nobody but nobody interacts with the audience or gives these kind of Q&A/"interviews" and talks like Billy Joel - pure gold - I wish he'd do more but so grateful for these videos
Can you say child prodigy? A friend of mine is like that. She's been playing guitar, writing her own songs, performing live, and recording from a young age.
The thing is, even you just want to play a song you like, you still need some basic skill and knowledge of notation and chords. Not everybody has good ears and good coordination like his, as well as this creativity and imagination. BJ's musical gift, talent is one of the greatest, it's a rare gem. Most of the people, without any training, they can't even move their fingers on the piano or tell the difference between a major or minor chord.
Really? I began piano lessons at age 5 or 6 and my story is quite similar to Billy's. I got tired of trying to learn to read music, so I just never did (I'm now getting a Master's in Music). Music theory just made sense to my ears without thinking about the staff. I thought most people were like this.
@@andrewparke1764 if you take piano lessons from a young age on it becomes like a language to you but for anyone who didn’t take piano lessons from a very young age it’s not that easy
Great piano teacher story. I think the John Thomson method was specially designed to force you to have a piano teacher as the pieces after Music Land are hard. Congrats to anyone that had to go through it.
It’s funny he’s right about piano teachers who teach children. I took piano for 1 year. She taught me like I was supposed to be a virtuoso. They sometimes really take the joy out of it. Music is supposed to be fun.
HOLY SHEEET haha. Yes I remember playing Off We Go to Musicland..John Thompson. I also did a little playing around with my pieces I had to learn too. My piano teacher was a young 20 year old who was being taught by a Maestro that played the Kennedy Center and she indulged my playful variations, as long as I learned the pieces. My piano tuner was sweet old jewish man named Mr. Liberman..he did the tuning for the pianos at the Kennedy Center *smile*
My piano teacher taught me in a completely different way from the classical way. She taught me chords and different variations on the chords. I could kind of read sheet music , and still can, but I prefer to play by ear. She also taught me about keeping time and built rhythm into my brain. Find a teacher who is willing to be open minded, that’s the trick to learning in a creative field.
so true. I had a teacher who would yell at me if I added any extra notes “That may sound good to you, but now you are playing a different song than what is written”. That kind of thing really should be encouraged. I hate playing “dots on a page"
Does anyone remember the two Mozart pieces in the 1st and 2nd John Thompson books? In the 1st book is Air from Mozart and I think in the 2nd is the Don Juan piece. I loved that one haha!
"I had to take boxing because I was learning how to play the piano" There are probably not that many people who can tell this story because there are probably not that many people with the ear to be able to do what is required to tell the story
If you want kids to be interested in learning piano, start them off with Jerry Lee Lewis' Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On. If that doesn't interest them, nothing will....
nobody but nobody interacts with the audience or gives these kind of Q&A/"interviews" and talks like Billy Joel - pure gold - I wish he'd do more but so grateful for these videos
One of a kind....and to me .....hes not even showing any signs of slowing down
I love that he can't talk about music without playing it.
Writing versions of Mozart when 8 or 9 is a dead give-away for a GENIUS ! IMHO.
Can you say child prodigy? A friend of mine is like that. She's been playing guitar, writing her own songs, performing live, and recording from a young age.
Omg even when Billy Joel literally hammered the piano like a child he sounded way better than many of us already.
Can't break skill nor habit! :)
This man is amazing.
We need a podcast of Billy Joel just telling stories.
The thing is, even you just want to play a song you like, you still need some basic skill and knowledge of notation and chords. Not everybody has good ears and good coordination like his, as well as this creativity and imagination. BJ's musical gift, talent is one of the greatest, it's a rare gem. Most of the people, without any training, they can't even move their fingers on the piano or tell the difference between a major or minor chord.
Really? I began piano lessons at age 5 or 6 and my story is quite similar to Billy's. I got tired of trying to learn to read music, so I just never did (I'm now getting a Master's in Music). Music theory just made sense to my ears without thinking about the staff. I thought most people were like this.
@@andrewparke1764 pretty sure you know that not everyone is like that but congrats on being great at the piano
@@iambrad4163 I thought most people were like that, but certainly not everyone. I have no way to tally them up...
@@andrewparke1764 if you take piano lessons from a young age on it becomes like a language to you but for anyone who didn’t take piano lessons from a very young age it’s not that easy
dude has ALWAYS been a BEAST!
That man is a genius.
2:16 John Thompson, Book One
Great piano teacher story. I think the John Thomson method was specially designed to force you to have a piano teacher as the pieces after Music Land are hard. Congrats to anyone that had to go through it.
oh the ptsd...
Do you think Billy was able to make up Mozart style pieces at a young age because of the course or because he is a genius?
Priceless!!! Love you Billy! 🤣❤
Genius💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖Just Billy! 💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💐💐
It’s funny he’s right about piano teachers who teach children. I took piano for 1 year. She taught me like I was supposed to be a virtuoso. They sometimes really take the joy out of it. Music is supposed to be fun.
