Why REPEATING a spot ENDLESSLY 𝐃𝐎𝐄𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐇𝐄𝐋𝐏 | Better Practicing Strategies Explained

[@craiver00]

This guy is criminally underrated. I can't believe these videos are for free. It feels like having access to masterclass lessons.

[@williamtaittinger4529]

Yes this level of expertise for free, it is not even fair. Hope he is making some good money, but I would guess he is not in it for money. Not at all. Denis is a big G.

[@ericastier1646]

I've followed Denis since 2020 and agree he is providing world class level masterclass as in this video significantly more useful than masterclasses i have attended. If you compare any other utuber they're nowhere close to this level of professionalism and skills. I believe that he will eventually become highly recognized and probably the head of a new music conservatory in Austria.

[@J1283-s1k]

We are absolutely blessed to be in receipt of your world class insights and approaches, Denis. And that's without forgetting the difference between a talent and a teacher. It's very regularly evident that not every performer is able to translate their practices and methods into a cohesive, digestible mode of study. You achieve the perfect blend. Your videos might be the best out there for piano study.

[@DavidMiller-bp7et]

Gee. Only 12 solid and reliable techniques. Is that all you got? The treasure chest is so full, it will only take me 20 years to master. We can pick out 1-2-3 of the most helpful methods and work with those; this lesson is incredibly full of gems. Maybe one of my 6 in person teachers mentioned one of them but didn't follow through to see how I was doing on it. Amazinginly underrated presence and channel. The human brain and nerve/muscle complex is beyond comprehension. Fine videography and loaded content. Thanks again.

[@falstaff63]

I’m a professional pianist and conductor since decades and I think you are one of the best piano teachers I ever met. Bravo and thank you for sharing all this knowledge.

[@DenZhdanovPianist]

Wow, thank you!😊

[@cunite9263]

Denis is really a good teacher and the visuals really help!

[@EastsideGardening]

There's enough info here to make 12 separate videos and elaborate more on each topic you mentioned. Thanks for sharing!

[@cjanebell]

Denis's techniques are those many teachers use. Several of mine have suggested the same things over the years. The vast, incalculably valuable addition is that he explains -- very clearly -- the What, How, and Why behind them, with helpful examples. Bravo, Denis! You're the best!

[@DenZhdanovPianist]

Thanks for your kind feedback!

[@DavidMiller-bp7et]

You are a terriffic presence in the contemporary pianoshere. Very clear articulations, fun, great analogies, thick with value. Thank you. I don't play classical repertoire but the techniques and wisdom are equally applicable. Applicable to players of all levels.

[@DenZhdanovPianist]

Thanks for your kind feedback!😊 Happy New Year!

[@DavidMiller-bp7et]

Well deserved. No bullshit or bollocks from you. All piano business and fun.@@DenZhdanovPianist

[@mitchnew3037]

Mr Denis is a spectacular teacher 👍🏻👏🏻

[@rodrigogb6022]

These strategies you give are so useful to every level and stage of learning. Thanks for the generosity of sharing your work with everyone. Congratulations, Denis.

[@chrisdei9121]

Holy crap! This was 20 years of piano lessons in one hit!!

[@ZbynekPilbauer]

For polyrhythms (for example the Debussy Arabesque) I like to play with one hand in the keys and the other pretending to be playing on the keyboard lid. The mechanical sensation is identical, but you hear the playing hand much more clearly.

[@Leon-xw3nv]

Thank you for the generous instruction, Denis! It’s now clear why repeating the same measures does not lead to improvement.

[@knordag]

OMG such a great video. So many insightful tips and tricks. Love your videos Denis :)

[@kurtkaufman]

I'm surprised at how many of your techniques I have already incorporated into my practice routines. Thanks for the confirmation.

[@marymissmary]

My piano teacher first showed me your channel, and I’m so grateful. Thank you for sharing these techniques!

[@brianbuch1]

Thanks as always. I'm taking lessons from a teacher who uses Taubman technique. Whatever its plusses or minuses one thing that's cured me of the "brute force" method of endless repetition is that there is always! a solution to any problem. It doesn't mean you don't repeat the passage, but there's a method to the madness.

[@hippophile]

#4 Equalizing hit power & instant release: This absolutely hit the mark for me in my current practice issues with Bach ornaments. I knew as soon as I saw the title this was likely to be a key focus (no pun intended - well maybe a little bit...). Thanks!!!

[@defragsbin]

I've just started learning piano and weirdly enough, one of the things I've been doing is playing with my eyes closed for a few minutes at a time. It's very difficult for me, as the jumps aren't ingrained, but it definitely helps with relative positioning. Heartening to watch this video and find it as a legitimate tip, thanks for all the others!

