The 5 WORST Mistakes Of Self Taught Piano Learners

[@pianoly]

👋Thanks for watching! Be sure to watch my FREE TRAINING (hosted by Kaitlyn Davidson) - HOW TO GO FROM STRUGGLING TO LEARN PIANO TO PLAYING YOUR FAVORITE SONGS (IN AS LITTLE AS A FEW MONTHS) WITHOUT OVERWHELM, CHILDREN'S MUSIC, AND UNNECESSARY MUSIC THEORY www.try.piano.ly/free-training

[@viralbuthow000]

Number 5 has been a killer for me. There are SO many different tutorials and some of these folks play so well that you think you're missing something if you don't click.

[@curmudgeon52]

As a trainer of teachers (in various fields), I can tell you, you are a master teacher!

[@anonymike8280]

Absolutely. Everything she said was what I figured out as a self-teacher long ago. The learning model applies to all things. Probably even baseball.

[@mannjtn]

That's the big problem no one wants to spend time with basics, everybody wants to be the master over the night. Your lesson and techniques are really helpful. I appreciate 👏👏👏👏

[@GreatGazoo8]

Oddly enough i learn by watching on line tutorials and skipping around to songs I like. I've gotten a lot better by doing this. To me this is the best way to learn piano - I've learned trchniques and theory along the way and by learning around my favorite songs and added bonus is that I have fun and don't get bored.

[@FrankDux-uo7ig]

That’s fine on its own but if you needed to jam with some people you would be lost. That’s why proper practice and learning fundamentals is important. Or maybe I’m wrong and hundreds of years of people have been wrong and you figured it out

[@jhenaguilar8330]

I'm guilty on the part of scrolling different videos in youtube about songs to play in piano and how to learn the piano. 😆 It indeed made me frustrated cause I don't know which one to really follow and I feel stuck. 😂 You got yourself a new subscriber here. I decided to stick in your channel. 😊 And I'm excited to learn more from you 🤗

[@jhume7461]

My biggest issue was as you mentioned, not having a clear path, and moving around lots of different KZbin videos, hoping to get an all-round view, but ending up frustrated. I recently signed up to Yousician to start over, but as I'm now paying for it, I'm sticking to this path.

[@dividendapacolypse6060]

I quit music all together in 2015 after graduating. After only my 2nd day on the piano ive learned how to read notes again. Including the left hand. Slow and a bit sloppy but im glad my previous band experience is helping me progress a bit fast (using a lesson book to teach myself the basics, pretty fun)

[@eduvinyl]

Learning the scales by heart is what really started making a noticeable difference for me.

[@neserdoryrajoo7312]

Kaitlyn, thank you so much for your easily understood practical lessons on learning to play the piano with joy. Thank you.

[@KaibaTopDueling]

Yes true start off with the basics and not skipped it out. My Piano teacher in person provided Music sheets symbols to read symbols without using opened notes. Yes I remembered your last lessons press chords first and sustained pedals last. Thank you Kaitlyn. ❤️☺️. Hands gets stiffed sometimes.

[@edkaempf906]

All your tips are great and spot on. I think Tip #5, get a clear learning path and stick to it.

[@Joslemian]

5:30 Thank you for making another great video. Hands down the biggest thing I’m struggling with being self taught is tension and fatigue. I start feeling tense and actually feel more and more loose the longer I play. That and finding the correct seat height/distance and posture.

[@ronniewetherington509]

You make very good points. Thanks for sharing your experience.

[@KoloksPhotographyAU]

Correct on all counts I still have to connect playing my scales properly

[@JangaimeiKamei]

Thank you so much for your sincerely teachings sister.

[@JuliesGuitarChannel]

What is wrong with modern learning is that we all have tablets. They don't show fingerings. Half the time, the Chords are wrong lol. I studied about 6 yrs of piano with teachers. Then been self teaching. I got the basics but was never taught scales. I know proper fingering now because my hubby showed me. It is hard when you flounder around without a proper road map. Love your video. 😊

[@Omg-vi7bm]

She simply wants to promote her channel

[@JerryAndJulieMusic]

​@@Omg-vi7bmwhat? who?