Learning a skill, especially a discipline like the piano is not easy. If you want fun, go to Disneyland. Skill is only fun when you have some.
Billy Joel is an incredible music composer, writer, singer and a comedian.
HOLY SHEEET haha. Yes I remember playing Off We Go to Musicland..John Thompson. I also did a little playing around with my pieces I had to learn too. My piano teacher was a young 20 year old who was being taught by a Maestro that played the Kennedy Center and she indulged my playful variations, as long as I learned the pieces. My piano tuner was sweet old jewish man named Mr. Liberman..he did the tuning for the pianos at the Kennedy Center *smile*
Great interview here with Billy ! Really enjoyed this .
My piano teacher taught me in a completely different way from the classical way. She taught me chords and different variations on the chords. I could kind of read sheet music , and still can, but I prefer to play by ear. She also taught me about keeping time and built rhythm into my brain.
Find a teacher who is willing to be open minded, that’s the trick to learning in a creative field.
so true. I had a teacher who would yell at me if I added any extra notes “That may sound good to you, but now you are playing a different song than what is written”. That kind of thing really should be encouraged. I hate playing “dots on a page"
He's a fucking legend!!!!
Nice story....Its really true to a young kid.
Love him!!!!
Does anyone remember the two Mozart pieces in the 1st and 2nd John Thompson books? In the 1st book is Air from Mozart and I think in the 2nd is the Don Juan piece. I loved that one haha!
he’s so hilarious and adorable
He needs to add stand up comedy to his talent list
he should do a set like fred armisen’s standup for drummers, but for pianists
He’s a musical Jerry Seinfeld
Hahahahaha the end was so funny 😂
This video is why I play piano
He should be a comedian like actually
I'm really surprised he hasn't been approached to host SNL.
A great comedian anda musician
Genius
The Mozart piece he played was used as the opening theme for Mr. Belvedere.
When they make the biopic of his life “Music Land”, “Land of Music” or “Off we go to music land” should be the title.
An autobiography is a story you write about yourself. A biography is a story about you written by others.
@@fezzik7619 What happens when you're leaving comments half a sleep at 2am
"I had to take boxing because I was learning how to play the piano" There are probably not that many people who can tell this story because there are probably not that many people with the ear to be able to do what is required to tell the story
Bill Joel the German. Thanx cuz, me too!!!
Okay, how did he do that at 2:47 ?! What is that called? What notes do I have to play? Help me guys!
Elton and Liberace didn't do it to meet......OK, never mind.
or mj :P
Although Elton did have a 'beard'. He was married to her briefly.
Hobart and William Smith Colleges.
OMG!! He liked the swan song too!!!! It was the piece inspired me to learn piano actually.
Billy Joel is amazing, but I thought Billy Joel's first piano teacher was Morton Estrin. I have never heard of Ms. Francis.
I thought it was beethoven, but Ms. Francis must be pretty good.
The little "made up" piano Mozart-like pieces he constructed were better than the classical album he put out in 2001, IMHO.
what is the song he is playing on the piano at the end
hgpo27 moonlight sonata
thanks, you are a good person
lol god bless you miss franics and god bless you billy and thx for lunch last year bottle of red bottle of white and prehspe a bottle of roses instead
Autobiographies are always fiction. I’m sure Billy Joel’s mother would have a very different perception. But, he’s clearly a one of a kind.
what song does he play at the end
+Cathryn Pitt I think this is Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata
Moonlight sonata
What's the name of that little jingle at 2:49?
doesn't really have a name, it's just like a riff
Billy - Why aren't you a coach or mentor on 'The Voice' ?? Because your lane of music is woefully underrepresented there.
2:50 LOL
If you want kids to be interested in learning piano, start them off with Jerry Lee Lewis' Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On. If that doesn't interest them, nothing will....
It wasn't in the dots. Hahaha
I wonder if the teacher likes Piano man
I was waiting for him to say why Elton John did it 😂
Ms. Frances? LOL!@*&^
when Billy was a kid; no white kid on long Island NY was saying YO, quite yet. they'd be sayig, EY!
true! he has artistic license to his story telling
Chopin was not doing it to meet girls
how do you know?
Using piano to pick up chicks. That's the way to do it!
But a guitar's easier to take to the beach ;-)
@@carlbaumeister3439 Harmonica fits in a pocket.
if music didn't work out, he would have become a stand-up comedian
Why I don't play piano lol
How many people, must have been turned off to music; by horrible teachers, or terrible teaching methods?
too many to list. the interweb would break.
Why did you learn the piano? "I did it to meet girls."
Get rid of YOUR intro pay Billy more resect
Nice so you got a piano teacher, huh?
I never took one and I can play Liszt's b flat billy and you CANNOT.
when you sell out MSG in NYC save me a ticket
Liszt’s B-flat what?