1. Focus on the parts you have the most problems in and try to improve them, don't just play the entire song 2. Don't just blindly focus and become obsessed with pressing the right keys at right times. Listen to yourself and the melody that you are producing. 3. Don't just keep on practicing what your teacher teaches. Think outside the box and also try to apply those techniques from your teacher to your musical experiments. 4. Watch other people play so you can associate. Listen to varieties. 5. Improve your ears. Relative pitch over perfect pitch, understanding somewhat major third or a perfect fifth. Understanding the distinctive feelings given by the chords. Singing in a proper choir can improve your ears and also your sheet reading massively. 6. Work stuff out for yourself. Understanding melody and harmony of the commonly heard music of yours. Basically, playing by ear which is by understanding the theoretical shapes in the formation of the music. 7. Composing your own music. Be creative. 8. Learn to read and write music.
Lol theres also this ad where this person plays swan lake by Tchaikovsky and then high fives her friend and says Mozart like wtf they got the wrong composer
1) Don't just practice hard, practice smart 2) Listen to yourself for the quality of the sound 3) Go outside of your zone of comfort 4) Watch other people play piano 5) Improve your ear 6) Work stuff out for yourself by ear 7) Write your own music 8) Learn to read written music
Personally, I think one of my tips for really learning anything is to have fun. Being frustrated and disliking what you’re doing is a big hold back when it comes to practicing stuff.
that's how i started, before i knew it i could play rhe whole "Lacie" before i knew it(the reason i got hooked so much from guitar to piano). When you like something, you're eager to learn. Also, having a break is good too for a breather. I Always bear this in mind: "You play to please yourself, and others come second. So enjoy, and feel your own rhythm, let the music flow." it works
This is great advice. I used to play piano for a while, but because I was just playing old, classic pieces I didn't exactly enjoy it as much as I would have if I played songs I enjoyed at the time. Now that I'm listening to piano covers of songs I love, I'm genuinely interested in starting piano again, hence why I am watching this video.
tip #1- practice SMART not HARD :) do what you struggle with ATTACK THE PROB tip#2- listen to yourself! dont just press the “right notes” focus on musicality! tip #3- go outside of what you are learning (your teacher is teaching you or what you are teaching yourself) tip #4- WATCH! watch others play the piano to associate sound with action tip #5- improve your ear, not perfect pitch but RELATIVE pitch. tip #6- work stuff out for yourself to help your ear and your understanding of melody and harmony tip #7- write your own music! you dont have 2 be Mozart HAVE FUN :) tip #8- “Learn. To read. Written. Music!” :)
Addition to the first tip: I've always been taught to play "measure + note" which is to say, play the measure you're having trouble with and the one note exactly following it. That helps prevent creating a new crux right after.
Of course! When practising from sheet music, for example lets take a look at Canon in D: i.imgur.com/7yCfUIG.png Say you're having trouble with the first measure (F and E in the right hand). It is then advised to practice this measure and the next note following it (in this case D in the right and B in the left), for if you just practice the first measure isolated, you'll likely have trouble when you suddenly have to move your hands to a position which wasn't previously in your muscle memory. It's a way of making sure that the movement to the next measure gets included in your training.
Mit1mit2mity4 I have heard that also.. but I would think a measure before and afterwards.. of course work on the trouble measure the most. also just a few minutes away from the instrument has helped me.. your brain will figure things out without stress. Also I look at the trouble measure away from the piano. also I find a copy of the trouble area and write in pencil where the the problem is and sometimes put the date..
Hey man, I just wanted to tell you that I really appreciate what you're doing. Your whole channel. I've always wanted to get better at improvisation and you taught me stuff I didn't know of. I did the electronic Keyboard with Trinity College till grade 2, and tried to get better by myself after that. I want to be able to play for the church choir and sound amazing. i also want to get better at Jazz, riffs and licks. all your videos are so helpful. thank you so much. Please keep doing what you're doing
Rykiel Pereira One thing that I've learned is humming the music. if you can hum a piece of music ..you already know the melody.. and your brain can pick up the chord maybe not the exact one. I'm a beta tester for an app called pa#. it's amazing..it's getting better too.. it's on Android don't know if it's on iOS. it allows you to write music and it's user friendly. Another thing the more you try to write the music the better. get music paper and put just dots in for the notes and the timing signature. then later you can correct the timing..
Cheers for the Video! Excuse me for butting in, I am interested in your thoughts. Have you thought about - Riddleagan Possessing Piano Remedy (probably on Google)? It is an awesome one of a kind product for learning how to play the piano easily without the normal expense. Ive heard some pretty good things about it and my GF got cool success with it.
I agree that learning to read music is crucial. It's as important as learning to read the alphabet is to school work! Once I learned to read music I realized that EVERY song ever written was available to me! It was a truly amazing and liberating experience. Mind you, I am still a rank beginner.
pepeledog what level music do you read. I've had a long journey with that and I recently got much better . one thing I did was put away things that were too advanced for me and little by little I pull something out and play more of the piece.
Yes....there is another piano teacher on RUclips (whom I admire immensely, as it happens), who has quite stringent "admission criteria" for one of his courses, such as must have 5+ years of piano playing experience, but then says you don't have to read music to take his course. Seems bizarre. Surely you would have learned to read music if you'd studied piano for 5 or more years. (I know, I know, McCartney doesn't, or didn't, read music, but he's a genius, and most people don't have that natural talent).
I have never had a piano lesson before and I'm completely self taught I can't read sheet music too well I know all my notes but I don't have basic knowledge about chords their names or anything really any tips on learning how to read sheet music
Thanks for the tips Bill ! I played drums for a wedding band in the 70's & 80's. Just started piano lessons at age 63! Your advice brings me back to the same principles I learned from my drum teacher in the 1960's. Keep up the good work, you have a new fan. Mark McD. ....MA. USA
Mark M Glad to hear I’m not the only one. I’m 70 and was an intermediated player but stopped playing for many years to raise a family. I’m having a hard time with my reach; can’t even reach an octave...bad arthritis. Overall, it’s starting to come back. Happy practicing!
Im 13 and i only have been practicing the piano for month. I hope this all comes back to me in the future because I trust the information you have given to me to be very useful.
People today are lucky with RUclips ,I had to grind out hours is scale practice in freezing cold rooms and constant writing of sheet music for years.Today Can,t be bothered to learn songs just improvise and insert parts of the tune I remember or like and come in and out of the melody.lovely,well done bill great vids
Yr welcome,the worst thing of learning the piano was Having to turn the page of sheet music.I don,t need it anymore just wing it but it always broke my momentum.good luck
Never could stand the interpretation guys. Have to admit. In a band, we want to hear what's on the record. I don't know why piano players just wing it a the time, when everyone else puts the work in :). Not like we can't tell the difference...lol I'd remember it well enough to sing a piano melody but not so great on playing by ear yet. 90% of what I do is from memory as I don't read sheet as well as I'd like.