[@pianoly]

It's fantastic that you've found ways to navigate your musical journey despite the challenges! Having a solid foundation in scales and fingerings can really enhance your playing. It sounds like you've been resourceful in learning, especially with the guidance of your husband. Keep exploring and don't hesitate to dive into resources that can fill those gaps. Your perseverance is admirable!

[@FrankDux-uo7ig]

@@Omg-vi7bmthen why are you here

[@Tigermaster1986]

I know this is an old comment, but... How did you even manage to study for six years with teachers and never even touch scales?

[@couchphotography8861]

Things improved by leaps and bounds when I ditched the hands separately method. I learn everything using hands together. Also, Bartok's Mikrokosmos is a really good method, and it has a hints and tips book written by Bela Bartok to go with it. Improvising by playing along with a backing track helps to get the music into your ears too!

[@Joslemian]

I agree with this. But it may become more important with more complex pieces. Will have to find out.

[@jbentonio]

I admit I have used the button pressing method to learn a song intro or melody line, but I totally agree that it’s not “learning piano.” All I’m doing is memorizing a few keys to push and am not internalizing anything transferable to other songs or to music in general. It’s very “paint by numbers,” which can be fun but is not true learning or art.

[@pianoly]

That's a great realization! While the button pressing method can help in the short term, true learning involves understanding the patterns, chords, and structure underlying the music. It's like grasping the language rather than just memorizing phrases. Exploring music theory and understanding the relationships between notes and chords can take your playing to a whole new level, allowing you to apply your skills across various songs and styles. Keep digging into the theory-it'll unlock a world of musical possibilities! 🎹🎶

[@abettencourtmusic]

I love your content and it’s definitely been helpful, but as a musician of almost 30 years, I found out I’m a very visual learner. I play the guitar and it’s easy for me because no two frets are ever alike, there are only six strings and the fact that there’s dots on the neck really help you get situated. Drums, even easier. Just go by size and position. Keys on the other hand? Not so much. I took organ lessons many years ago for all of four months and the repetitive nature of all 12 keys in 5 to 7 identical octaves always messed with me. As such, I’ve printed the names of the keys nice and bold on top of each octave so there’s always a reference point. The rationale being that as I grow accustomed to where the F is, or the G, slowly but surely your muscle memory starts to kick on and then you go from there. We can call this a training wheels approach, if you like, which means eventually the tape is going to be stripped off when I’m confident enough in my playing to even invest on a new keyboard. Also, I likely took this approach from guitar tabs, which show you just what string to push down on and in which fret. It’s just a memory process and like I said, as a musician, I think everybody should have their own. Practice will eventually prevail over any kind of temporary solution in helping you play the instrument. Also, did I mention how weird it is for a non-pianist to learn that the FIRST key of an octave is a C and that the A is a few keys BEFORE that? At least in Europe we have actual names for the keys (Do Re Mi etc), so you can’t blame us for finding methods to memorize stuff 😅

[@Gretchenbrooke]

Haha reminds me of when I first started and spent 2 hours creating tiny little squares with letters and carefully taping them to the keys 😂 Huge mistake. It actually made it HARDER to play!! I ripped them all off after 20 min. Such a waste of time. 😂 But I had to see for myself that it does not work

[@patrickpowell5430]

I am reasonably proficient on guitar, especially so since I finally began taking jazz guitar lessons several years ago. The main advantage of those lessons is that I now know some music theory and that does help a lot. But ironically I have always wanted to play jazz piano (and at 12 without then even knowing what jazz was I stopped taking my piano lessons 'because I want to play jazz'. It also didn't help that my older brother - who was always better at most things than me - was also far better at learning and playing piano). So my question: at what level should I starte taking piano lessons (including eventually being able to sight-read)?

[@TerrenBichard]

How close are you to SE Ohio? I enjoy your teaching. Just starting.

