and HAVE made some great strides by going for Chopin, Debussy, Schubert, Clara Schumann, Bach, all of which made me learn how to get past lots of technical issues. Now working into my third Rachmaninoff prelude. On the way I made myself play scales and octave scales, and most of the first 20 Hanon exercises, and some partly made up trill exercises so I could play Bach. But yes, my sight reading is rubbish. And arpeggios non-existent. I have strayed from the straight and narrow. I need to get a teacher. I know. Just as soon as I have finished learning that Rach prelude (Op23#6)... and maybe the Fantaisie Impromptu... LOL.
Can you tell me where and how should i start? I want to learn for recreation
You’re quite exacting in your review, but I can see the passion on your face when you play yourself. I’ve also left reading way behind as I play for ‘just fun’, but I WILL go back and learn theory no matter what.
Not gonna lie... The reason why he became so good so quick was because his motivation was to play Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts piano arrangements LOL
The love for the music in those games is unbelievable.
thats my motivation to start playing the piano aswell lmao
As a dad who just passed his first year of lessons and practice, I’m super envious of this person. Wish I had at least an hour a day to practice but life, kids, wife, dogs, house, friends, etc all become obstacles. 😜
Bro couldn't let go of the sustain
I enjoyed both your reaction videos. I have just bought a digital keyboard last week, although I regret not buying one with a pedal. I am trying to self teach me as I don't have much time. Would it be possible for you to create a video about roadmap for self taught beginners? Like how should one proceed, should one learn chords first, read sheet music, which pieces should one focus on what time and similar things. It would be incredibly helpful.
Thanks! I sure can, I’ve done a few videos in the past around starting the piano… but I can definitely do a better video with how to start as a self taught player 😊
oh yes !! id love that too
I am a self taught beginner. For me, learning to read music was THE most important thing. I tried the chord method, it was OK if all you want to do is pop songs, but I prefer classical.
Which piano did you purchase?
I love when he said “Deboosey” 😂😂😂
I have been playing piano for about 10y, and played songs like für Elise on my third year and a couple sonatas. I very often played more then 2h a day, turns out that's very annoying for your siblings when you don't use headphones...
(I am learning rachmaninoff prelude atm)
you should totally do piano lessons, i would take them for sure. I just started playing a month ago
I do! You are welcome to check out my website: www.matthewcawood.com 😊
Hey, how is it going now
Im also an adult beginner and it took me one year to learn für elise 😅 and after 4 years of daily practice and lessons I can say I am an intermediate beginner… so no pressure. Learning piano is slowly progress, patience and a live-time-journey.
One year?? Me and my sister we learned it in about 1-2 month at the age of 9 and 11.
@@CT2507 As an adult you have more obligations and responsibilities than you do as a 9 or 11 year old. It's ironic that you try to display your ability to learn while lacking common sense.
@@Dallas867 Have you noticed how adults invest more time in making excuses and justifying their shortcomings? Kids dont do that. They either practice or they dont, either like playing or they dont. But they don't make pathetic excuses.
Also, dumbass, Für Elise is a relatively simple piece.
Also, twat, I was only practicing about an hour per day, sometimes less, because I wasn't that crazy about the piano. If you as an adult dont have an hour to practice, dont take up an instrument. See...? That's common sense.
Cheers friendo. :))
@@Dallas867 Oohh... Someone got their snowflake in a twist! ;)
As an adult it sounds as if you make too many excuses and justifications for your shortcomings.
-First of all: if you want to talk common sense, kids dont know how to work and practice. They must be taught propper work ethics. Adults should have it in them by now. Adults can work much more efficiently. Meaning, what a kid spends 3 hours on, an adult should be able to do in just 1hour, IF they take it seriously!
-Second: Für Elise is a comparatively easy piece. It only requires a bit of basic scales and basic left/right hand coordination.
-And third: I and my sister only practiced about 1 hour per day. Some days I practiced none at all because I wasn't that crazy about the piano. If a grown up does not have 1 hour to practice, then they should not take up learning an instrument.
It's not about obligations and responsibilities. It's about priorities.
