Thank you so much for all your wonderful tuition. I am a 77 year old beginner and simply find your videos so well thought out and measured. Your videos are an essential for the new online piano student. People like you that share your skill and talents are what our world needs right now. Have a wonderful 2020.
@@jerryatrick6127Jerry, can I ask if you continued? I'm getting close to 2 years now. The frustrating thing I have is that having reached a high level of technical ability (I know the tricks) on guitar, I feel like a carthorse on piano. The feel is coming but it is a long journey.
I'm so glad I found this. At 3:30 you mention the hesitation, that is exactly my problem. I have been in a rush to complete the book as I really want to start on level 2. But - I realized I should probably slow down, and focus on getting the individual pieces closer to ‘correct’, rather than just ‘good enough’ before moving on.
It's easier to notice this when you are playing along with a metronome. I noticed for myself that I was only focusing on the difficult bars themselves and NOT incorporating the transitions in and out of these passages. I think this is a very common reason that hesitation still remains even after you get the difficult part right on its own.
I'm happy to have stumbled upon your channel, and really appreciate your tips. I took lessons as an adult for about 5 years, but never had the time to practice much and did exactly what you advise against doing - moving from one piece to the next before really learning how to play each piece really well. I'm using the Alfred's series, and I'm about half way through book #2. Your instruction has been really helpful!
I know this so well - and I started at 68, a nd five years later I still need my teacher. This is sometimes so frustrating, but that the karma of learning to play the piano. So you need to keep at it.
Spot on advice. I have in fact struggled with Alfreds book 3. Mostly I don’t like the music…trying to hang in there. Your videos have helped me immensely in my, so far three years adventure.
I needed to hear this. It's tempting to be able to kinda play the right notes and then turn the page for something new. But I've had to be strict with myself and make absolutely sure I can play each piece fluently before moving on. Even if I'm on the same page for days, which I often am even just halfway through Faber book 1.
I appreciate this video! My progress is slow going. 2 years in with a teacher and I am playing in a grade two book. I've now learned my scales and moving on to the Hannon 2 book. Slowly so slowly but surely I am getting better. There are so many youtube videos that show amazing piano skills in only a few months. Thanks for the honest review. It helps to not feel like a failure.
Thank you so much for this. I just want to say your generosity with your time and talent is incredible. You're an awesome, honest instructor and your approach takes so much frustration out of learning. You answered my question below under Rads question regarding going back and refreshing your memory on a previously learned piece. I was concerned that I wasn't doing well at all because I had relearn a piece I felt I had a good grasp on. Thank you also for letting us know there is no rush. I feel better about staying on a piece until I can play with no mistakes. And its okay if I can't do that on the first try weeks later.
This is a fantastic perspective. I want to play for my own enjoyment and to make beautiful music. I don't need to play Chopin. But I would really like to play music at my level well. With correct notes, even rhythms, dynamics, good voicing and expression. This video is a great reminder of my why and how.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. The advice (and admonitions) in this video, though recorded 7 years ago, are as relevant & helpful as ever. Like you, at 68 yo and one year into the "marathon" I want to be able to play the music I enjoy as well as I can. Am working slowly through a couple of different method books namely Alfred's & Faber-sometimes Schaum without a teacher and am take as long as necessary to play to it as close to our RUclips teacher does as possible while occasionally venturing out & adding my own slight improvisations. All the best on your journey.
for self learner this is an immensely valuable tip. i move on to the next piece only when i am able to play with metronome (ensures zero hesitation by default, doesn't matter the tempo, could be as low as 50 because some song may be not ur taste). I am not at all fretting about dynamics much at this point but on pieces that i love, and have played millions times, I take liberties and play around with dynamics. Thank you! setting standards for ourself is one of the biggest thing for self learners!
Thank you so much for these videos. Relearning piano has been my quarantine project and you are really helping me. Your generosity in sharing your knowledge is greatly appreciated!
I cant be satisfied if even only a single detail is wrong. Its enough to destroy me after a recital. I get scared, really really scared that my instructor will see me as someone who cant hack it. Your videos are a comfort.
I admire your attention to details. Keep in mind that even the pros and prodigies make mistakes in performances. It's not so much the mistake that's a problem, but how you recover from it that counts. The audience should not even notice the mistake in most cases if you recover properly. There is no such thing as perfection in music; just try to deliver a convincing musical message.
