How To Play Bach C Major Prelude

[@contemporaryschoolofpiano]

Thank you for watching! Get in touch with us so that we can help you liberate your piano playing and ask for the Free Resources Pack: www.contemporaryschoolofpiano.com/contact/

[@gregoryjanson3382]

Just a terrific lesson for a 74 year old beginner without a live teacher.

[@trevorstuart3674]

I reached Grade 5 piano without my teacher ever talking about chords! This is a better and quicker way to approach and learn music.

[@contemporaryschoolofpiano]

Thanks for your appreciation! I was determined to make a tutorial on this piece displaying the chords because there is such little material on the web that teaches classical music this way. You can visit our site www.contemporaryschoolofpiano.com to get our free resources pack (Just ask us) and it comes with a lead sheet of the chords for this piece.

[@richardcasey4439]

Have played classical piano for 50 years and still always love this piece. So rich in expressive harmony

[@contemporaryschoolofpiano]

It never gets old doesn't it!!?

[@andreyguess7069]

One more brilliant tutorial along with profound and sparkling explanations. Thanks, Tom

[@bernios3446]

So simple, such deep beauty! When Bach is playing, a light is shining.

[@gildacandelario1167]

Lovely, a 76yr old grandma is finally learning how to play this beautiful piano piece. Thank you so much

[@Paloma-pm4qv]

A great lesson for a 76 year old who last learnt piano 45 years ago and who loves the music of Bach. Thank you.

[@PaulColclough47]

I love this video. It's extremely effective at communicating both the significance of the piece and how to effectively playing. But most of all I just love how evident Tom's passion is for the piece.

[@psmith3001]

This man is a great teacher - very talented!

[@chrisbergonzi7977]

Phenominal lesson here.... I was transfixed by your explanation, presentation and enthusiasm. I'm leary of remote learning.....but, am so tempted to try with the LCSP......thanks man

[@LiliVG]

Absolutely the best analysis ever of this stunning piece. I will play it now with different eyes, hands and heart and take advantage of the lead sheet with the chord progression. So exciting. Thank you so much. I totally loved your romantic interpretation and I am sure you got Bach’s approval.

[@harveyklatzko3461]

I liked the reference to " Don't Cry for me Argentina "" I for sure heard it..... I started taking piano lessons when I was about 6... surprized that my teacher never taugh me how to play prelude in c major..... i'm 74 now..

[@canofanger]

What a wonderful teacher. I have watched so many piano videos and the descriptions and feeling for the music here are more heartfelt than any other I've seen.

[@josemaazcue5832]

I so agree.

[@gerdagregerson]

Wonderful lesson! Thank you very much! 🤩😊

[@James333-n2q]

Your honest joy and enthusiasm for the piano really shines through with this wonderful eye opening video. Thank you so much! You are opening my eyes to a whole new world to explore in my retirement! I feel like I did when I was opening my presents on Christmas morning.

[@contemporaryschoolofpiano]

Hi Mick. It's such a joy to read this - music is the gift that keeps giving. Please keep us updated and write to us anytime if you have any questions.

[@mellyju]

This was a wonderful lesson in the art of piano. I had to go to my piano half way through just to have a go! Thank you so much! I really enjoyed this. If I could I would enrol immediately!

[@JL-ge5pt]

Thank you, Brother Tom. This is pure brilliance; you've managed to give a masterclass for both beginners and experienced musicians. I'm an adult beginner and am working on an easier version of Passacaglia (Handel with training wheels.) Not surprisingly, it's every bit as gorgeous as the original version. Should you find yourself searching for a new video topic, Passacaglia on the lovely old Bluthner would be a dream. Cheers!

[@antonioeasypiano]

Great tutorial, on a musical level, wonderful spoken English, interesting content, in short, highly recommended for those like me who want to get closer to this eternal piece of music. 👏👏👏

[@noelwilde]

Fantastic presentation. I’m a classical guitarist whose injured a finger and can no longer play. I’ve just started playing this and can’t believe such a simple piece can be so profound.

[@belay626]

i love this music and thanks for the tips and lectures etc... and making love this piece more and more...

[@philip-ur3qj]

What a wonderful teacher ! A joy to watch . Thank you . Listening here in a library on headphones. Its a beautiful day .

