5 Common Pitfalls of Self-Taught Pianists | Piano Lesson

Learning piano by yourself is definitely possible. You can easily learn chords, music theory, how to read sheet music on the internet. But there are some pitfalls to watch out for. In this video I talk about the common mistakes made by self-taught pianists and also provide solutions to solving them. Working with a teacher is still recommended.
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🕘 Timestamps
0:00 Intro
0:54 Pitfall 5
4:48 Pitfall 4
7:46 Pitfall 3
10:39 Pitfall 2
12:34 Pitfall 1
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[@jazerleepiano]

Which of these pitfalls can you relate to the most? 🤔🤔

[@madonbarma2531]

Is it a crime to say every points?? 😂 I'd say synthesia is like playing guitar hero..... It doesn't convert to the ability of playing actual guitar, but it sure is fun.....

[@thepiercepearsonexperience]

I would definitely say practicing inefficiently is my greatest pitfall, so thanks for the tips!

[@michelprimeau4531]

I'm half self-taught. I play with a lot of tension and I'm trying to loose it down and in that regard, my teacher wasn't of much help. Rythm is tough one. The metronome removes you all love of playing piano. For fingering, it's hard to find good litterature or logical explanation except on score. Hymns have no such thing as fingering notation. Regarding bad practicing, I looked at a couple KZbin video from a guy in Australia that suggested routine for different practice time.

[@carlooliverolayta1552]

Actually all, I’m sorrt Teacher Jazer 😅😅😅 but my mentor advised me to practice Czerny Op. 599 and Hanon’s Exercises especially for finger independence, I wish to become an organist that could play classical pieces. Your videos are great!

[@jimmerritt6340]

Rythm.

[@matt_phistopheles]

My #1 tip for self taught musicians: Record yourself while playing (a smartphone will do), stop recording and then forget about it. Listen back to the recording the next day and take notes about how you could improve your playing. It may still be shocking to hear yourself but the day in between helps a lot.

[@artofstorytelling9406]

At the end of each practice section I play the best performance I can for that day and I like naming my recordings with the date just to keep track of how long is taking me to learn each piece

[@fortyyearfitness]

i did that when i started playing drums 30 years ago. every time i practiced i would get out the boom box and pop in a cassette tape and record my practice. i think it helped me a lot.... i may still have some of those cassettes in my attic right now

[@mikeuk1954]

My problem with that suggestion is as soon as I press record my playing goes downhill. I've been doing it for months now and have never produced a recording without errors!! Will continue to try.

[@ultrajazz5335]

@@mikeuk1954 the same thing happens to me. I can play a piece perfectly but as soon as I hit record I hit the wrong note right off the bat.

[@john-giovannicorda3456]

Getting nervous and playing poorly when the "Recording Light" comes simply tells us that we need to spend more time and "camp out" with the instrument and slowly "get the piano's attention" first as we work out the bugs and learn where the fingers need to got. What Jazer Lee says here is right on the money.

[@karynseroussi4904]

If the piano teacher I had when I was a kid had been teaching like this, I’m sure that I would not have quit. Every word you said made total sense, which is what drives (my) motivation.

[@luratabb9618]

My piano teacher was an old strict lady with crazy bad arthritis she had this plastic pointer she would hit me on the knuckles with if I missed a note.her house always smelled like foodand was hot af and the furniture was coverd in plastic. I quit for 15 years just picked I back up a mo th ago ish. Falling back in love with it. That piano app really helped me hit the ground running on learning my notes etc.

[@grassenjoyer4414]

@@luratabb9618 What piano app you're using? I just trying to get back too, so it would be nice to know what works for you

[@luratabb9618]

@@grassenjoyer4414 simply piano it's a bit more then other similar apps but well worth it in my opinion

[@suvrasengupta2840]

Doesn't matter I have started again at 60. Just jump again

[@cesarpavia9845]

This is true !!!

[@jordanwilshaw6318]

Just thought I'd mention that in relation to poor counting and rhythm, as someone who has self taught, the reason the beat is inconsistent is lack of confidence and sometimes needing time to think and position my fingers. my advice is just to play the whole piece much slower, even if it sounds weird, until you can confidently change the position of your fingers. :)

[@50bft]

I agree. I think something played properly but at too slow a tempo, sounds better than something played incorrectly at the proper tempo.

[@CreatorHouseVlogs]

This

[@isabellastevenson-ho6nx]

@@50bft Yes! I have recently started learning piano and think of it as training your muscle memory to play right notes in the right order and speed up tempo as you progress :)

[@andreandrews6237]

I have to disagree here, learning to play slowly is nearly equivalent to practicing how to do something the wrong way. At that point you’re subconsciously teaching yourself poor technique. The key is to get over the confidence hurdle by failing forward. Record your play, when you make an error, just continue to push through as if it didn’t happen (this is the hard part, as it will seem like errors pile up once you make one mistake). After you finish, listen back and find where you made your mistakes, and clean up your play. This way it’s like you’re supplementing the feedback an instructor would have given you

[@imawakemymindisalive13]

@@andreandrews6237i’m going to have to disagree with you actually. when you learn a new song for the first time, if you don’t start out slowly, in small sections, you can’t learn it.

[@criseldadimailig3673]

I'm turning 40 in 2 days, and relearning piano after 20 years. Had basic training in my 20s, and your videos are giving me motivation to carry on :)

[@mickizurcher]

I had 50 years in between study and started again in my late 60s and play better than I ever did when I was young so go for it

[@sahilbaherawala575]

@@mickizurcher god bless you man I’m 22 and you gave me a lot of faith going forward all love bro ❤️

[@MTalac]

Do you still play piano??

[@Coasterdude02149]

@@mickizurcher7 years training divided- 3 as a young boy, 4 years age 16-20. Teacher left after beginning to teach me Beethoven’s Sonata Pathetique. Played the first movement at my last recital & was crushed. Switched to guitar & eventually 36 years passed. I’m now 55 & just getting back to it. Didn’t realise how much I missed it

[@aaronmarks9366]

Same! 40 now and just getting back into music playing after dropping it during college when I was 20. Clarinet back then, but now piano in order to get into composing.

[@penguinZ85]

I’m a piano teacher and whenever I get a young student who has been self taught, I’m almost 100% certain that we are going to need to work on rhythm. I found this video to be informative and well done.

[@FromG2eminor]

I even get transfer students who have horrible rhythm and fingering. I just started a new student who had another teacher for 4 years and never used warmups/technique excercises! Boggles my mind.

[@ala2hhh170]

Rhythm is exactly my problem and I don't know how to work on it :)

[@tridan9179]

Have you ever had a self-taught student who had excellent rhythm?