@@CT2507 While we are on the topic of common sense, it’s common knowledge that as a child we have an easier time learning than we do as an adult because of the way the brain develops. I’m unsurprised you didn’t know that because seeking validity by telling someone you learned a song faster than them speaks volumes about your intelligence.
Same comment I left on another one of your feedback videos… great advice for me as a beginner. Main takeaway point to adjust my current trajectory is incorporating sheet music and sight reading. I may buy your book (this is not an ad!) as I love the idea you avoid memorization in it by doing each exercise only once.
Matt, can you do a video explaining the grades of piano you keep mentioning in your vids? And what are the recommended songs that beginning players should play at each grade?
I am also self taught and the first part of Fur Elise is also the first 2 handed song I ever learned to play. It is the standard tutorial song on every keyboard with a learning tutorial by following the lights I have ever seen, and it is also a surprisingly easy 2 hander. Since you only ever use both hands at the same time to play a single note in each. The second part however is still an enigma to me and I am unsure I will ever learn it.
Yes you are right, that's also the first piece I played with 2 hands, but the keyboard tutorial version gives an easier version not the official piece
@@junaidywijaya6413 Exactly, you try the simplified version a few times and then you find a youtube tutorial for the actual piece.
Same! :D
It's been a month and Its the first piece ive just finished learning which includes both hands haha.
Ill probably follow Matthew's advice and look at the sheets while i keep practicing it.
Took a break from my book lessons and played from online videos for like 2+weeks now. Think its time to go back to formal learning lol
You only ever play one note at a time with each hand in the finale of Chopin's op.35 sonata as well - except for the final chord. That thing is excruciatingly difficult.
@@classicallpvault8251 You are kind of missing the point there though aren't you?
But I perhaps could have done a better job at describing why the first part of Für Elise is not a difficult 2 handed part, so here it goes: You don't actually play both hands together. You play them separately. Your right hand plays a couple of notes, and then your left hand plays a couple of notes. Then your right hand plays a couple of notes again, and so on. The only time you are actually playing the hands together is where the last note and the first note of each hand are played simultaneously. Thus, you're not really playing both hands together, making it surprisingly easy for a beginner to learn.
I hope that clears things up!
someone people are just inherently more talented than others…. He’s playing all the pieces I wish I could play and I’m 1.5 yrs in. But I’m also 41 yrs old and only play 30 min a day
I play only 30min too, I made a lot of improvement, keep doing
No way I just watched this a few minutes ago, and you upload a reaction to it
A very strange coincidence! 👽👀
Probably the RUclips algorythem lol
I struggles with hand independence for a whole year. Then I just relaxed and one day , hey I could do,it.
@@Louise-xr5ok I've been playing for about four months and I figured iyt hand independance like to weeks in 😭😭
This guy is so talented. If he started when he was a kid, he might be a master now.
I've been playing piano for about 14 years, and I only recently committed to practicing 2 hours a day. I miss a lot of days though, it's very hard to keep that super consistent, so I think it's unlikely he kept that up for a whole year.
It’s definitely hard to be really consistent when it’s 2 hours like that. I used to practice 6-9am every day which made it a bit easier because it felt like I’d done a days work before everyone had got out of bed, but I also think sometimes it’s best to practice based on what I want to have learnt in a day rather than overly worrying about time. 😊
@@matticawood I completely agree with you, although I tend to focus on more brain-intensive stuff early in the morning from 5-7 (I’m writing a book, also scripting and editing YT videos). I haven’t found a set time to practice piano and keep it consistent every day, which is why my practice wavers a bit. I want to set up that habit so it’s second nature at the same time every single day!
Ive been doing about 4h a day for 4months now
@@CodeineBarbarian damn that’s huge. Big respect. I tried a 4 hour practice routine but burned out after about 25 days, couldn’t sustain it
@@joshbottz yeah, my routine definitely doesnt suit many people, but im very passionate about it so I can do that without burning out
The issue with reading music is the same as reading books. Pretty much everyone knows reading books is better for your brain than watching TV and yet don’t do it because it is a skill you have to develop more slowly. Learning to read music correctly is both the biggest benefit and biggest hindrance to people learning musical instruments.
man, I've been playing almost 2 years and not playing pieces anywhere near this difficulty. very impressive how much he learnt so quickly!
