The Super-Virtuoso's Advice Everyone Can Follow (ft. Łukasz Kuropaczewski)

[@tonebase]

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[@skyko]

ATTENTION: This method can be applied to ALL instruments!! This is the absolute BEST video of a practice method I have EVER watched!! It's simple, clear, and intense! It's about maximizing our time, which is imperative for us older musicians (who've wasted a great deal of time over the years)! Wow, thank you so much for this!

[@bricklifter1749]

I play banjo with Exact same method of practice

[@davidmccue3591]

Thanks for figuring that out for us.

[@skyko]

@@davidmccue3591 You are welcome! FG

[@monstertrucktennis]

Not just instruments, sports as well.😮

[@rodrigocortez6099]

This tip about giving time between changes is just gold. I had soooo many slow practices where I’d play slow but rush the change to fit the tempo without interruption, then finger arrive at the next change like a plane with no wheels and you’re playing slowly and with red tense fingers to keep the slow tempo. These pauses double the efficiency. Good lesson!

[@Andy-hr2ui]

In four years of learning guitar this advice was the most valuable to date!

[@airiushunt]

I didn’t even make it fully through this video before I had to go pick up my guitar ( I came back and rewatched the whole thing). But this is the most useful advice I’ve ever gotten. I didn’t realize how much unintentional movement I use when playing guitar. 10 mins into focused slow practice and I immediately came across so many flaws in my technique.

[@melinamartins4419]

People might confuse between technique and virtuosity, and vice versa. He's cleary showing how technique is built, with awareness and not rushing a bunch of notes through the guitar. Excellent!

[@skyko]

Or any instrument. (or even things we do during life in general)! Realizing that the years of my life that went by the fastest were those where I was coasting and not focusing - sucking the marrow out of each day.

[@Gregorypeckory]

You said people get confused about technique versus virtuosity, conflating one with the other. I don't agree that people conflate them, but they are related. You made your semantic point without giving your definitions, or explaining how and why you think people are confused nor how that creates problems. I think everybody pretty well understands that a virtuoso is somebody who already has a prodigious level of technique. It seems like you're trying to amplify the wisdom that one should practice slowly and pay attention to the details, but the words virtuosity and technique have nothing to do with why people tend to rush. We rush because we're impatient. Most people who spend hours a day practicing would probably like to be a virtuoso; too many of us spend too much time playing as fast as we can trying to get there faster. To me saying that we conflate technique with virtuosity is like saying people conflate Kung Fu with black belt. Like the black belt, the word virtuoso is a judgement that a particular musician has reached a level of technical skill that merits the compliment; since we don't have any ultimate musical authority to award people with some kind of a token of recognition for their skill like Kung Fu schools award belts, it means a lot of musicians and fans will argue endlessly about who is a virtuoso and who isn't and whether it's a good thing or a bad thing. But generally I think people know what a virtuoso is, and they know what technique is. It would be great if all we needed is a semantic clarification to become disciplined musicians. Unfortunately it's got nothing to do with semantics.

[@davidmccue3591]

It's like you can't say a thing on the Internet without someone coming along and arguing with you. Who are you people who have to "correct " everything every random person on the Internet says?​@@Gregorypeckory

[@lancejurd7865]

How good was that! I’ve taken a number of big points from this, especially that the left and right hand are ready to play before the beat arrives. Really liked the explanation of why smaller movements are so helpful too, ie that it allows you to move more slowly as you’re travelling a shorter distance.

[@JackT13]

What a brilliant educator, not to mention his exceptional musicianship

[@lancejurd7865]

Stopping and making sure he has made the chord correctly is such a simple but game changing point for me. I used to just fumble my way through the lot of them with new pieces.

[@Sadc0m]

How this guy is speaking is so engaging, you can feel the passion in his words, its refreshing

[@JonBjork]

Great lesson! I’ll never understand the entitlement some people have judging by the comments. “It’s boring!” “Too much talking!” It’s a lesson not a performance, listen and you might actually learn something. The same people usually are the ones that keep asking how to get better but can’t even sit through an awesome lesson because of their tiktokified brains.