[@DavidZhou-g3d]

Good Afternoon Kathy, Great advice. When I was teaching my fellow classmate how to become profusion in become a basketball player. I started with teaching the foundation, (the basic) and developed their skills from there. My theory is once you master the basic you can fall back to it, if you go off the beaten track later on. I find that to be true in everything I learn. Like my: Fine art painting, graphic design, photography, Calligraphy, my Chinese Brush Painting, and my poetry. That is not including learning how to play the piano, and learning Japanese, Chinese, Italian, and French. Learning the basic help build the foundational process of learning. I talk to much, mom always said “Take care of the customer you talk too much.” How I can still remember what she said. 🤭 I will miss her this holiday season. Anyway I got you a virtual Christmas gift, hope you like it. A virtual present is what ever you wanted it to be, so don’t opened it before Christmas! Take Care and have a blessed Christmas to you and your love ones. 🙏🙏🙏 🎁🎉 Sorry, about the wrapping, never was very good at gifts wrapping presents. “Merry Christmas!” 🎄❄️⛄️🎉🙏

[@pianoly]

Good afternoon! Your approach to teaching and learning sounds incredibly comprehensive-starting with the basics as a solid foundation is a fantastic strategy across so many disciplines. It's touching that you cherish your mom's advice; those little words of wisdom often stick with us. Thank you for the virtual Christmas gift! The mystery behind it makes it even more exciting. Wishing you a joyful and blessed Christmas filled with love and laughter! 🎄

[@DavidZhou-g3d]

@@pianoly Hi Kathy, Thank you, It will be just me since mom passed over to the other side. I will miss her. My brothers doesn’t celebrate Christmas with the family but I still do. I like buy Christmas gift for everyone including myself. (This year I’m getting a large scale model ship kit to build) Since I never had toys or fun stuff when I was kids. I still like to send out Christmas cards to peoples and watch Christmas movies and buy something for by brothers and sisters-in-law, even though they don’t like it but I do. I enjoy the spirit of giving, it’s fun.🤭 I guess I like to make people happy. 😄 I used to go to the City to the ballet and watch “The Nutcracker” and to the theater and watch Dickens’s “The Christmas Carols” it set me in the mood for the holiday’s spirit but now I just watch it on DVD, can’t walk very well. 🌟🎄❄️⛄️🎉 I had always been very analytical and logical since I was a kid. I never had a childhood then I was growing up. We were too poor and my parents had to work long hours. (12 hours a day.) So at age five I had to learn how to cook rice in a pot,(there were no rice cooker), so that my parents can come home from work and start cooking dinner right away. The vegetables were washed and cut up, the eggs were scrambled and seasoned. Everything was ready. We had eggs every day because you get a dozen eggs and each night you used four eggs. So, two dozen eggs will last you a week. The rice was to make your stomach feel full. Mom was great in coming up with new eggs recipes for making eggs dishes. As kids we never knew we were poor so those were fun times for me. I also had to learn to take care of my little brother while my parents were at work. (Changing dapper, making formula to feed him, bathe him, and put him to bed. (He is five years younger than me.) I think it is also part of the culture, Mom always says, “Look after your younger brother” I still do. But I also had help from my older brother, he was seven. That is why I had to be mature at a very young age. I have to assessed the situation, find the solution and then execute and solve the problems. By age 13, I was thinking like an adult. That has help me throughout my life. I can still remember a Navy officer, once told me “Keep it simple, stupid!” Nice advice, but I already finished the task. (Da..uhh🤪) What else does your majesty’s wants me to do next? “Off with your head.” was his reaction. (Hard to think without a head) But that’s what happened when someone is embarrassed by your ability🤭they yell at you. Take Care and have a blessed evening. Love the Holiday Season, it is such a happy time to see everyone happiness for each other. 🌟🎄❄️⛄️🛍🎁

[@pieterbender585]

Hi Kaitlyn... Do you prepare learners for ABRSM exams? Practical and theoretical?

[@saulalvarado3598]

Hey beautiful 😊 I love your teaching

[@pianoly]

Thanks for watching!

[@6gorks]

No clear learning path. I haven't picked a path yet . Great, funny video😅

[@dafyddrees2287]

When I was growing up my mother would sometimes stop dusting and come over and point out that I'm using the wrong fingering. The piano police don't need to see wrong fingerings - they can hear them from the unnatural gaps in phrases. My mother would approve these messages...