Once finishing Alfreds adult book 1 I'll start over and watch your videos with each page and try master it. There's various things I struggle to remember with music theory. Chord names/labels are a memory challenge. The keys associated also don't have an obvious pattern to correlate the names to but playing them is easy and familiar. Similarly the roman numeral lesson went out the other ear somehow (I haven't watched your vid on this yet). Im on page 76, almost at the end to start over. Playing to a good standard is easy enough, it's mostly music theory with no obvious patterns or some foreign sounding words at the page end where I have to remember the style of playing they refer to. Unsurprisingly I feel I need sheet music to play even music Im well practiced on and yet once I begin my hands seem to know the whole song without barely looking at the sheet. I'll never forget your moustache though!
I grew up taking piano lessons as a kid but they never really stuck. During the pandemic with so much more time at home, I've restarted trying to relearn the piano working through various method books. Your videos have been a great help in providing some of the feedback and assistance I would like to get out of a teacher, and hopefully I can start taking lessons soon with a teacher as helpful as your videos are. I appreciated this video speaking directly to "how long" to work on a particular piece. I like to hold on to pieces I've particularly enjoyed and keep them in my practice rotation for longer periods of time. I also have found it somewhat helpful to table a particular piece if multiple elements are giving me trouble with it (timing, key signature, fingering) and then once I understand some of the concepts later in the books, it's easier to master those trickier pieces later on. All this to say, thanks for your videos and helping me rediscover my love of piano!
You are absolutely right, I skipped Thompson book 1, skipped songs through book 2 ,and came to a screeching halt in the middle of book 3, my impatience to play intermediate level makes the songs like a bad long long ago.I can play 1-16 scales and I noticed in book 1 had 17 and 23 wow I'm going back to 1 ,2 and 3 to find out what else I missed.If you rush the easy stuff with substandard the complicated stuff suffers.
I have started Alfred’s all in one book two. I started in the middle of book one. I took lessons 30 years ago and bought a piano 3 years ago . I played for about 10 years originally and worked for three years on my own and am now taking lessons again. My standards for my own playing are very high. It is either right or it is wrong. My teacher makes suggestions on how to improve each piece until I can play it right. I practice about 2 hours a day. I am 73 years old.
I can't say it enough how much I love your teaching methods and in how much they are helping me on certain pieces that I get stuck on. My teacher is like you in that she will make me stay with a piece until I play it correctly. And yeah, I would work on a piece she assigned me and think I got it mastered, but when I went for the lesson and played it, I needed to do better with either keeping with the beat, counting the notes right etc. before she would let me move on. Just like the teacher I had as a little kid over 60 years ago, she wouldn't let me go to the next one either. Oh, I told you I have the John Thompson Book First Grade that I had as a kid, but in keeping with you when I need major help, the other day I called a music store not too far from me and ordered the John Thompson Adult Book 1 & 2 mostly because there are pieces in them I don't have in my books that I want to learn to play. Once again, thank you ever so much.
Even though this presentation is six+ years old, this information is still very relevant to me. I have taken lessons sporadically (began with Michael Aaron's Piano Course) and your information makes me ponder my want to be standards. As an adult learner, I use the Alfred All-in-One Adult series. Thanks for the "refresher."
Thanks for the videos. I just started on Alfred's Self Teaching Course in April this year. That particular edition comes with a DVD which shows the pieces being played, but I've been dipping into your videos from time to time to get some extra tips and suggestions how best to play them. I'll look forward to watching more as I move to the later Alfred's books. Thanks again!
I watched this video several times to remind myself. I have the bad habit of moving too fast, anxious to learn the next song without perfecting it. I got bored easily, and was afraid I would quit by repeating the same songs too. I have been playing Alfred adult all-in-one level 1-3 books, along with the greatest hits books 1-3 for the last 2.5 years. I am at the end of the series, but still not playing that well. Usually after each level, I would stop, and replay the books again, but some were still strangers to me. It was not until level 3 books, that I started practicing scales more. After finishing the 3 level series, I plan to spend time starting over the series again, focusing on the scales, perfecting songs, and choosing favorite songs I can play by memorizing. It’s great that with the videos, I could always go back to them even months after I first played the songs, attend to details I did not notice before. Without them, I would have quit long time ago. I have talked to all my friends about you, and they all know you by now. Could not say enough of the appreciation.
I'm glad you are in no hurry to advance. I hope you enjoy where you are in this and you will get better in time. Everybody is different so who knows how long it takes and frankly, who cares; just enjoy.
I needed to hear this. I learned treble clef when learning music with my guitar. Bass clef is a bit tricky for my old brain, but I definitely need to stay on each piece longer. Getting through them without hesitation. Thanks!