[@CanadianDivergent]

exactly! best comment in 2024 so far.

[@mopsydaisy]

They don't have any entitlement. I believe they project their mediocrity onto more advanced individuals. In the days before KZbin and online commenting they were as irrelevant as they are today, but they have a keyboard these days

[@yesok4244]

sorry but I have to watch this in 2x speed and preferably with subway surfer and family guy in the background

[@Manik530]

Attitude, mindset and discipline is key here.. he guides us and we teach our selves by allowing the process to be applied accurately.. of course bad habits are hard to break and correct so I can see how some would get frustrated if the mind isn’t prepared to forget the expectation of mastering techniques immediately as apposed to analyzing the movements and positioning of the hands. Forming muscle memory can take some time and some days the coordination isn’t necessarily where we left off from the last practice.. a good warm up and flexible ego is helpful as well.. being somewhat in control of and observing emotions that are caused by thought patterns is also essential to allow yourself to overcome the mistakes.. it takes a lot of courage to suck at something and get passed the mental blockage that most people experience when learning.

[@Scoots_McGee]

I'm not a classical player, but I'd like to be, and I'm currently forcing myself to play more acoustic and improve my finger picking. I play very different music from this, but this is some really good advice. I play guitar for 20 years, but it was only in year 19 I started taking it seriously and started doing the actual work, actually doing focused practice, I took some lessons, spending time practicing before having fun, instead of just playing songs like i had been for 19 years. Guitar is love, but it's also work if you really want to improve and master the instrument. You need to be willing to put in the work, learning songs is fine and good, but i am truly starting to understand it after taking some lessons instead of just parroting. Ive learned plenty of technique over the years, but also alot of bad habits.

[@hip04hop85]

"Metronome is not 1/4 note, 1/2 note etc., it's just a beat. However long it takes, we'll see." this was a major key for me!

[@MrIliasboufidis]

it's even more useful if you use the other word for it, the 'pulse'.

[@demejiuk5660]

That was a beautiful demonstration of the meticulous nature of of effective guitar practice.

[@eanharrison681]

His passion and motivation have the value that few teachers ever achieve. Very grateful to watch his teachings.

[@magnumopus511]

Probably the most valuable advice that validates my practice and he is telling 100% FACTS. I don't practice more than 3 hours, - "Quality over quantity, shorter but precise focused practice is key"👏 I would like to also add, you should eliminate distractions like social media during practice. 💯

[@guitareMTL]

No kidding?

[@magnumopus511]

@@guitareMTL Yeah, absolutely I swear to that, especially if you are talking about "eliminating social media to avoid distractions" When I did that, I was able to play and learn really complex stuffs like if you are a fan of shred, I learned to play "Trilogy Suite #5" by Yngwie Malmsteen, "Glassgow Kiss" by John Petrucci and "Scarified" by Paul Gilbert. I can't do them before when I'm always checking my phone, but when I was able to eliminate social media and did the "precise focused practice" I was able to learn each song in a month with just 3 hours a day of practice. So I agree with the validity of the speakers advice on this video. Cheers!🤘

[@ronedee]

Lucas, is a great teacher. Even after 50 years I can certainly appreciate the fundamental's, again! My “children” are all grownups, but can still be unruly at times!

[@liyook]

this video is incredible, being a teacher myself made me feel like I kind of overcomplicate stuff. Even going for the same "slow and precise but steady" aproach to studying music performance

Saw this yesterday and start following the advices. Today I went through my second practice session. I already feel a significant improvement in my playing! Thank you!

[@seifferhat3550]

10years of bass , its the first Time i understand the meaning of practicing slowly

[@richardroskell3452]

I love hearing how the masters approach practicing. Slow, focused and with a metronome is my preference too. Possibly more than any other class of instruments, playing the guitar well requires very minute and subtle manipulation of the fingers, just as Lucasz emphasizes. Practicing slowly makes the tiniest error obvious. Also the slow tempo means the player must faithfully internalize the beat, because small errors there will also be obvious. Thanks to the maestro for sharing!