When I first started the piano I expected after a year I would be expert like this guy, but 2 years on and I'm doing well if I learn a grade 4 piece in a month.
memorising music had a bad turn for me i tried memorising everything and always played the same sons and after a while i find reading the sheet music hard but i stoped trying memorising and now 8 years later i started memorising cause i know i am good enough and played so much pieces so start with easy sheet music pieces and move on withe the sheet music and you will get better
I just turned 48 and bought a digital piano. I will be learning as a complete newb .I will however take some lessons first and try and learn the basics, proper technique and reading music before I attempt the self teaching phase. I do have about 4 hours every day I can commit to practice. I'm hoping my love of music will keep me engaged and motivated to keep at it aggressively. Interstellar would be a goal piece to play sometime in the future.
Good luck 😎. I loved playing Tarantella which is a grade 2 piece. When you get to that stage I highly recommend😊
@@b3njamMMVII lol played it as well, it's fun!
I started playing the scales with correct fingering because of youtube so for me thats believable
My piano journey started with canon in d,I came to my teacher and told her I want to play it,thinking back it was worth it a even
though I spent a month learning it I then easily learned other peaces
I started with the same piece but without teacher. It took me about 2 months to learn (I started with some simple version and then compiled it with a bit more advanced version). But now, after a year (let’s say 300 hours) of practicing piano I still can’t say I’ve mastered it.
6:47
This. absolutely this is the problem that i have right now. Having to cut your theoretical limit just to do the "right thing" is very difficult because you are so used to hear and see the result of your "training" right as you play, and then BOOM you loose your confidence as a pianist.
I think i am suffering from this. Now....i cannot look at the sheet and play. I have to look at the piano all the time and only once or twice at the sheet.
I'll have to start applying this from now on and practice.
How are u doing?? Any tips for me?
@@surrrp0 nope. Got no tipps.
I'm currently playing easier Pieces and try very hard to play them very slowly.
But other than that, no solution
@@ShapBrook. I am doing the same, good luck.
It took me a while to learn music notes, I used to have to write every note and I’m definitely getting better. I started in school piano classes (90 minutes) twice a week since we only had school Monday/Thursday
Regaarding the 700 hours in a year equating to 2 hours per day well when I started playing guitar I'd read and article about a young Steve Vai that did 10 per day, other like John Petrucci that practised 10-12 per day when learning. I personally spent 4 hours a day 6 days per week for a full 18 months (1 hour for chords, scales, finger picking and just general making noise or trying to jam along to favourite bands). So to me 2 hours per day is completely in the realm of moderate practise.
What always surprised me in his learning process is that on his first day he has no pedal, but he puts his right feet naturally at the place where a pedal should be.. on our first day of piano who cared about our right foot placement ? Yeah no one
Thank you, I love your videos
Thank you, I’m glad you like them! 😊
1. if anybody in his family plays piano or you even just look at a youtube tutorial, c major correct fingering is entirely believable
2. fur elise is the first piece i learnt as a child. before i even tried to learn piano. its just very memorable and arpeggios arent hard if you dont overthink it or try to get correct fingering
3. pedalling is intuitive just like playing drums some people start with better rhythm than others
4. he isnt doing exactly 2 hrs a day, probably heavier on weekends
I started lessons in September’23 and I am no where near this level. Makes me feel slow and bad haha. I’m working on Beethoven’s Sonatina in G. And my teacher just gave me Chopin’s Prelude in E minor.
I’m struggling with dynamics and sight reading. Appreciate the tips in this video they are really helpful!
I've learned the first one, they are really not bad! Chopin is a late beginner (up to advanced) type of composer, so this is not too easy!
I am amazed, even I dont play that good yet and been training 3 years Or so myself.. But I got dyslexia if even wrote that correctly. Also my medicene for my epilepsy makes it really Hard to focus, so my actual skill for his is like 2 weeks Or 1 month.. Good video ❤❤
I would love to see you react to Frank Tedesco, and give an analysis of his techniques to learn and arrange songs on the spot similar to yourself.