[@sleep3017]

Im self taught and surprisingly Other than reading sheet music I can do all the 4 tips correctly that are said in the video. Like the rhythym. Fingering efficiency and everything. Even I was surprised.

[@susanne5803]

My child has trisomy 21 and plays the piano. He had a solid rhythm instinct right from the beginning. It's like an island talent. It's easy to play four hands with him. After around twenty years he can read sheet music, play with both hands, play over the range of an octave with each hand. He enjoys it, so we continue! He always participates in the music school's concerts on his level and he always gets a lot of applause for his efforts and continuous improvement.

[@claireviens1100]

Hi, i would like to suggest a second basic tip to better practice a piece of music: start practising from the end of the piece and work your way gradually backwards all the way to the beginning. With this method, you play with confidence because you are playing towards the parts that you have practised more, therefore that you play with more ease. This is a method that I have found to be very effective-

[@TheScoobysteve]

I do this as of right now. Excellent advice.

[@susanne5803]

I've done this decades ago as a teen. I realized that I practiced the beginning of a piece with a lot more motivation than the rest. That's when I decided to start at the end. My teacher was very "classical" and hated this. So I told her I wouldn't do it - but did it nevertheless. And it really improved my play.

[@samel88]

so you play the last note first, play every note backwards, and end on the actual first note? wow, i use this all the time, youre right!

[@susanne5803]

@@samel88 😂 I practice the last three bars in the correct order of the sheet music. Then I move one or two bars towards the beginning and practice again three bars. If a piece of music had 20 bars. I would practice in a pattern somewhat similar to this: Bars: 18-19-20 16-17-18 14-15-16 If it's difficult, I use smaller steps, if it's easy and repetitive I might practice larger chunks.

[@claireviens1100]

Actually, I work backwards by “phrases”, small sets of a few bars.

[@abramswee]

I'm 57 and starting to take up an interest in playing piano. coming from a poor and neglected family, I never get a chance to do this, and I had been slogging at work for decades. Now with my family and finance more at ease, it is time for me to indulge in music that I had yearned for in the past. Thanks to your channel, I will try to learn on my own as I could not pay for expensive personal piano tuition

[@nancydevlin65]

I'm 58 and finally starting to learn it a bit more proper now! Coming on in leaps and bounds!

[@kusse6]

you got this bro❤

[@akshatyadav9467]

So beautiful... I wish you all the best!

[@michaelaudet3228]

I’m 83, took lessons when I was ten for a little more than a year and I’m about to start again with a 61 key keyboard. No teacher yet, but I’m excited.

[@humphreywolfe]

I hope it's all well for you, it's an old comment, but wishing you all the best :)

[@humphreywolfe]

I hope it's all well for you, it's an old comment, but wishing you all the best :)

[@EpreTroll]

The tempo one is probably my worst. I just forget the metronome when practising with it cus I'm concentrating on the playing. I really need a thick beat or something to keep me in there

[@BeforeThisNovember]

You can get a metronome app

[@Caved_Johnson]

You play so fast we cannot tell if it's not the the right tempo mate x)

[@paulschneider7271]

It doesn’t matter. If you have fun let it be.

[@mr.coconut2310]

i feel ya, what works for me is learning it without a tempo at a slow pace, so i don't have to 'hyper concentrate' on the individual notes. After that i get the metronome on at a real slow pace to keep it ez, and build it up from there

[@tiffanyt95]

I'm a classically trained pianist and my tempo is still bad without constant correction 🤣 pfft who needs tempo when you have emotion

[@robsmithpianoprogress3160]

I don’t understand how synthesia is thought to be easier. I tried it once and found it a nightmare having to constantly skip back, try to copy, and memorise. Also it’s not just fingering, people who learn from synthesia usually have very little dynamics in their playing as the tool they are using prioritises playing the right notes at the right time and basically disregards anything else. At that point it becomes guitar hero for piano.

[@codetech5598]

The benefit of Synthesia is the precise timing (assuming it was generated from sheet music, not a live performance.)

[@tomwijgers]

I use Synthesia. I do agree that it makes it harder to memorise a piece. The fingering I don't think is a huge issue, the built-in songs all have fingering included, and anything I add myself, I will add the fingerings in myself, which forces me to consider the piece and not simply wing it. And I can easily adjust them if I find an different fingering is easier for me. Dynamics is definitely an issue. By default it's set up to output the correct volume for the note, regardless of how hard you hit. This can be turned off, which helps somewhat. It's still just your own ear, but if you're self learning, that's always going to be the case. It now also comes with the ability to show the sheet music as well as/instead of the falling bars. I feel that the biggest issue with Synthesia hasn't been mentioned at all here. It's the lack of music theory. Bypassing music theory makes it *so* much harder to learn to play. Without it, you're just hitting notes, you're not understanding them. Apart from that, adjusting the settings gets rid of most of the complaints.

[@notverysur3rightnow145]

I have no idea how people can learn from synthesis it just doesn’t work for me at all

[@jslonisch]

I agree, but the thing that it has going for it is that you don’t have to do the 90 degree flip where up and down on the music equates to left and right on the piano. With Synthesia, left and right equals left and right.

[@DavidConnors]

I agree. The initial learning curve with sight reading is terribad but I have tried to use Synthesia and couple of times out of interest and found it really difficult to follow. I guess it is a case of you know what you are used to.

[@jahovahjira]

I think the most amazing thing about these videos is that you are FREELY GIVING in hopes of making others better at what they enjoy. How kind is that? Thank you for that giving spirit!

[@Supermoneygang12]

He gets ad revenue and I’m assuming also sells classes lol it’s not exactly a charity

[@joedwyer3297]

​@@Supermoneygang12selling classes has nothing to do with this free video. Plus even with the ad revenue he could save this info for his classes but here we get it for free even if we have to wait 5 seconds through an ad before we skip it

[@bringbackdislikes3195]

@@joedwyer3297 "selling classes has nothing to do with this free video." Yes it does, he gets more visibility using this video, and it is especially aimed at beginners.

[@joedwyer3297]

@@bringbackdislikes3195 in context of the conversation that was being had The original comment said that these videos are being freely given, which they are, we haven't paid a penny to watch it. The second guy was just pointlessly cynical with his response in my opinion *edit But yeah I could have worded that part better youre not wrong

[@cavevd]

This entire video was excellent. You do not speak too fast. You are clear in your comments. You don't try to be an actor in a movie. You seem very interested in your viewers' success. You are sincere and you know how to encourage your viewers. Well done. Thank you. 👋

[@sophz.a2697]

Actor in a movie 😂

[@Tizo25]

Agreed

[@patriciafinks6804]

Agree

[@goggutube]

No need to add my comment. Your comment says it all. I echo Victor's comments!