[@GWGwilbo]

Profoundly helpful and actionable. Probably the most useful video on how to practice I've ever seen.

[@ramdav8950]

Most most most helpful video I’ve ever seen in this topic. Thank you Tonebase to make it happen❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@SusanBloodgood-o5s]

Eating food slowly is the best for digestion and nourishment, stopping before you’re full, taking breaks between meals, let yourself get hungry, I can’t just play music, I have to feel it, sometimes it just bubbles up and I have to play

[@TheCompleteGuitarist]

This is an important message for any music student regardless of instrument. I adopted this way of learning recently(ish) and advise my students as much as possible. Many just want the music to appear in their fingertips as if by magic. Well, this is how you make that happen.

[@courtlaw1]

Best advice I have ever got, I recently started playing extremely slow with metronome and WOW I have noticed better results.

[@lewis24666]

This man KNOWS what hes talking about, What a great teacher!

[@vgfjr505]

I keep coming back to this video because I think it’s the best video on practice I have ever seen. I have read books that mention this but the key is the demonstration he gives here. Since I began practicing like this, my playing is so much secured. Slow down and become aware of what your fingers, hands, and arms are doing; optimize their motion. Break the piece into small chunks and work on every little aspect of technique at slow tempo. If necessary, break the small chunks into more basic chunks, and then once technique is secured, assemble the basic chunks, into higher level chunks. That’s what I see here. I wish I could hear more of his wisdom.

[@jnt6239]

Yeah, my first classical-guitar teacher recommended practicing slowly with a metronome, but his emphasis was more on making sure you really knew the piece well before you sped up. Good advice, but this was the missing piece, the breakdown of the mechanics and economy of motion.

[@adamkubiak1933]

Panie Łukaszu to wspaniały wykład. Dziękuję!!!

[@davidmccue3591]

This has helped so much. I was struggling so hard with chords on my mandolin. Using this advice, i went from bot being able to do closed position chords at all, basically, to being able to do 1-45s in a bunch of keys and doing chop chords in a couple of days. Great advice.

[@PawSzu]

The most important guitar lesson period

[@grudarts]

My 5-string banjo sessions have improved, phrasing, timing, clarity and consistency all noticeably better, since watching this one simple video. I like your style Lukasz, no BS. I look forward to practicing now and I'm using the metronome again after 3 years. Thanks buddy!

[@nonretrogradable]

This is remarkable. Wonderful to see and very helpful. I’ve been asking myself a lot of these questions and have not been able to ever “practice” as much as I want / assumed I needed to. This is brilliant advice with clear demonstration

[@karimdeane9434]

Best how 2 practice video I’ve seen. Bravo ❤

[@Recommendable]

I remember listening to Łukasz live when he was a child prodigy, it was 30 years ago a it was a great experience. From then to now it surely must have been an ocean of experience for him though.

[@Manfish154]

Wonderful video, and so motivating. You understand that practicing and playing are two completely different things. And how practicing is about precision and not speed. The latter comes naturally at some point.

[@CK-qf7mn]

Excellent detailed instruction on how to practice slowly. Knowing the steps to take is so helpful. It reduces practice anxiety and helps my hands to be more relaxed especially at challenging passages. Thank you ❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@bobperu1]

I love this guy,so much compassion,in the preparing for playing,and playing. Great accent too.

[@krishosler4951]

This is one of the best teaching videos I’ve seen. Thank you so much for sharing.

[@TheTektronik]

The lesson about being precise is what struck me the most. Thank you for such a gem.

[@Hundenminhelmer]

I allmost started to cry when I saw this video. This is what I need to be taught and what I've been looking for so long. Offcause I subscribed to your channel in the second I saw it. Post more - I'm addicted already.😎

[@soultylive]

Such an interesting guitar learning approach! I wish I would have learn it way before. It makes so much sense, hats off.

[@PabloskyS84]

One of best guitar or music lesson I ever seen! 🙌

[@pastoulon]

You must be joking…:-)

[@BrogueLove]

This hit home. Thank you for the comments about tools, and sharpening.

