Learning a Piano Piece for the First Time

[@BHAKTIBROPHY]

You are a great teacher. I love studying the brain and the mind: it's true that if you repeat the same thing FIVE times, it gets etched into your long term memory, anything less is short term memory. So I LOVE that you stressed fixing your mistakes as soon as possible: your mind commits the mistakes to long term memory after five repeats too, thus causing a (bad) habit. Thanks for another brilliant lesson.

[@AugustoBitencourt]

your channel is amazing! nice job. congrats from Brazil :)

[@gothamelliott]

I was so happy to see you watching Valentina playing your Waltz! There is no greater pianist!

[@Mymusicaldream]

Were you listening to a performance of the great Valentina Lisitsa?!

[@thepianoplayer416]

Know a few people who took music lessons before the Internet became widely available. The main resources included books from the library and available sound recording (vinyl records & cassette tapes). When you came across the title of a piece "Gavotte" you wouldn't think of doing research on a piece before playing it. Whatever the teacher said was it. Now most pieces can be found online with a click of a button. Doing a search on the genre down to the individual pieces becomes easier than ever.

[@ziomatthewmusic4205]

This is exactly why I quit piano when I was 10 and why I didn't quit when I started again at 22. I started just before the technology boom (and had a bad teacher) unfortunatelly and I got bored of playing scarborough fair and wooden heart or ode to joy from my mysic books over and over each week. When I re started this time I had an ipad and a whole treasure trove of online resourses, sheet music at the click of a button whatever I wanted. Apps like online pianist, yousician etc have completelly changed piano for me. I can pick up my ipad and say ok I want to learn some chopin today and there I have it. The sheet music on musescore or 8 notes, a video on youtube of it being played and online pianist so I can learn it without having to read the score and have it playing along with me for backup. It changes everything. Then you have the more in depth apps that teach you theory and rythms. Just great.

[@rickt7826]

Glad this is still available to rewatch. And I did!

[@jay-ps1ox]

Your videos are all amazing and i would just like to say thank you for helping me in my journey through music .

[@ziomatthewmusic4205]

Great tips. The tips I would add are look at the key signature to see what sharps and flats you need. Have a play around of the key first. Make up some chords and patterns in that key. For an obvious example Pachelbels canon is in D and you analyse straight away it is basically d major scales going up and down. The left hand are mainly easyish octave chords and arpegios, sometimes the third note in the arpegio is missed and sometimes it is hit. So I practice my DADF# AEAC# F#C#F#A and combinations where I miss out the third or fourth note. My next tip comes from another great youtube channel who always talks about matching the left hand to the right. Have a look at which notes match and play slowly getting the rythm right.

[@imondino]

You represent everything that is awesome about learning.

[@joseph.r1122]

Love your videos. So helpful.

[@elisasandrana]

Great advice, I need to start with small fragments instead of playing the whole page over and over. Thanks Alyssia, this is very motivating.

[@laiyinquan8355]

Dear Alyssia, This video is instantly one of my favourites I have seen thus far. I am learning Rachmaninoff's Prelude in C# Minor right now and encountered countless issues. After watching this video, I saw my obvious mistakes and would apply them as much as possible. That being said, I wish you well. Many thanks! With regards, Lai Yin Quan

[@ntsikelelondlovu]

The best advice I've ever got as a pianist. For real! ❤️

[@gemmabaldwin8644]

Hi I just wanted to say that I’ve recently found your channel and absolutely love it! I have just started learning the piano, I was a woodwind player first (flute and alto sax currently both at grade 5 ABRSM so I have music theory skills to a decent level, I hope 🙄). I love how challenging the piano is and what a variety it allows me compared to my other instruments. My reason for this comment is watching this particular video on how you break down your new pieces, this is exactly what I’ve always done when learning major new pieces. I just love finding like minded people and your videos are so enjoyable and really connect with me. Thank you so much for all the great info you provide. I’ve really enjoyed the videos you’ve done on the great composers and listening to your own take on learning approaches and how to interpret music. Sorry for the essay! Just really wanted to say really that I love your channel. Gemma (Hampshire, UK) xx

[@robertpien8708]

You're so right about overtraining the brain sometimes you get so emotionally involved in a piece that we become the piece and then we lose the peace in our mind. By giving the brain freedom do enjoy the peace but also to relax and be disciplined enough to know when to stop playing the peace so you can actually learn the peace is priceless information. Thank you so much for this tutorial. I would tip also if you can sing it you can play it if you can sing The rhythms glad you're having a problem with and get them first separated from the music then when you play the music the brain has less to do because repetition already have done that for you great advice love you Channel thank you

[@hillaryburdick9313]

I am just starting to learn that Chopin waltz you played! Glad I came across this video, I really helps me break down that particular song and learn it better!