[@idekmarijke2380]

Very true!! So glad I found these videos! 🙏

[@spyderborg]

I think Synthesia is a very useful tool, but even as someone who is terribly slow at reading sheet music, I find that I build muscle memory much more slowly with Synthesia compared to when I force myself to read sheet music. A lot of times it tends to feel like I'm just copying someone's homework and not retaining any of it. Whereas when reading sheet music, I have to actually think about what keys I need to press and it helps reinforce the patterns in my brain

[@Sasukesanimation]

True, reading synthesia is not wrong, it’s just that reading sheet music brings about more benefits down the line

[@markcoward2472]

Thanks Jazer. I really like the tip about repeating smaller chunks of music seven times. I'm from a guitar background, and never had sheet music on stage, I would always learn each song through constant repetition. I find it easier to learn pieces on piano rather than sight-read them, and breaking them down like this will really help.

[@jazerleepiano]

Love your words Mark

[@muhammadanuar5537]

Oh my God, this is what the internet is made for, fantastic teachers like you that not only tell what the problem is but the solution that come as well, thank you for your time and effort of Making this channel, you sir are a God send, hope every success for your channel and keep up the good work!!!

[@c1nbr4d]

I love the small section learning advice. I get so frustrated but it’s probably because I try to take on such big bites of information that it doesn’t get into my subconscious and I’m constantly trying to figure out the notes. I like the wrist placement advice. I’m never quite sure. Also the curved fingers and relaxing. I’m a perfectionist and try really hard to play perfectly and get stressed when I make a mistake. Too many makes me want to quit.

[@darylwhittle8116]

I've been self taught for about 15 years, and while I do agree with some of the pitfalls, there are ways to mitigate them. Such as your point on Synthesia, I've used it and while I freely admit I don't have rapid sight reading ability, I can still get where I need to with sheet music, and practice. As to fingering, this while slower than a lesson taught pianist, I've learned from observing other pianists, and correcting my own mistakes. I will say, as to my practice methods, while slow, I continually practice all the same, not because I want to be a master of the piano, but simply because for me practice, and playing is something I do to help with my mental health, as well as giving me something that is mine, and done it by myself. I've only recently come upon your videos, and I do enjoy your content, but as a self taught pianist, I can say with certainty that while I am nowhere near concert level, that's not my primary goal for learning. I play the piano for the love of the piano, and for the enjoyment it gives me expanding my ability at my own pace. Good video all the same, but I will say that it feels a little like all you've established is that a piano is a tool for impressing other people, and not something that you can just do for the enjoyment of it. I enjoyed the video though, as it has highlighted some of the things I do do wrong as a self-taught pianist.

[@paullau3835]

I totally agree with you Daryl. I am also self taught and have been playing for 3 years and loving it, not to impress anyone but to enjoy it myself and it gives me pleasure and a sense of achievement that I can now play something which I thought I could never play before.

[@johnflavin1602]

@@paullau3835 Me too, there is a great sense of achievement when you play a piece of music for the first time, particularly if it's a piece you thought you would never learn. There is something emotional about being able to sit at the piano and play actual music. I thought I'd never get the hang of hand independence but it's improving. Started off on some easy pieces like Bach's Prelude in C Major and Grade 1 pieces e.g. Melodie by Schumann, rather than attempting pieces that (while I might love to play them) are just beyond my current ability. There is just so much to learn but you'll never be bored once there's a piano in the house. I understand now why it's best to start as a child.

[@napilopez]

While I understand where you are coming from, as someone who was self taught and then started lessons, I think Jazer did a very good job of not presenting this video in a hoity toity way as many classical-leaning piano teachers do; most will dismiss synthesia out of hand, for instance. So I feel like you may have misinterpreted the video. Seems like he was trying to help self-taught pianists rather than implying these issues couldn't be mitigated by self-learners. Indeed, every single pitfall in this video was something my piano teacher addressed in the first few lessons, and I'm a better pianist for it, but I'm still unlearning some bad habits. I wish I'd seen something like this earlier on in my journey.

[@marktapley7571]

@@napilopez Yes. Jajer has no doubt seen just about every type piano player (hack) there is. He not only knows what their weaknesses are but what they need to do to fix the problem. There are lots of people who claim to be piano teachers but most of them are just sitting there collecting your money. this guy could really help those that want to learn. I am sure that many of his students don't know how lucky they are. They could be like many of us who began a adults and just have to fumble around the best we can.

[@josephmashburn4451]

I play for mental health too! I have such gratitude to my parents for getting me piano lessons when I was young. Of course you don’t need piano lessons to improvise but it helps

[@hoon_sol]

With regards to the final point, in Chuan C. Chang's excellent book _Fundamentals of Piano Practice_ he recommends finishing each such short segment, whether it be a single or several bars, with playing the beginning of the ensuing bar as well, in order to properly connect the short segments you're practicing. I've had a lot of success with this.

[@SmileyBlue69]

100% agree. If I read you right (and think I did) ... absolutely yes

[@gothamelliott]

I'll bet this is what Jazer does!

[@AaaBbb-rs9jz]

Thats an excellent book - and its free online. As part of a payback I did some proof reading for the new edition and corresponded with the author. Its piano teachings, scientifically researched, optimised and compiled into proven and improved learning techniques. Schaun.

[@DBendo888]

As a self taught musician this was a great reminder to get back to basics. Really appreciate the way you called out the facts with empathy instead of judgment. My hands are much better than my eyes. I can play all the diatonic scales across a bunch of different instruments but I can’t site read to save my life. Do you have videos specific to learning to read sheet music for dummies? I know there’s a million out there but I appreciate your style.

[@carolineblack6069]

I have just subscribed to your channel because of this video! I absolutely love your style of teaching. Your love of the music and the instrument really shine through. You are clear, concise, and thoughtful. Thank you so much for sharing your passion with us all.

[@zeikki4817]

As a self-taught pianist, I learned to play with consistent tempo by playing while other(s) sing. That helped a lot!

[@carkod]

Totally agree, I think there is always a solution to most of the issues mentioned here. People on this video are on the side of not self-teaching, but I think it's a completely wrong conception, you can self-teach anything these days even the stuff that goes wrong when you self-teach, there is probably a KZbin video to solve those.

[@hetedeleambacht6608]

exactly!! having to accompany also makes you play in time a lot easier i think....and i think its more fun then using the metronome (though ofcourse you can use it at times for real accuracy)

[@williamng5031]

As a young adult of age 28 I used to self learn for nearly 1 year before getting a proper teacher and I gotta say all your points are valid !! Self learning has no feedback, I didn't even know my scales performed in legato was rather detached, and teacher highlighted that on Day 1 of lesson! There are just too many good reasons to get a teacher if you want to get serious in learning piano - ultimately to avoid practicing your mistakes perfectly.