[@delicrux]

thank you for this fantastic lesson, i now have the information i have needed for 15 years to improve my technique, i understood i needed to slow down but didnt understand the correct way to practice and position the hands, being self taught certain things were not obvious to me.

[@DeutschlandGuy]

Sometimes KZbin's algorithm actually gets it right and feeds us a link that is truly useful. That is the case here. Watching Mr. Kuropaczewski's philosophy on practicing, I became an instant fan! He seems like truly a great guy, someone you would love to grab a coffee with. I love instructors whose advice can immediately be incorporated into our playing. (Classical pianist Nahre Sol is another purveyor of immediately absorbable musical insights... Check her out too!) I'm off now, to find more of Mr. Kuropaczewski's amazing work. 😊

[@delicrux]

so because of lack of access to proper lessons i practiced the guitar for 6hrs a day incorrectly, thanks for letting me know now back to the basics...

[@coreyfleig2139]

Finally, finally, finally here is someone who talks with common sense, he is logical, and rational. I have become sooooo weary with teachers on You Tube who claim you don't need to practice... "You can do this in 5 minutes." Chris Parkening once told me that one slow, beautiful measure is worth more than 10 sloppy ones. I used to love practicing just one measure, and really enjoy the beauty of it. And then you add the next measure when you're ready. This guy is speaking truth - thanks!

[@pauldobberstein5643]

Parkening is such an incredible inspiration. A performance of Adagio from Aranjuez by Rodrigo with a full Orchestra was absolutely the most powerful musical experience of my life.

[@denniswade4998]

Thank you soooo much! That was absolutely incredible, and so important. It really cleared up so much for me!

[@HarryVsingersongwriter]

Bedankt

[@LeeEisenstein]

Absolutely right. I knew a friend of Julian Bream and he said that is how he saw Bream practice.

[@Mark_135]

Thanks very much for sharing.

[@richardlenz2655]

I have been on a concert vom Julian Bream in Zurich. It was one of the worst concert I ever went in my life. A true robot without emotions 🤭

[@hindenburg1596]

​@@richardlenz2655 I had the absolute opposite experience, it was mesmerizing 😊

[@richardlenz2655]

@ interesting. I was at the Jimi Hendrix concert in Zürich at the time when he still was alive. This was music for me. I did not booing and whistling at the Bream concert because my sister, also a classical concert musician, was also with me and I did not want to make a bad expression when she was around. Now I am also very old. Maybe I would probably even like Julien Bream today as I am still playing guitar myself and sometimes also play classical pieces like Bach and Beethoven 🤭

[@berh5062]

Very very thankful for this moment, and time-friend demonstration...

[@OnlyAson]

This slow practice so you can be aware of all your fingers movements is something I keep seeing all these virtuoso instrumentalists talking about. I watched an interview with a pianist who said the same thing. I play electric guitar and I know to practice slow but I never focused on the movement of each finger like this. I started using this method for some licks I've been having a hard time learning and it is going a long way to fixing the problems. Particularly with my pinky finger.

[@tonyemmanuel554]

He has demystified how the virtuosos get to play effortlessly. ❤❤❤

[@simonassudikas5967]

Wow, best practice instructions I've seen so far

[@philipcooper8297]

The best advice I've ever got was to be relaxed at all time and build up the speed and accuracy eventually. Playing an instrument should not cause any strain, nor pain. If you feel like your fingers and wrists hurt when you play, stop. Many people want to play too fast soon and this only results in frustration and even injuries.

[@rachelcook5697]

Such beautiful sound you created

[@edwardv4546]

I havent been this methodical lately but I have been slowing down whatever song I'm playing to such a slow bpm that's its boring. But it always exposes the parts I'm struggling with even if I can still play it. It makes my brain way more conscious on what will become difficult. Secondly, it makes me be way more intentional and consistent with my right hand picking and my left hand finger placement. So I already know what I'm going to do when I speed the song it. This has been very helpful. So thanks for the positive reassurance.