I bought Alfred's Basic Adult Book Level 1 and Level 2 last September. After working through some of level 1 I got a little discouraged and started looking for some other help. I did find some advice about learning the 12 major scales, which I did and it helped some. Some of the music in the book I am not familiar with so I wasn't sure if what I was doing was correct. Your video on Over The Rainbow posed up yesterday and I liked what you were doing, so I subscribed and will start working through the book with your videos. I am 61and have played some other instruments, trumpet, guitar and bass guitar. Every day I practice the 12 major scales 1 octave contrary motion and parallel motion. I started adding 2 octave scales parallel motion and arpeggio's adding one each week. Instead of using the circle of fifths I started on C and just started working up, so I have learned C, Db, D, Eb, E, F, F#/Gb, G and Ab. I have a 2 fold reason for learning the piano. Mainly personal entertainment and second to possibly make up small jingles to use for background music in apps that I code. I used Garage Band to make the background music for the last mobile game I wrote, but would rather use the keyboard to make the next one if I do another game. Any suggestions are appreciated.
Good luck with your music. I'm not familiar with making music with the different software programs. I've only used Finale to make sheet music. For that, I connect my computer to my electronic keyboard with MIDI cables. But Finale is mostly for printed music. You might find tutorials on using Garage Band with keyboard someplace. :)
Thank you, very informative. I’m 64 and started a year and a half ago…my biggest challenge is being patient with myself. It takes me a little longer to get the pieces down, and I think it should be a faster process for me. My teacher reminds me, just like you said, that learning piano is a marathon, not a sprint. I really have to keep that in mind since I think it will also add to my enjoyment.
Wow this is such a great point. I find myself going from thing to thing without perfecting anything. I'll have to set higher standards. I should probably look for an instructor after the COVID restrictions are lifted in my area.
Hello, I have played the piece that you play Long, long ago, it is from Suzuki piano school, (I like this method a lot, but it has long and difficult pieces when you advance more), it takes work to play the piece well, because it has small changes of position that are difficult, greetings.
I have been spending so long in Alfred Adult All-in-One Books playlist I forgot to watch these videos. Its always been a bottom line for me to be able to play every piece to strictly without hesitation 100% usually to the tempos set by the CD's that come with the books (although some are pretty fast!). I do every piece fully whether I like it or not (and some I quite dislike) as I feel, given its method book, all pieces are teaching me an important lesson . Further they are just a stepping stone to more interesting pieces. As to the question of when to move, I am sometimes unsure about dynamics , pedal , phrasing etc. I tend to go back over old pieces to concentrate on these moreso as its much easier once the notes are pretty well nailed down, Usually its a rolling window of 4 / 5 pieces
@@LetsPlayPianoMethods Sorry I wasn't clear. Sometimes my dynamics, pedal, phrasing is a bit sloppy, so when should I move onto the next piece? One could keep polishing pieces for months
I loved you comment in the last video I watched about not being able to pay attention to two hands at once , it helped me immensely to pay attention to the leading hand .. perhaps you can give me a suggestion as to how to get over my lack of synchronicity with the metronome. When I try to use one, I can’t play at all! Playing measures at 60 bpm is excruciating to me when I know the rhythm is faster.
Wonderful! I still struggle to stay with the metronome. Sometimes, I have to just play one hand at a time, or slow it way down so I have time to think about each metronome beat and what notes go with it. Even after I get it, there are times when I lose it and have to go back and do all this again. If you watch my scale videos, I am not actually with the metronome on those, and I know the scales very well.
Good video I have a hard time deciding to move on but definitely never move on before I can play it perfectly, but there is room for improvement in dynamics. For example, I have a hard time with keeping with the stocatto markings
Thank you so much for making this video. I have tried at least three times (maybe more) in my adult life to learn to play the piano. I have tried teaching myself a couple of times and I also had a teacher one time. I have good intentions when it comes to wanting to learn to play, but after a couple of weeks/months I become frustrated/loose interest because I am not progressing like I want to or think I should. Or life just gets in the way (other things are more important than this). Right now, at this time I do have a lot going on but would love to learn to play the piano as I think it would help me a lot. I am going to teach myself as I am unable to afford a teacher. How do you suggest I go about this as far as learning, practicing, etc.? Any suggestions/help you could give me would be greatly appreciated. I want to stick with it this time and learn even though I know it is going to be a long/hard process. By the way I am using the Alfred's Basic Adult All-In-One Course Level 1 book. I also have level 2 of this book as well.
It can be tough. Find a teacher who understands and try to schedule some time for it. Hopefully, it will eventually become a habit of practicing and enjoying the music. For practicing, I don't do it by time. I don't care how long I practice, I just set my goal for that day and try to complete it. It could take an hour or as few minutes; I don't care.
It differs for different people, but I think it is best to limit it to about 2 or 3 pieces at a time, keeping in mind that you are reviewing and still playing pieces you have already learned.