[@shinpansen]

I dunno, it depends of your goal. I'm above 30, I don't plan to play Moonlight Sonata 3rd in the future, like never. I don't have enough free time in my life for that. So if I'm able to play with not so many mistakes, medium pieces in 2-3 years, it'll be good enough for me.

[@williamng5031]

@@shinpansen I like your perspective, there's no absolute right or wrong. My initial goal was somewhat similar to yours, but it eventually evolved as I listen and learn more about music - my end goal in life is to learn proper classical music with understanding on what I am actually hitting on the piano (chord progression, arpeggios, chromatic scales, cadence, with proper articulation and dynamics) especially during sight-playing, hence my statement above. But I certainly agree with you that everyone has different musical goal in life.

[@monkieie]

I started 3 months ago at 48 and after a few lessons had to bin my teacher. He really was an excellent player but didn't even bother teaching me the basics. Like stuff that even I as a noob knew from the web. I try to invest an hour a day to practice but see no point in investing more time and money in somebody who just gives me pieces to practice which robs me of even more time without actually explaining anything. Sure I want to progress but must also balance my time with the job and family. I live in Switzerland and have the choice of a) paying a lot for the teacher lottery or b) paying a fortune for a qualified (chamber) pianist for whom I have a travel round-trip of a couple of hours. Not really an option. Therefore, all being told, I'll just put my time in and see how I progress. Every little step is a reward for me 😎

[@shinpansen]

@@monkieie Try simple pieces like. Dearly beloved (kingdom hearts) or silent hill

[@Lunar123424]

@@monkieie i have exact the same problem. My teacher did not know the Hanon warming up method. And he told me to only use the simple music book. No extra’s no arpeggio, no ladders, no hand independence no nothing else. I like to take practice to the Max, challenges. I life in the netherlands and it is expencive.

[@lesleycj1]

Jazer I have just bought myself a yamaha digital piano and have never played before. I have also just listened to a few videos, before I found yours, on using chords simply to play pop songs with no mention of fingering or the other areas you pointed out. I am so thankful that I came across your video and you are a wonderful teacher. As a teacher myself, I always tell students to chunk down any exercise that is being taught, so fully agree in your practice ways. I will most definitely be watching and learning from all of your videos. Thank you again for spending your time to help beginner piano students.😀

[@dalealldredge6369]

Thank you.. I'm probably guilty of making all five mistakes. It takes me a long time to practice and master a piece of music. Your solutions are on target. You have a unique and articulate way of explaining the problems we have and how to solve them.

[@MeLSL1]

If I'm struggling with the fingering for something like for a few difficult bars, I like to watch overhead piano videos on youtube of the piece I'm trying to learn, watch how they play it, and put the fingerings in on my score. There's tons of great channels for this, like Rousseau

[@larghedoggo9607]

Yeah it can work when you play it in 0.5 speed, but it twisted the music a bit You can try Jane, she plays it slower naturally. Such video is not very often seen on YT cuz it is pure educational.

[@ZyIog]

He is the legend

[@peaceofkake1085]

I'm someone who is seriously considering teaching myself to play the piano. As I watched your video I thought about the pitfalls and I think it may come down to what might be lacking for the self-taught: an instructor and a curriculum. Shocker, right? I think what the self-taught really need is a complete series of comprehensive lesson videos that literally takes you from beginner to master in a logically progressive way based on an established curriculum. Within the context of KZbin, imagine a professional piano teacher or a pianist who wants to teach creating a complete series of videos based on a complete series of lesson books that can easily be bought at a music store or Amazon. The pianist simply goes through each book, lesson by lesson. If the pianist is a GOOD teacher, the pitfalls will be naturally avoided.

[@thedesignnerd]

@@ComandaKronikk Damn... thanks dude

[@KamilPaduszynski1]

Actually, there is a teacher and channel like that. For Alfred „All in one” Book I follow this guy kzbin.info/aero/PL8hZtgRyL9WRWJLlIUPl-ydiDc8CZ_SJK and this kind of content is really helpful.

[@neutralclef6253]

The thing is, even with the best teacher in the world, each student is different and has different strengths and weaknesses, so something like what you propose would be extremely useful but a good teachers personal advise will always be useful

[@VictoriaClarkPiano]

@@neutralclef6253 definitely agree with this sentiment. It can be a bit much to expect a beginner to be able to critique themselves and recognise when something is working and even more importantly to work out what is going wrong and how to fix it. You can get a long way being self taught, don’t get me wrong, but there will always be knowledge gaps that hold them back in some form in the future. The fear is that they reach this roadblock and give up not knowing how to overcome the difficulty that they can’t identify.

[@peaceofkake1085]

@@KamilPaduszynski1 I know about the guy you're talking about. I saw some of his videos a few months ago and frankly, I'm not a fan of his personality. I'm looking for someone who is a bit more like Jazer Lee. He or she doesn't necessarily have to be a professional teacher like Jazer but I feel that if I had the guy you're talking about as a professor I would be a little depressed about it. That being said, we all have to be ourselves.

[@0bl1ter_te86]

Just the other day I recorded myself (Im a self taught pianist) I was pretty sure I was doing okay for being self taught off of synthesia for a year, but when I listened EVERYTHING was wrong, especially the tempo, this really hit me hard and I really felt sad for a while, but you've really helped me inspire myself to try sheet music, I will start trying to learn sheet music today, thank you for your guidance.

[@emrys6801]

Me too, I rely too much on synthesia and so little on trying to learn sheet music. It sucks when you've come so far and have to go back to square one :(

[@midimax2998]

Same, a major problem that does *not* help beginners at all is that you get synthesia arranged for beginners (here on YT) for free while the matching music sheets usually (sometimes heavily) paywalled.

[@ruswatson3997]

Terrific. Thanks Jazer. I'm 74 and I took up piano this year. Your ideas are spot on for me. Actually I started by looking up what is meant by the key of C and went from there to chords and the maths of it all. So I applied that to playing the chords in my ukukele song books. Then started on a couple of piano learning books. That's much harder than playing chords but the way I started was quite motivating. Playing around with the chords. Children can't do it so easily because they don't know all those songs. Now I love doing the piano books and will put into practice your ideas. I've been wondering about a few of the things you talked about. I also have some guitar books which have chords and notes so I sometimes try the chords with the left hand and notes with the right. Thanks heaps.

[@blakenixon788]

Jazer, regarding fingering, there is a really fantastic hack for playing clunky passages that my concert band conductor taught me a long time ago but I haven't seen on any KZbin videos. For example if you have a string of eighth notes, practice them in two ways: one dotted eighth and sixteenth repeating, and one sixteenth and dotted eighth repeating. Usually one of these will be harder based on the fingering problems you have, but just practice both. Then, go back to playing straight eighth notes: it will be so much easier, almost like magic. This is because you've trained your fingers to actually make the transition faster than you need to, and the added "dotted eighth" gives you time to prepare.