Yeah totally agree. I am a long time rock guitarist and play to a high standard, but always wanted to learn piano. I started 10 months ago, and started with chords, and then started singing too. Lots of Taylor Swift songs LOL! Once you get chords down, you can play pretty much any song. At the same time I use my experience as a guitarist to work out finger exercises, guided by some excellent RUclips videos (keep you hands relaxed - don't play with tension!). I have learnt the Entertainer, and can play the first 16 bars of the Maple Leaf Rag - reckon I'll have the whole thing down in another 3 or 4 months. I totally recommend playing everything to a metronome though, and slooowwwiinng it right down before speeding it up. We do that a lot in guitar world. Cheers ...
When he said “it’s kinda the same” at the beginning I think that means he’s played some type of instrument before and he knew a c major scale
This guy has taken great strides within 1 year! However, there are some striking mistakes : 1. finger positioning is poor -fingers must stay rounded close to the board 2. He has some inconsistencies with the rhythm (especially on the left hand ) , 3. He is not working with the wrist which can cause stiffness and injuries 4. The left hand has to be usually lighter
I gotta say that it's some great progress. I myself started 3 years ago where i played for 1 1/2 year and then had a break. I have now played for around 6-7 months but i play pieces like he played 3 months into his journey. I myself lack motivation to play and have a hard time playing 15 minutes every day so 2 hours seem like a lot for a beginner.
I've only started 4 days ago, I do think reading sheet music and metronome really helps. I always use a music sheet to learn the piece, but I might have made a mistake to learn the 1st movement of Fur Elise before I could read that fast, so I used the sheet to learn the piece, but then when playing I can't read that fast. But for the method book I am using for learning that has easier pieces I read as I play. Overall, I can say that piano is an amazing instrument and I respect all pianist who dedicate their life to mastering such instrument. I really wish I've started younger, but better late than never :)
I’m 11 months in learning piano . I have two paid lesson a week with a classically trained pianist. I average around 5-7 hrs a week practicing. I didn’t learn correct fingering technique for the C scale for around month 6 and now I do a D major scale and Hanson exercise 1 . The pieces I play are generally short and basic , think ode to joy , when the saints ect . Maybe because I’m doing music theory as well my playing progress is slower but the upside is being able to hear music and play it by ear , knowing how to construct your own music ect . I’m also 49 so my level of learning on some aspects is going to be slower but other parts so much quicker . I do think that he had played in some basic form because to know middle C and then do it as a scale with the correct fingering of thumb under 3rd finger both ways with no form of instruction is B.S
I’ve gone 2 years playing the piano, and it’s only 5 months ago I started to get piano lessons to read sheet music (I had been learning everything from midi lmao)
Quite interesting!
hey Matthew, Surrounding your comment about not looking at your fingers and focusing on the sheet music. In my my experience, during ‘learning a piece’, paying attention to your fingering (positioning and relaxation) is an important part of learning the piece and once you begin to perform the piece then the need to look at fingers.
Would you agree?
Note: Sight reading should always be part of a piano journey.
Brandon did reach Grade 8 within a few years, he's legit.
in comparison, i was able to finish the Pathetique Sonata in my first year of piano. BUT, i am taking lessons with a professional which has really helped ALOT
Wait the whole sonata in one year?????? That's actually insane, good work!
@@sochalant8056 it's on his channel, I saw at least the first movement :)
Can u make like a beginner tutorial video? basically like a list of every fundamentals and techniques to learn at every level(beginner,mid,etc.)
Pls
Hi Matt! This is a fun video to watch. I am a selftaught pianist (Or keyboardist? not sure) I have been watchin your videos for over a year now and i learned alot from you!! thank you :))
06:08 I AM LAUGHING SO HARD! XD Cause that's EXACTLY the piece why I even want to get started. Was recently even at a Yiruma concert XD
It sounds beautiful.
I gotta start practicing my scales honestly man, I'm a beginner and I know only 1 piece (Prelude in C major 846 by Bach) The thing is that I know how to play scales with different hands but when it comes to both hands I just fail. How do I improve that?