My teacher is very similar. I'll go through a section of a book or part of a song, think i have it down well enough, then my teacher just points out minor mistakes. timing being off slightly seems to be my problem, but I'd never know this if i didn't get a teacher.
Watching this video so late, if I had listened to it carefully some time ago, I would play much better now Anyway, late but not to late... Thanks so much, Gale!
Thanks for the videos--they are very instructive and have been extremely helpful. What are your recommendations for warming up (e.g. for how long and what should I be doing to warm up) before practicing a piece that I am working on?
Warming up is a personal thing. It could last from a few minutes to about an hour. I suggest doing a couple of scales and see if that feels like enough. If not, do the scales again.
Namasthe sir, Thanks for your dedication. In this video you were mentioning about the different concept on different method books. Could you please give an answer on these different concept? Thanks & Regards. Dr.Raghavan from India. Namasthe 🌹🙏🌹
The concepts I am referring to are not particular to a book. They are the different lessons to be learned in order to play a piano, and music in general, and understand what you are doing. They might have to do with reading music notation, physically playing the piano (technique), understanding the harmony, melody, phrasing, articulation, pedaling, etc.
It is the Cherub, model WMT-220. I put this on my About page on my channel since I have been asked this a few times. I'm guessing you can find it online at Amazon or some such place. I bought mine a few years ago at a local music store, but hopefully, they are still available.
Hi, I had a tutor for more than 3 years and now I work on my own. When I'm completely satisfied with a piece I move on to the next. My question is at what point do you repeat the pieces that you have already learnt? I know that it is important, but I am unsure as to when and how to go about it. Thanks
There is a lot of disagreement on this subject. Many teachers don't teach this idea at all. None of my teachers taught it. I never taught it. I just continue to play pieces that I enjoy for as long as I enjoy them. Sometimes, I'll go back and relearn a piece I knew years before because I like it and want to play it again. To keep a piece learned, I try to play it at least once a week and if I'm getting messy with it (which will happen in time), I'll actually practice it until I can play it again.
I am relearning piano after more than 50 years of not playing. Though there were bits and pieces on various keyboards, but nothing for real. I have John Thompson book 2. At first I said about various pieces "good enough" even though I knew better, but after some 5 or 6 pieces (maybe more) things started getting too hard. Also finding the notes above and below. So some of them I wrote which notes they are. But I also found myself going back and repeating the songs, even the first song or two. While they still aren't quite right, they are much better than before, and as I continue and at the same time repeat the songs I've previously done, it's getting easier. So maybe I did go ahead a bit too fast, but now I have a number of songs that I can practice and the playing is now getting smoother. Before it was like the notes were all there but not connected. Now it's much better. Still rusty, but getting somewhere.
I HAVE BEEN FOLLOWING YOU FOR AT LEAST 4 YEARS. I TRULY APPRECIATE YOUR TEACHING AND PATIENCE. I WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE A BABY GROUND PIANO SINCE THE ONE I HAVE IS NOT VERY GOOD. PLEASE ADVISE WHICH PIANO YOU WOULD RECOMMEND. I DO HAVE A BUDGET. THANK YOU.
With pianos, you will usually get what you pay for unless you buy a used piano from a person instead of a dealer. If you want to buy a piano from a person, I suggest you have a tuner/technician look at the piano first. Otherwise, look in piano stores for used pianos and get what you can afford.
Thank you so much for all your wonderful tuition. I am a 77 year old beginner and simply find your videos so well thought out and measured. Your videos are an essential for the new online piano student.
People like you that share your skill and talents are what our world needs right now. Have a wonderful 2020.
You're welcome.
@@jerryatrick6127 I am where Ian was 2 years ago, 77 Level 1 book.
@@jerryatrick6127Jerry, can I ask if you continued? I'm getting close to 2 years now. The frustrating thing I have is that having reached a high level of technical ability (I know the tricks) on guitar, I feel like a carthorse on piano. The feel is coming but it is a long journey.
Watching this in 2024. Anyone else?
Yup!
The same!
I'm so glad I found this. At 3:30 you mention the hesitation, that is exactly my problem. I have been in a rush to complete the book as I really want to start on level 2. But - I realized I should probably slow down, and focus on getting the individual pieces closer to ‘correct’, rather than just ‘good enough’ before moving on.
Let me know if you have questions. I recommend at least a week or two on each piece or two. Some pieces will take longer than others.
It's easier to notice this when you are playing along with a metronome. I noticed for myself that I was only focusing on the difficult bars themselves and NOT incorporating the transitions in and out of these passages. I think this is a very common reason that hesitation still remains even after you get the difficult part right on its own.