Writing my own music has been some of the most helpful for remembering what I’ve learnt , hearing 3rds 5ths and 6ths, .... helps my reading , transposing my favorite song from C major, down to A flat for my voice, .. I play so I can sing. Reading the treble staff, I love, I struggle with the bass staff, but do me sol, re fa la, fa la do, la re fa re la, (6,9,11,9,6). I guess so much breath control and soft palate, I need to rethink hand coordination, playing pass notes and melody, or forcing myself to accompany myself, not enough time with the metronome, writing new pieces , revisiting my sing in B flat. My obsession with melody has messed up my understanding of harmony, Playing more Harmonic intervals, getting better with left hand specifically ,
This video was such a "aha" moment for me. I've been playing piano for about 6 months starting out as a total beginner and doing a course offered by my college by master pianist. Anyways I've learned so much from her and she definitely got me in the right steps of getting better and improving even with covid pandemic, but now that I'm out of school and no instructor I've been kind of loss what to do. Yeah I practice my scales everyday doing them at different tempos, different rhythms, doing them with only-stecato, etc. But before this video that's all I did. I can read any kind of sheet music thanks to my professor who taught me how to read music, but I'm so concerned with learning the basics and all fundamentals I can learn such as chords, arpeggios, and learning music theory. But now I'm playing songs from video games like ff9 sleepless city treno and it's enjoyable and all these tips have been helping me so much and I feel I'm gaining more in my practices
Cool! I don't have much advice to add, as it sounds like you're doing the right kind of thing. The only thing I'll say is - keep working at it. And good luck!
Thank you for all your videos Bill! I always come back again and again to learn something new and use it on my own compositions. It's an incredible labor of love!
I listened to your video the other day and you have helped me realize some reasons why my piano has not been improving. I am taking a different approach to improve my performances. Thank you.
I've always avoided learning to read music, in fact I think I watched this video before and clicked off when I heard you say I gotta learn to read music... but this time my brain is saying UGH FINE FINE I'LL TRY IT So. I will make the attempt
Definitely try it! It's a steep learning curve to start with, but if you push through you'll find you're pretty competent in a very short period of time. Once you are, it's massively increases the range and flexibility of what you can do as a musician. Good luck, and shout if you need any help!
I agree with all of your tips! I am a self-taught pianist, organist and keyboard player. I mainly sight read but have also learned a variety of pieces by ear. I understand the theory, chords and harmony, again self-taught. And I also sight read choral music and have for many years sung in a church choir. And I can improvise. AND, for many years now I have been a professional musician. SO, I concur with all of your good advice and encourage others to do the same. Many thanks for your wise, enthusiastic and practical advice.
These are great tips and reminders for learning piano, Bill. I am partly self-taught and I take lessons occasionally. I do try some spontaneous writing but that is still a work in progress. Thanks again for these videos!
This is my opionion: 1. Cell phone tripod. Record everything on RUclips live so no wasted time uploading. Very easy to.do, too. It's one click. 2. A good piano leaning program. 3. A good teacher. 4. The problem bars and one before and after. 5. Metronome. Timing. 6. Pocket. That's the feel. Can't really be taught. 7. Scales can't hurt. 8. Small increments, 15-20 several times a day. If annoyed, change songs or switch focus for a bit. Don't sit hours at a time; it can give you a stroke or heart attack (thick blood, cured by moving around and donating blood as often as possible=truth). My personal strengths are natural timing and remembering songs well. I don't need any help with pocket; already have that. Flaws: not a great reader. Rely on my ear too much when the sheet is right there. I don't yet "see" the song in the sheet. I'm bad at theory. I took up drums so it wouldn't come up much. Have rhythm, already. Have issues slowing down to 40bpm for any reason. I get crazy bored.
Thank you for the video bill...my favourite tip is no8...I really love the challenge of learning to read music! I've been learning for only 3 months from John thompsons adult piano course ( very near the end of the book) and I find it very satisfying to be able to read the music and NOT look at the keys...in fact if I do glance at them, I'm lost.lol. So that's where I am. Thank you.
You're welcome, David - yes, it is satisfying to not look at the keys, and it's worth pushing on with that attitude in mind, because it will help you as things get more challenging...!
This is awesome, you're not saying jokes or anything and you still have about a thousand likes- showing this video to friends and family and subscribing. Keep being a brilliant musician and teacher.
I used to play flute many moons ago, admittedly I don't pick it up anymore... but I got a keyboard for christmas and steadily learning :) It's so handy having know how to read music! I must also encourage everyone to learn to read sheet music
I am a Classical pianist, but I will use this video to structure my piano lessons-thank you, Bill, for sharing and I will check out your playing by ear video as well as continue to work on my ear training, improvisation and composition skills.
Thanks Karen - really glad you find it useful. Give me a shout if you have any questions (though you're probably a waaaay better classicist then I am!)
@@BillHilton Hi Bill, it is so great to hear from you and to have your friendship! Your channel is really awesome! Is there a single link that I can scroll through all your videos upon one sitting? Thank you, Friend:)
I wish I knew all this when I began learning piano as a ten year old! Now I’m 17 and have been playing piano for a while but I’m lacking skills in improv. I recently quit my piano lessons and have been learning more songs on my own. Due to all the music theory training I received, I’m not having a very difficult time but improv and jazz are what I want to do. I’ve played tons of contemporary, romantic, classical, baroque pieces but I want to expand my skills
Keep focussed and you'll definitely make progress, especially since you still have a young, learning-friendly brain. The focus and sticking at it are important, though - you need to lay down quite a lot of new neural circuitry to deal with the skills here. Good luck! (And do think again about quitting piano lessons: a solid classical background is *incredibly* useful, even if it seems tedious and irrelevant at the time. You'll thank me in 25 years...)
Bill, I'm 21 years old and I discovered your channel last week. I'm currently teaching myself to play the piano through your RUclips videos and other internet sources. However, I was speaking to a pianist the other day and he told me that there was no point in trying to learn the piano because I am "too old" to start learning now. So my question is, is this true? I'm not trying to be a concert pianist or anything, I just want to be able to play the piano relatively well. Is this possible? Or am I too old to start now? I thought I'd see if I can get a professional's opinion.
I don't know who he/she was but they're completely and utterly wrong. Not only is 21 pretty young, you can pick piano up at 50+ and still become a great player!
Thank you, I was very worried that I'd missed the boat or something because I've wanted to play piano for a while now, but I never really found the time. But now I can learn without doubting myself :) Thanks
Bullshit! You're never too old to start learning ANYTHING. Don't let that pointless nonsense discourage you. Just you wait, a few months of diligent practice and you'll be wondering why you ever doubted yourself. Go for it! Pick up the foundational skills and go after music that you love. One resource I found really helpful was piano-ology. Bill Hilton is obviously superb too!
Ryo Fukui, a renowned jazz pianist allegedly only started learning the piano at the age of 22! That being said, I would highly recommend that you get a teacher. Bill's videos (and other online resources) are really good, but there are some things you can only learn with a teacher. Videos are great supplements, but having a teacher that can give you more of a top-down perspective on learning is in my opinion essential. Take this from a guy who has been "self-learning" piano for about 8 years. I've had several teachers, and each of them has helped me see huge mistakes I'd been making teaching myself. I started by thinking "I just want to learn pop songs!" but your goals do grow as you go down the road. If could start over, I'd definitely start with a teacher and basic music theory. Back on topic, 21 years is not too old, nor is any age for that matter. Seize the day!
