RHYTHMS! One of my TOP Practice Strategies - 2,3,4,5,7,9 Rhythms and MORE

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[@joshwrightpiano]

I know I've mentioned rhythms several times on my channel, but I wanted to dedicate an entire video to taking you through 2,3,4,5,7,9,11,13, and 15 rhythms, along with discussing the best situations to apply this amazing practice strategy. I hope it helps in your practicing! Have a great week of practice

[@ralphwang1434]

Josh Wright thanks Josh, for reminding me of this super useful practice technique! Also Babayan and Trifonov are coming to my school next Monday, if you hadn’t mentioned them in your videos, I might not be going, haha. But I’m going!!

[@marinanovak364]

You are an excellent pianist!!! Fantastic and great teacher !!! How blessed to follow your leading !!! Best wishes!!! Kind regards to your family as well !!!

[@pa010689]

The reason why I prefer your channel to Paul Barton's is that you sometimes mess up a little in your videos ^^ not kidding, that's really important to me to see that very good professional pianists still have flaws. I can identify better and it's kind of motivating. Thank you Josh !

[@dincerekin]

Aha maybe Paul's just that good

[@DrMd-jr3xt]

I remembered the “It would be a shame if you didn’t have the integrity to do this” today, and I said something to that effect to my chamber group. I felt evil and I loved it.

[@matthijsborgdorff7766]

"It would be a shame if you didn't have the integrity to do this." Hahaha what a guy! That's great! 😂

[@leemotosuwa]

"This video is so long, I hope you enjoy It..." WHAT??? I loved It. I didn't wanted It to end.

[@eeradinator]

This works and quickly. Thank you for your amazing videos - I just flew through some scales that were clunky and uneven past 104 bpm after only 10 minutes. You saved me so much unnecessary extra work that was giving little result and improvement. Mind blown

[@ninarogers1426]

Thank you for this video! I've practiced in 2, 3, and 4, but I never thought to practice in 5s, and certainly not in the higher numbers! I tried this with scales (mainly 7s and 9s) last weekend. I went into the weekend playing D Major at about 88 (and it was kind of sloppy), and I'm now playing it at 130! I can't believe it.

[@marinanovak364]

You are fantastic pianist teacher artist and very humble man !!!

[@marinanovak364]

Genius!!!! An excellent and very humble person!!! Josh I appreciate for all your efforts!!! Make miracles because of you !!!!!

[@pascalegrafe7737]

You certainly must be a good teacher ! Thank you. ..

[@borisjevtic9110]

I like your videos because when you mess up some part, it just shows that we are all humans, and that practice makes it perfect (perfect practice makes it perfect! ). Also i love that you show so much respect towards your previous teachers. Keep it up, wish you all the best!

[@JD-qd5zp]

Dr. Wright, I’ve always practiced in rhythms, but you have really given me some new rhythms to try. Rhythmic practice makes passage work playing sooooo much better. Thank you. By the way, that is a very nice hair style.

[@Marita4444]

I can’t wait to try this, what a great technique. Thank you Josh!

[@MrGeati6783]

This strategy is absolute gold! Started 4 weeks ago and i'm really impressed by that speed, but i believe even if i do that practice a bit slower, it helps a lot.

[@metteholm4833]

It works! Immediately! I´m not "there" yet - but it will come. This is a perfect door to speed and lightness. I´m astonished by how much happened from one day to the next. (and, you are right - the brain solidifies new learning overnight). Thank you very much, Josh wright!

[@wittwfiii]

I play electric guitar. Your practice techniques and lessons inspire me to forge them anew and apply them to guitar work and play😁 You are quite upbeat and positive in your attitudes toward the many things you discuss on this channel. You help me to be hopeful that the work I put in brings a harvest.

[@mickizurcher]

This generous video was good to reinforce and expand these ideas and I can’t wait to practice tomorrow to really dig in to some passages that have been alluding me for way too long. Thanks Josh!

[@christinejung9576]

Thank you Dr. Wright to reveal such "secret". I actually tried it on those tough pieces and found it really works for me!!

[@Sello_Hunter]

This is very useful indeed. I was doing something quite similar to this, but never tried it with accenting the notes. Thank you very much for sharing, Josh!

[@lionelghiribelli7836]

Thank you so much Josh. You helped me rewind my life and eventually return to the piano, which I hadn't been playing for over six years.

[@deldridg]

Hi Lionel - that's great and I hope you've been able to keep it going! I remember returning to piano after a 15 year break. It was hard but I had to put my disappointment aside and I did scales and Hanon religiously for 3 months with some playing. Now, about 5 years later and I'm playing as I never thought I would. Keep it up! Cheers from Sydney, Aust - Dave

[@DrMd-jr3xt]

Between "Les Adieux" and the Black Key etude, all these variations will save my life. Thank you so much!