@@PbPomperExactly my problem. I can play each section well. I just can't seem to play from one to the next without a stutter.
I'm happy to have stumbled upon your channel, and really appreciate your tips. I took lessons as an adult for about 5 years, but never had the time to practice much and did exactly what you advise against doing - moving from one piece to the next before really learning how to play each piece really well. I'm using the Alfred's series, and I'm about half way through book #2. Your instruction has been really helpful!
Thanks for the feedback. I'm glad the videos are helping you.
I am in exactly the same boat.
I know this so well - and I started at 68, a nd five years later I still need my teacher. This is sometimes so frustrating, but that the karma of learning to play the piano. So you need to keep at it.
Spot on advice. I have in fact struggled with Alfreds book 3. Mostly I don’t like the music…trying to hang in there. Your videos have helped me immensely in my, so far three years adventure.
I needed to hear this. It's tempting to be able to kinda play the right notes and then turn the page for something new. But I've had to be strict with myself and make absolutely sure I can play each piece fluently before moving on. Even if I'm on the same page for days, which I often am even just halfway through Faber book 1.
I appreciate this video! My progress is slow going. 2 years in with a teacher and I am playing in a grade two book. I've now learned my scales and moving on to the Hannon 2 book. Slowly so slowly but surely I am getting better. There are so many youtube videos that show amazing piano skills in only a few months. Thanks for the honest review. It helps to not feel like a failure.
You're welcome. Actually doing a grade book a year is very common.
Thank you so much for this. I just want to say your generosity with your time and talent is incredible. You're an awesome, honest instructor and your approach takes so much frustration out of learning. You answered my question below under Rads question regarding going back and refreshing your memory on a previously learned piece. I was concerned that I wasn't doing well at all because I had relearn a piece I felt I had a good grasp on. Thank you also for letting us know there is no rush. I feel better about staying on a piece until I can play with no mistakes. And its okay if I can't do that on the first try weeks later.
You are welcome. Let me know if you have questions. Chances are, others have the same question but won't or can't ask.
This is a fantastic perspective. I want to play for my own enjoyment and to make beautiful music. I don't need to play Chopin. But I would really like to play music at my level well. With correct notes, even rhythms, dynamics, good voicing and expression. This video is a great reminder of my why and how.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. The advice (and admonitions) in this video, though recorded 7 years ago, are as relevant & helpful as ever. Like you, at 68 yo and one year into the "marathon" I want to be able to play the music I enjoy as well as I can. Am working slowly through a couple of different method books namely Alfred's & Faber-sometimes Schaum without a teacher and am take as long as necessary to play to it as close to our RUclips teacher does as possible while occasionally venturing out & adding my own slight improvisations. All the best on your journey.
You are the best, you said it the right way, practice and keep the rhythm.
for self learner this is an immensely valuable tip. i move on to the next piece only when i am able to play with metronome (ensures zero hesitation by default, doesn't matter the tempo, could be as low as 50 because some song may be not ur taste). I am not at all fretting about dynamics much at this point but on pieces that i love, and have played millions times, I take liberties and play around with dynamics. Thank you! setting standards for ourself is one of the biggest thing for self learners!
You're welcome.
Thank you so much for these videos. Relearning piano has been my quarantine project and you are really helping me. Your generosity in sharing your knowledge is greatly appreciated!
You are welcome.
I need to come back to this video from time to time. We all have premature’I am so really ready to go on’ moment, 🤗
I cant be satisfied if even only a single detail is wrong. Its enough to destroy me after a recital. I get scared, really really scared that my instructor will see me as someone who cant hack it. Your videos are a comfort.
I admire your attention to details. Keep in mind that even the pros and prodigies make mistakes in performances. It's not so much the mistake that's a problem, but how you recover from it that counts. The audience should not even notice the mistake in most cases if you recover properly. There is no such thing as perfection in music; just try to deliver a convincing musical message.
Once finishing Alfreds adult book 1 I'll start over and watch your videos with each page and try master it. There's various things I struggle to remember with music theory. Chord names/labels are a memory challenge. The keys associated also don't have an obvious pattern to correlate the names to but playing them is easy and familiar. Similarly the roman numeral lesson went out the other ear somehow (I haven't watched your vid on this yet). Im on page 76, almost at the end to start over. Playing to a good standard is easy enough, it's mostly music theory with no obvious patterns or some foreign sounding words at the page end where I have to remember the style of playing they refer to. Unsurprisingly I feel I need sheet music to play even music Im well practiced on and yet once I begin my hands seem to know the whole song without barely looking at the sheet. I'll never forget your moustache though!