I would absolutely agree with the previous responses. If you *did* want to become a concert pianist than arguably you're starting a little late (though some great musicians have started late, so I wouldn't even let that put me off). If you generally just want to become a good piano player and have fun with the instrument, then you're not remotely late. For the best possible results, I'd echo what +Dean Tan says below about getting a teacher: you can teach yourself piano and people do, very effectively, but formal lessons will straighten out problems early and give you a good basis for further development. If cost is an issue (and when isn't it?) you could save the price of quite a few lessons by teaching yourself the basics of, e.g., reading score before you approach a teacher. Like most people, it'll probably take you a little while and demand some dedication, but absolutely go for it!
Fantastic advice! I am a concert pianist and came here to see if I follow all these things! I do mostly but it is nice to be reminded. I think it's good to be reminded at any stage! And yes I sing in a choir too! Only thing I would add is to record yourself which ties in well with your "listen to yourself " tip. Also perform to others too! My friends and family listen to me all the time and they give me honest feedback! It's very useful ! Especially if they are musicians. Great job! I've subscribed ☺️.
Thanks Mitzy! The recording yourself thing is a very good idea - I wish I'd put that in! You're right: it gives you a really clear, objective view of strengths and weaknesses (even if it can be a bit painful to listen to yourself...!)
Thank you very much for the Video!^^ This really helps me out and will be vety usefull for my Piano skills devolempment. And the first thing I will do is to learn to read (and write) writtrn music. I even can play some songs with two hands (thanks to synthesia) but I cant read it yet! So thank you again for thr video and have a nice day everyone :)
I've been learning with my girlfriend's keyboard for the past 2 weeks and have started figuring out Under Paris Skies. It's a little tricky considering it's written on 3/4, but I have been able to track my daily progress efficiently and I certainly notice myself getting better everyday.
Glad to hear it Josh - keep working on it, and bear in mind that progress tends to come in fits and starts, so expect to have plateaus and breakthroughs...!
So I want to be a better pianist and as soon as he said "join a choir" I had a huge smile because ive beem in choir for a really long time now and i absolutely love it. and hes right, it definately helps a whole lot.
I'm going be really cheeky from the back of the class and suggest number nine :) If you are buying an instrument, do not spend ages picking the perfect instrument first time. Get a cheap 61-key , possible used and start learning the position of notes, scales and good habits like daily practise. In a few months I have progressed, entirely with Bill, from total beginner to reading score (slowly) practising (efficiently) and choosing my ideal digital piano (first one was a freebie). Oh, and have fun! Thank you Bill.
Been there, done that. I'm moderately good at playing the piano for an eleven and a half year old. My keyboard sound is the issue, though. It can't support custom sounds, and its normal sound sounds nothing like a piano. That's where I begin to have issues.
when i hear ear training i think of putting a thread around your ear, and putting a dumbell at the other end of the string. Then you do squats. Thats a real ear workout.
That's a very 1990s approach - these days it's all about bodyweight. An easy way to start is a one-arm pullup, but using your ear instead of your arm to grip the bar. Aim for 3x8 reps per side to start with.
Most who learned to play with a conventional teacher tend to stick to a standard set of repertoire. You find half-dozen versions of "Minuet in G" online that most students played. If you are with a music program like Suzuki, you get a standardized set of books. Suzuki music students give recitals with songs from various Suzuki books. Many can play very well but still using songbooks everybody else is using. The advantage is that you can compare your results with Suzuki students anywhere in the world playing the exact same songs. Know 1 man who learned several difficult pieces not exactly by ear, not by notations, but by watching finger sequences as a demo video is being played. Questioned him a few times why he never bothered to learn the notations and he would always say notations is a foreign language he wouldn't be able to master. For someone who is retired with a lot of free time, there is no excuse why he can't spend even half-an-hour a day practicing to read.
Absolutely, Jonny - as a producer you'll spend a lot of time working with MIDI data, but it's hard to read and get an overview of without hitting "play". Being able to read music means you can jot down and sketch out ideas quickly for yourself or other people (keyboard, horn or string parts) and save a lot of time (and therefore money) if you're working with session players. It'll also widen the genres and styles of music you can work in. A lot of people going into production these days don't read music, so if you can it'll give you a definite edge!
I'm finally getting back into piano after years of relatively soul-less classical training! I feel pretty awful at it, because I'm finally branching out from playing the same songs repeatedly. This helped me out a lot with figuring out what I'm doing right and wrong in beginning to teach myself, and branch out to different genres. Thank you so much for making piano easier to enjoy.
I just bought an electric keyboard because I've been wanting to learn an instrument sinve forever and decided maybe this quarantine, I have time and I can give effort to crossing that bucket list out for the year because all my vacay plans are cancelled, blame the pandemic. I hope I can successfully learn something through out. Thank you for the tips. And are there any android apps that you can recommend for a self learner?
Good luck! Nope, there aren't any apps I generally recommend: some are kind of OK, but on the whole they tend to be gimmicky and shallow. You're usually better off with a full tutorial course either from videos or a book (like Alfreds, or the Complete Piano Player). Better still are lessons from a real live teacher! Failing that, though, you might find my beginners' course useful - twenty tutorials with accompanying PDFs, and 100% free, on RUclips, with no sign-up. Here's the playlist: ruclips.net/p/PLpOuhygfD7QnP46wUgQudOySX_z2UOhXs
What was that amazing piece at 4:37 ?? I wanna learn it im also a beginner watching vids like this really makes me confident and boosts me up Great vid bro thanks!
It's just pretty standard 12 bar blues, with some right hand licks. If you search "bill hilton blues piano" without the quote marks you'll find I have quite a few tutorials that'll help you work in exactly that style. (Apologies for the delayed reply, btw - been away for a few days!)
Expand your repertoire, listen to other people, ear training, working out a song, composing are all good tips. As a member of a music group, I'm used to playing a variety of music at different levels. Back in my school days the problem is lack of time. Since I did not Major in Music, had to do many assignments on other subjects. From experience I'd divide people into 2 groups. There are those who rely on reading music to get through a piece. Even playing a C chord they need to see CEG on a staff to know what to play. There are others who are comfortable with improvised music and would play songs not in books assigned by a teacher. Some people are not comfortable performing in front of others. Some are afraid to learn a song on their own because they may be playing the wrong way or they don't feel they are as good as their teacher. Some students tend to stick to the pieces assigned by the teacher or stay within the level their teacher feel they are at... like someone at a Gr. 4 conservatory level would not play pieces at a Gr. 5 level. Once had 2 young man playing "Minuet in G" (piano-violin duet) at our home because their teacher assigned the piece.
Great tips here! You called me out on not paying enough attention to reading, since it's never been much of an issue for me as a guitar player. But thanks :)
Great tutorials. You have probably heard this a hundred times, but to reduce mechanical key noise, turn up the piano and voice gain settings and then reduce the master recording volume.