[@erlingwalter]

THANKS FOR EVERYTHING YOU ARE AMAZING!, I´M REALLY LERNING SO MUCH; I HOPE YOU CONTINUE WITH ALL THIS AMAIZING WORK, IT´S VERY SPECIAL, I LOVE ALL THE MATERIAL YOU ARE MAKING HERE, IT´S JUST VERY GOOD!! JAJAJA

[@Karimi1994-c5y]

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS VIDEO! Recently, I have been wanting to learn one of Chopin's nocturnes and I have been eyeing it like this 😏

[@JohnKostohryz]

Very informative...like the brain info.

[@pjdahmen]

Great tutorial

[@jonssailing]

Excellent advice! Thank You!

[@michaelsprott7584]

Great information young lady. Thanks.

[@GraceOh]

Thank you for this video! Hopefully it will smooth out my general sloppiness, since I just got back to piano after 10+ years of absence, and since I stopped during late intermediate level, I am trying to go on without a piano teacher. I think I need a more 'careful' pace, and thank you for introducing and keep repeating the idea of 'not practicing mistake' over and over in many of your videos, it definitely helped me on fine tuning my 'little tricky' phrases I have problems with. Thank you!!

[@heavenlesswanderer2532]

I'm so glad I found your channel, I've learned a lot from your videos. Keep up the great work!

[@smithjason5887]

Thank you Allysia for the great instruction videos. I have a question regarding to learning new pieces that's been bothering me for a while. I'm an adult learner and I started learning piano about a year ago. At the time, I promised myself to learn at least one song per month and since then, I have 15 songs I can play or more accurately "I could play". It was ok at the beginning but as time goes and the number of songs I have increases, I begin to forget what I've learned. This is almost always the case when I attempt a new and harder song. For example, I've learned Moonlight sonata 1st mov and Chopin's nocturne #20 last year and I memorised them thoroughly. However, this June, after I spent 4 weeks playing nothing else but learning Chopin's nocturne #2, I went back to play nocturne #20 and I blank out :( Although it only took me 3 hours to get my memories back, it felt terrible. I then tried the opposite approach by playing all the pieces I've learned frequently even when I'm learning new songs. But then I couldn't focus on the new song (especially with harder ones) and it only resulted in super slow to almost 0 progress with the new songs. Is forgetting songs you've learned very common for piano learners? Is there any method to overcome this? Thank you

[@paulineosikoyapo]

I needed this so much thank you ✨

[@JacekW09]

This channel is really growing

[@renovarwwis7943]

I agree using pedal right is quite important from the get go. Much harder to add pedal afterwards. Pieces at high tempo needs pedal transition to be very precise or else it will just sound bad and it's much harder to add. And some pieces that, when played slow "sound good" with heavier pedal, will sound poorly with the heavy pedal at higher tempo which will require a much lighter pedal. It's a pretty interesting topic.

[@TheSunshinedreamer1]

Hi, Allysia, please tell me the name of your score that you are learning in this video as I would like to study that one as well. What a great video-it is well reviewing again and again. Personally, I like to sightread through every new piece first thing, even before listening to it with my music score. That gives me an opportunity to practice sightreading and to hear it's melodies and harmony and to begin to analyze a piece and to sense how a piece is organized. I am going to try to study and then let it marinate over night like you do. I also agree with you almost 100 percent about adding pedal right away. Some teachers though say with Chopin it is best to get the notes, fingering, rhythm, rubato, dynamics, phrasing, and articulation perfected first before adding pedal, which then is like the frosting on a cake. Thank you for helping me with music theory, understanding history and genre, and teaching me how to analyze music in general. Please keep up the great work; you are such a wonderful inspiration!

[@JEspin2024]

Great advice. Love your videos.

[@zekiyezeynepsahin9449]

Thank you very much. You have been very helpful.

[@KeepingOnTheWatch]

I really should delve a little deeper into a piece by learning the background of the composer and style, as suggested. I was wondering if you can create a video on the actual instrument itself (ie. evolution from clavichord to the modern day pianoforte).

[@cloudrouju526]

Very helpful insight! It is too bad that I’m in the US, otherwise I would definitely register my daughter to your classes.