[@aarushanshankar2075]

I'm a self taught pianist and I recently got a teacher. One of my main weaknesses is sight reading. I have never used synthesia, but for some reason I just like memorising pieces instead of cross checking with the sheet music like other pianists do. My piano teacher said that I am quite a special/odd student since many of his students dream of having memorization skills like me. But my live sight reading needs work. I practice with these books that have excersizes in them that I do every weekday. Each book has a level. Currently I'm on level 4. My piano teacher has tremendously helped me with technuique and fingering issues that I had, and helped me play pieces that I never would've dreamed of playing. To all self taught pianists: If you think getting a teacher isn't worth it, trust me, it is. Getting feedback from someone highly better than you in an encouraging way is such a great thing to have.

[@patriciafinks6804]

In my area teachers are hard to find. I tried one and she was not patient with me at all. I left thinking I could never learn how to play😢

[@elijahgobert6654]

I'm the exact way I can memorize the entire moonlight sonata but can barely read sheet music

[@rayzecor]

What a great problem to have, and you're also very smart for not taking the easy way and ignoring sheet music despite this ability of yours

[@manuelfriend4060]

Same. It is honestly very annoying. It takes me two to three weeks to get efficient at a piece and memorize it. I can end up memorizing 3 pages of a song and play it at the pace it's supposed to be played, but if you asked me to read along, I'd stumble every note. And it's not even something I always do intentionally. Once I get familiar with the piece, I basically start glossing over the notes and playing from memory.

[@tappindoglover9646]

I’m exactly the opposite. Very good sight reading skills but I can’t memorize a song worth a darn.

[@Harriet-Jesamine]

You really are a truly great teacher, I love how you said "this means you probably don't have as much Finger independence as you *CAN* have" rather than 'as you should have' It is little things like this which make your teaching style truly motivational, and unthreatening. 👍👍 This is helping me as I am going through a dark night of the soul in regards to my own self taught abilities and subsequent weaknesses and drawbacks, I have foolishly only used the technique of playing along to the Radio and my record collection, leaving me disasterous technique but a very perceptive ear. It's not enough!

[@rudiechinchilla6746]

I m a self taught pianist for many years and ll hardly can afford lessons and I m improving but for now u re my only hope.Gracias from Costa Rica

[@bretdecelle3717]

I was self-taught for one year. If I did it over again, I'd definitely do a better job of learning proper finger technique and metronome practice. Every song I played ended up having to be memorized completely instead of sight-read in real time. When I started with a teacher, I had to relearn what I had learned. You're videos have helped me be a more confident pianist. :)

[@exceptionaltalent8118]

Woow Jazer lee ur genius in piano...i really like ur clarity in diction keep it up...bro...

[@benjaminthomas7164]

My Mrs loves my finger technique

[@dmills7375]

Good tips Jazer. After more years playing at the piano than I care to admit, I recently got an instructor. We are working on every one of the things you mentioned, except tension. The only reason we haven’t talked about tension is because I think she doesn’t want to overwhelm me, because I have that challenge too. Thanks!!!

[@volodymyrm5883]

So true about everything. I learded piano 30 years ago at school, and they taught all the things mentioned in the video (and much more of course). The 'tensions in the hand' was my arch enemy at the time, but later in school I managed to overcome it. 25 years no play after that, now I want to revive piano as a hobby, and I already know about correct hands position, reading sheets, correct fingering and learning approaches, and much more from the school. Thanks for emphasizing those are really important for beginners.

[@mygreatdilena1]

It's been years since I left the family home and I obviously couldn't bring my piano with me on the third floor of a small apartment building. I just got a digital piano last weekend and was a little stressed out knowing I had most probably forgotten a lot of the basics, but watching your videos have brought back a lot of memories of the ways I used to play and practice with my teacher back then. It helped a whole lot and I feel way more confident getting back to it now. Thank you!

[@PinaCoco]

A lot of self taught pianists and musicians tend to start practicing a piece from the start each time they make a mistake which results in a strong start and a weak end. Great tips!

[@senshiru285]

As a self taught piano, using Bastien's books from primer to level 4 really helped

[@sandrahicks9444]

Hi Jayzer. So happy i found your tutorials. My retirement promise to myself -I am now 70-was to learn to read music properly. I have had a few teachers over the years but not made much progress. The teacher i have now is a highly proficient accompanist for our philharmonic choir-and she is teaching the same techniques as you recommend and I am finally making progress and loving it! Thanks so much for your reminders and input. Love the clarity and simplicity of your teachings. I'm buying a metronome! Thankyou💖

[@shearvisual]

Just want to say, you’re an excellent teacher and it’s always a joy viewing and listening to the wealth of musical wisdom you share and the manner in which you teach. I truly appreciate the time and energy you put into making your channel informative for beginners and those who are more advanced. Keep up the good work, your wisdom is very much appreciated. Les

[@83bv]

I’ve read about 30+ reviews for Jazer and your comments resonated with me the most.

[@zorangrujic657]

Thanks for all advice, my 5 year old son is about to start practicing piano, and hope it’s going to be wonderful journey for him! Thanks for the time you take to give simple explanation even no experience people can understand

[@anar3915]

I believe tension is my biggest problem for now. I was aware of most of the pitfalls you have mentioned and I have been actively trying to avoid them in my practice sessions. Thank you for the great lesson as always! 🙏

[@jacdurbin9606]

Same here!!

[@bry5an]

I had the same problem with tension. I eased it by playing a piece I was very comfortable with in various ways - slow, fast, emotionally etc. Just have fun with it rather than get it right :) Maybe it'll work for you too

[@anar3915]

I think it happens more often when I am working on speeding up the tempo 😩

[@sdla690]

Taking video of your playing will help:)

[@anar3915]

@@sdla690 thank you! I'll try that

[@XJarhead360]

Great video for a self taught beginner. I took lessons several years ago and quit when I froze at my first recital. After 20 years I have started again. I learned a lot from you in 15 minutes that no teacher ever taught me. I took all 5 lessons to heart. Thanks again.

[@chauncetta]

Great teacher and great points. I am guilty unfortunately of all the pitfalls you described in this video. My biggest problem is playing music that is way beyond my skill level and not knowing how to do proper fingering. I am excited to discover this video and hope I can learn other tips from you. BTW, the independent finger exercise (playing each note 8 times) is already helping. Please keep those exercises coming!

[@jessicaw6963]

Love the last tip! Often we can get very good at playing the beginning of a piece, but then not so good at other sections.