[@DavidMiller-bp7et]

This would be a great exercise, even with mistakes for learning hand positions with proprioception and tactile sense. What a wonderful time to be alive in the world and that of piano.

[@etudeando]

Claire de Lune is a perfect example of it, specially the quick arpeggios part after the middle part

[@ericastier1646]

You are without a doubt the most professional and highest level piano pedagogue on yt. Your content is higher level than masterclasses i have been in physically. Your repertoire looks big and i am always awestruck how you can just play excerpts perfectly without getting in the piece mood. I envy your memory. By the way that passage of Ch. Op. 49 are my favorite bars in the piano repertory for sound and emotion combined.

[@qazsedcft2162]

This channel is a gold mine!

[@rodrigogb6022]

YES, INDEED !!!

[@kenneth1767]

I'm still grade 1 but appreciate these insights to help on the learning journey. Thanks.

[@joanjohnstone7241]

What an amazing, fantastic musician!!! So talented and such a good teacher. How lucky we are to have access to a person such as this man! Thank you Denis! Thank you!😍

[@DenZhdanovPianist]

My pleasure! Thank you for your kind feedback!

[@joanjohnstone7241]

Thank you for your kind reply Denis. After I had sent my message I watched Your & Elina's Wedding, it was so very beautiful I cried with pleasure at having the honour of watching it. I am nearly 80 years old and am so pleased I got to watch it. My warmest wishes to you both! @@DenZhdanovPianist

[@joanjohnstone7241]

Hello Denis, One day would you please give a lesson on Minuet in G Op.14, No.1 by Paderewski. Many thanks. Joan.@@DenZhdanovPianist

[@sissigu4750]

This video is worth watching again and again from time to time. I am paying a good teacher who has taught some of the strategies here. And he's doing it for free. Denis, you should open a paid membership subscription!

[@hippophile]

So, so useful. This really is a great free lesson (or three). One of the great things about all these techniques is that after a time they filter into the subconscious and you start thinking in the relevant mindset in new challenges - making up your own practice techniques as needed.

[@PianoWeekends.-.68]

Denis, that was ❤beautiful! Could you please kindly post a video of you improvising MORE on chord progressions classical piano pieces? It’s been my favorite idea for improvising. Show us what kinds of ‘ingredients’ and strategies you use to create beautiful sounds. And why not start a course on it if you have substantial amount of ideas?

[@DenZhdanovPianist]

Great suggestion! I’ll think about

[@PianoWeekends.-.68]

@@DenZhdanovPianist awesome 💜

[@ChamberPianist]

Thank you Denis! You are a gem....God bless you 🙏 x

[@leonardodelyrarodrigues3752]

6:03 Chopin ❤

[@not_jafar]

You're an amazing teacher and musician! Words are not enough to express my gratitude 🙏

[@DenZhdanovPianist]

Wow, thank you!

[@askbrettmanning]

This is fantastic! Thank you!

[@DenZhdanovPianist]

You are so welcome! Thanks for commenting!

[@Notmehimorthem]

I would add to this... Would you like to memorise every single piece you play? Here is how. Many classical musicians sight read music. The do this by reading phrase A rthen B and so forth until fluent. THEN they try to memorise. This is the wrong approach. One must integrate memorisation into your reading. So, play phrase A, immediately memorise this, do not finish with the phrase before you have memorised. Do this with Phrase B, then connect the phrases. This WILL slow you down at first, especically if you are an experienced classical sightreader. However, once this muscle/brain approach is ingrained in your approach it comes naturally. Another skill to integrate in this way is to ALWAYS identify the role of each note (root, third etc) AS you learn it initially. Many classical players do not bother with this as they sight read, then analyse after (if at all). Learners, overwhelmed with multitasking often drop both of these requirements at early stages and pay for it greatly as their playing skills and comprehension narrow. Like all miusical burdens they get lighter and even trivial later. One thing that helps, is to put the score out of the direct line of sight.

[@Littleneddygtw]

love your vids. thank you

[@ellenp7455]

Brilliant video, thank you! It became apparent to me now that we play not only with our hands,but with the brain, maybe even in bigger measure. Only recently understood,what my teacher meant, when she used to say that I played like a brainless person😂 I thought she was being mean, but now I get that what she meant was that I wasn't thinking about what I was playing. Well... better later,than never, as they say. I wanted to ask you, if you could touch up on double staffs , if possible? Never came across these before, only in recently bought music, and it looks scary!!! Googling didn't help. 🤷 Thank you again for a lovely video!