[@Wilt74]

Great advice. I ll.start with it. Thanks for sharing your skills and techniques

[@divinechild5025]

As a violinist ,I love your practice advice .thank you so much ,I enjoyed this video so much that I can’t Waite to try it immediately on the violin .👏🏼🌹🙏🏼👍❤️

[@leona7522]

I can’t wait to try out the 5 and maybe 7 rhythms on the third Ballade. This is really transformative. Best of luck with your performances this week.

[@france4me117]

Josh, you are absolutely brilliant as you make teaching fun and also you're carisma and easy going makes you want to learn more. Thank you sooooo much, from Melbourne, Australia

[@ThePianoFortePlayer]

I remember when I first came across the rhythms way of practicing in one of your older videos (maybe I saw it 8 years ago), it definitely felt like magic too

[@TommysPianoCorner]

I used a very similar principle learning the 2nd cadenza from Liebestraum No. 3 and it’s amazingly useful. Thanks for the video - I hope I’ll have the courage for 7, 9, 11 and 15!!

[@julianereinheimer1999]

Thanks so much! Very helpful Josh!

[@robertpien8708]

Josh this is great advice thank you very much it also strengthens your fingers and muscle memory when you do have passages that start in places that you're not used to your muscle memory will kick in thank you again for sharing this incredible find God bless you

[@PianoFromScratch]

Useful, will give a that a try

[@pedalboy7]

So, so great (as always)!

[@johncotta8288]

This was so helpful it's not even funny! Thanks again Josh!

[@medusa210562]

I am a clarinet player, I tell my students that if they want to be a virtuoso they need to feel the rhythm like a drum player, and I get them to tap on a table every thing they play, and in regard to this video, I play my scales to a different rhythm all the time, usually I play the scales to the rhythm of a hard passage I am playing in one of my pieces, so this rhythm changes all the time.

[@richardofpleasantway8027]

For me, a tongue (finger) twister is the r hand, 1st two bars of Chopin etude 14 in f minor. (Op. 25, no.2). I will try this technique on that and other passages. Thanks!

[@EversonAlencar]

wow... its really magic! thank you!!!

[@didier6609]

Super vidéo. Merci josh

[@rachmaninow6606]

You are the man John! Stay classy!

[@lycoris7890]

Wow that was very helpful !!

[@violinstudyingpiano8352]

Great and helpful video Josh!!! Thanks, can you do one about the last fast runs in The Emperor Concerto N 5?

[@ciri151]

My teacher taught me this as well. It works wonders!!

[@jurriepurrie]

Great video!!

[@thegreenpianist7683]

Kind of surprised it took you so long to dedicate a whole video to this startegy xD as it is one of the most invaluable things I have picked up from you. Keep up the fantastic work! When's Chopin op. 10 n. 8 propractice coming? :)

[@bobbygadourymusic5476]

Great!

[@itzeldunn427]

Josh, would you recommend prioritizing more rhythms and variations at slower tempos, or fewer rhythms and variations at faster tempos? Thanks

[@alexfangpiano]

hi Dr. Wright, in applying these to scales, would you also go through all iterations in 3rds, 6ths, 10ths in addition to playing scales in octaves?

[@BenSadounJeremie]

I often do rhythms in my practice. Rythms are the best way to gain thought speed and thus finger swiftness

[@mcrettable]

How different do you make your lessons for each student?

[@mayiask654]

Many thanks for all your cool videos. Could this technique also be applied to arpeggios like in Beethoven's 32 Variations, eg. 1st and 2nd variation?

[@BobMazzo]

Hi Josh you mentioned multiple times to start on the two and then once you said to start on the 3 can you tell me how far we should go

[@bradsims5116]

What a fantastic video ! Thank you josh for your hard work .

[@joashong8594]

Can you use this technique to improve trills?

[@drebtobias4677]

Wow

[@b-at8183]

whats the fingering for the chromatics in both hands

[@rogerproctor9987]

Thank you so much Josh. I can’t express my appreciation for this amazing method of practising. Quick question, do you ever use a metronome to do rhythm practise? Not sure whether to or not. Thanks again

[@Dudelee1]

I don't even play piano but I'm planning to start in 8 months time - been going through a load of these videos and creating a playlist to practice all these fundamentals. I love how in depth you go dude, and as a guitarist I can see it all makes sense. I'm hoping that using this stuff from the beginning will really give me a big advantage at blowing through the intermediate-level plateau

[@MishaSkripach]

you need a teacher

[@Strawberryfreak]

@@MishaSkripach sometimes you cant afford a teacher :)

[@MishaSkripach]

@@Strawberryfreak Then this is not something you can afford, as the worst thing is wasting your time and effort, and having no reasonable result. Take some grouo lessons in something that works without individual tuition.