Thanks! I've not actually heard that one before - I'll give it a go. I like to have *some* key noise - it gives a more convincing "in the room" experience to the tutorials, or so I think at least - but limiting it is a constant battle (as you can probably read in the comments on those of my tutorials where it's particularly bad, most of them now, thankfully, from quite some time ago...!)
I'm really glad you wrote them!:)) Even bought double copies as a gift to a friend. And I'm glad shot these videos. Keep up the good work. All the best.
hiii, this was rlly helpful seeing as I’m only beginning to play the keyboard. On my own. Which is so hard. But I watch videos before. This doesn’t mean I don’t make mistakes tbh, but this actually helped a lot
Those tips seemed awesome! Maybe perfect pitch doesn't exist, but at least PERFECT PIANO TEACHER does! I can assure you that your way of talking about the tips will improve my piano learning.
I always try learn music from those videos from channels like piano sheet boss and I am having fun, but then I realise I've been practicing for half an hour and am still trying to learn the first 10 seconds on a 2 minute video and get really demotivated and am not sure if I'm doing something wrong, or if it's just those videos aren't a good way to learn piano, that's why I'm here. Any assistance will help :)
Channels like that *can* be great, if you have the basic underlying skills nailed down, but if you're taking that kind of time to work on individual sheets then you probably need to blitz the basics... which I might be able to help you with! Have you checked out my new Intermediate series? It might be around your level, and if not you could try digging back into the later tutorials of the beginners' series: ruclips.net/p/PLpOuhygfD7QnP46wUgQudOySX_z2UOhXs
Hello Bill! I discovered your channel quite recently and I find it really helpful! I have been studying classical piano for 12 years now when I realized that I wanted something more than performing and learning by heart classical pieces. I want to improvise and compose my own music. Believe it or not, even if I have been taught the most out of theory and harmony, I find it soooo hard, especially when I have to keep a rhythm that I am not reading it from a sheet!! Just one question: When you decide to improvise, do you have any plan about the chord progression you are going to use or do you just think what is this you would like to hear next and then your hands just transform your thought into music?
Hi Alexandra: I'm glad to hear you're finding the channel useful, because when I first started it, it was people like you - who had had classical lessons, but want to branch out - that I had in mind. The audience is a little broader than that these days, but it's good to hear it's still working for you guys, too. Re: your question on improvisation, the short answer is that I do both. Improvising against a chord progression is very good discipline, and "free" improvisation is very good for creativity, experimentation and developing your style :)
![Lil Uzi Vert - We Good [Official Audio]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/DrSfBULAsek/mqdefault.jpg)
“You need to improve your ear”
Beethoven: What?
thats funny
Lol so many outcomes of this joke
Oh no haha
Lmaoo
Vhat?
-Beethoven
1. Focus on the parts you have the most problems in and try to improve them, don't just play the entire song
2. Don't just blindly focus and become obsessed with pressing the right keys at right times. Listen to yourself and the melody that you are producing.
3. Don't just keep on practicing what your teacher teaches. Think outside the box and also try to apply those techniques from your teacher to your musical experiments.
4. Watch other people play so you can associate. Listen to varieties.
5. Improve your ears. Relative pitch over perfect pitch, understanding somewhat major third or a perfect fifth. Understanding the distinctive feelings given by the chords. Singing in a proper choir can improve your ears and also your sheet reading massively.
6. Work stuff out for yourself. Understanding melody and harmony of the commonly heard music of yours. Basically, playing by ear which is by understanding the theoretical shapes in the formation of the music.
7. Composing your own music. Be creative.
8. Learn to read and write music.
Thanks a lot mate
Thanks
Yeah... But I practice things which are always out of the course I'm learning
me: sees 599 likes
also me: >insert random sir pelo art here
you honestly saved my life thank you soooooooo much!!! how could I repay you for your kindness??
When the piano said:
🎶🎶🎵🎵🎶🎶🎵🎶🎵🎶🎵🎵🎵🎵🎵🎵🎶🎶
I felt that.
Emari Money same
Tear me up
😂😂😂😂😂
Deep..
Only 4 more till 1k damn
Me : watch a piano video
The Simply piano app : Let us introduce ourselves
Extremely Underrated comment🤣🤣
GuYs I’m OnLy nInE yEaRs OlD AnD mY fOrEhEaD iS tHaT bIg
As soon as I scrolled to this comment
That add popped and ..
"Guys I'm only 9 years old and I already know how to pl-*skip add"
👁👄👁
Bro while i was reading this comment i got an ad on simply piano
woah actually i got playground sections this time
That simply piano ad with 9 years old girl in it: *plays first 10 notes of fur elise
"I already know how to play piano"
You wouldn't believe how many "learn piano" ads I get...
Roope Huhtanen it makes me so sad when I see it and I just think to myself “she didn’t even play the first 20 and she says she know how to play.”
KillaAvery HEY GUYS IM ONLY NINE YEARS OLD AND I CAN ALREADY PLAY PIANO.
Lol theres also this ad where this person plays swan lake by Tchaikovsky and then high fives her friend and says Mozart like wtf they got the wrong composer
@@linusalpsten1921 😂yes I have seen that one too!
1) Don't just practice hard, practice smart
2) Listen to yourself for the quality of the sound
3) Go outside of your zone of comfort
4) Watch other people play piano
5) Improve your ear
6) Work stuff out for yourself by ear
7) Write your own music
8) Learn to read written music
Thanks!
YeS I UnDerStaND Now
Eye opener, unprecedented
Practice does not make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect.
Lol my teacher always says that
Practice makes progress
practise makes practise
Practice makes _progress_
^ because perfect does not exist. Unless if it’s danny devito
Personally, I think one of my tips for really learning anything is to have fun. Being frustrated and disliking what you’re doing is a big hold back when it comes to practicing stuff.
that's how i started, before i knew it i could play rhe whole "Lacie" before i knew it(the reason i got hooked so much from guitar to piano). When you like something, you're eager to learn. Also, having a break is good too for a breather.
I Always bear this in mind: "You play to please yourself, and others come second. So enjoy, and feel your own rhythm, let the music flow." it works
This is great advice. I used to play piano for a while, but because I was just playing old, classic pieces I didn't exactly enjoy it as much as I would have if I played songs I enjoyed at the time. Now that I'm listening to piano covers of songs I love, I'm genuinely interested in starting piano again, hence why I am watching this video.
You should practice 40 hours a day.
Ling Ling is that you?!
lolg lolg
Lang lang
Breh 😭🤦♂️
HahA LiNg LinG OH mY GoD yOuR so FunNy
A pro has made more mistakes than a beginner
Out of curiosity.. In what way?
@@danrusic9964 Niels Bohr once said "An expert is a person who has made all the mistakes that can be made in a very narrow field."
@@danrusic9964 the more experience you have the longer you have been playing and the more time for mistakes it's pretty obvious.