[@patrickwells4014]

Hey everyone, here is a way to really know a brand new piano piece, one that you never had worked on before. COPY IT DOWN! Yes copy it down. Get a piece of line manuscript paper and copy down the entire piece - NOTE FOR NOTE! Also all the expression markings, legato markings, pedal markings, dynamics, breathing marks (yes play the melody as if it is to be sung). On another piece of manuscript paper, write down all the cantabile melodies and sing them in your own voice. Pick an easy tempo you can play and play it at this tempo until you master it. Use a metronome. Move the dial up to the next tempo marking and play it at speed until that speed is mastered. Do this everyday until desired tempo is achieved. This is just the beginning.

[@bussers1331]

I needed this video so bad. thxxx

[@MrGreencheetah]

hmmm ... "maybe" don't taste the piece ... hmmm - better not take any chances by skipping that. Love your videos!!! Fun to listen and so informative!!!

[@GabrielRibeiro-nm5uv]

You did it again, read my mind. I'm actually practicing Waltz 64 n2 Chopin

[@matthewstephens3219]

Gabriel Ribeiro Hahaha good luck! Just finished with that piece 2 months ago, now learning Chopins Ocean Etude :D

[@MsTwiggy28]

I absolutely adore your channel 😍🤓🤓🤓

[@diegomaldonado5068]

Good video I found it very useful thanks for making it

[@matthewpo2041]

"Maybe don't taste your piece, though."

[@forsaken841]

But how do I smell my piece?

[@sp1704]

I drink a nice fresh cup of coffee when diving into score study. I feel like having that taste / smell component layered in helps, at least it's comforting as I study something that might feel daunting, it's like a favorite blanket. Now that I think of it - do that too! Wrap up in a favorite shawl, sip a favorite beverage, burn a favorite candle or incense, but whatever may help you to become immersed in the music learning to really take it all in, rather than keep it a sterile, analytic experience.

[@cliffparsons394]

Thank you for this video! Would it be possible to talk about how to train your hands to play different rhythms independently?

[@kazhanakram5980]

such a usefull one

[@tomgnau]

When I'm working my way through a "self-teaching" book, when should I be comfortable moving on to the next piece? When I can play the current piece perfectly, without any mistakes? Or when I can play it "fairly smoothly," with occasional mistakes? Or does it even matter?

[@MarsLos10]

When I am learning a piece, dynamics is the last thing I add to my playing, and I think dynamics aren't too difficult to manage them when you know the piece blindfolded. My teacher says that dynamics is the last step before mastering a piece. Everything else you said in the video is pretty accurate and right

[@CadenzaPiano]

My teacher tells me otherwise, and I prefer to get as much things into practice as early as I can. I think it is easier to includes dynamics and articulations while you are still playing slowly than when you've mastered most of the piece (it is a point where, personnaly, I don't like to go back to slow practice because it seems so bothersome when you can play it fast. Sometimes, I have to, of course, but it is another reason to get things done at beggining, as much as possible).

[@MarsLos10]

Jouishy La pianiste for me dynamics is like adding character to the piece. So it is necessary to know notes and rhythm very well, and then dynamics kinda get on their own way with no effort :) I think you 're absolutely right, but that's just the way I've learned my pieces so far :P we're different people so maybe we apply different methods when learning the piano xD

[@annaanna5921]

Once you learn a bad habit of no dynamics, it will be much harder to fix it. Again, it depends what your level of standard is. If you want to play just ok, that's fine, but if you want to make your music artistic and interesting, it's a different story. If something is easier, it does not mean it would actually benifit you. Russian professional music school. Period.

[@infrastructure5015]

is that the same deal with very fast pieces ? ( for example revolutionary etude, should I work HS until I'm fast enough or should I quickly switch to hands together and then work on the speed ? )

[@scottswald]

allysia - Hi, another great video! Well done! I'm from north east England - do you think you could do an episode on British composes?

[@thehappytwist]

Great video Alyssia! Thanks for explaining the learning process so well :) Do you recommend looking at the fingers while playing and trying to memorize a section? Or should i avoid looking at them? My teacher tells me to avoid looking at my hands while playing...

[@marg1661]

Ever since I saw the "meeting the editor" video I watch your videos till the end 😂😂

[@DesertRat332]

What a BEAUTIFUL piano! Is that oak? (I'm an oak man, myself-Pulp Fiction). Much prettier than the usual black.

