How to Play "Hold The Line" by Toto | Piano Tutorial and Breakdown

[@clintonwilcox4690]

This song is relatively easy to play, but it's an arm-killer. I'm playing it in an 80s cover band that I play for.

[@dannykent6190]

As a keys player myself, I very much know the arm-killer pain you speak of.

[@alecj3454]

You have a great teaching style, and your videos capture it well. I enjoy watching them very much. Cheers!

[@pierrejpiscitelli]

Thank you very much!

[@_mickmccarthy]

Oh man I absolutely love this intro, super excited to get this under my fingers!

[@Thea-d4g]

It is impossible NOT to recognize this intro, love it! Have you noticed how close it comes to their other song Make believe? I just realized this and I've known Toto for ages 😲

[@pierrejpiscitelli]

Yes, that’s one of my all time favorites!

[@lasc1991]

very good! Thanks for the lecture.

[@ReaperClaw950]

Just practiced it on my keyboard with the piano setting I nailed it perfectly multiple times safe to says you taught me greatly how to play this awesome song!

[@jamespuckett-s2f]

Thank you. I'm a Beato fan and guitar player trying to learn the piano. I've been looking for online lessons but so many are dry or leave essential things out. please keep in mind some of us are beginners so the physical details matter. I have enjoyed everything so far! Once again Thank You!

[@reyherrera8970]

i like how you presented your piano lesson

[@ds99]

I love Toto. This was such a great song. My favorite is Takin’ It Back. That song was so well constructed. Thank you very much Pierre for this tutorial.

[@pierrejpiscitelli]

That's a great song!!

[@tonimar1263]

Nice work, Pierre. and you are correct about the nuances

[@JoeGemini73]

Best tutorial ever on HLT! 👍

[@pierrejpiscitelli]

🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

[@Tasco1972]

Cool video!!! Thank you very much!!

[@jetpaq]

All of his tutorials have been,A and I. A not stress enough,EXACTLY SPOT ON!!!cheers bro. Thamks... How about another toto...??! Its not the same without your love???

[@brendanodwyer6184]

Thank you. I need to prepare this for a band class session next week. Your tutorial has saved my day!

[@pierrejpiscitelli]

So glad to hear that!

[@AutisticYui]

Awesome! So glad to see this one after posting about it on the Rosanna video. Great work!

[@lonelyranger203]

very clear ..really enjoy your tutorial...thx Pierre

[@kimhebert9905]

Great Lesson…Your teaching style is one of a kind….TY!!!

[@pierrejpiscitelli]

🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

[@_Alex_F]

Dude you're the best! Quality content as always and somehow you keep choosing most of the songs I love. Thank you for the patience and clarity you put in your lessons, this is really valuable! 💚🙌💥

[@pierrejpiscitelli]

So glad to hear it! Choosing the song is the hardest part. I have no idea what could hit, and what could miss...

[@michaelsilveradventure5712]

Didn’t know I was going to learn this tonight. Sat down to practice Joplin’s “Solace” and this popped up so I was like “heck yeah!” Thanks dude.

[@FizzyDrinkOz]

THIS IS AN AMAZING TUTORIAL! THANK YOU!!!

[@pierrejpiscitelli]

Thanks for watching!

[@Minolta_Andy]

Brilliant video with your excellent get on with it style. Please keep producing your videos as I'm really enjoying giving it a go. The verse chromatic chord changes in this sound so pleasing to the ear......even when I play it !!

[@pierrejpiscitelli]

They do sound great-- glad you enjoyed the video!

[@MateuszAndrzejak]

Thanks for this tutorial bro!

[@christopheschohn6576]

Just perfect ! Thanks so much

[@patriciosaldano9850]

de los mejores tutoriales que he visto de este gran tema, gracias!

[@RebornAudio]

The inspiration for the Western Pokémon theme tune. Gorgeous song.

[@charlieharpman2107]

Heyyy Pierre!! What a great tutorial. Very easy to follow with the step by step instructions. It helps that you explained the rhythm at the beginning. Thank you for showing us all the notes. I like when you use the word revolution:)) amazing instructions. Yes we recognize those minor seven chords 👍

[@pierrejpiscitelli]

I'm so glad that it was clear and helpful!!

[@charlieharpman2107]

Yes it was!!! Keep them coming Pierre!! 👍

[@danrosetwig]

Thanks!

[@pierrejpiscitelli]

Thanks so much! 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

[@maata100]

What a great song! Thank you very much for sharing. It looks so easy when you play it but it's going to take me weeks to practice😂😂 The notes, the rhythm everything but I love it!!

[@pierrejpiscitelli]

Take your time! You’ll get it 🤘🏻🎹

[@GustavoTZR]

Excellent, thanks

[@ArthurGomesZah]

one of my favourites as well!

[@TPBass1224]

Thank you, Pierre!!

[@rjsphatsoul]

This is very helpful. Thanks

[@pierrejpiscitelli]

You're welcome!

[@dennisstone6925]

This was great. Thank you!

[@pierrejpiscitelli]

🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

[@theodorekorbos2804]

Thank you very much for r the tutorial

[@NancyParsons-y3g]

This was a great one.

[@AnnouncerExtraordinaire]

Thank you, Pierre. Outstanding instructional video, as usual. To my ear, it seems the chorus is played under the guitar solo.