[@DenZhdanovPianist]

Yes a straightforward critique even if reasonable often looks mean😥 What do you mean exactly by double staffs? Double-treble + double bass staff like Rach c#min prelude?

[@ellenp7455]

@@DenZhdanovPianist Yes, that is what I meant. Probably a silly question, but I really want to know,how to approach this thing. For now it looks like I need to be an octopus.

[@DenZhdanovPianist]

It depends on a piece. In Rach c#min you just basically switch between clefs, imagine sipping a tea from two different caps, one by one. But there are pieces which need playing those layers simultaneously. The skill comes with experience, with a proper training one can even read orchestras scores of 20 lines

[@ellenp7455]

@@DenZhdanovPianist 😁 I highly doubt my ability to reach such a high level of enlightenment to be able to read orchestra scores, but I feel ashamed to be unable to read music score ,( given my 9+ years at music school)it's basic stuff that first years learn! It goes without saying that the meagre amount of music theory that I once knew is completely forgotten now, also I highly doubt we ever discussed this particular issue and if you could give some suggestions on a good music theory book this humble subscriber would be eternally grateful!

[@DenZhdanovPianist]

No, reg. this anything comes to my mind…

[@brandonmacey964]

this was GREAT

[@KeyGuy88]

Ha! Coltrane lifted giant steps from Ravel that's awesome!!

[@golden_owl_777]

Love this channel. Does anyone know to piece at 07:30?

[@AutumnSonderness]

Hey Denis, that is great advice! Are you familiar with the work of Gregg Goodhart? He systematically teaches similar practicing strategies and the science behind it as to why it works better than other stuff. Really goes well with your advice herr

[@DenZhdanovPianist]

Yes, I’ve heard about him. No wonder that there are some similarities, there are not so many “hidden secrets” nowadays, but mostly widely accessible common sense and well-popularized scientific knowledge.

[@rinzai543]

Do you maybe have a video about "activating fingertips"? I am not sure if I understand this concept properly. Very useful video, thank you!

[@DenZhdanovPianist]

I think you might find some answers in the video attached below. It basically means, that when hitting the key, one should have a certain amount of tension in the joints of the finger, specifically in the nail joint - so your finger doesn’t bend backwards, and in the knuckle bridge - so the curved shape of the hand doesn’t collapse. Otherwise, if any of these joints fail to hold stability, people usually compensate it with a tension in the wrist, shoulders, etc., which leads to inefficiency of piano playing and overuse health issues. kzbin.info/www/bejne/fpnLaaOGfbGbfJI

[@southpark5555]

4:34 - true. But if it sounds like a dog walking across ... then ... oh geez. Jokes aside. Very nice vid.

[@usertyfoon]

Wow! Great content!

[@pyite100]

I will vary speed, volume, and phrasing sometimes. It is always a surprise after I play a passage slowly a few dozen times... It makes the notes more clear and the timing significantly better the next time I play it fast.

[@DenZhdanovPianist]

Exactly!👍

[@rulnaesafo7936]

When he was talking about, "Middle-Voice," I had flashbacks to trying to learn Greek.

[@akipan1637]

Thank you 3000!!

[@suzanneroyce9300]

Thanks!

[@DenZhdanovPianist]

Thank you for your support😊

[@robbbmm]

What's the choral piece at the start of this vid? It's a cliché and used in so many things but I don't actually know what it is!

[@relicofgold]

I clicked on this thinking I might get some help. I'm sure it is expert advice, but unfortunately it is so advanced I get nothing from it. This guy is genius, and props to him. I'll have to look elsewhere,.

[@OnMyWayToAsakura]

Ikr, same for me

[@DJazium]

Great tips!

[@ericastier1646]

I want to ask you an interesting question that came while i watched your video for the 2nd time. I am extremely drawn to the musicality of any music that captures my mind and emotion very easily. I am very (too) sensible musically. Sounds like a quality but it's been a major hindrance in practicing and i didn't know it until watching videos of good practicing. I perfectly understand the value and benefit of each of these exercises and i have used many of them but not regularly and not systematically. As soon as i force my mind to stop thinking about musicality and practice with these excellent hints and method for practicing, i become frustrated that it is not music even though i know, i NEED, to do this to be able to play the pieces well. So the question is how to i get rid of my frustration so i can do these things and progress.