[@jonlynch]

What a gorgeous sound on that piano. Beautifully done.

[@contemporaryschoolofpiano]

Many thanks :)

[@V081WLBlue]

Fantastic! Not just the Bach composition, but your presentation and thoughts. Subbed, will be checking out your other videos.

[@claireclark6512]

Thank you! I play this on a 120 year old Ritmuller and love your appreciation of older instruments with their rich tones and expression. I’m returning to piano after 40 years and am playing purely for enjoyment now (I’m not very good!) but this has been my all-time favourite piece that I will never tire of and your tutorial has just made me love it all the more!

[@marktennenhouse6869]

I'm mostly a 60's/70's rock music lover. But, you're opening a new window to classical/Back with all kinds of interesting ways to learn it. Each video I see brings me closer to signing up on your online school. I wonder how many other amazing things I'm missing. This is truly inspiring music and teaching approaches. I have yet to see your videos on blues and jazz and latin..

[@straffwentworth9551]

A fantastic teaching video. I don’t play piano, but my grandmother Alice Ehlers was a famous harpsichordist in her day. Bach was her love. I was lucky enough to hear her practice in the floor above me for many years. It gave me an appreciation for classical music and Bach in particular. I will give this piece a try. Thank you

[@josemaazcue5832]

Absolutely marvellous piece and explained like never before. Excellent tutor for a heavenly rich piece of music written by the man who my father so loved. JS Bach was all over our living room as my dad was a famous organist from the Basque country. I now am learning to play this piece.

[@josemaazcue5832]

So pleased to have discovered this channel. Thank you from San Sebastian which has a Cavaille Chord organ.

[@tonyarnold9784]

Many thanks for your response and clarifying. I will perservere.

[@lawrencetaylor4101]

I enjoyed this teaching video way too much. Merci beaucoup. This was the first piece I tackled, and I wrote the notes in and learned it like that. When I started lessons, my teacher put the score up and I was lost. I had to learn how to sight read. I've been taking lessons for about six months now, and I felt I was stagnating. I had used three different method books for level one. I started with Faber, but I had to learn British, and I saw that I had to also learn musical French. So I also used La Méthode Rose bilingual, French and British. Someone recommended the John Thompson method, and I bought Volume one and two in French, and loved it. It's old fashioned, but I'm old, so it suits me fine. That's how I learned French. LMR uses Alberti Bass a lot, and it aggravated an inner ear problem I have and I'd have to stop reading pieces using it. I was frustrated, and one day I started on page one of LMR and did every exercise. My sightreading has improved and my teacher noticed after only a couple days. It's the second week, and I'm still on volume one of LMR and Thompson, but I've been able to add dynamics and my musicality is finally improving. I'd highly recommend to start over at the beginning sometimes and really learn what a piano method is trying to say. I've learned to sightread this Prélude, but the biggest help for me was to apply figured bass to analyzing this. I was able to transpose this into Sol Majeure. I'd love to sit down and play this again, but I want to finish my quest of becoming an accomplished level one player first. BTW I started playing this on my low G ukulele.

[@contemporaryschoolofpiano]

Thank you for your kind words, I'm glad you enjoyed it. My only advice is to try not to overcomplicate your learning paths with too many methods at once! Adult learners can be good at that! This piece has a beauty to it that transcends "methods. Perhaps that's why it resonated with you.

[@ilonamaz]

Loved the passion, the energy and the interpretation! Truly inspiring ⭐ Thank you!

[@martifingers]

A remarkably open and inclusive approach. Wonderful video.

[@contemporaryschoolofpiano]

Many thanks 😊

[@billhasty5197]

Been a long time since I played this. Can't wait to play it again. It is a lovely piece of music and so fun to play. Thanks Tom.

[@terryforrest3293]

Fabulous insight to a fabulous piece of music - Thank you!

[@andyblyth4519]

I knew some of this piece straight away but did not know composer or when it was written. But it took me straight away to Zadok the Priest in its flowing rhythm and quite a lot of the chords. Music is great. Tom explains things very well. He is also a player. Chapeau maestro.