[@pleaseexcusemydeeplyawkwar4972]

Oh my, I've always been so confused about videos saying like "the first four bars" because I thought they were called measures and that bars were like four measures, like a bar going across the page. I decided to finally Google it and realized that they mean the same thing hahaha. A bar is a measure!

[@tiffany.Elizabeth.]

This video is so important. Thank you! Question - i'm just getting back into playing after years and years. Finished at about a grade 5 RCM level. Every song is new right now. Should I take the same approach? How many new songs is too much to take on at once. I'm trying 3 - 4 right now.

[@8bitcarrot]

2:31 Funny, I'm currently learning 3 pieces: Minute Waltz, Impromptu no. 2 , and Fantasia in D minor.

[@KeepingOnTheWatch]

The one piece of advice that was meant for me is to not over practice a section learned on that day. Too many times I’ve felt (erroneously) the need to practice until I’m exhausted.

[@gunorijssel7987]

6:11 I maybe run through it hands separately once or twice. Come on: YOU ALWAYS PLAY HANDS SEPARATELY...then and ONLY THEN you start putting it together. Get a feel of the melody line if possible in your right hand helps a mountain!!

[@SlushyCheese]

My teacher said to me not to listen to the piece first and play it what you think it should be played but then again this is only for some specific pieces but is this a good idea? I am doubting myself if my teacher is a good teacher or a bad teacher. Also can you do a video explaining what is a good teacher and what is a bad teacher etc? Sorry for my bab English I wish you reply back /)

[@392023001]

Coffee Beans sure especially if it's not a strict composer like mozart or beethoven...

[@Linnerd]

Coffee Beans That will make you develop your own style. That's a good thing because you're not supposed to copy others if you ask me.

[@mateusvahl5072]

My teacher does the same, at beginning it's a bit complicated, since you don't how exactly what you are playing. After a while, I realize that it's a good way of learn, because I need discovery by the music sheet and not by your ear...so it's easily to discovery where you are reading wrong.

[@ginamaymusic]

I agree with your teacher- if you listen to it before you play, you will not be actively working out the rhythms by yourself, and you won't learn as much. Just my opinion, though :)

[@vittorioe]

There seems to be a bit of a rift between older teachers and younger teachers. My piano teacher is fairly young and loves to pull up videos of pieces I'm playing or going to be playing. But I have also heard that if you are a soloist you should not listen to recordings because you will just mimic them rather than coming up with your own interpretations. Personally, I think if a student is new to playing, a professional recording is useful just to give them an idea of what can be done with the instrument. Once you have played for quite a few years and are moving into higher level repertoire, then start going it alone.

[@Dickens20]

Hi Allysia! Great video! Answered so many of my questions. I still have one unanswered question: once I learn a new piece, including memorization (sheet music no longer needed), how long will that piece stay in memory? And when you learn many, many pieces over the years, are you able to recall any of them? I know concert pianists have a huge repertoire of pieces at their fingertips at any one time, but for the more “average” piano student, what percentage of pieces might we be able to recall?

[@ohsoleohmio]

Dickens20 its much better to memorise pieces before a certain age many concert pianists say those pieces they learned before age 12 stuck with them. Memory as a skill however can also be learned and improved at any age. As for how long it stays in memory I believe the approach to learning a piece like she describes using all senses ie all types of memory get utilised is important, that and loving the piece you can hear every note in your head many years after without even playing.

[@cjhtas]

I gave up piano when I was about 8, but I'd learned the scales by then. Now, at 68 I'm starting again. Amazingly I can still play all the scales.

[@MKWKezer]

I guess the like-dislike ratio speaks for itself (mathematically it is even undefined!), great lesson for sure! A lot of what you said - I feel like - is underrated but gold.

[@EaglesVision999]

Hi I can read sheet music but can't play it on keyboard. Can you please help me Allysia.

[@davidportilla4377]

what an awesome chanel

[@DolfBoerman]

Something peculiar is missing from phase 1: the key. This piece is written in Cis minor. In Europe this is the very first thing you learn about the piece so you can read and analyze the harmony.

[@franzliszt5292]

Just sight read it. Just make sure you are not mixing salad

[@Eren_Fidan]

Thanks old man

[@ACDAMember99]

is there sheet music for that little tune at the beginning??

[@jamespetercharles7532]

Pls check the song Another Love by Tom Odell pls

[@rickt7826]

Two questions. One, when you do a review of a part you've practiced do you try to do it from memory or with the sheet music? Two, I tend to learn a piece starting at the beginning and working to the end. I've heard that that's not a great way. Any suggestions?