[@jazerleepiano]

Words of wisdom, so true Jess

[@dees3179]

I was told that the point isn’t to practice till I can play it, but until I can’t play it wrong. I’m still working on that! I try and play through something to get the idea, but then practice tricky bits such as transitions between sections. Never start at the beginning of a section. I also find it helps if I know where I’m going. So work out the fingers for the last section. Then learn that section, then the same for the penultimate section. Then the transition between. Keep going till you get to the beginning. You’ll find that it feels like coming home as you get to more familiar stuff. It also helps the musical line make more sense if you know where it’s going. It shouldn’t be a surprise!

[@imprsk6729]

Very much agree... my piano teacher pointed this out...as i was doing just that... often too...

[@ThePlaneguys]

@@dees3179 My teacher always said never practice until you get it right, practice so you never get it wrong. I remember my first lesson with her she told me to go home and play the piece at about 10% tempo, but fingerings need to be the same each time, and no wrong notes allowed. Wrong notes means that the practice was counterproductive, going backwards instead.

[@dees3179]

@@ThePlaneguys yes, so true. There is a lot to be said for consistency, otherwise it's decision making each time. I never realised before how much planning goes into piano from early on. The other instruments I play it is much less and much later.

[@Chimpy_Mc_Gibbon]

I certainly struggle to keep to a structured practice regime, thank you for the advice Jazer.

[@RhiannonRaven]

Everything you have listed is exactly why I went to the trouble of always having a teacher, even though I could have just gone on without one. The fear of learning something the wrong way and then having to try and unlearn it was why I didnt go it alone after I had gained enough basic knowledge and experience to be able to. I also find having a regular lesson even if its only once a month, also helps a lot to keep the momentum of keeping practising when other things in life could distract me. Very useful video, explained extremely well, thank you.

[@justyana6566]

There’s a tip i found in an old piano book I was able to find in a retail sale: It says to try striking the keys with the fingertip just behind the fingernail. Don’t overdo it, of course, but it’s very effective with keeping the fingers curved and close to the keys. Hope this helps! 😁

[@loicgueret5049]

Hi Jazer, thanks for all those clear and much usefull videos ! Although a few others could be added to the 5 common pitfalls you rightfully noticed, there is one my piano teacher would too often have to warn his beginner-early intermediate students about : NOT SO FAST !! Start slow, you will play right, on a regular pace, and the necessary speed will come up nicely, naturally, and not at the expense of the rest. How true was he !.

[@vanessawertheim]

Thank you for this, sir! I can definitely relate with all your points! I will try to do better in teaching myself piano and learning from teachers like you on KZbin :D

[@smear9150]

i had my piano lessons for 3 years, over 16 years ago. I have forgotten almost everything my piano teacher taught me, especially reading the notes. But there is also stuff that I completely remember that really helps me now that I am relearning how to play piano by myself, those are how to play the keys properly. From wrist stretching, finger positioning, tempo, and how to practice a piece. Watching this video brought me back ages ago when I started learning how to play piano, because every tip said on the video was the only thing I remembered from those 3 years of piano lessons. And to get this type of education for free is really a steal. Thank you for providing these kinds of videos.

[@lenkaklapalova]

Yup, the fourth finger independence is my weak spot as well :) Thank you Jazer for this video! I'm a long term self-taught (hesitant to say) pianist with childhood background in music school and your channel is what keeps me going, possibly smart and not hard. Your videos help me a lot to achieve some solid progress while not overdoing my practice and burning myself out

[@yaykat89]

I started learning piano about a year ago and am presently working on ‘Reverie’ and ‘To a Wild Rose’. Will try to apply the seven time technique to these pieces and see if I’m able to work through them more efficiently. Thank you!

[@BruceCarbonLakeriver]

And after 10month since your comment, how did it go?

[@lesliesimons6502]

So glad I found this channel, my hiatus from piano was 51 years! So now that I'm retired it is a bit frustrating that my skill is not coming back as quickly as I had hoped. Left hand cord / changes are really difficult. I subscribed to your channel and so will review the videos to hopefully progress a bit faster!

[@irenewall8154]

I totally agree as a self taught pianist the sight reading and rhythm are my weak points and I now have found a teacher to help with this. Thank you Jazer your videos are excellent especially for motivation and consistency

[@nsrayfield]

I had taken piano lessons for about 10 years in my youth, but never was taught about the level of the wrist - I can’t wait to incorporate that into my playing. I really love your videos. They are always so well thought out and clearly stated. Plus, you don’t speak at lightning speed; I so appreciate that. Thank you for all that you do :-)

[@XJokermanX]

(:

[@preludec4684]

I tend to rush and try to learn too much at a time and end up not letting the music sink in and becomes my subconscious, which consequently makes my practice hard to keep at a fixed tempo. Thank you so much for the tips🙏 Will break down to smaller segments and do more repeatations before moving on. I only started early this month, a very new newbie😊 Wish all my adult fellow learners the very best! Enjoy✌

[@ganibattlebeard]

That last tip is such sound advice (no pun intended). I think the brain naturally likes partitioning / sectioning things as a sort of survival skill when we used to hunt and gather. So if you section a piece of music into bars you learn separately, then when it comes time to gather all of them in one place it just comes naturally. Excellent video!

[@kimwurdeman7257]

You nailed it. I was 1st taught to read music in my earlier years. Now my brother wants me to learn the number chord system. I feel like I am starting all over again. Love the no 1. Yes all 5 are my pitfalls. You are the best.

[@Booby_toesdays]

I love this thank you! I have been reading sheet music since I was really young, but I only started learning piano frfr recently. I learned the basics in voice lessons! I needed the tips for bridging the gap and building my confidence!

[@ericmitchell9331]

Hi Jazer, really good tips. I've been using a strategy for learning new songs for a while, it's been helpful. I start by sight reading through the piece a few times to get a feeling for it. There are obviously going to be sections that are more troublesome than others, so I start with those as separate small sections, and do what you suggested, repeating these multiple times in small chunks. I figure once I get the troublesome sections down, I move to the 'easier' sections. That way, I'm not stumbling every time I hit one of the tough spots.

[@misstery25]

Wow, you are very good at explaining in a calm, sound and engaging way. Thank you for your videos! I am an amateur and really play for fun but am always trying to get better and I love playing so much. 🤗

[@elisabethloxley6124]

Your channel is THE most inspiring and informative I have ever come across. Jazer, I find you absolutely tremendous at teaching. I wish I’d had a teacher half as good. I am trying to relearn my playing technique. I cannot sit for very long at the piano, (physically) so your methods are a remarkable asset to me. Thank you. Thank you

[@JosieC2011]

Just started learning the piano (keyboard) and I love it! Your educational videos are extremely helpful. I would say I am guilty of 5 of your common pitfalls. I will try to remember your suggestions as I move forward. Thank you for taking your time to help so many of us!