[@fotoalive]

This is Great I would love you to teach us Toccata in D Minor , if you have not done yet! Just love it! Thank you so much ! Merci Beaucoup !🙏

[@Nancy6797]

This is wonderful

[@smileydoug]

Thanks! Very helpful method of teaching this piece!

[@contemporaryschoolofpiano]

Thankyou very much appreciated. Reach out to me at [e-mail], we have a little treat to say thank you for your support.

[@durhamgrigg3125]

Hello Tom, just got back home after a ...RAP day!!!! Then up popped your wonderful youtube lesson about this unique work of Bach Art!!! You and Bach's genius totally lifted my spirits!!!! Thank you both!!! Speaking of Gounod's Ave Maria melody - I wrote a melody for clarinet during lock down - and then worked the whole thing into a video of a majestic albatross soaring and swooping over the southern ocean in New Zealand. I'll look it out and send it to you as a thank you!!!! You and all your colleagues at the London School of Contemporary Piano are doing something totally awesome for music and musos! As an 'Austra-Zealander' in UK I salute you!!!!

[@TheMusikpoet]

very good tutorial, great that you included the chords. I sit down and finally play the song. Thanks again

[@ivondavid]

very wonderful analysis. Bravo!

[@taylorseagull]

Very interesting and useful commentary. Thanks a lot.

[@contemporaryschoolofpiano]

Many thanks!

[@chichitaoset1856]

Muchas gracias, profesor porsu excelente explicación. Desde BsAs Lomas de Zamora.

[@j-e-n-n-y-k]

Thank you, what an excellent video!

[@daktaritubabu]

this piece is a true blessing. I love that phrase you said

[@piotrszarek9802]

Great tutorial.I've wached and listened with atention and pleasure . I play the guitar . Thank you.

[@careljeromecornelisfredrik5252]

Thanks for your video, your great in teaching.my congratulations.

[@jeannettestuckelschwaiger5071]

What a wonderful analyis.

[@barbmoody4892]

Awesome tutorial. Thank you!

[@mrdjangofreeman5560]

I started with this one on my own. Now i hear and play it a bit differently, say. Kind of a jazzy way. Thx for this lightening about this genious master piece 😊

[@mrdjangofreeman5560]

If a beginner, do not hesitate to start with THIS piece, to be discovered and rediscovered with no end.

[@contemporaryschoolofpiano]

That's a great bit advice, couldn't have said it any better myself

[@Revivalfire-g6g]

Love this piece! Thank you for this tutorial. Going to learn it.

[@alexc2259]

Such an amazing musician and teacher

[@bruceboome]

Excellent tutorial. One of my COVID projects was to transcribe this piece for electric guitar. The instrument doesn't have the gravitas or dynamic range of the piano, and cannot sustain all the notes in some chords. Even so, I think it's a worthwhile exercise. I picked up some ideas from this video that will help my interpretation of this lovely piece of music.

[@EarthCyclop]

Thank you for this explanation. It creates some insight for me on how to play piano. Bach is a genius

[@contemporaryschoolofpiano]

Yes. The word genius may be overused nowadays but not when referring to the music of J.S Bach!

[@b-jscott]

Absolutely love ❤️ this piece!! Thank you!

[@eckdavid2472]

This was a lovely and entertaining video.

[@Practicalmusicministryskil4906]

This is wonderful, thank you! I just started sharing videos on my KZbin channel in the hopes of making music literacy accessible to all.

[@RachidMhantich]

Good job

[@kensturgeonmusic]

A great video tutorial!! But where do I get the lead sheet annotated into contemporary chord progressions?

[@contemporaryschoolofpiano]

www.contemporaryschoolofpiano.com - make an enquiry and we will send you to the free resources pack that includes the lead sheet to this piece.

[@soleaguirre100]

Bach ❤is magic ✨

[@LeonStanford-wp1ox]

Excellent Tom!!!!! ❤

[@steppets25]

Such a Fantastic tutorial Tom👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼🎶🌟👍🏼🥰 Thank you so very much for this interesting, informative, and wonderful video…. PLEASE 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼Share some more like this❤ Classical Music my first true Love❤❤❤ Congratulations and Kudos to you, a brilliant teacher … from one teacher to another, from Bombay, INDIA 🇮🇳

[@contemporaryschoolofpiano]

My pleasure!