I grew up taking piano lessons as a kid but they never really stuck. During the pandemic with so much more time at home, I've restarted trying to relearn the piano working through various method books. Your videos have been a great help in providing some of the feedback and assistance I would like to get out of a teacher, and hopefully I can start taking lessons soon with a teacher as helpful as your videos are. I appreciated this video speaking directly to "how long" to work on a particular piece. I like to hold on to pieces I've particularly enjoyed and keep them in my practice rotation for longer periods of time. I also have found it somewhat helpful to table a particular piece if multiple elements are giving me trouble with it (timing, key signature, fingering) and then once I understand some of the concepts later in the books, it's easier to master those trickier pieces later on.
All this to say, thanks for your videos and helping me rediscover my love of piano!
You are welcome. It sounds to me like you have the right idea.
You are absolutely right, I skipped Thompson book 1, skipped songs through book 2 ,and came to a screeching halt in the middle of book 3, my impatience to play intermediate level makes the songs like a bad long long ago.I can play 1-16 scales and I noticed in book 1 had 17 and 23 wow I'm going back to 1 ,2 and 3 to find out what else I missed.If you rush the easy stuff with substandard the complicated stuff suffers.
I have started Alfred’s all in one book two. I started in the middle of book one. I took lessons 30 years ago and bought a piano 3 years ago . I played for about 10 years originally and worked for three years on my own and am now taking lessons again. My standards for my own playing are very high. It is either right or it is wrong. My teacher makes suggestions on how to improve each piece until I can play it right. I practice about 2 hours a day. I am 73 years old.
I can't say it enough how much I love your teaching methods and in how much they are helping me on certain pieces that I get stuck on. My teacher is like you in that she will make me stay with a piece until I play it correctly. And yeah, I would work on a piece she assigned me and think I got it mastered, but when I went for the lesson and played it, I needed to do better with either keeping with the beat, counting the notes right etc. before she would let me move on. Just like the teacher I had as a little kid over 60 years ago, she wouldn't let me go to the next one either. Oh, I told you I have the John Thompson Book First Grade that I had as a kid, but in keeping with you when I need major help, the other day I called a music store not too far from me and ordered the John Thompson Adult Book 1 & 2 mostly because there are pieces in them I don't have in my books that I want to learn to play. Once again, thank you ever so much.
Thanks for the comment. Yup, there's no substitute for a teacher to keep a person from trying to advance too fast.
Even though this presentation is six+ years old, this information is still very relevant to me. I have taken lessons sporadically (began with Michael Aaron's Piano Course) and your information makes me ponder my want to be standards. As an adult learner, I use the Alfred All-in-One Adult series. Thanks for the "refresher."
You are welcome.
Thanks for the videos. I just started on Alfred's Self Teaching Course in April this year. That particular edition comes with a DVD which shows the pieces being played, but I've been dipping into your videos from time to time to get some extra tips and suggestions how best to play them. I'll look forward to watching more as I move to the later Alfred's books. Thanks again!
I watched this video several times to remind myself. I have the bad habit of moving too fast, anxious to learn the next song without perfecting it. I got bored easily, and was afraid I would quit by repeating the same songs too. I have been playing Alfred adult all-in-one level 1-3 books, along with the greatest hits books 1-3 for the last 2.5 years. I am at the end of the series, but still not playing that well. Usually after each level, I would stop, and replay the books again, but some were still strangers to me. It was not until level 3 books, that I started practicing scales more. After finishing the 3 level series, I plan to spend time starting over the series again, focusing on the scales, perfecting songs, and choosing favorite songs I can play by memorizing. It’s great that with the videos, I could always go back to them even months after I first played the songs, attend to details I did not notice before. Without them, I would have quit long time ago. I have talked to all my friends about you, and they all know you by now. Could not say enough of the appreciation.
I'm glad you are in no hurry to advance. I hope you enjoy where you are in this and you will get better in time. Everybody is different so who knows how long it takes and frankly, who cares; just enjoy.
I needed to hear this. I learned treble clef when learning music with my guitar. Bass clef is a bit tricky for my old brain, but I definitely need to stay on each piece longer. Getting through them without hesitation. Thanks!
You are welcome.
Thanks!
Thank you.
So far you’ve been a great help to me! Thanks for that. Enjoy your “vacation”!
You are welcome.