[@bwms5973]

For me, your tip to practice in small sections for seven times was the most helpful, but I say that only because I try to work on sight reading a lot. Since I know I’ll never get a good as I would like, I will only play the music I want to learn. So sight reading and practicing small sections were the two tips I’ll use most. Thanks

[@DeyquanBowens]

Awesome tips man! Pitfall 5 is very important to learning more efficiently! As a fellow teacher I really appreciate your take on this 🙏🏾!

[@mikel9275]

Started out self-teaching literally 3 days ago and this video has helped a tonne already!

[@leonav.pilares9389]

As you pointed out there are a few solutions to these pitfalls but your solutions sound absolutely worth trying. You are a good teacher! Your students are super lucky 🙂

[@peacefulwaters222]

Fantastic timing. I just started teaching myself piano through youtube a week ago and was wondering about what I could be missing. Thank you!

[@kami6171]

Yup me too..

[@alexholthus2154]

I’m a Synthesia noob, you are much more advanced but I still feel like your thoughts are very accurate and helpful!

[@Pawl0solidus]

I’ve been trying to teach myself music theory for a long time but I’ve always stopped for really long times also and now I’m trying again to learn music theory by myself, without any teacher or course, just watching KZbin videos. It has been a journey full of highs and lows but now I want to apply this knowledge while I’m learning and play piano the best I possibly can. Thank you so much to give these tips to us self learners. Your help is really appreciated. I love your channel!

[@wanttodor_mir]

You actually give some useful advice to people that are self-tought instead of just pointing out what they are doing wrong. This is a very good and candid video. 👏👏👏

[@azkaardiningrum1221]

Hi, I just wanna say thank you so much for the tips! I'm a self-taught for only several months and I can relate to a lot of pitfalls you mentioned there. Even though I mainly play/practice piano for my own enjoyment, but lately when I tried to learn harder pieces I felt like I hit certain limit and could not go any further because I missed those important points that you mentioned in the video. And what's used to be an enjoyment for me was no longer a complete enjoyment anymore because whenever I practiced there's this frustrated feeling or tension if I couldn't get certain parts right even though I had practiced them over and over. Thank you, it's enlightening for me!

[@ditoo2002]

If you don't mind asking how are you doing now? Have you surpassed your cap? Are you still barely making any major progress?

[@waleezeart4295]

As a visual artist, I see the parallels between the two disciplines. You did a good job of explaining the handicaps inherent in being self-taught. Since no teacher is arguably better than a poor teacher, and a skilled instructor is not always available, being self taught is sometimes the only option. I have always hoped that sheer determination would be enough. I think you would say... probably not?

[@synchro505]

I feel very lucky to have found this channel today! What a wonderfully talented and skilled teacher. Time to binge watch more of Mr. Lee's videos. Much gratitude.

[@tristancrynes675]

My number 1 problem is starting a new song without completely finishing the old one

[@kapilyoutube]

Being a self taught for two years, your five tips are perfect. Just what was needed specifically the metronome and the correct fingering. Thank you.

[@ninamoler1880]

Tension is probably my biggest pitfall! I had no idea how tense I was in practice. Second would be finger independence. My ring finger hijacks my other fingers. Also, I’ve been practicing chord progressions from another of your videos. I was floored when I stopped looking at the keys, I suddenly got much better. I’m a typist, and type crazy fast until I look at the keyboard and suddenly become a hunt-and-pecker. I so enjoy your lessons!

[@papahicks3530]

I just retired a couple of years ago. I had learned to type 30 wpm hunt and peck. Learn how to do it without looking 30 wpm. I just learned 12 of the scales on piano. I can do them without looking.. I can go fast and slow.but I am starting to use metronome and sight reading.. Good luck wish me good luck.

[@tharonfoster3567]

For about 2 years I self taught and could tell I was missing something. Have had lessons for 4 1/2 years and have progressed. Still looking for help. Your tutorials really zero in on common mistakes I was making as self taught and sometimes slip back into. You are a very good teacher. Thank you for these lessons.

[@djautotur4875]

i thought myself jazz piano in about 2 and a half years. i can transcribe and play anything i want now it is very much possible to do that by yourself and i encourage everyone who tries to not give up EVER. it will work out just trust yourself

[@TerryLH]

Thank you so much for the great tips…I’ve been guilty of all being self taught.🙂

[@carolynfields8488]

I have been playing piano since I was 3 years old. My mother was my first teacher, then I went on to professional lessons. Excellent tips here. I also learned something new - which I will definitely try - which is to practice short sections 7 times and then move on. My tendency is to start "at the beginning" each time - which means that I learn the starting portion very well, and fall down towards the end. I truly appreciate your videos. I have subscribed, and look forward to seeing more. Cheers!

[@AlexandruBotezatu]

I'm rather inexperienced with playing the piano, but I found that what seems to work for me is finding a piece of music I like playing that has repetitions in it that will naturally get me to play well just because it has sequences that repeat so much. E.g. I am fond of Yann Tiersen and some of his pieces tend to have a lot of repetition in either left or right hand, actually the same goes for Beethoven's Tempest 3rd movement too. Yann Tiersen's Valse D'Amelie starts very simple and progresses to be more complex while retaining the same shorter sequences that get reused in the later parts of the piece. This lends it to learning as you get to progress to the piece, it's not as complicated because you get to re-use what you've learned prior in the piece. And it's a lot of fun because you'd be playing a piano piece that you like.

[@jewellevy]

I'm a piano teacher for 40 years. Jazer is one of the very best online teachers. Great tips for all levels! I recommend him to my students.

[@roysmallian2046]

Yes, I have had a number of teachers over the years, and they all have said the same things you have said in this lesson. You are a great reminder.

[@jacobras]

Excellent video. I've been playing piano for 18 years and I'm not self taught as I took lessons the first 5 years but my biggest issue is not challenging myself enough, technically. I love film music and that's what I play most... but usually it's not super difficult. I've learned some challenging pieces like the 3rd movement of Moonlight Sonata but those are exceptions for me. My plan is to work more on classical music and pay close attention to the fingering, dynamics and my practice routine. Oh, and scales! I have a workbook from David Hicken that has a lot of scales, arpeggios and more technical stuff. Practicing those will help a lot since I lack proficiency there.

[@nickelliot4301]

One thing not mentioned because I guess it's assumed to be common sense, but constantly work on a new piece just at the outer edge of your current ability, using techniques you have not yet mastered. Get into this habit, and suddenly all of your currently "hard" pieces become so much easier and more fluid.