[@klaustand]

Thank you so much for opening my eyes and ears. 😊

[@vspatmx7458]

Bloody gorgeous Cant wait to get home to try it out..

[@JazzOrganBites]

Great lesson.

[@robertmclauchlan5870]

Wonderful tutorial. Thank you.

[@garnitiralineas]

Magnífico!

[@sjntube]

I'm a 57 year old guitar player. I've never attempted piano. This piece is drawing me ever closer to purchasing a keyboard. I dream of playing this. Thank you for this tutorial!

[@josemaazcue5832]

Love that someone from guitar is attracted by this incredible piece

[@soleaguirre100]

try it ❤piano

[@RalphBrooker-gn9iv]

This is such a good tutorial. I’m left handed and tend to play 3 notes in the left. I’m not a great reader. I play jazz. (Dan Tepfer was impressed with my weird fingering.) I do block the entire chord as an exercise. So I’ve stumbled naturally on some of your tips. My instrument is a Roland EP880, so a nice hammer action. I only have one pedal which stays plugged into sustain. I tend to use light sustain when playing tvOS Prelude to avoid what you call ‘chasing the notes’. I like to pivot off the bass note. Interesting you mention McFerrin, modern jazz tuition encourages/insists on singing the minor scales, intervals and also melodic lines such as Donna Lees, whatever your instrument. I find I never play it the same sense. I just avoid the mechanical feel. I love that you spell out the chord voicings.

[@contemporaryschoolofpiano]

It's lovely seeing this piece in lead sheet format too. Thanks for sharing your musical journey with us, it is great reading to know what people are doing.

[@calayugankings]

This is great! After watching this, I feel compelled to start again on the classical guitar version.

[@gauriblomeyer1835]

Thank you.

[@KelvinDominick-t7f]

Always loved this piece, didn't know when it was made new it was old but 500 years. Wow

[@contemporaryschoolofpiano]

1722 was the year it was composed!

[@KelvinDominick-t7f]

@@contemporaryschoolofpiano yea thats 500 years if my math is correct is it not. Beautiful piece 🧩

[@zonderbaar]

​@@KelvinDominick-t7f301 😊

[@BonBenE]

​You're from 2222? That gives me hope humankind will overcome it's current problems. Thanks mate!

[@contemporaryschoolofpiano]

🤣

[@belay626]

thank you ! this is very true

[@MikeM91320]

What a great tutorial. I am pretty new to the piano and new to classical music for the most part but I just loved your passion for this piece and on this piece. I don't think I am ready to tackle a piece such as this but just wondering if i could take a line or two and just play as an arpeggio since its broken chords? Thanks, Tom.

[@samrogers9515]

Very good! Thank you!

[@gillainesterren5570]

Is The Laban Ballet school, part of your institution? I trained there for several years in the past I like your method of training in this particular piece of Bach 👍👍👍

[@johnjameson6751]

One of the beautiful things about this piece is that it does not require a high skill level but encourages individual expression of musicality. You cannot play it straight and you did not, but everyone who plays it will use different tempo, rubato and dynamics.

[@richardcasey4439]

So glad I found this channel. Subscribed immediately

[@JimiChristopher]

Thanks!

[@tonytravert9944]

Hi Tom, we already discussed some Elton John piece before a while ago. As a new mature player sine 2021 lockdowns, my theory is far more advanced than my technique. There are pivotal moments in my learning the piano like for the first time I could separate my hands to the ability to understand how to make up to 7th chords..Now I'm learning about inversion & voicing. After learning the scales and creating those chords in my head, which is much easier than in practice, I do find it a little challenging when many piano experts like yourself here in KZbin when discussing a chord, you immediately go to an inversion of a chord rather than the normal root-3rd-5th. It happens more often than not and after learning about the chord shapes of 1-3-5-7 etc...Now I have to restart again to understand that for example a D major is not necessarily a D F# A but a F# A D. or A D F#. In a way what I'm trying to say that music, like many other things in life, can be confusing at times because had you not explained the inversion, I would have gone to a normal D Major shape and not understand why it wasn't working. From my perspective, I think I would have understood a D major 1st inversion chord quicker if it was called an F#m/Aug? 😁 If there's such a thing...Anyway thank you for another very nice tutorial