I bought Alfred's Basic Adult Book Level 1 and Level 2 last September. After working through some of level 1 I got a little discouraged and started looking for some other help. I did find some advice about learning the 12 major scales, which I did and it helped some. Some of the music in the book I am not familiar with so I wasn't sure if what I was doing was correct. Your video on Over The Rainbow posed up yesterday and I liked what you were doing, so I subscribed and will start working through the book with your videos. I am 61and have played some other instruments, trumpet, guitar and bass guitar. Every day I practice the 12 major scales 1 octave contrary motion and parallel motion. I started adding 2 octave scales parallel motion and arpeggio's adding one each week. Instead of using the circle of fifths I started on C and just started working up, so I have learned C, Db, D, Eb, E, F, F#/Gb, G and Ab. I have a 2 fold reason for learning the piano. Mainly personal entertainment and second to possibly make up small jingles to use for background music in apps that I code. I used Garage Band to make the background music for the last mobile game I wrote, but would rather use the keyboard to make the next one if I do another game. Any suggestions are appreciated.
Good luck with your music. I'm not familiar with making music with the different software programs. I've only used Finale to make sheet music. For that, I connect my computer to my electronic keyboard with MIDI cables. But Finale is mostly for printed music. You might find tutorials on using Garage Band with keyboard someplace. :)
Thank you, very informative. I’m 64 and started a year and a half ago…my biggest challenge is being patient with myself. It takes me a little longer to get the pieces down, and I think it should be a faster process for me. My teacher reminds me, just like you said, that learning piano is a marathon, not a sprint. I really have to keep that in mind since I think it will also add to my enjoyment.
You are welcome. I'm glad that you have a teacher there.
Wow this is such a great point. I find myself going from thing to thing without perfecting anything. I'll have to set higher standards.
I should probably look for an instructor after the COVID restrictions are lifted in my area.
Hello, I have played the piece that you play Long, long ago, it is from Suzuki piano school, (I like this method a lot, but it has long and difficult pieces when you advance more), it takes work to play the piece well, because it has small changes of position that are difficult, greetings.
Thank you for putting in the time for these videos. Very helpful.
You are welcome!
You have mad video editing skills!
Excellent points, most valuable video
Great advice!
I have been spending so long in Alfred Adult All-in-One Books playlist I forgot to watch these videos. Its always been a bottom line for me to be able to play every piece to strictly without hesitation 100% usually to the tempos set by the CD's that come with the books (although some are pretty fast!). I do every piece fully whether I like it or not (and some I quite dislike) as I feel, given its method book, all pieces are teaching me an important lesson . Further they are just a stepping stone to more interesting pieces.
As to the question of when to move, I am sometimes unsure about dynamics , pedal , phrasing etc. I tend to go back over old pieces to concentrate on these moreso as its much easier once the notes are pretty well nailed down, Usually its a rolling window of 4 / 5 pieces
I did not catch the question. You are doing fine with what you are doing.
@@LetsPlayPianoMethods Sorry I wasn't clear. Sometimes my dynamics, pedal, phrasing is a bit sloppy, so when should I move onto the next piece? One could keep polishing pieces for months
Thanks for the channel and reminder to set high standards! Channel is great supplemental info to the books.
Thanks for the comment. I'm glad to hear the videos are helping.
I loved you comment in the last video I watched about not being able to pay attention to two hands at once , it helped me immensely to pay attention to the leading hand .. perhaps you can give me a suggestion as to how to get over my lack of synchronicity with the metronome. When I try to use one, I can’t play at all! Playing measures at 60 bpm is excruciating to me when I know the rhythm is faster.
Wonderful! I still struggle to stay with the metronome. Sometimes, I have to just play one hand at a time, or slow it way down so I have time to think about each metronome beat and what notes go with it. Even after I get it, there are times when I lose it and have to go back and do all this again. If you watch my scale videos, I am not actually with the metronome on those, and I know the scales very well.
Good advice, Thanks.
Good video I have a hard time deciding to move on but definitely never move on before I can play it perfectly, but there is room for improvement in dynamics. For example, I have a hard time with keeping with the stocatto markings
Thanks very much
You're welcome.
It's not always easy to pick up our own mistakes. To get some clarity on our own playing, we might record the audio or video, then review it.
Excellent suggestion.
Thank you so much for making this video. I have tried at least three times (maybe more) in my adult life to learn to play the piano. I have tried teaching myself a couple of times and I also had a teacher one time. I have good intentions when it comes to wanting to learn to play, but after a couple of weeks/months I become frustrated/loose interest because I am not progressing like I want to or think I should. Or life just gets in the way (other things are more important than this). Right now, at this time I do have a lot going on but would love to learn to play the piano as I think it would help me a lot. I am going to teach myself as I am unable to afford a teacher. How do you suggest I go about this as far as learning, practicing, etc.? Any suggestions/help you could give me would be greatly appreciated. I want to stick with it this time and learn even though I know it is going to be a long/hard process. By the way I am using the Alfred's Basic Adult All-In-One Course Level 1 book. I also have level 2 of this book as well.