The Bach C major prelude is a great piece! Coordinating hands in scales is quite difficult to get, but once you can do it…you will have no problem! Try practicing just the first 3 notes of the scale both up and down. Then add the fourth note (with the correct fingers) and keep playing the 4 notes up and down until you don’t have to think about it, then add the 5th and 6th notes and do the same. Building up the scale like that makes it super manageable to really get perfect without having to work too hard and practicing in mistakes 😊
@@matticawood thank you so much, I'll try to get each note with correct fingering, I'll also try to use a metronome even though I'm not good with rhythm. Thank you!
*Motivation left the chat*
I don't know, to me the guy is playing great and I would be impressed beyond believe when a friend would suddenly play this after one year. I would like to vote for not looking at the flaws. This level will probably not be reached by 99,99% of the players that start as adults or lost focus a couple of years down the line. Even half an hour a day is crazy when you have kids and work.
Is it possible to find somewhere a detailed to-do list, a schedule for self-taught players like: learn A, then B, then play C, then practice D before you play E?.. Without any lessons or instructions, only dry goals. Is there anything like that?
I did a video that does this 2 years ago, it’s quite a bad video as it’s too much information and not very well explained…but it’s essentially what you are looking for 😊
ruclips.net/video/OVDmj2YhoHg/видео.htmlsi=XFNJ0S743VwbzieH
@@matticawood Wow, thanks!!! ❤❤❤❤❤
He is playing all of the pieces I want to learn, especially Zelda and Kingdom Hearts. When I get my keyboard, and after I do the research I still currently doing, I am going to record my progress. When I make the channel, I am still debating on whether or not should I make the videos into segments or one long video over the course of weeks or months. Since I already have video editing skills, from making content on the channel I am currently writing this on, I have quite a setup in preparation for this. I don't know if condenser microphones are capable of capturing the piano since they are made to capture voice. I do voiceover, animation, and presentations geared towards some weighty topics on this channel (philosophy, science and religion), and have done some videography with a DSLR camera on my yoga channel, so this gear and knowledge should make my content higher quality. Hopefully.
Day 1 learning the C Major scale with proper fingering is actually very likely, I started my own piano journey last year, and the first thing I did was hire a piano teacher, and the first lesson was 30 minutes, in that 30 minutes he taught me how to read sheet music (not fluently, literally just acronyms for each note position), and play the c major scale with proper fingering. After That first lesson I bought a cheap electric piano. And after the third lesson, when he taught me my first simple song, camp-town races, I started putting in 3 hours of practice every day. And jumping ahead in the books by myself. After the second month I was playing everyone's first recital piece: Minuet in G major, I have been improving ever since at a similar rate, hit a bit of a wall when learning fast arpeggios, but I got over it. So tldr, day one proper technique is very very possible. That being said, this guy was obviously faking he started making these videos with at least intermediate skills.
I talked to sarod player in India and not only him and he told me when he started he practiced 8 hours a day for first year and then 12 hours a day for next 10 years . And yes he is a great player and yes it’s India and yes entirely possible for beginner to practice 2 hours a day for 2 years
Great review video. I’m 45 and trying to learn using Yousician which forces me to learn to read. I’m on my 3rd month and I put about 8 to 10 hours a week but I had no music background. It’s been quite difficult. I have a couple questions:
1. Should I try reading sheet music outside Yousician sheet that moves along with the music beat and informs you the notes or tempo you didn’t make?
2. Should I try to force learn more music without reading for now or should I stick for longer on mainly reading music and not playing without reading?
I mean that's a great effort but doubt as the same time, how could this be so real because the amount of pianos he has as a beginner.
One was in the holidays apartment or something
I work from home and practice 2 to 3 hours a day spreadout through the day.
A fair analysis of a beginner's progress.
Reading at a proficient level would take months if not years. Many including myself tend to fall back on familiar pieces. Even a piece that is not familiar we can get the notes memorized or at least get the fingers to play by muscle memory by repeating it many times instead of having to read. Some people including myself are good memorizers while others rely on reading sheet music to some extent even after practicing a piece for many hours.
In a performance I've seen pianists read their pieces with someone standing beside to turn the page. And there are those who perform the entire recital from memory. In the learning stage we expect people to be reading off sheet music. When someone like myself repeat the same piece over 50x, at some point I wouldn't need to read. The fact that someone is playing from memory means he/she has been practicing the same pieces for many hours than coming to the conclusion that so and so is not a good reader. To become a good reader, a student needs to play new pieces off sheet music regularly. At some point he/she would be able to play with a high degree of accuracy the first time. Once you repeated a piece many times, it becomes familiar to the point of playing from memory.