[@contemporaryschoolofpiano]

Thanks, Tony It's great to hear from you. I appreciate your eagerness to delve into understanding inversions. We have a video about this on the channel which you should watch that I am sure would solve some of your problems with inversions. kzbin.info/www/bejne/hWS4hHSgd8ihoa8si=W5PIjPY2lqJuRP1s Apologies for my long response, but I've noticed a few things from your comments, it seems there might be a few areas in musical theory where you're missing the context of what theory is for. This is a very common problem. Take, for example, the piece by J.S. Bach. Its beauty and elegance stem from the use of chord voicings and inversions. Without these elements, this piece wouldn't function at all with just root chords. Inversions are built into the composition of this piece. But don't worry, it's okay to play the notes of this piece without understanding every aspect of what inversions Bach is using. In fact, I would strongly recommend that. That can come much later. I've observed that many learners, particularly those who start later in life, often mix up theoretical knowledge with what is essentially overanalysis. While it's great to be analytical, remember that music is essentially more about the action of playing it than understanding every detail of the construction of the piece. In fact, it's possible in your case, that you should wait until you can play the music, until delving too far into the theoretical aspects. You might find this approach elevates your playing much faster. I plan to create more videos addressing this common hurdle, which I like to call "death by overanalysis." By the way, there is no such thing as a minor augmented chord!! It's still just a major chord with the notes just in a different order. For now, my advice would be to focus on the physical aspect of playing. Try to familiarize your fingers with the shapes and movements required for this piece. Let muscle memory play its role. You might find it helpful to use sheet music annotated with the specific notes for each bar. This approach will allow you to experience the music more directly. Finally, remember the goal is to play and enjoy the piano, not to let unneeded analysis overshadow the joy of playing. Sometimes, the theories we impose on ourselves don't align with the composer's intentions. So, in four words: "Play now, analyze later." This mindset can be truly liberating and enhance your musical experience. Keep up the good work, and best of luck with it. This is such a great piece to enjoy and play, you've got this! If you need any more help from us you can visit our homepage, www.contemporaryschoolofpiano.com

[@fotoalive]

@@contemporaryschoolofpiano I truly understand Tony , i'm retired too ! when I first learned the chords was happy it went easy into my brain , until inversions came along to mess up everything I had learned , so in my practice i love to try to play some songs, but then i realise I need to go back to the theory to understand all the basics of music (not talking about notation ) just chords so I get this into my brain ... cause otherwise what is the use of playing a song if you don't know what you are doing and why ? Yes learning music for babyboomers is difficult for the brain .... but i believe with time and practice will we make it ! And Thanks so much Tom for these Great videos sharing your expertise!

[@jorgeortizmonasterio4957]

Amazing channel, by far the best I've seen in YT, thanks for your work!

[@contemporaryschoolofpiano]

Thanks for your kind words, glad it helped. Stay tuned for our next ones!

[@soleaguirre100]

Thanks ❤Greetings from Santiago Chile 🇨🇱 😊

[@frankgradus9474]

Thanks awfully. That's a huge help.

[@AdrumaVictoria16]

Thank you!

[@MichaelGawesebmainone]

I’m going to look for a trumpet version, hopefully (sorry it’s all I know, though I love watching string instruments for the benefit of seeing how triads/arpeggios are used, which is helpful when playing by ear)

[@daktaritubabu]

thanks for mentionig the video of Bobby McFerrin. I didnt know it and i have been atonished

[@contemporaryschoolofpiano]

Bobby McFerrin: It's an incredible performance, isn't it!

[@fabiancosster2992]

Hi amazing can you make a video how to practice invention in a minor? That would great thank you very much GodBlessing

[@williamash6776]

I don't think the mordent EFE at 19:49 is stylistic. Shouldn't mordents in baroque style be inverted?