[@Bobowobo]

Rick T a famous pianist Walter Gieseking said to memorize measure by measure. I personally find working from the end to be more effective but that might not be the case see which one is more effective in your practicing. Good luck in your studies!

[@Mymusicaldream]

Hey, I have come across many people (even concert Pianists) who say that it is very important NOT to add pedal in the first few practice sessions. I also find it easier to learn with pedal from the beginning.. what are your thoughts on that? What could be the reason for not adding any pedal until starting with the advanced learning process?

[@392023001]

My Musical Dream the reason i think this is so because tty your learning the notes and techniques first and add pedale to it makes it more confusing when trying to figure out where pedale and musicality goes...

[@CadenzaPiano]

Yeah, my teacher is telling me sometimes to try practice without the pedal, so I force myself to play as legato as I can, then add the pedal. Mostly, what he wants me to do is not use it at first, but to add it after a short amount of practice (maybe 2 weeks, not 2 months). Otherwise, sometimes, I will play "staccato", but since the pedal is keeping the sound, I don't see that I'm making it wrong. Same things about held notes with other notes to play while holding these notes. If you play without pedal, you should notice immediately that the note is missing and you are doing it wrong. With the pedal, it is not sure you'll see it.

[@alexandrodiova8386]

Wow, some very good answers. Yeah technique with good legato is the reason they don't use the pedal at the beginning.

[@SeanShannonPianist]

is the 30 day summer practice challenge thing gonna be on again that was fun idk

[@sandaruwaniperera6481]

How to identity the section of a pieces

[@gilvanhulle4006]

As my first Chopin piece, I chose to play Ballade no.1 op.23 in g minor. I already learned the first 2 minutes and I'm now struggling with very hard parts, should I just give up and learn easier pieces first or what do I do?

[@Bobowobo]

Gil Vanhulle well it depends on your experience if you can already play pieces at the level well then I would push through. Personally I'm not ready for the ballade,but I play a lot of grade 10 repertoire and I'm comfortable in that range. If it gets a lot more difficult than your used to you might not be ready for it.

[@christopherbell5114]

HI I want to learn Piano in the future?

[@martin.trainer]

I am failing with Prokofiev toccata op11...can you help Pianotv :/

[@PianistStefanBoetel]

Your approach onlearning a piece could be called "holistic" or "background-oriented". To collect information about the piece before, understand the structure of the piece and so forth. I think this is very good, if you are going to play the piece on an exam or many other occasions (concerts etc) and you need to deal with the piece for a long time and for that need deep processing. But in my opinion, doing this for every piece you want to learn is too time-costy. If you want to enlarge your repertoire very fast and learn a piece very fast, I still find the classic method "Play through, pick some parts and repeat them until you can play them" more effective for getting much done in a short amount of time.

[@juliankeller5030]

The fact that each of your vids are only averaging 10k views means that half of your views are probably from me.

[@annaanna5921]

Hmmm, it could be an option for a beginner to listen first, but definitely not a good practice for the intermediate and advanced student. It creates a practice of copying... it is always recommended to try to figure our it yourself first, and listen to a piece once you have your own idea how to play it. Russian school does not recommend this practice.

[@randompianist3210]

Chopin Prelude no. 9 and no. 10 in the thumbnail, lol.

[@yvesjeaurond4937]

Hurrah for small fragments. No transpostion? Heed Art Tatum's maxim : " play the tune in every key and it will come to you. " The musicological moment (phase 1) that you suggest is not music. It is description. Does it help learn the notes? No. The description is an effect, not a cause. Students/performers need causes that enable learning. Hurrah for small transposed fragments. :-)

[@ke6igz]

"marinate overnight" really works for me. Wonder why? Your not practicing more in your sleep.

[@ohsoleohmio]

David Rice I think the neural network you build while practicing gets stronger sort of grows up overnight. I also like to believe piano and music are so natural that its easy for brain to refine these macroscopic connections etc and imagine if we could see them they might become beautiful patterns structures or whatever :) memory over time ie a piece of music is prob different from our normal functioning memory and integrated with all our sense it must be kinda special.

[@patrickwells4014]

He Allysia(?) Why do you call every piano piece you play a SONG???

[@yesbabyyes3627]

You need to differentiate thumbnails more.

[@eustacebenedictshostacovic4999]

Wait a minute, are you Canadian? I feel like my life is a lie. lol.