@@anthonylee9835 But he did sience, not music :) But i get what u're saying
true, because a pro has been a beginner before
tip #1- practice SMART not HARD :) do what you struggle with ATTACK THE PROB
tip#2- listen to yourself! dont just press the “right notes” focus on musicality!
tip #3- go outside of what you are learning (your teacher is teaching you or what you are teaching yourself)
tip #4- WATCH! watch others play the piano to associate sound with action
tip #5- improve your ear, not perfect pitch but RELATIVE pitch.
tip #6- work stuff out for yourself to help your ear and your understanding of melody and harmony
tip #7- write your own music! you dont have 2 be Mozart HAVE FUN :)
tip #8- “Learn. To read. Written. Music!” :)
Addition to the first tip: I've always been taught to play "measure + note" which is to say, play the measure you're having trouble with and the one note exactly following it. That helps prevent creating a new crux right after.
That's a great idea - and probably what quite a few experienced players do instinctively. Thanks!
Mit1mit2mity4 b
Of course! When practising from sheet music, for example lets take a look at Canon in D: i.imgur.com/7yCfUIG.png
Say you're having trouble with the first measure (F and E in the right hand). It is then advised to practice this measure and the next note following it (in this case D in the right and B in the left), for if you just practice the first measure isolated, you'll likely have trouble when you suddenly have to move your hands to a position which wasn't previously in your muscle memory.
It's a way of making sure that the movement to the next measure gets included in your training.
Mit1mit2mity4 Holy shit, that gave me a new perspective. thank you!
Mit1mit2mity4 I have heard that also.. but I would think a measure before and afterwards.. of course work on the trouble measure the most. also just a few minutes away from the instrument has helped me.. your brain will figure things out without stress. Also I look at the trouble measure away from the piano. also I find a copy of the trouble area and write in pencil where the the problem is and sometimes put the date..
Like for the British accent.
Is it British? It think its not.
@@campwitheren its British, mate.
TheKatDoesDat whey uk gang
@@maicieray4680 yo im right here 😂
@@campwitheren I was definitely British the last time I checked!
Hey man, I just wanted to tell you that I really appreciate what you're doing. Your whole channel. I've always wanted to get better at improvisation and you taught me stuff I didn't know of. I did the electronic Keyboard with Trinity College till grade 2, and tried to get better by myself after that. I want to be able to play for the church choir and sound amazing. i also want to get better at Jazz, riffs and licks. all your videos are so helpful. thank you so much. Please keep doing what you're doing
Thanks very much indeed - it's always great to know when people find my stuff useful. I hope you'll keep benefiting from it in the future!
Rykiel Pereira One thing that I've learned is humming the music. if you can hum a piece of music ..you already know the melody.. and your brain can pick up the chord maybe not the exact one. I'm a beta tester for an app called pa#. it's amazing..it's getting better too.. it's on Android don't know if it's on iOS. it allows you to write music and it's user friendly. Another thing the more you try to write the music the better. get music paper and put just dots in for the notes and the timing signature. then later you can correct the timing..
Trinity is a very prestigious college! Very well done.
If you want to learn how to play piano like a pro then visit this website here: HootPiano.info
Cheers for the Video! Excuse me for butting in, I am interested in your thoughts. Have you thought about - Riddleagan Possessing Piano Remedy (probably on Google)? It is an awesome one of a kind product for learning how to play the piano easily without the normal expense. Ive heard some pretty good things about it and my GF got cool success with it.
I agree that learning to read music is crucial. It's as important as learning to read the alphabet is to school work! Once I learned to read music I realized that EVERY song ever written was available to me! It was a truly amazing and liberating experience. Mind you, I am still a rank beginner.
pepeledog what level music do you read. I've had a long journey with that and I recently got much better . one thing I did was put away things that were too advanced for me and little by little I pull something out and play more of the piece.
pepeledog ikr
@@markwilliams515 no
Yes....there is another piano teacher on RUclips (whom I admire immensely, as it happens), who has quite stringent "admission criteria" for one of his courses, such as must have 5+ years of piano playing experience, but then says you don't have to read music to take his course. Seems bizarre. Surely you would have learned to read music if you'd studied piano for 5 or more years. (I know, I know, McCartney doesn't, or didn't, read music, but he's a genius, and most people don't have that natural talent).
I have never had a piano lesson before and I'm completely self taught I can't read sheet music too well I know all my notes but I don't have basic knowledge about chords their names or anything really any tips on learning how to read sheet music
when he said "yeah" i felt that
Thanks for the tips Bill ! I played drums for a wedding band in the 70's & 80's. Just started piano lessons at age 63! Your advice brings me back to the same principles I learned from my drum teacher in the 1960's. Keep up the good work, you have a new fan. Mark McD. ....MA. USA
Thanks Mark - glad to have been of help. Anyone who has played in wedding bands has done the hard yards...!
Mark M Glad to hear I’m not the only one. I’m 70 and was an intermediated player but stopped playing for many years to raise a family. I’m having a hard time with my reach; can’t even reach an octave...bad arthritis. Overall, it’s starting to come back. Happy practicing!
HeyYouGuys! 70 huh
HeyYouGuys! You have a weird watch history...
Encouragin..am 32 i have just started
Im 13 and i only have been practicing the piano for month. I hope this all comes back to me in the future because I trust the information you have given to me to be very useful.
I hope so! Work hard at it, because your brain is at the ideal age to learn lots of things quickly. Good luck!
People today are lucky with RUclips ,I had to grind out hours is scale practice in freezing cold rooms and constant writing of sheet music for years.Today Can,t be bothered to learn songs just improvise and insert parts of the tune I remember or like and come in and out of the melody.lovely,well done bill great vids
Thanks very much indeed Jack!
Yr welcome,the worst thing of learning the piano was Having to turn the page of sheet music.I don,t need it anymore just wing it but it always broke my momentum.good luck
Never could stand the interpretation guys. Have to admit. In a band, we want to hear what's on the record. I don't know why piano players just wing it a the time, when everyone else puts the work in :). Not like we can't tell the difference...lol
I'd remember it well enough to sing a piano melody but not so great on playing by ear yet. 90% of what I do is from memory as I don't read sheet as well as I'd like.
I feel so grateful for knowing those great tips right in the beginning of my journey as a keyboardist. Thanks a lot for sharing them, Bill.
@Bill Hilton
Thank You for taking the time & effort in your videos. Much Appreciated. Jake
Bill buddy you've got awesome charisma in your videos, thank you for the upload!
I'm still a newbie but it's really fun watching you.
No problem - really glad you like them! :)
thank you now im subscribed and going to learn from these tips and i am now more hyped on learning on how to become a better pianist.
Writing my own music has been some of the most helpful for remembering what I’ve learnt , hearing 3rds 5ths and 6ths, .... helps my reading , transposing my favorite song from C major, down to A flat for my voice, .. I play so I can sing. Reading the treble staff, I love, I struggle with the bass staff, but do me sol, re fa la, fa la do, la re fa re la, (6,9,11,9,6). I guess so much breath control and soft palate, I need to rethink hand coordination, playing pass notes and melody, or forcing myself to accompany myself, not enough time with the metronome, writing new pieces , revisiting my sing in B flat. My obsession with melody has messed up my understanding of harmony, Playing more Harmonic intervals, getting better with left hand specifically ,
You are on track. Refreshing to hear someone give this kind of advice. anyone reading
to this- he's talking sense!
