The Biggest Skill LEFT OUT of Classical Piano Lessons

[@bunnyhollowcrafts]

great lesson of course and another thing to tackle that most pianists skip ... writing down the music by hand; oh you learn so much. I just started doing this and wow!

[@PianistAcademy1]

Thanks for watching, Becky! Yes, notating music that you're working on can be hugely illuminating!

[@back-seat-driver1355]

great lesson - thank you so much, Charles! please more of this kind of tutorials….

[@antoniomaccagnan7200]

Very useful tutorial. This is an essential skill for aspiring jazz players.

[@bornaerceg9984]

And for classical music improvisers.

[@antoniomaccagnan7200]

@@bornaerceg9984 Yes, such as were Liszt and Chopin.

[@bornaerceg9984]

@@antoniomaccagnan7200 yes, but also before them in earlier centuries, and later in 20th century, but also today with partimento revival. 🎹🎵🩷

[@JoseVGavila]

Thanks for another great video!!! 👍

[@PianistAcademy1]

Thanks for watching, Jose!

[@JoeLinux2000]

Transposing is quite difficult. I saw Chick Corea accompanying Bobby McFerrin in NYC. Bobby called tune in a different key. Even Chick found transposing on the fly to be a daunting task. I think a more important skill is developing a strong sense of musicality. I've worked at transposing, but it depends on the material. The more chromatic the composition with temporary key changes, along with inverted and altered chords the more complicated it becomes. A lot depends on your ear.

[@JoeLinux2000]

SIngers can be a PITA. They tend to want a different key than you are playing in.

[@PianistAcademy1]

Yes, ultimately we want everything I "show" and "write down" in the video to be discerned by ear, with or without formal definition. The more fluently you "speak" the harmonic language, the more easily transposition will flow. What you emailed over looks daunting at first glance, but if you play the treble clef with two hands, you'll see that it's just tritones moving chromatically. LH down by halfstep for the duration, RH steps up by half step and then skips down by m3. Armed with that, while not easy to execute in ANY key (even the original key), it wouldn't be as hard to transpose as the line seems purely because of the amount of ink on the page 😂

[@lawrencetaylor4101]

What a great lesson. I;ve been transposing for about a year, and have transposed the first 10 pieces of Burgmueller Opus 100. I was happy that you talked about the first chord in the right hand as a 6/4, since I also think in terms of hands seperately. Yes, with the C in the bass, it's a standard 5/3, but it's easier for me to transpose thinking this way. I was using John Thompson as a method book, and had been cruising through Volume 2, but noticed I had gaps in my skill level, especially musicality. So I went back into Volume One, and am happily playing easier pieces but singing at the same time. But I am also transposing the easier songs on the fly. While I might not be the most gifted pianist, I'm happy with my progress. Did I say that this was a great lesson? i meant Mega-Awesome.

[@PianistAcademy1]

Thanks so much! And those pieces in Burgmuller Op 100 are also perfect for working on transposition. And singing while you play John Thompson?! LOVE IT!

[@catherineb3841]

Thanks , that is so very good. Is it better to start transposing (relatively) easy pieces , or transpose the pieces or part of the pieces one is working on ?

[@PianistAcademy1]

That depends on how good your working theory knowledge is currently. If you can easily analyze a phrase or two of a selection you're currently studying, then that can be great practice to transpose it. But if that's too much right now, start with something much more accessible that uses a smaller harmonic vocabulary (hence why I picked Clementi for this video).

[@backtoschool1611]

I always transpose my finger warm ups. Transpose EVERYTHING you can!

[@yvesjeaurond4937]

Congrats. Been there for years. Scale degrees. BUT! Not page-based. Rather: make it sound-based :-) What does a scale degree sound like, in all keys? That's tough and abstract. So? try 2, 3 notes to the beat. and 4]. Then and 2], and 3], and 4]. Hands together to hear the music's function in all keys. Functional harmony. Can the student do the last few bars (2 or 3) in all keys, hands together? You are on the right track. Thank you, from Ottawa, Canada.

[@PianistAcademy1]

100% agree :-)

[@kaleimaile]

I need lessons for chord work so that I can play on the worship team at church.

[@PianistAcademy1]

Have you taken a look through my "play any pop song by ear" video? It'll be pretty similar to what you need, but it doesn't even use a score or leadsheet!

[@kaleimaile]

@@PianistAcademy1 , thanks. I have not taken a look at it. I filled out the register a new student with the recommendation you gave me last Monday and they still have not contacted me. I found a phone number and called them on Friday. If they don’t reach out to me by the end of the week, I will move on…

[@kaleimaile]

@@PianistAcademy1 , I will take a look at your video. Thanks!