[@Strawberryfreak]

@@MishaSkripach i had 4 years of being self taught and i came pretty far off and its not up to you to judge what you want from playing piano. Just watching yt videos and apps is already good enough

[@MishaSkripach]

@@Strawberryfreak No, it is up to me and up with o anyone who hears you talk about the illusion of "getting far". You could not play, you cannot play and you won't be able to play. Even if you think you do, you simply cannot hear faults. Piano is like figure skating, it is not achievable for adults, let alone self-taught. Yo deginitely could afford years of wasting you time on computer games that are all over your channel, these years of life, hours daily, could have been spent on earning some money to afford piano lessons. Can I hear you play not games but piano? Any recordings?

[@isabelchase6606]

Are you using the same fingering that you would if you were just playing the scales regularly? Or a different fingering?

[@AnnaKhomichkoPianist]

Isabel Chase yes definitely the same otherwise doesn’t make so much sense :)

[@tobiasruckelt8825]

When doing multiple scales, do you use your pinky at all or always go to the base note with your thumb?

[@danielsavluk7556]

What piece is in the intro?

[@nimbolism3040]

Josh i just watched your ad on youtube xd

[@shohrehabdolrahimi2968]

Dear Josh, Thank you so much for your amazing teaching. I have a very simple question. When you say that in each variation, for example in 2 Rythm variation we should practice all the combinations and then just erase the first note, do we also change the positioning of the fingers? I suppose we should not change the position of the figures. Is that right? Thank you

[@SuperThalberg]

It has been 7 months and he has not replied, so I'll offer you something. I'm a piano teacher with a doctorate and I use this strategy also. I would say do not change the position of the fingers. So, once you erase the first note, you would begin on finger 2 rather than finger 1. I am mostly sure Dr. Wright would say this. I know it is what I would say.

[@Nick-ui9dr]

Well I may shed some light... We do such type of excercises in Indian system too. Called Alankars here. But we do kinda lil different. We play a scale in combo of one to 8 notes patterns. Like he is telling its like I guess.. lets say u playing C scale. But u do it in every scale. Secondly u do it across 2 octave but if u doing it in just one octave u not suppose to return till u reach the point where Next octave start note becomes the 1st note of pattern u playing. Cause that will make u handle crossovers. What he is playing I guess is .. if u playing 4 note pattern ..it will be CDEF GABC DEFG ABCD EFGA..etc. Now as u see though pattern changes across next octave boundary so u need to span that much of Octaves. So if u start from D note of that scale this time u get the pattern DEFG which of course u play when u get into next octave. So u have to span 4 octaves to get all possible combo of 4 note pattern in that scale. But u can do the same if u just start from first 4 notes for 4 notes pattern cause in 5th it repeats all over what u have played or practiced in when u start from 1st note of scale. But here we do things lil differently and its very basic alankar we start practicing any musical instrument. Here we play a scale all right but we will increment just 1 note every repeatition of that pattern. So for 4 notes we go like... CDEF DEFG EFGA... etc.. till next octave C is the 1st note of pattern at least. Cause after that patterns will be repeat what u already played. But u can do it across any no of octaves. Secondly they just that number of notes patterns. What makes them a alankar is when u apply playing style to them as well. Like 2 notes pattern can be played as first note as grace note. Similarly u can vary 3 and 4 notes patterns playing styles. Lil ornamental way I mean or playing same notes but different orders or whatever variation u think of. But thats another thing. Very basic is at least u should know to play those sequential pattern in incremental way and efficiently. It makes u solve fingering issues at crossovers. i.e when u cross from 5 notes block to 7 notes block or vice versa. Cause scale fingering is not always the best and most efficient fingering when u play patterns on that very scale. Which is the way real pieces are played in to and fro patterns. Like if u playing it on C its far more efficient to just increment thumb position on every repetition then playing it like scale fingering. So in every scale its kinda lil different yet just everything falls into few tricks. U apply those that fall into that scale. And sometimes its really this incremental 4 note pattern is played as interlude.. mostly in reverse direction to vet back to tonic and in very fast speed. Like if song in quarter notes so that jhala will be played at 4 times the speed that is 16th note. And lastly for more after u become proficient in those. Trick is to play every pattern in that much notes per beat pattern like first just scale ..i.e. 1 note per beat.. then 2 note pattern but as 2 notes per beat upto 8 notes per beat. And if u can play 8 notes per beat at 60bpm I think its pretty much good speed.. but who's stopping u from going further. More after 8 notes pattern playing just become like scale. So not that much use here cause one way of practicing scale here is start from 1st note ... play 2 notes and come back... Then play 3 notes and come back ...then upto 4 notes and return and keep on increasing one note at time till u reach end of octave or end of next octave or whatever span u feel like playing. Secondly upto 7 -8 notes u can still play legato if u choose your fingering intelligently. After that u have to jump back to start note of next pattern u c. Unless u has big hands but that also can make u access just one or two notes more . Anyway so in the process it teaches u how to get back to any note within a octave span too. That too legatolly. Excuse my english.. but thats the best I can do as non native english speaker. 😂🙏