It can be tough. Find a teacher who understands and try to schedule some time for it. Hopefully, it will eventually become a habit of practicing and enjoying the music. For practicing, I don't do it by time. I don't care how long I practice, I just set my goal for that day and try to complete it. It could take an hour or as few minutes; I don't care.
yes me too
great advice! Thank you
+bellsbaby1964 You're welcome. If something isn't clear and you have questions, let me know. :)
Thank you very much for this channel, I'm just starting out and you have helped me alot
Great. I'm glad the videos have helped.
Thank you very much..
You are welcome.
Love the content. How many pieces would you recommend trying to learn at a time?
It differs for different people, but I think it is best to limit it to about 2 or 3 pieces at a time, keeping in mind that you are reviewing and still playing pieces you have already learned.
My teacher is very similar.
I'll go through a section of a book or part of a song, think i have it down well enough, then my teacher just points out minor mistakes. timing being off slightly seems to be my problem, but I'd never know this if i didn't get a teacher.
I glad to hear that you have a teacher. They do come in handy. :D
Watching this video so late, if I had listened to it carefully some time ago, I would play much better now
Anyway, late but not to late... Thanks so much, Gale!
You're welcome!
Could you please make a video on improvising?
I'll look into this and see what I can do about it. I don't want to just duplicate what's already on RUclips.
Thanks for the videos--they are very instructive and have been extremely helpful. What are your recommendations for warming up (e.g. for how long and what should I be doing to warm up) before practicing a piece that I am working on?
Warming up is a personal thing. It could last from a few minutes to about an hour. I suggest doing a couple of scales and see if that feels like enough. If not, do the scales again.
Namasthe sir,
Thanks for your dedication.
In this video you were mentioning about the different concept on different method books.
Could you please give an answer
on these different concept?
Thanks & Regards.
Dr.Raghavan from India.
Namasthe
🌹🙏🌹
The concepts I am referring to are not particular to a book. They are the different lessons to be learned in order to play a piano, and music in general, and understand what you are doing. They might have to do with reading music notation, physically playing the piano (technique), understanding the harmony, melody, phrasing, articulation, pedaling, etc.
Love this
I am 75 and was taking and had to stop. Would love to start his lessons from beginning
I love you ❤
What is the name of the metronome you have and where can I purchase one
It is the Cherub, model WMT-220. I put this on my About page on my channel since I have been asked this a few times. I'm guessing you can find it online at Amazon or some such place. I bought mine a few years ago at a local music store, but hopefully, they are still available.
Hi, I had a tutor for more than 3 years and now I work on my own. When I'm completely satisfied with a piece I move on to the next. My question is at what point do you repeat the pieces that you have already learnt? I know that it is important, but I am unsure as to when and how to go about it. Thanks
There is a lot of disagreement on this subject. Many teachers don't teach this idea at all. None of my teachers taught it. I never taught it. I just continue to play pieces that I enjoy for as long as I enjoy them. Sometimes, I'll go back and relearn a piece I knew years before because I like it and want to play it again. To keep a piece learned, I try to play it at least once a week and if I'm getting messy with it (which will happen in time), I'll actually practice it until I can play it again.
Thanks for the clarification
I am relearning piano after more than 50 years of not playing. Though there were bits and pieces on various keyboards, but nothing for real. I have John Thompson book 2. At first I said about various pieces "good enough" even though I knew better, but after some 5 or 6 pieces (maybe more) things started getting too hard. Also finding the notes above and below. So some of them I wrote which notes they are.
But I also found myself going back and repeating the songs, even the first song or two. While they still aren't quite right, they are much better than before, and as I continue and at the same time repeat the songs I've previously done, it's getting easier. So maybe I did go ahead a bit too fast, but now I have a number of songs that I can practice and the playing is now getting smoother. Before it was like the notes were all there but not connected. Now it's much better. Still rusty, but getting somewhere.
I HAVE BEEN FOLLOWING YOU FOR AT LEAST 4 YEARS. I TRULY APPRECIATE YOUR TEACHING AND PATIENCE. I WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE A BABY GROUND PIANO SINCE THE ONE I HAVE IS NOT VERY GOOD. PLEASE ADVISE WHICH PIANO YOU WOULD RECOMMEND. I DO HAVE A BUDGET. THANK YOU.
With pianos, you will usually get what you pay for unless you buy a used piano from a person instead of a dealer. If you want to buy a piano from a person, I suggest you have a tuner/technician look at the piano first. Otherwise, look in piano stores for used pianos and get what you can afford.
Great advice!