[@pierrejpiscitelli]

Yes you’re right! I had a 50/50 chance of saying the correct thing 😂. Totally meant chorus…

[@chazcraik8903]

Tip: If the rhythm is bending your brain, listen to the guitar riff that comes in after the intro, the changes are bang in time with it..

[@charlieharpman2107]

Heyyy Pierre, how about the piano part of, turn it on again? « would be great to see that.

[@pierrejpiscitelli]

I love that song. Will definitely make a Genesis video!

[@charlieharpman2107]

Same here!! The 13/4 song., looking forward to your Genesis video Pierre. Thank you for writing back! 😁

[@jdanderson9727]

I thought it was Steve Pacaro. This brings back memories. This was the first rock song my grandmother let me play. She was my piano teacher and kept me in classical music for an unbearable amount of time for a teenager.

[@pierrejpiscitelli]

Could be-- usually Steve was on synths and Paich on acoustic piano, but who knows!

[@jdanderson9727]

@@pierrejpiscitelli I should have double checked. You were right. It was David. I should have stayed in my lane.

[@pierrejpiscitelli]

@@jdanderson9727 Hey , you had a 50/50 chance!! It could only be Paich or Porcaro.

[@chrismanlawe2528]

Nice! Thank you so much for this easy tutorial. Would you be able to do “Gold” by Spandau Ballet? It’s almost impossible to hear the keyboard part

[@darmac8519]

I know how to play this one 😊 in a different key though .thank you

[@ncmblur1379]

This is great! I’d love if you could teach the chords to “Nothin You Can Do About It” by Airplay!

[@pierrejpiscitelli]

One of my all time favorite songs!

[@vicf6509]

Great lesson. The way you breakdown the songs into small parts makes them easy to learn and practice. One minor callout on the thumbnail, Hold the Line was not on Toto IV.

[@pierrejpiscitelli]

You're so right-- I made a mental note when trying to design a thumbnail, but completely forgot... Thanks!

[@giorgiotibaldo]

either at the beginning or at the end of the video you should play the whole song to make us understand all the parts and the various connections... Thank you

[@pierrejpiscitelli]

Wish I could, but this often leads to copyright issues- I addressed it in several videos. Most songs comprise introduction, verses, choruses etc… if you learn the parts that I’m demonstrating, you can easily stitch the sections together.

[@GarySixSixty]

like your channel pierre…consider doin year of the cat (al stewart)..thanx..

[@acoustic61]

That's great, thanks! It's nice to learn to play it correctly the first time. I have large hands and play those three chromatic m7 chords with fingers. 124, 125, 124. Is that OK?

[@pierrejpiscitelli]

That’s a common habit, try to use the pinky! 124 is often a result of avoiding the pinky…

[@jeffjohnson7381]

Can you do some lessons on Stevie Wonders music and also would love to see Layla Outro piano 🎹 part by Eric Clapton ❤

[@pierrejpiscitelli]

For sure!

[@YTbeber]

For added information, the original D.Paich voicing is, for the A chord (second chord): A-C#-E-A. It gives a more powerful counterpoint, a nice (though not very academic haha! but so efficient) 3-parts voice movement up to the B-7. And for the fingering, he cleverly starts the F- with 2-4-5, so easier to chain with 1-2-3-5 for the A chord. Hope this helps. Could be seen here kzbin.info/www/bejne/a5ClomiLd6ukZ9E or here kzbin.info/www/bejne/oJOmf2Z7qdeBrbM.

[@pierrejpiscitelli]

Yes, that’s great! Doubling the root in that A chord creates a nice movement to the next voicing.

[@YTbeber]

@@pierrejpiscitelli I do like the energy added by this 3-voices move, while the top A makes contrast with its own very tiny and flat ostinato. Very effective oblique move. Moreover, perfect register, not sure it will sound so good a 3rd higher or lower... ;) In the interview he says he worked this part for 3 days before achieving something he was satisfied with... :D

[@LoannGranzotto]

I don't find a descent video on "diamonds" by Rihanna can you do a lesson about it please

[@joseduenas4946]

Awesome video! Hate to be that guy, but Hold the line isn't on Toto IV 😅

[@pierrejpiscitelli]

No you're right! I was on autopilot when making the thumbnail-- totally forgot to fix it. thanks!

[@MJ1]

Ah, the cocaine rhythm effect. So popular back in the day. “Dewey, you sound like some sort of punk…”

[@wakkowarner7391]

The dislike is from someone who couldn't get the time signature down.

[@soulextracter]

2:43 "Instead of 12 little things. Nobody really thinks about it that way" That one person who thinks about it that way: 😡

[@chriscastellon6970]

I may actually hate you... Looking dead at the camera while nailing the awkward chromatic descending minor 7th chords? Alien, but honestly thanks for all your great work!

[@pierrejpiscitelli]

If you do it enough times for 30 years, muscle memory takes over. Just repeat, repeat, repeat and it WILL eventually happen! Thanks for watching.

[@chriscastellon6970]

@@pierrejpiscitelli Yes and I have to be better at sticking to one fingering pattern on this passage, in the heat of battle I seem to not use same pattern twice so I start fumbling. I wing a lot of stuff, but this needs dedicated practice. I am a working trumpet player but double on keys in another band and want to be as prepared as possible, subbing to your channel has helped that tremendously. Thx!

[@seyfodiaz5723]

Everyone who heard the little stinky in the second part of the original Toto (!) intro... give me a like 😁