[@Nick-ui9dr]

But yeah if u playing in just forward manner your scale fingering will do fine. But if u like 4 notes pattern in incremental way. Lets say u playing C# scale . So I wud be using 2313 2123 1234 2345 2313 etc. U c i dont play like scale fingering here. When I started at C# I played F# note with 3rd rather than 2nd cause I need that finger to play D# in next round. I mean u try to leave that much fingers behind that u will need in the next round and its the way how real pieces are played in to and fro patterns. At least one should master 3,4 & 5 notes patterns. It will open up your thinking how to proceed with note patterns and in efficient manner. But I tell u its okay to learn different way of handling same task. But u will need to master both equally. Otherwise other will jump intuitively when u wanna play it like other way. Its only when u have mastered both ways equally well when u will have no difficulty expecting any way as u want in flick of sec without messing around. Same thing u have experienced in early days maybe. Like If u just learn C# scale. As beginner ppls usually start with one scale. So when u start learning next similar scale like F# or B. Your thumb will always occasionally hit wrong white note by habit. No matter how clear u about that its this white note not that white note in your mind. Its only when u have mastered it playing lil slower that u will be able to switch to any scale without any bump. 🙏

[@Nick-ui9dr]

And yes he was right u can increase a pattern speed by playing it in manner Mr Wright tells. 👍🙏

[@kilianbiermann8642]

But What does he exactly mean with variations? Can someone give me an example ☺️

[@henrik4179]

At 4:33 when you start at c# . Should I start with my second finger or with my thumb ( right hand)?

[@thegoldenkeys1289]

Second finger ! Dont change fingering

[@bozzigmupp510]

Michael Hermina but then what is the difference?

[@bsharporbflat8378]

I would probably enjoy a whole concert of your 9 rhythms

[@bjb0808]

Question. When you say to start from the next note, do you keep the same fingering? I'm assuming this is the actual fingering from the piece, not an exercise in being able to play notes with any fingers, right? I would think so, but just wanted to check that. Thank you!

[@MishaSkripach]

you keep the original fingers

[@herbertgersterer2915]

what is the name of the scherzo? :)

[@brysoncheng7574]

Herbert Gersterer I’m pretty sure it’s Chopin’s Scherzo no. 2

[@bobjones4562]

Why do you skip 6 and 8 and 10 and 12?

[@duality4y]

"i am going to skip over the variations to safe time" alright but kinda wanted a few examples there

[@GuilhermeHenriquesCoaching]

I didnt understand how to apply the scale exercise to passages from actual pieces. Is the idea to do exactly what we do on the scale exercises but using the notes from the pieces we are studying? Or simply by doing these scale exercises it will help me in my other pieces? Thanks for helping, guys. My Instagram is @Musicdream089 if anyone wants to reach out.

[@nihilumaeternum6555]

Why only uneven numbers of rythms apart from two and four?

[@AnnaKhomichkoPianist]

Nihilum Aeternum basically it's not so important, you can do any groups

[@nihilumaeternum6555]

Anna Khomichko Pianist Strange…

[@flyingpenandpaper6119]

Because it's easy to split things into two. Want to do six? Just split three into two.

[@edgarsnake2857]

It would be nice if your hands were actually visible. Perhaps an over head camera would do it. Thanks in any case. You set a high bar to aspire to.

[@pwnedshift1]

15 rhythms seem to miss the point to me... isn't the point to isolate technical difficulties and be very specific in your practice to solve your problems and integrate the passage back into the larger context of the music? if you're doing 15 rhythms it seems your practice passage is way too large.

[@StevenPJames-fl1un]

It seems to be for very specific passages with long, long, LONG sets of running notes. I can think of a few I would use 15 for (some Lisztian cadenzas, for instance).

[@mcrettable]

15 minutes is long? I think you’ve rushed through too many 1 hour lessons xD