[@contemporaryschoolofpiano]

Hi William. On this specific point, I would say both ways in no way invalidate the structural harmony of the piece. Though you are right, if I were attempting to be historical, I probably would have played it very differently (The whole piece). I would say all of this performance does not follow strict Baroque practice for many reasons. if you are familiar with this channel, we advocate improvisation even in classical music, rather than historical more literal approaches. Not that we haven't any issue with historical performance, it's just not our style of teaching and education that we advocate. Though, I would say, that ornaments in baroque music were heavily improvised in the day, and we only have the notation to really understand its context, it would have been amazing to hear what they were really doing!! I'm a bit fan however of Andras Schiff, and if I am looking for a historical understanding of ornaments, adapted for the piano, I reference his recordings, let's say rather than Glenn Gould, who takes a more counterpoint-structural-breakdown of the composition approach. It really depends on the end goal of the person performing the piece.

[@chesterarebest]

This is very good. I am slightly confused though, through lack of knowledge. Do the notes from each sequence i.e the two notes with the left hand and 3 with the right constitute a chord of C Major but with different voicings...the notes in different places? Or am I totally down the wrong path?

[@contemporaryschoolofpiano]

That's right,: you are correct! The voicings are moved around with both hands in combination contributing different positions of each chord.

[@meninagreen5704]

So, Tom, question: a lovely piece full of color. I intentionally play it more lanquidly as i feel it brings out the tonal beauty. Played at tempo, it sounds breathless, like i'm running track. Would Bach approve the slower pace?!

[@contemporaryschoolofpiano]

This is such a good question thanks for asking me! So firstly I would say, without hesitation, play it at the tempo you feel it needs to be. Given the fact that so many people "rush" when they play the fact you feel like you want to slow it down is great. It might be you are curious about the sound of these chords and you want them to breathe more. When we talk about broader topics such as "What tempo should I play this at" or "What would Bach approve of" there are more historical points to consider, and also we get into very subjective territory to confuse it even more. What is slower and more beautiful for one listener is a funeral march for another listener. I just posted a new video of a musical arrangement I recently made, some listeners loved it, and some couldn't help but share with me, how they didn't like it at all. People's own musical experiences are real, but they can still be in a bubble! So the question you could ask yourself is why don't you like the faster tempo? Maybe it's because technically you feel like you are rushing, or maybe it's because the notes are too heavy. Seeing things from both perspectives builds a more agile musical mind. But to start with, trust your gut instincts as well, there is nothing wrong with playing this piece slowly. We don't have to ask for Bach's permission, he didn't even give us a tempo marking. So I'm making no assumptions on his part! It's the master of harmony after all, and if you want to savior that harmony, well that's a very valid way to show your appreciation for Bach's music.

[@greg-warsaw4708]

Great respect and gratitude + 1 question: why (between 09:12 and 09:20), while playing full chords, are you playing, with your left hand, in bar 19, C-C (octave apart) rather than C-E as in the sheet; then in bar 20 also C-C instead of C-G, and in bar 21, F-C rather than F-F (octave apart), as written in the sheet? Have you changed it for any educational purpose (but changing Bach, anyway.... ;-/)

[@tonyarbeg1200]

6:50

[@contemporaryschoolofpiano]

Yes! Annotate those notes!

[@chrishelbling3879]

What a great video, thanks. Dumb question for anyone here: I have great difficulty playing 4-part hymns (SATB) from a church hymnal, in knowing which hand to use for the Tenor voice? Especially when the Treble & Bass staves are separated by 5+ lines of lyrics. Do you play the Tenor voice with LH, RH, or a changing combo? Appreciate any assistance.

[@contemporaryschoolofpiano]

This is a great question. 4 part playing is a difficult skill, the fact you are playing in that style is a huge benefit and credit to your musicianship congratulations. Tenor parts are precious, they provide the counterpoint to the Soprano, and as you pointed out they are not always easy to voice, because of the intervals in the left hand (and right hand for that matter) - generally it's best to share them through both hands, if your hands are smaller, go for the hand with the smallest interval or if you have larger hands and you can comfortably reach a tenth interval, you can continue a voice passage with the same hand to allow for less voice exchange between both hands, generally it's about planning the arrangement that best suits your hands. Keep up the good work, you'll soon be playing Bach fugues!

[@bimwopbarn47]

nice

[@contemporaryschoolofpiano]

Thanks

[@krisking2]

Where are the lead sheets? I can’t find them on the website. 😢

[@contemporaryschoolofpiano]

@krisking2 they aren't on the website you need to ask us for them via the contact form.

