This is Seymour Bernstein's 96th New Year. He has some advice for the piano world.
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- Опубліковано 14 лип 2024
- 0:00 "Resolutions are sheer nonsense"
1:49 Advice for young beginners (and their parents)
7:06 Advice for intermediate students
13:54 Advice for advanced pianists
17:39 Advice for virtuoso pianists
24:26 Why play the piano at all?
31:36 "Practicing the piano is not creative"
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Seymour is a precious gift to the world of pianists. He has taught me everything I play at the piano from scales, arpeggios, octaves… plus more and more at my age 76. I met him in 1988 and traveled to NYC to study with him for many years. He gave me the confidence and love for the gift of making music at the piano with my own two hands. Much love to Seymour. Brent Johnston.
"I'm going to address different categories...but I'm saving a surprise until the end". 96 years old and knows the marketing tactics of 2020s UA-camrs!
Seymour Bernstein is such a gift to the world
Amen
Totally!
Every single point he makes is right on! But, maybe let's get rid of competitions entirely - they do more harm than good, even at a more elementary level. (Personally, I now know I should have learned more repertoire, rather than "perfecting". a few pieces for competitions... "Perfecting" at age 14 or 15?? Almost 50 years later, I can tell you - what nonsense!)
Also, what Seymour says about choreography is essential for everyone to know!!
@@walterprossnitz3471 totally agree!
I love his voice and way of talking. I could listen to him for hours. There's something so calming about him. I wish he were my grandpa lol
I met Seymour over 50 years ago. I was an amateur pianist, but he totally changed my life, making music, the center of it. He is a precious gift to students
I distinctly remember crying in the car on the way to piano lessons when I was 8, and begging for my parents to drop me out. They relented, and I went on to graduate from conservatory and cultivate a lifelong love of piano music.
What happened between quitting lessons at age eight and going to conservatory?
@@alyssaskier2656 I begged parents to let me quit, they refused, I kept at it and became passionate about it in high school and applied to conservatory for college.
@Thomas Kraynak I thought relent means to give in
@@OnTheFence_ You're correct, in his first comment his use of relent implies his parents gave in and let him quit
15:04 "Now trust me and do it, and don't ask any questions." 😂😂😂 what is there to not love about Seymour! Thank you for all this wonderful advice!🙏🎶
Parents MUST listen to this! Most of the time, the success of the kids is the reflection of the parents' effort.
30:09 The Kissin story is amazing ! Many musicans interprets are also composers and improvisers, but *coming out* is not that easy.
Thank you, Maestro. That's my big deficiency as a lifelong struggling amateur, and now I'll get to work on developing my ear (at age 72). That you're still around more than 20 years ahead of me inspires me to keep working.
I was just thinking the same thing at 56, you could have forty years left Chris..... it's far from over.
@@streamofconsciousness5826 you could have quite a bit more with the kind of advancements that'll be made in the next few decades in medicine.
I'm beginning at 65. I learnt music when a teenager but was addressed to guitar instead of piano, which was my true desire. You and Seymour give me hope. I will go on till the end of my life. Thank you for so much good advice!
I would HIGHLY recommend the Pattern and Rhythm CD from Marilyn Lowe at Music Moves for Piano. Just listening to it on my drives has really helped me with my ear.
I made learning piano my new years resolution last year. I clocked my 600th hour around 11:58 on December 31st. My teacher said I'm a "solid beginner", and I'm working on getting comfortable with ABRSM grade 2 while stepping into grade 3.
Nice work! I've been playing 5 years, at about 1000 hours per year (estimate at an average of 3 hours/day). So about 5000 hours so far, did very well (distinction) in grade 5 about 18 months ago but it's taking a long time and far more work to advance to the level required for grade 6. I don't know whether that is slow or not, but doesn't matter, I'm absolutely loving it!
Well done to the both of you. I wouldn't focus on the total of hours spent practising though. Try to enjoy what you are doing and listen intensely. Intention is translated into touch and then on to sound. An easy piece can be made to sound profound with genuine intention. I've learnt this the hard way.
600hrs for grade 2?.... Sorry but youre doing something wrong bro... Time for a new teacher or research on your own. I took 30hrs to be able to do grade 1 test pieces on my own, moved on to grade 2 not that much harder, even grades 1-5 really shouldn't take that long combined.
This video is a precious gem. In fact, it feels morally wrong to even call this a mere ‘video’, it transcends the word ‘video’! It contained so much wisdom and inspiration for all of us to unpack from, to recreate and share such learnings with the world. Thank you!
Thankyou so much for this. I gain a lot from every episode of this and cherish them.
How sensible his idea of giving all 6 virtuoso pianists the first prize is. All such performers have worked so hard to reach that level… all deserve recognition and all must be given the opportunity to play at concerts . Not just the one, or two.
I'm watching this on my 62nd birthday. I was blessed with a great teacher in my early years but the piano drifted out of my life for many years. I had always planned to return. And then, about eight years ago, with a new life and new wife, I was able to purchase a beautiful heirloom Steinway M, and my passion for practicing and playing returned and has absolutely transformed my life. In particular, I have found absolute joy in practicing Bach. Seymour, you are an true inspiration to me and to so many others. Thank you for the gift that you are!
A radical thinker at 96 years? I love it, and with so much sense and sensitivity. We should all learn from him!
Thank you so much Seymour! Happy New Year!