Glad you think so, Liz - thanks very much! :)
This video was such a "aha" moment for me. I've been playing piano for about 6 months starting out as a total beginner and doing a course offered by my college by master pianist. Anyways I've learned so much from her and she definitely got me in the right steps of getting better and improving even with covid pandemic, but now that I'm out of school and no instructor I've been kind of loss what to do. Yeah I practice my scales everyday doing them at different tempos, different rhythms, doing them with only-stecato, etc. But before this video that's all I did. I can read any kind of sheet music thanks to my professor who taught me how to read music, but I'm so concerned with learning the basics and all fundamentals I can learn such as chords, arpeggios, and learning music theory. But now I'm playing songs from video games like ff9 sleepless city treno and it's enjoyable and all these tips have been helping me so much and I feel I'm gaining more in my practices
Cool! I don't have much advice to add, as it sounds like you're doing the right kind of thing. The only thing I'll say is - keep working at it. And good luck!
I was in a bit of a piano rut so I switched on this video and BAM. Right, off to rehearsal now!
Thank you for all your videos Bill!
I always come back again and again to learn something new and use it on my own compositions.
It's an incredible labor of love!
Thanks David - really glad to hear my stuff has helped you!
I listened to your video the other day and you have helped me realize some reasons why my piano has not been improving. I am taking a different approach to improve my performances. Thank you.
You're welcome, Mary - let me know if you have any questions!
@@BillHilton Thank you, Bill.
I've always avoided learning to read music, in fact I think I watched this video before and clicked off when I heard you say I gotta learn to read music... but this time my brain is saying UGH FINE FINE I'LL TRY IT
So. I will make the attempt
Definitely try it! It's a steep learning curve to start with, but if you push through you'll find you're pretty competent in a very short period of time. Once you are, it's massively increases the range and flexibility of what you can do as a musician. Good luck, and shout if you need any help!
Where are you
@@SwagLifeSeries Right here! *waves*
I can read sheet music but I’m so slow
Good tips. I took music in high school, but never learned piano and just picked up a keyboard. I will surely keep all this in mind
Same thing
I agree with all of your tips! I am a self-taught pianist, organist and keyboard player. I mainly sight read but have also learned a variety of pieces by ear. I understand the theory, chords and harmony, again self-taught. And I also sight read choral music and have for many years sung in a church choir. And I can improvise. AND, for many years now I have been a professional musician. SO, I concur with all of your good advice and encourage others to do the same. Many thanks for your wise, enthusiastic and practical advice.
mickypoo4622 hi how did you learn to sight read? any videos you suggest I should use? I'm teaching myself piano
How did u learn sight reading?
These are great tips and reminders for learning piano, Bill. I am partly self-taught and I take lessons occasionally. I do try some spontaneous writing but that is still a work in progress. Thanks again for these videos!
This is my opionion:
1. Cell phone tripod. Record everything on RUclips live so no wasted time uploading. Very easy to.do, too. It's one click.
2. A good piano leaning program.
3. A good teacher.
4. The problem bars and one before and after.
5. Metronome. Timing.
6. Pocket. That's the feel. Can't really be taught.
7. Scales can't hurt.
8. Small increments, 15-20 several times a day. If annoyed, change songs or switch focus for a bit. Don't sit hours at a time; it can give you a stroke or heart attack (thick blood, cured by moving around and donating blood as often as possible=truth).
My personal strengths are natural timing and remembering songs well. I don't need any help with pocket; already have that.
Flaws: not a great reader. Rely on my ear too much when the sheet is right there. I don't yet "see" the song in the sheet. I'm bad at theory. I took up drums so it wouldn't come up much.
Have rhythm, already. Have issues slowing down to 40bpm for any reason. I get crazy bored.
Thank you for the video bill...my favourite tip is no8...I really love the challenge of learning to read music! I've been learning for only 3 months from John thompsons adult piano course ( very near the end of the book) and I find it very satisfying to be able to read the music and NOT look at the keys...in fact if I do glance at them, I'm lost.lol. So that's where I am. Thank you.
You're welcome, David - yes, it is satisfying to not look at the keys, and it's worth pushing on with that attitude in mind, because it will help you as things get more challenging...!
This is awesome, you're not saying jokes or anything and you still have about a thousand likes- showing this video to friends and family and subscribing. Keep being a brilliant musician and teacher.
I used to play flute many moons ago, admittedly I don't pick it up anymore... but I got a keyboard for christmas and steadily learning :) It's so handy having know how to read music! I must also encourage everyone to learn to read sheet music
Nice! For me it was vice versa- I learned the flute for a few years, and knowing piano beforehand definitely helped me
I am a Classical pianist, but I will use this video to structure my piano lessons-thank you, Bill, for sharing and I will check out your playing by ear video as well as continue to work on my ear training, improvisation and composition skills.
Thanks Karen - really glad you find it useful. Give me a shout if you have any questions (though you're probably a waaaay better classicist then I am!)
@@BillHilton
Hi Bill, it is so great to hear from you and to have your friendship! Your channel is really awesome!
Is there a single link that I can scroll through all your videos upon one sitting?
Thank you, Friend:)
Once again, Bill, you have helped me approach my piano playing in a better way. Thank you.
You’re welcome, Mary - glad to have helped!
I wish I knew all this when I began learning piano as a ten year old! Now I’m 17 and have been playing piano for a while but I’m lacking skills in improv. I recently quit my piano lessons and have been learning more songs on my own. Due to all the music theory training I received, I’m not having a very difficult time but improv and jazz are what I want to do. I’ve played tons of contemporary, romantic, classical, baroque pieces but I want to expand my skills
Keep focussed and you'll definitely make progress, especially since you still have a young, learning-friendly brain. The focus and sticking at it are important, though - you need to lay down quite a lot of new neural circuitry to deal with the skills here. Good luck! (And do think again about quitting piano lessons: a solid classical background is *incredibly* useful, even if it seems tedious and irrelevant at the time. You'll thank me in 25 years...)
Very, very helpful stuff, friend! 2 years later and it still helps the same!
No problem Gregg - glad to have helped!
Bill, I'm 21 years old and I discovered your channel last week. I'm currently teaching myself to play the piano through your RUclips videos and other internet sources. However, I was speaking to a pianist the other day and he told me that there was no point in trying to learn the piano because I am "too old" to start learning now. So my question is, is this true? I'm not trying to be a concert pianist or anything, I just want to be able to play the piano relatively well. Is this possible? Or am I too old to start now? I thought I'd see if I can get a professional's opinion.
I don't know who he/she was but they're completely and utterly wrong. Not only is 21 pretty young, you can pick piano up at 50+ and still become a great player!
Thank you, I was very worried that I'd missed the boat or something because I've wanted to play piano for a while now, but I never really found the time. But now I can learn without doubting myself :) Thanks
Bullshit! You're never too old to start learning ANYTHING. Don't let that pointless nonsense discourage you. Just you wait, a few months of diligent practice and you'll be wondering why you ever doubted yourself. Go for it! Pick up the foundational skills and go after music that you love. One resource I found really helpful was piano-ology. Bill Hilton is obviously superb too!