[@krisking2]

I’ll check my emails​@@contemporaryschoolofpiano

[@lordsharshabeel]

Hey friend having your mic fixed directly on the piano like that causes a ton of low end rumble. Easy fixes: add a shock mount, use a separate mic stand, or process with a high pass filter in post.

[@contemporaryschoolofpiano]

Hmm, I can't hear any bass rumble..., the piano microphones (stereo pair AKJs) are on a stand, and the vocal mic has a noise gate and shock mount on it, so it only picks up vocals, no piano at all.

[@lordsharshabeel]

@@contemporaryschoolofpiano I’m listening on full range speakers and I was definitely distracted by a lot of hammer noise earlier in the video. The way the camera angle was, it looked like the mic was attached to the music stand. It may just be the way your piano is, no worries. In general it’s a good idea to high pass around 40-50 Hz (ideally during tracking using your preamp) because those frequencies do more harm than good. If it was up to me I’d even add some EQ and dynamics compression just to offend the purists, given that your audience is mostly listening on mobile devices.

[@contemporaryschoolofpiano]

Good tips many thanks for listening on such good gear. We sometimes at a bit of EQ and use some of the waves audio plugins to give the sound a bit more life, I'm not really into that clean 'podcast' sound. In future videos we are going to experiment with some ribbon mics. Many thanks again.

[@gaskellr44]

Hi, Just watched the video(beginnerish player), but am a bit confused as I thought you were going to teach us note by note how to play it, but you just seem to gloss over the broken chords etc without breaking it down slower, so it can be absorbed. Do you do another video for this where you break it down slowly please?

[@contemporaryschoolofpiano]

Hi Gaskellr44. Thanks for your comment. Yes, piano is a difficult instrument but let me share a few very powerful tips that will really help your musical journey. You really want to start looking at chords. Chords are the foundation of all piano music you will ever play. Without the knowledge of chords, you will be playing notes "one by one" as you said in your comment. That is the approach you want to avoid like anything! If you are a beginner, I would suggest studying our videos on chords, as many of them as you can, and then returning to this tutorial and it will all make much more sense. The last thing you want to do is play this piece "note by note" as it will sound unmusical, and lose you lots of valuable time in your learning process. Think of it as speech, we want to speak in sentences, not just individual nonconnected words. Best of luck with it, and if you need any more help you can ask us more questions via www.contemporaryschoolofpiano.com we have decades of experience in coaching beginners. You might also benefit from a cheat sheet we have of this piece where the broken chords are notated into notes - this would help you more than a KZbin video would as you see the note shapes on the page in front of you. This is a good way for a beginner to learn this piece. Just reach out to us and we can get that information over to you.

[@gaskellr44]

@@contemporaryschoolofpiano Thanks very much for your reply. The last few months I have been working on Fur Elise, as it's one of my fave pieces, and it took a while till I got to be able to play the first two parts pretty good now, i.e, with fairly good flow from Right hand play, and then with left hand broken chords, and I learnt that from watching a note by note video, and then worked on getting it rightish myself, but I will check out your vids on chords, as you say, it will help improve my fluidity and musicality, which I def need to work on(I take it you have them here on YT?) Yes I am starting late as a late 50s person, and tried a good few years ago, but gave up, funnily enough as I didn't think I would be able to cope with chords, but my interest came back a year or so ago, so I will persevere, especially as I can see what difference the practice has done with regard to me playing the said Beethoven piece. I think I am way off the 3rd and 4th sections of it though.

[@chrishelbling3879]

Bach: goin' heavy on Power Chords since 1722.

[@contemporaryschoolofpiano]

Yep!

[@richardcasey4439]

Bach was a genius. There, I said it.

[@RealmsOfThePossible]

I have wanted to learn this since I was young but was told I didn't have the hands to play classical piano. About time I stopped believing others and at least try.

[@jeryth057]

Yep, I started taking lessons at 9 and I never really grew any bigger so I can reach an octave and a note but not easily so I'll never play Liszt or Rachmaninoff but I had enough in my repertoire 😀 To for it!

[@jeryth057]

I mean, Go for it. Stupid autocorrect