[@pianoly]

Your mother sounds like she had a keen ear for music and a strong sense of proper technique! Fingering can indeed affect the flow and expression of a piece, and sometimes, those subtle nuances can be picked up by attentive listeners. It's amazing how those early lessons and corrections stay with us, guiding our approach to music. Your mother's guidance probably shaped your playing in wonderful ways, ensuring your performances are not just accurate but also beautifully expressive. The piano police would certainly approve! 🎹👮‍♀

[@dafyddrees2287]

@@pianoly The emphasis you place on good fundamentals on this channel reminds me of her. I didn’t just get drilled in the basics - I got to grow up in a house where all the local music students got drilled by my mother in the basics…

[@verchip8]

I'm still battling to figure out how to use subtle pedaling. If you say cord first and then pedal, does it mean left hand cord? My right hand sounds very mashed up then 🙉 I'm totally lost!

[@aidilash2589]

I struggled to combine right and left hand

[@ipatmusikshow8891]

I like this tutor

[@pianoly]

Thanks for watching!

[@gustough]

Bad Habit 1: Yes. Bad Habit 2: Yes. Bad Habit 3: Yes. Self-Struggle: Building confidence and playing fluently; somehow-ish hinders me from progress into new topics. Bad Habit 4: Yes. Bad Habit 5: Yes.

[@pianoly]

It sounds like you're acknowledging some habits and struggles in your musical journey. Building confidence and fluency is key, and sometimes those habits might hold us back from exploring new topics. Recognizing these patterns is a great step toward overcoming them and diving into new areas of learning and growth! Keep pushing forward!

[@FancyPelicanRL]

I've always been a very aural learner, so I can pick out melodies within seconds and replicate them on the piano, but when it comes to finding out what chords and progressions sound best to go along with it is usually a matter of trial and error😢

[@pianoly]

Learning chords and progressions can definitely be a journey! Have you tried looking into music theory or chord progression resources? They can offer great insights into why certain chords work well together and might help streamline your experimentation process. Keep exploring, and remember, even the trial-and-error moments contribute to your musical growth!

[@FancyPelicanRL]

@pianoly Thank you for your thoughtful response! I haven't yet experimented with too many resources aside from ChordU, which I'll occasionally use if I have no clue what the chords are to a song I really like. Do you have any personal recommendations for websites or materials that could assist with the chord progression side of things? I am a violist of 14 years, so I understand a good amount of theory fundamentals, but that is also played primarily in alto clef, so switching to treble and bass for piano has been a challenge all it's own😅

[@kangasep5475]

❤❤ amazing

[@pianoly]

Thank you and thanks for watching!

[@alexgoriatchenkov]

All depend. No equal people...

[@mikekassan2435]

My biggest issue is that I never bothered to count. So I'm just playing notes and guessing on how long to hold a particular note.

[@AfesehGODWILL]

Please am a beginner how can do so that you can be by teacher.

[@tomlavelle8340]

Wow Synthasia seems so distracting with the falling lights

[@anonymike8280]

One) Bing! Two) BIng! Three) BIng! Four) Bing! Five) Bing! I'm a five! I'm a five!

[@159awi]

Do you think learning to play a synthesizer is different than learning to play a piano? Like say, a good polyphonic synth.

[@russ254]

you need at least 60 keys. action of keys means nothing. you can learn piano on a synth, but learning a synth is more about synthesis (lfo, fm, filters, modulating, etc)

[@pianoly]

Absolutely! One significant difference is that many synthesizers, especially those with unweighted keys, offer a different tactile experience compared to the weighted keys of a traditional piano. Unweighted keys are often more sensitive to touch, making it easier to experiment with modulation and expressiveness, but they might require a different approach to playing compared to the piano's weighted keys, which offer more resistance and control.

[@159awi]

And I guess the voice that is being used would also dictate the style. I have found that too many notes played at once gets muddy pretty quickly.

[@kylekiider9439]

I wish piano was as easy to learn as minesweeper!

[@pianoly]

Wouldn't that be something?

[@professorhardknock]

I don't play the notes clean

[@HombreDeLaNorte]

My biggest challenge in self-teaching is accepting that my student is an idiot.😢

[@SluggishDuck]

i feel offended by point 5

[@chrisegonmusic]

That plant really wants to be your friend 🪴

[@pianoly]

I know... lol. First thoughts of mine when I watched it. Oops! 🤣

[@chrisegonmusic]

@@pianolythe composition is absolutely perfect though! Totally worth it haha. I really like your approach with teaching. Good for coming over from playing guitar 🎸