I heard someone say once: “It isn’t about the most difficult piece you can play. It’s about the most difficult piece you can learn to play in a week.”
A week as a timeframe seems arbitrary, but I think the sentiment holds true.
Is that a starburst on his wall 😂 3:31
Great video. What is that at 12:05? lol
I think it's fake. I started playing a little over 3 months ago an have been working on fur Elise and I'm just now making thru the second section of the piece an I still can only play it at half speed. I also have an understanding of reading music just due to being in band as a teenager an having to read music all thru highschool.
Well, actually I have learned all of Fur Elise in five days with pedaling and expression. And i have only been playing piano for two weeks. And i have only spent about an hour a day on it. So I don't believe that it is fake.
I started learning piano five minutes ago and can already play most of Chopin’s music using my elbows while standing upside down on my head. It’s really just about practicing smart not hard.
I sometimes practice 3 -4 hours a day. Need to as I'm nearly 69. spent at least 1 hr every day playing scales, although my tutor told me I need not bother to know all scales till grade 6, But I decided to learn all major and minor scales at an early stage, and to be honest I found it helped me, with my hand positioning. As for Fleur de Lys, I think it's boring, "everyone" plays it. I personally like the schirmer progressive books and currently playing Burgmuller The grade 5 tunes.
Not sure if you'll see it Matthew, but what are the beginner pieces you'd recommend instead of Für Elise? I learned it along with Moonlight Sonata 1st mvt, Air on G and some others you'd cry to hear 😂 (simplified Liebestraum, parts of Moldau by Smetana, started Summer Presto 😀)
I really like Moldau (and left hand arpeggios), and full, robust pieces (like Waldstein), but usual beginner pieces are super boring and I loose my excitement to learn them.
If you could recommend pieces that are suitable for a beginner (like 6 months - 1,5 years of starting to play) and sound nice and has some challanges it could be awesome (and it could be a good video topic too 🤔)
I find "German Dance in Eb major" really nice and learned it as a beginner (well the last part is kinda tricky lol). Otherwise, (you know that anyway) there are many simplified version e.g. from Interstellar etc etc
@@Pianobelike thank you 🙂
I learned some Bach pieces in my first year - minuet in G... also lots of very short pieces to expose myself to as much music as possible. I used classics to moderns books 1,2 and 3. Then some ABRSM pieces up to grade 3
@@imsk6729 thanks 🙂
Man sonata 1st mvmt definitely isn’t beginner pieces 😂
I have honestly and truthfully practiced 700+ hours in 7 months. Some days I spend 8 hours at the piano. I love it so much and get carried away. _but_ my progress does stall depending on what I'm working on. I can read music (played trombone in band through highschool)
Unemployed advantage
I learnt myself without music I still don’t know how to read music I do everything by ear I see patterns a year and a half I’ve been playing made my own up as I song write and sing
Over the course of a year, I learned many songs on ocarina, I got familiar with the instrument to the point I could play a song without finding the ocarina tabs for it.
I hope to do the same with piano.
remind me of somes ads for a mobile app
😂
So I’m the only one struggling with hand independence in month 3 😅
try some hanon exercises,you could actually start with the first pages, they are really helpful if you think you struggle if hand independence. Try not to instantly play something together, start by only playing the right hand and then the left hand, if you feel confident enough put them together and keep a slow rhythm. You can gradually try to play it faster if you think you can do it.
hope that helps motivates you a little bit :)
to be fair, i don't really think that that is his progress in a year, in the first days I clearly see his fingers are kind of relaxed and curved, that is really unusual for someone that already began and is delf taught, his body also is in a good position, just by these small things I find it a bit suspicious and some sort of a clickbait video. It would be really easy for me to film some clips of me being bad and then 5 months later casually pulling out a chopin etude, but idk xD
Nope I reaaally found it difficult in the beginning!
This upgrade 😂😂😂
To your point at around 3:20 on not knowing the why behind musical choices in higher grade pieces, maybe that insight is what would get me past a block with learning piano.