[@lilCrown]

Great video, although I have to disagree witg strictly following the fingerings of scores as people have different hands, I'd recommend thinking about how one can use their hand as efficient as possible, or in other words also be critical of the score when something feels bad or sloppy

[@Maria-gd9pz]

I began to relearn the piano a few weeks ago after giving it up in my teens (I'm now 32). I wish I had the love for classical music all those years ago, but I'm a late bloomer in that sense 😅 Your videos are very useful and I love the way of your teaching. A lot of other KZbinrs literally scream the wrong ways or shove their way in their viewers throats. But you're calm and your examples are helpful and so easy to understand and follow. Thank you for that. And you're honest as well. There may be some tipps to learn easier, but you always remind us of the fact, that practice makes perfect (or getting your closer to that). And if that means to practice and play for many many years, then there's no better way to test your own passion. So again, thank you so much!

[@fredandshannonconverse9436]

I’m 74 years old, and have played the piano, nearly my whole life by ear with very few lessons. I’ve always taken the easy way out playing almost everything in the key of “C” or A minor. As such, I can relate to almost all five issues you mentioned. There has been a piano in my house ever since I was born, and I’ve owned several pianos. I just inherited a Steinway grand. I love it, and I am trying to actually learn how to play for the first time having having only a couple of unfruitful and frustrating years of lessons when I was much younger. In frustration, I almost always reverted back to listening to songs a few times, and then playing them by ear, all in the key of C. My favorite music is classical and jazz. I am now trying to learn Moonlight Sonata on my own, one, because I love it, and two because it doesn’t sound as challenging as most other classical music. (I DID some easy classical music with a piano teacher when I was in middle school. The most difficult piece was Für Elise and that was a struggle!). of course, I am finding moonlight. Sonata. Much more challenging than I thought, given that it is in the key of C sharp minor and having to remember the black keys, and then the proper fingering. I also have a hard time remembering where the notes are outside of the five line staff. This is when I decided to try to find something online and came across your video, and then realized that I am sadly dealing with all five of the issues you addressed. If I can garner up the patience, I am going to try to work on all five message you describe. Any additional hints that you may have for a 74 year old guy learning to play properly for the first time would be most welcome. Thanks so much.

[@kathydonaldson863]

Oh man, counting and rhythm is huge! My piano teacher alwaysade me count out loud at lessons and I thought it was the biggest waste of time and so unnecessary, but now as a mom, that's the thing I harp on my kids more than anything else.

[@tryinganna9883]

Counting aloud does so much for both rhythm and tempo keeping I like to sing the counts because why the fuck not

[@alech9418]

Synthesia has been incredibly useful for me in learning complex rhythm. Particularly when polyrhythm is combined with three hand technique I have found it useful. It forces you to play in the correct timing. Edit: I still drastically prefer sheet music.

[@newshah.s979]

Honestly this was the best video I’ve seen so far regarding piano practicing and self teaching. Extremely helpful thank you very much I can actually relate to all of it.

[@koinoniateam6197]

I am self-taught and you are right I am struggling now with my piano lessons as I have to delete everything I did for a long time. I am 58 years old and back to school taking up Liturgy and Church Music. Your videos are really helpful!

[@noahtruth6554]

I'm actually learning to play saxophone but the piano helps me with theory. I can really relate to your smaller chucks idea. I use an app called Anytune. It allows me to loop a lick, line, or phrase so that I can play it repeatedly until I get it correct. I may apply it to piano. I'd love to be able to play the piano but it is really challenging. That two hands, to clefs thing is a beast. Thanks for your lesson videos. They're really well thought out.

[@jazerleepiano]

You're welcome!

[@user-lh3ll9so1d]

I am a 76 year ol..., er, uh, older guy with just 6 weeks of self learning from a multitude of sources. This video has been extremely helpful to me as I'm having trouble with all the pitfalls except Tension. With the above tips I feel I can address many of the issues I'm having at this point. Good job helping us understand what us older beginners should be doing to get on track and do better. Will let you know how I'm doing in about 6 weeks. FYI. A tip I got from a book by Josh Kaufman's book about being able to learn many things in only 20 hours has really helped. In his book he states from a research paper that learning things that takes "muscle memory", like piano, should be learned in the roughly 4 hour window before bedtime and will result in better memory/recall of the learned action(s). But one should also still practice at other times in addition to this key nightime period. Nighttime learning and practice has really helped me a lot.

[@WSUGLUE]

That’s a really cool tip about playing before bed. I’m gonna use it! Thanks for sharing. And you’re right - 76 is not old, just older! I wish you a long healthy life filled with good things and good music.

[@Danadop]

I'm glad I could only relate to one of these pitfalls, and I'm very thankfull for your lesson on practicing methods.

[@starlesspaw]

“you don’t have as much finger independence as you can have” the way you said “can” instead of “should” is so encouraging. love your videos

[@richard135b7]

You are an excellent teacher. Thank you for those great tips! I'd like to mention though the greatest jazz pianist of all time Erroll Garner was self taught and never learned to read music.

[@jazerleepiano]

What a legend, I want to take lessons from Garner :P

[@peterharrison5833]

Wellll........Errol Garner WAS a great jazz pianist, and he was self-taught. So was Thelonious Monk, and for that matter, so were a number of the greats. However, as far as greatest jazz pianist of all time, I'd have to give that accolade to Art Tatum. Even though his style was routed in the earlier styles of jazz ('20s and '30s) as far as technique and feel go, Art's melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic diversity and complexity has basically never been equaled by anyone, even by the likes of Oscar Peterson. As far as the modernists go, I think they're all great and I love them all, each for his or her individual sound and approach. But Art is like Mount Everest---he towers over everyone. As a side note, for those who don't know, Art did study classically for a couple of years in Toledo as a teenager, so he wasn't completely self-taught, but the bulk of his mature growth was done on his own as an adult. And he was about 98% blind to boot. Interesting side note, although he had blazing technique, he played flat-handed, like Horowitz. There are several great videos of Art on KZbin, showing what he looked like while he played. And yeah, he never learned to read music, but then neither did George Shearing or Stevie Wonder....

[@357CLOUDY]

@@peterharrison5833 It's hard to learn correctly after this self taught stuff. I love the vibe of playing by ear. I suspect that what these musicians enjoyed. Interesting post Be well

[@peterharrison5833]

@@357CLOUDY Thank you. You too!

[@notlego3601]

I'm a self taught pianist and I've been playing from 6 years now. I never learnt how to read sheet music, and I'm still solely relying on synthesia and my ear. Even though my fingering techniques and practicing methods are on point, I feel really slow when I'm learning harder pieces. I recently started learning Moonlight Sonata Movement 3, and now I wish I learnt how to read sheet music. But at this level, I just can't find the motivation to learn to read music and go back to level 0 again.

[@lesw1845]

I played violin for a few years and I notice the same problems in beginners I am most definitely not a professional and still have a long was to go but it's quite interesting to see how similar the problems are for such different instruments. Loved the video btw!