Ryo Fukui, a renowned jazz pianist allegedly only started learning the piano at the age of 22!
That being said, I would highly recommend that you get a teacher. Bill's videos (and other online resources) are really good, but there are some things you can only learn with a teacher. Videos are great supplements, but having a teacher that can give you more of a top-down perspective on learning is in my opinion essential.
Take this from a guy who has been "self-learning" piano for about 8 years. I've had several teachers, and each of them has helped me see huge mistakes I'd been making teaching myself. I started by thinking "I just want to learn pop songs!" but your goals do grow as you go down the road. If could start over, I'd definitely start with a teacher and basic music theory.
Back on topic, 21 years is not too old, nor is any age for that matter. Seize the day!
I would absolutely agree with the previous responses. If you *did* want to become a concert pianist than arguably you're starting a little late (though some great musicians have started late, so I wouldn't even let that put me off). If you generally just want to become a good piano player and have fun with the instrument, then you're not remotely late.
For the best possible results, I'd echo what +Dean Tan says below about getting a teacher: you can teach yourself piano and people do, very effectively, but formal lessons will straighten out problems early and give you a good basis for further development. If cost is an issue (and when isn't it?) you could save the price of quite a few lessons by teaching yourself the basics of, e.g., reading score before you approach a teacher.
Like most people, it'll probably take you a little while and demand some dedication, but absolutely go for it!
Thank you for sharing your advice and experience! I hope I can get as far as you!
You're welcome, Maximo - practise regularly and you'll do well!
"Think of a song while you re in the shower, get to the piano, GET DRESSED FIRST" it does sound like in the past something happened there 😂😂😂
I've tried to block out the memory tbh 😂
Fantastic advice! I am a concert pianist and came here to see if I follow all these things! I do mostly but it is nice to be reminded. I think it's good to be reminded at any stage! And yes I sing in a choir too! Only thing I would add is to record yourself which ties in well with your "listen to yourself " tip. Also perform to others too! My friends and family listen to me all the time and they give me honest feedback! It's very useful ! Especially if they are musicians. Great job! I've subscribed ☺️.
Thanks Mitzy! The recording yourself thing is a very good idea - I wish I'd put that in! You're right: it gives you a really clear, objective view of strengths and weaknesses (even if it can be a bit painful to listen to yourself...!)
Thank you very much for the Video!^^
This really helps me out and will be vety usefull for my Piano skills devolempment. And the first thing I will do is to learn to read (and write) writtrn music. I even can play some songs with two hands (thanks to synthesia) but I cant read it yet!
So thank you again for thr video and have a nice day everyone :)
Super helpful video, thanks for it, Bill!
You’re welcome, Walmyr!
I've been learning with my girlfriend's keyboard for the past 2 weeks and have started figuring out Under Paris Skies. It's a little tricky considering it's written on 3/4, but I have been able to track my daily progress efficiently and I certainly notice myself getting better everyday.
Glad to hear it Josh - keep working on it, and bear in mind that progress tends to come in fits and starts, so expect to have plateaus and breakthroughs...!
Wonderful tips!
P.S. The Nord Piano sounds really great...
I didn't know you before that video. I'm absolutely amazed by how you talk and tips that you give. Now I'm one of your subscribers :)
Thanks Ellie - welcome to the channel!
@@BillHilton Thank you so much
So I want to be a better pianist and as soon as he said "join a choir" I had a huge smile because ive beem in choir for a really long time now and i absolutely love it. and hes right, it definately helps a whole lot.
Most useful thing you can do for yourself as a musician!
true me too
well i don't have a choice. i have to go there in 8 months. its some church thingie.
Thanks for the tips!! Massive things picked up today.
You're welcome!
I'm going be really cheeky from the back of the class and suggest number nine :) If you are buying an instrument, do not spend ages picking the perfect instrument first time. Get a cheap 61-key , possible used and start learning the position of notes, scales and good habits like daily practise. In a few months I have progressed, entirely with Bill, from total beginner to reading score (slowly) practising (efficiently) and choosing my ideal digital piano (first one was a freebie). Oh, and have fun! Thank you Bill.
Great advice - nice one, Marti, cheers!
Been there, done that. I'm moderately good at playing the piano for an eleven and a half year old. My keyboard sound is the issue, though. It can't support custom sounds, and its normal sound sounds nothing like a piano. That's where I begin to have issues.
i got banned from my choir
ripndipp Lol why
What happened?
How do you get banned from choir?
@@Mx.Pickle woooooosh
Oh!
I get it now.
Yikes.
I'm so glad you exist. These videos are really helpful and really interesting at the same time. *Keep it up!*
And btw I *subscribed!*
I'm awesome at eating pianos
Me too
I love the texture of pianos.
They leave that nice after-taste that I love
They taste a bit coppery- the strings. Right？
A nice cronch
Great tips. Thanks for confirming all my ideas ;) Keep up the excellent work!
when i hear ear training i think of putting a thread around your ear, and putting a dumbell at the other end of the string. Then you do squats. Thats a real ear workout.
That's a very 1990s approach - these days it's all about bodyweight. An easy way to start is a one-arm pullup, but using your ear instead of your arm to grip the bar. Aim for 3x8 reps per side to start with.
Thank you for your work (Video)
Its very helpful.
Danke!
Kein Problem! Let me know if you have any questions! :)
Most who learned to play with a conventional teacher tend to stick to a standard set of repertoire. You find half-dozen versions of "Minuet in G" online that most students played. If you are with a music program like Suzuki, you get a standardized set of books. Suzuki music students give recitals with songs from various Suzuki books. Many can play very well but still using songbooks everybody else is using. The advantage is that you can compare your results with Suzuki students anywhere in the world playing the exact same songs.
Know 1 man who learned several difficult pieces not exactly by ear, not by notations, but by watching finger sequences as a demo video is being played. Questioned him a few times why he never bothered to learn the notations and he would always say notations is a foreign language he wouldn't be able to master. For someone who is retired with a lot of free time, there is no excuse why he can't spend even half-an-hour a day practicing to read.
Such great tips! Thanks xx
Always as good as ever.
Thanks for the tips, Bill.
Thanks Thomas - glad to be of help!
I’m hoping to become a music producer. Should I consider learning how to read music still?
Absolutely, Jonny - as a producer you'll spend a lot of time working with MIDI data, but it's hard to read and get an overview of without hitting "play". Being able to read music means you can jot down and sketch out ideas quickly for yourself or other people (keyboard, horn or string parts) and save a lot of time (and therefore money) if you're working with session players. It'll also widen the genres and styles of music you can work in. A lot of people going into production these days don't read music, so if you can it'll give you a definite edge!
I'm finally getting back into piano after years of relatively soul-less classical training! I feel pretty awful at it, because I'm finally branching out from playing the same songs repeatedly. This helped me out a lot with figuring out what I'm doing right and wrong in beginning to teach myself, and branch out to different genres. Thank you so much for making piano easier to enjoy.
I just bought an electric keyboard because I've been wanting to learn an instrument sinve forever and decided maybe this quarantine, I have time and I can give effort to crossing that bucket list out for the year because all my vacay plans are cancelled, blame the pandemic. I hope I can successfully learn something through out. Thank you for the tips. And are there any android apps that you can recommend for a self learner?