How would I get that knowledge in the first place? I can find etudes easy enough, and I can easily source and practice easier pieces that I personally enjoy, but at no point doing those do I actually end up learning *why* or what the significance of any of it is.
When he started busting out Naruto I got goosebumps
Hi Mathew, great vid! what piece was at 15 mins?
It is chopin's nocturne in e flat major op 9 no 2
thanks so much! @@stellicpiano
no sorry after nocturne
Chopin nocturne in c sharp minor, not the op 9 n 2
@@duartevader2709 oh yes you are right 😅 I always confuse both
How can I start understanding the why of every key I’m pressing on a piano piece? Are there courses for that?
It’s called music theory :)
As an 50yo who is considering buying his first piano/keyboard and start learning to play, I understand when you say how important is to always play while reading sheet music, but then I must ask how easy is to play without it when you don't have one around. I mean, wouldn't you get lost playing without reading when you always do sight reading?
You memorize the piece automatically after a while. But some people are better at it, others not.
I disagree that you should focus on reading sheet music instead of memorization. Both skills are useful, if I can only pick one of the two, I’d rather be able to sit down at any piano and just play from memory. I am quite good at sight reading, but I don’t remember a lot of pieces I have played because I rely on sheet music too much.
The truth is, memory will fail you eventually. But reading will not. In the long run, proficient reading is superior to playing from memory.
Once you learn a piece fully by memory it always stays with you, just like riding a bike. You might get rusty after a while but that’s not the same as forgetting.
Reading music certainly speeds of the learning process 10x but it is not essential.
Tbf, it seems more possible when you consider the fact that he might have practiced to play a song, not necessarily the piano. What I mean is that he could have just brute force memorized it all without really practicing sheet reading and such.
I had an alesis recital digi piano that didn't come with a pedal, just want to add to the piano players defence lol
I am a musician who started learning the piano. I am the opposite. I don't watch my hands at all. My eyes are glued to the music. FYI
In the beginning you said he had to have practiced two hours a day, but that just couldn't be true in the first month or two. My guess is that he practiced around 30 minutes a day for the first couple months and then started practicing upwards of five hours a day later on to balance it out.
I love this😂
Does anyone else think that this is completely fake??
I also agree with that, because he is playing the piano without playing it. He puts no feelings into Chopin's pieces, and doesn't add important things like legato, simile, , pianissimo... He plays like he rushed everything. He never practiced the rhythm and feelings you put in such pieces. I play piano since 5 years, and play the pieces he played, but with the perfect rhythm and feelings. He is rushing, and I'm grinding. Yes I'm not that good, but I at least put time into the quality into the pieces I learn, but he rushes to the next one. Yes he can play his current piece, and he could start a new one, BUT he didn't even grind for the feelings the piece needs. He is good, but I would say he learned without knowing, how to really play those pieces.
yea i think the process is very unrealistic, but so do most people under his original video lmao
@@leonardbackstein9694 It just looks like he is trying to sound like he is "new" to piano, but he just kind of sounds stereotypical. Not saying that it's intentional---This could be completely real, and I would be happy for him---But like you said, He needs to put feeling into his pieces.
Also his incredible accuracy makes me think that this is not legitimate.
@@leonardbackstein9694 my problem with the "new" is that you watch his hands.. if you had lessons from the start his ring finger and pinky are like way too straight.. when most kids start learning.. we've been told to think of holding a ball.. the technique of the hand seems par for the course for someone with no teaching guidance.. much of the technique is refined by playing scales, chords/triads, and other finger exercises (drills).. like the Hanon books that typically alot of people use..
I came back to piano last year after 10+ year break. I took piano lessons as a kid, but never got very far in reading and have always been much better with having an ear for it and playing by ear than reading. I started out about a year ago working on my reading, but felt like progress was SO slow I wanted to use the time I played to learn songs by ear/learn theory. I have made progress in that area but now I feel like learning to sight read will never happen. What should I do? 😕
Would this be 1.9 hours per day every day for one year?
Wait is that Clair de Lune or smth else? 8:12
Any recommendation for a piano/keyboard to buy.. That incan practice and use it ro perform with a band in the future. Is the yamaha ck61 good?