[@HarryVerey]

Wonderful and inspiring guitar teaching

[@pogorelski_guitarist]

Wonderful advice! Thanks.

[@antonworonczuk918]

Some schools of Tibetan Buddhism also make similar recommendations for meditating: its not the quantity or length of sessions that counts, but the quality of mindfulness and intention during them.

[@rebeldesemteta1677]

Maybe the best advice on practice video that i've already seen in my life even though i practice the piano

[@DanAshby]

In twenty plus years of playing I’ve never practiced like this. I’m going to start!! I can feel how effective it will be

[@danjonesguitarist]

I love this video. So much wisdom and delivered with passion and intensity. Thank you for your knowledge and energy.

[@jonathanjohnson2785]

Thank you. Focused practice is key ❤

[@yeeterguy9295]

Can I just say that I love how this man speaks

[@yotrakzproductions7324]

I too discovered this gem of a practice technique a few mos. ago. I set my metronome app to have no down beat…just a beat.

[@softskillable]

Very helpful, thx! So many Guitarrierros don't move their arms, (analogly their bodyparts). This causes schematic musical loss and stress for every musician. As commented before, these rules apply to any other instrument. Great!

[@aficionado473]

Very good video ! Many thanks. To exercise slowly and mindful lycannot be mentioned enough. Great to talk about the hand and arm position.

[@joaniepeters2565]

Thank you for making this video on your practice approach, it makes perfect sense. This will help me immensely. Also very beautiful instrument and playing tone, sounds very similar to a piano

[@hassanfaisal531]

Finally found a TRUE TEACHER❤❤❤

[@guitar767]

Thanks. You gave me an idea👍👍👍

[@Flowlimit]

Thank you for flowing so beautifully. ✨

[@mattyw274]

What a brilliant video Glad i stumbled upon it U can kinda apply this skill to any endeavor in life Music Athletics Learning Etc ❤

[@doghous3]

awesome vid. i've played for many years and didn't realise i fret before my right hand is even on the strings..!

[@theowest4540]

brilliant lesson. Thank you, this will help alot

[@bassbjoern]

I would ike to second what the man says in every aspect from the deepest of my heart

[@bbowjazz]

64, retired from tech and averaging about 3 hours per day split between traditional classical guitar and plectrum jazz on archtop guitar. On each instrument, I do 20 to 30 minutes at a time and then take a break before beginning the next segment. By the end of the last session my brain is exhausted.

[@ErickJiuJitsu]

This is some extremely valuable information

[@evelynodonnell2583]

I'm a 57 year old newbie, and really appreciate these wise thoughts about practice. I'm enjoying my practice, but there's still not much I can physically do yet My fingers only range from 5 to 7 cm long, so I'm still struggling with putting 4 fingers on adjacent frets, or stretching my little hand into basic chord shapes without first anchoring a couple of fingers in place on a string.

[@AIexOut-A-Magic-x6w]

One of the things you should not do if you want to spend good quality practice hours each day, is to not waste your time watching YT videos instead of practicing. And last but not least, the most stupid thing to do is to waste your time instead of practicing, by writing comments under videos about how to practice!!! And I know all about it.

[@michaelcoppola7523]

Well this particular video was, for me, the rare exception. This guy helped put my idea of ‘practicing’ that i had lost in years of rushing and impatience…back into focus. For that reason, watching this was anything but a waste of time

[@AIexOut-A-Magic-x6w]

@@michaelcoppola7523 But before you stumbled upon this video you consider to be a rare exception, you first had to watch many other useless videos about practicing because otherwise you would never have known that this one in particular, is indeed a rare exception!!! 🤣 Busted!

[@michaelcoppola7523]

@ yeah there’s plenty of garbage out there for sure. That lovely algorithm actually led me to this guy. Usually it floods my feed with nonsense. This is the only platform i use, for that reason and many others. But its worth sifting through to find something good in whatever area that might be of interest. Im assuming we share at least one interest or we wouldn’t be speaking to each other right now

[@Therapyxx]

If I wouldn't spend time for that, then probably I would be able to practise for 4 hours at least, instead of only 1... :D

[@Gudendal..]