[@DenZhdanovPianist]

That’s a good question and a very common issue, where each person must find their own attitude and way of thinking. My solution is simple: I love music but treat my playing professionally. This means that I use whatever tools help me achieve my desired results. I am not afraid of dirty, boring, or mundane work, I rather willingly embrace it, because art is not just a vague spirit, but also mind, blood, bones, and soil. To follow the analogy, if one pursues a spiritual path and spends weeks at retreats with 16 hours of meditation a day, a good session of yoga, some walking, and proper nutrition are essential additions. You can’t be a pure spirit in heaven while disregarding the body. You can’t be a decent piano player with no technical skills.

[@ericastier1646]

@@DenZhdanovPianist I read every sentence intently from your reply, then i paused and reflected on it before reading further. I think i understand and i will keep that thought when frustration kicks in and tries to dissuade me from this technical practicing approach which i know is essentially work at the keyboard. I think your first sentence is the key " I love music but treat my playing professionally". I allow myself to not target a professional result and indulge in the music. I am looking for the poison in the music like Ashkenazy said about Cortot. I am trying to get a musical fix instead of accepting that music is a discipline and requires work to progress. It's a common problem but a hard one to overcome once you get that musical "addiction". I should like my progress more than the music.

[@suzannebrown945]

Thank you……💕

[@sissigu4750]

多謝！

[@leonardodelyrarodrigues3752]

9:04 "Chopin, Chopin, Chopin.."

[@lamingfai]

Thanks

[@DenZhdanovPianist]

Thank you so much!😊😊😊

[@KINIONBEATS]

U rock bro....

[@pwnedshift1]

Do you learn entire pieces transposed or do you just use it as a tool for particularly challenging sections?

[@DenZhdanovPianist]

Depends, but the most of it I’d say. I have never been using it in my younger years because no one has told me it’s actually a great way to learn music, so now I’m kind of compensating by transposing even stuff which is very easy to remember.

[@pwnedshift1]

@@DenZhdanovPianist I have been trying to incorporate transposition into my singing practice to memorize my pieces and it is by far the most powerful memorization test I have ever come across. It forces me to understand deeply the relative interval and harmonic relationships of my piece and really forces me to think extremely carefully about what's going on. It challenges *everything*; challenges my aural memory, because things sound different, it challenges my keyboard memory, because things look different, challenges muscle memory because everything feels different (I use keyboard memory and muscle memory to help with memorizing vocal lines so I can leverage my piano skills to help me; my teacher does the same with his cello skills), and it challenges my photographic score memory because everything looks different and the accidentals go in different places. If there is any single actual secret to improving memory, it's this one.

[@shuatock8216]

Do you have any advice for pure beginners trying to learn new stuff? For context, I’m working on: - Rachmaninoff’s Second Sonata - Beethoven Hammerklavier - Liszt B minor sonata - All Chopin etudes - All preludes and fugues from WTC book 1 - Prokofiev sonatas 6, 7, and 8 - Beethoven Emperor Concerto - Rachmaninoff’s 3 piano concerto - Prokofiev’s 2nd piano concerto I really want to get to the point where I can play one of the transcendental etudes but they all look too hard :(

[@DenZhdanovPianist]

Wow you really love pain, cool😅

[@shuatock8216]

@@DenZhdanovPianist lol, just a stupid joke i was making. I'm not actually doing that haha

[@andriyko.la2469]

Дякую за відео

[@colinjames2469]

The cat! 🤣

[@istvanvoros3428]

Why do you speak sooo faaaaaast?!?!?!?!?! :( :(

[@DenZhdanovPianist]

Because life is soooooo short!!😭😭😭

[@TomBaratheon]

I disagree with this. If in fact correctly practicing, and using muscle memory-It does help(but like everything - it is not a one-cure-all method). You should consider taking a poll so we're not just seeing the pessimistic view of someone who cannot learn in this manner. Everyone is different. Thumb's Down.

[@DenZhdanovPianist]

It’s not “against” the muscle memory, you missed the entire point

[@heinzgilbert]

I completely agree with him. He is a legit concert pianist and the methods he is using are extremely beneficial.

[@williamtaittinger4529]

lol you serious kid?

[@jackbussy3133]

I have recently studied jazz harmony and this has greatly helped me to understand better the harmonic structure of classical pieces. The difference between being a pianist and being a musician…

[@mariapap8962]

So your conclusion is that most pianists aren't musicians? What a naive way of evaluating things! 🙄

[@DenZhdanovPianist]

As Feodor Chaliapin has once written in his memoires: “I am just a singer, not a musician” 😂

[@jackbussy3133]

@@mariapap8962 is this a joke or a bad faith agression ? I did not demonstrate anything. I did make any conclusion. So what enables you to say that my conclusion is….did I mention a number ? A majority ? If it’s a joke why not ? If it is an opinion then please don’t put in my mouth such a stupid general statement.