Good luck! Nope, there aren't any apps I generally recommend: some are kind of OK, but on the whole they tend to be gimmicky and shallow. You're usually better off with a full tutorial course either from videos or a book (like Alfreds, or the Complete Piano Player). Better still are lessons from a real live teacher! Failing that, though, you might find my beginners' course useful - twenty tutorials with accompanying PDFs, and 100% free, on RUclips, with no sign-up. Here's the playlist: ruclips.net/p/PLpOuhygfD7QnP46wUgQudOySX_z2UOhXs
What was that amazing piece at 4:37 ?? I wanna learn it im also a beginner watching vids like this really makes me confident and boosts me up
Great vid bro thanks!
And at 4:47 guys pls tell me
It's just pretty standard 12 bar blues, with some right hand licks. If you search "bill hilton blues piano" without the quote marks you'll find I have quite a few tutorials that'll help you work in exactly that style. (Apologies for the delayed reply, btw - been away for a few days!)
Duane, Tip #1 is a game changer, brilliant for those of us who perform weekly in public. Thank You for your insight 🎹 Tommy in Florida
Expand your repertoire, listen to other people, ear training, working out a song, composing are all good tips.
As a member of a music group, I'm used to playing a variety of music at different levels. Back in my school days the problem is lack of time. Since I did not Major in Music, had to do many assignments on other subjects.
From experience I'd divide people into 2 groups. There are those who rely on reading music to get through a piece. Even playing a C chord they need to see CEG on a staff to know what to play. There are others who are comfortable with improvised music and would play songs not in books assigned by a teacher.
Some people are not comfortable performing in front of others. Some are afraid to learn a song on their own because they may be playing the wrong way or they don't feel they are as good as their teacher. Some students tend to stick to the pieces assigned by the teacher or stay within the level their teacher feel they are at... like someone at a Gr. 4 conservatory level would not play pieces at a Gr. 5 level. Once had 2 young man playing "Minuet in G" (piano-violin duet) at our home because their teacher assigned the piece.
Its like Gordon Ramsay teaching me how to cook though its piano lol. Great job Bill! Thx for lesson you help people who want to learn!! Godbless
Haha! No problem at all - kind of like Gordon Ramsay, but a lot less rich and a lot less sweary! :)
I have to do an assignment for this video for my piano class since schools out
Thank you for the lessons!
You are amazing 👍 thank you for those tips
You’re welcome - I hope they help your piano playing!
Thanks for the tips sir. I am definitely going to get use out of them :)
This video is awesome thanks m8👍👍👍
Glad you enjoyed it Jason!
Thank you. I enjoy your videos. You're a great teacher.
Thanks Vincent!
Thanks so much, that was really helpful 😊
Great tips here! You called me out on not paying enough attention to reading, since it's never been much of an issue for me as a guitar player. But thanks :)
You're welcome - glad it was helpful!
Great tutorials. You have probably heard this a hundred times, but to reduce mechanical key noise, turn up the piano and voice gain settings and then reduce the master recording volume.
Thanks! I've not actually heard that one before - I'll give it a go. I like to have *some* key noise - it gives a more convincing "in the room" experience to the tutorials, or so I think at least - but limiting it is a constant battle (as you can probably read in the comments on those of my tutorials where it's particularly bad, most of them now, thankfully, from quite some time ago...!)
Bill Hilton your message was truncated. it cut off the first part.. I guess the the electrons were on strike. lol
Well done Bill. I will share this with my students.
Thanks David! I'd be interested to hear how they get on with some of the ideas here.
Your books are really cool and well done. A massive help!
Thanks Stefano - really glad you like them!
I'm really glad you wrote them!:)) Even bought double copies as a gift to a friend. And I'm glad shot these videos. Keep up the good work. All the best.
Fantastic video, your voice kind of reminds me of the TedEd voiceovers
accurate.
Huh imma try this out when i get a piano, ive always wanted to play the piano so i might get one, thanks for the tips my friend
Have fun!
👍👍👍thanks man appreciate it trying to learn
No problem - you're welcome! 👍
Great video, great channel. Much appreciated!
No problem - glad it helps!
hiii, this was rlly helpful seeing as I’m only beginning to play the keyboard. On my own. Which is so hard. But I watch videos before. This doesn’t mean I don’t make mistakes tbh, but this actually helped a lot
Haha ‘get dressed after the shower, assuming you have other people in the house’ love that
Thanks so much for these tips! Especially the first tip was something I needed to hear ;)
No problem Joep - happy to have helped!
you know what? I just realized that I am in fact not capable of playing the piano.
Keep trying! I guarantee you are - it just takes a little bit of grit!
is that sawako?
CleverWood SSS yup ✨
Those tips seemed awesome! Maybe perfect pitch doesn't exist, but at least PERFECT PIANO TEACHER does! I can assure you that your way of talking about the tips will improve my piano learning.
You're too kind - thank you!
Good luck with your learning, and let me know how you get on.
Great advice!👍
Aw jeez, I used to drill through my mistakes more than I do today. Thanks for the reminder.
Thank you for the tips, really helpful!!!
I always try learn music from those videos from channels like piano sheet boss and I am having fun, but then I realise I've been practicing for half an hour and am still trying to learn the first 10 seconds on a 2 minute video and get really demotivated and am not sure if I'm doing something wrong, or if it's just those videos aren't a good way to learn piano, that's why I'm here.
Any assistance will help :)
Channels like that *can* be great, if you have the basic underlying skills nailed down, but if you're taking that kind of time to work on individual sheets then you probably need to blitz the basics... which I might be able to help you with! Have you checked out my new Intermediate series? It might be around your level, and if not you could try digging back into the later tutorials of the beginners' series: ruclips.net/p/PLpOuhygfD7QnP46wUgQudOySX_z2UOhXs
thanks sir I was just waiting for such a lesson....
Oh my god thanks dude, this is so freaking rad!! I appreciate this man
oh my god thanks you so much for your tips ,my piano practice makes much more sense
Hey! Thank you for your video! I like how you explain things :D
I bought a piano and i’m learning how to play it by myself and using internet
Hello Bill! I discovered your channel quite recently and I find it really helpful! I have been studying classical piano for 12 years now when I realized that I wanted something more than performing and learning by heart classical pieces. I want to improvise and compose my own music. Believe it or not, even if I have been taught the most out of theory and harmony, I find it soooo hard, especially when I have to keep a rhythm that I am not reading it from a sheet!! Just one question: When you decide to improvise, do you have any plan about the chord progression you are going to use or do you just think what is this you would like to hear next and then your hands just transform your thought into music?
Hi Alexandra: I'm glad to hear you're finding the channel useful, because when I first started it, it was people like you - who had had classical lessons, but want to branch out - that I had in mind. The audience is a little broader than that these days, but it's good to hear it's still working for you guys, too.
Re: your question on improvisation, the short answer is that I do both. Improvising against a chord progression is very good discipline, and "free" improvisation is very good for creativity, experimentation and developing your style :)