Well when you are self taught there no other way unfortunately 😅

[@mer1red]

I practice only 2 hours a day. I'm advancing slower if I do more. Your brain and muscles need time to digest the optimal dose.

[@JuanRamónSilva-Piano]

I think it’s not that you advance slower but that your life will become dull and frustrating from practicing when your brain needs to heal, thus it affects the practice when you are supposed to get the most.

[@MassimoAngotzi]

2 hours a day is not bad! You’ll see that the more you play, the more your muscles adjust to your pace. It’s a question of time. Learning new pieces is harder than revising old repertoire, it takes a toll on our brains and hands. Try to find a balance between old and new pieces. My two cents. Keep on my friend.

[@adamkubiak1933]

It’s 45-60 minutes for me. Much better than I was playing 2-3 hrs.

[@GregDenver303]

Relatively new guitarist here. 65 years old and begin taking lessons about 16 months ago. Very disciplined (former engineer) and drove myself to practicing 2 hours/day. The discipline was easy but it robbed me of the joy. I now typically practice about one hour a day and if feeling good about my practice, sometimes 90 minutes. Love how Lukas’s Kuropaczewski practices as it encourages me to SLOW DOWN. I’ve finally realized the metronome is not for speeding up, but slowing down.

[@FlashRayLaser]

It's easy to just say that when you've never spent a month playing 8 hours per day because it's funner to believe what's easier is best.

[@billnelson5279]

This is it. Keep it in your hands as often as possible, take time to slow down and get better, the rest of the time is to just play and sound things out.

[@ichirofakename]

Dang this is going to help me with my piano practicing. Thanks.

[@Harrier_DuBois]

Great lesson! I struggle to slow myself down when practicing, I'm going to use the metronome more now. The only issue with playing really slow is sometimes its hard to hold difficult, stretching chord shapes for a long time.

[@davidwhite2949]

Very helpful, thank you!

[@mootal2812]

Wished I had found this video earlier...😅 But still not too late to follow good practices. 🎉

[@Matt-oy7pz]

this man is a joy

[@alvaroibarra3321]

This is really insightful, thank you. However, I would appreciate that he could share the actual process from these steps to the finished performance. Otherwise, it feels like the joke of this is what we study in the classroom (1+1=2) and then in the exam: calculate the mass of the Sun. We need to see how this is built up to an actual performance, and not just saying just increase the tempo.

[@skunkygrogan4247]

Excellent Master Class!

[@BillStratton-j9r]

This moved me forward massively,. Thank you so much!

[@gitmanjon]

So many great tips! Anybody who knows what kind of nails Lukas is using?

[@Nickredshred]

Much respect, agree on a lot of this. The Joe Rogan approach is a great way to lose your mind entirely... Balance. 🙏🤘

[@jurekwiater]

Thank you

[@paulgibby6932]

Brilliant and clear. Thanks!

[@Serjan_deus]

well sometimes youtube suggestions really hit the nail in the head l gotta admit

[@vanzamee]

Everyone absorbs at different rates, and in different ways. When you start to lose concentration, it’s time for a break, no matter how soon in. I hear a lot of folks talk about how much new information one can process in a given time. It can be 5 minutes, or 1 minute, or 15. Take that break when you start to glass over. I like to do some balance exercises (stand on one foot with eyes closed, swap to other foot, also taken slowly and swapped often,I’m 51, no spring chicken). Get some water, come back, take another nibble. My progress, like trudging uphill in deep snow, is measured in inches, not feet. Consistency and patience *will* reward you. Enjoy it.

[@michaelcoppola7523]

Amazing lesson

[@epiphanydrums5427]

Pure wisdom

[@nikoo1969]

That is one of the best lessons ever. Thank you so much ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤👍👍👍🙏🙏👏👏🌹

[@anandaurora]

Excellent

[@demejiuk5660]

Love that Llobet piece.