Thanks for the video. The sessions with Seymour are always a lot of fun and brimming with treasure. Thankfully, Seymour is good natured and kind and willing to share his wisdom. Musicians will be referring back to these videos for generations to come. Happy New Year Ben and Seymour and Tonebase.
Such wisdom. And . . . . so true about the parents.
Thanks Seymour and Thanks to ToneBase for bring such wonderfull interviews!
Happy New Year 2023 from Thailand to Seymour and all @ tonebase. 🙏🏼
You're a gift to the world Seymour, happy New Year!
Thank you Mr Seymour Bernstein, and Ben, ofcourse. Always a pleasure to see you and learn from you. Wishing you a wonderful year ahead, and, please, many more video's!! Love you both!!!
Seymour I appreciate your sage advice as always. I hope 2022 is a healthy year for you. We love you!
I really love his candor!
Wonderful. Three cheers for Seymour!
Love his enthusiastic plea to stop picking a single winner at competitions, he is so right about it!
This is so on the money. Just going to play the "Advice to beginning pianists" clip for all my pedagogy students and parents of young beginners. The single finger practice is also very useful. Thank you Seymour and Ben, and Happy New Year!
Thank you so very much for all you do. I am not a piano player howerver I play other instrument and grew up around music my whole life. I love watching your interviews with Mr. Berstein. I am so glad to see he is doing well. Happy New Year to you both.
Have a good new year you both.
Why limit your wisdom to the world of pianists? I am a violinist soon to join you in the nineties, and I am totally inspired by your thoughtful presentations. What a treat to be able to witness my heroes on UA-cam. My sincere gratitude. Nicholette Fetsch
I completely agree with you 😊
Thank you so much dear Ben for offering us this interview for free. Seymour is a true inspiration. He has the courage the name the important things and to point them out.
If only all piano teachers were like Seymour! We wouldn't have so many discouraged would-be piano players.
Seymour’s words have filled me with warmth and enlightenment like no others have.
I always look forward to any video from Ben, but one with Seymour Bernstein is always a treat.
I can't have enough of Seymour, I can listen to him for days. Most importantly is the fact that his teaching and wisdom are applicable to every day life beyond the piano.
I’m a piano teacher! So inspiring. So much great advice. Quadrivium! Thank you Seymour, my students and I love you! (One of my high school students lead me to this video.) happy new year to you ❤
incredible, thoughtful and necessary suggestions! thank you for this.
I am 62 and bought myself a keyboard just to see if I could learn to play piano and also with sightreading. Before I had learned to play mandolin with tablature and playing by ear. I never considered myself a talent. Just about a week or two later I saw a vid with Seymour Bernstein that got me so inspired, that I knew for sure I want to play a real piano and not waste my time on a Keyboard. So I bought myself a Roland FP10 because It was the most close to a real piano within my budget. I am loving every minute of it. I was so impressed with the focus of every detail that he shows in these videos. I took that as a template for my studying. It is all about focus.
I wrote this down just to show you how gratefull I am for the people of Tonebase en Seymore Bernstein in particular
I wish you all a Happy new year
Thank you very much.
Best wishes in the new cicle that has started.
❤
I cant think of a better goal in life than to be wiser, more self-loving, freer, more present with each year all the way. You are all teaching us this by example, dear Seymour. Thank you!✨💫✨
Wow! Every time I listen to him, I feel like I have learnt something life changing. As a teacher; performer and composer! Thank you Seymour
I love these Seymour Bernstein videos. Thank you
I like his slow and thoughtful words. I watched his movie several years ago in Korea and I really loved it. How amazing he is!
Mr. Bernstein is a gem. Thank you for sharing your knowledge, passion and life lessons. Your videos warm up hearts and enlighten minds.
I consider myself an intermediate pianist, but I definitely relate to what he said to advanced pianists. I can play many pieces. I can play them well, from memory, in tempo and not miss a note. But as soon as someone asks me which note comes after which, I have no clue. Most of the time that I play, I play from muscle memory, but as soon as I start thinking about what I'm playing, and what's about to come next, as soon as I start concentrating too much, I just stop, I can't play any further.
That is super interesting. Are you familiar with the work of Edwin Gordon and the concept of audiation?
@@rachelpalm7403 No. Tell me about it.
Greetings from Hun-gary! I'm a pianist and composer myself, and learned a lot from these videos. Thank you. Happy New Year!
What a beautiful man and treasure to pianists everywhere. If you read this, Mr Bernstein, Thank you so much for the wonderful interviews here, and all of the wisdom of your long life. You are generous and patient with us who follow behind. 🙏🏽🙏🏽❤️
I always feel privileged to enjoy Seymour's (occasionally controversial) opinions. His unequivocal love for music and life always shines through whether you agree or disagree. Here's to many more years for the both of you and all the rest of the tonebase musicians and staff. Thanks for everything.
This was words to carry in your heart. I have been the little child going to the pianolesson, I have been the mother to a child playing the violin. Now Im the senior going for ,pianolesson one more time. Everything said in this video are gold.
Spot on Seymour, bravo!!!
What a treasure! Thank you Seymour for your wisdom and wit 🙂
I am 81 took up piano 6 years ago then several operations broke my training completely. I got deeply into theory during recovery sessions but practice totally floundered. One can follow theory lying down one cannot play. I am trying to reorganise by playing scale then chords and detailed look at Bach prelude in C major. I saw Mr Bernsteins presentation on Chopin Prelude in E minor. Lo and behold it is I vi ii V but he gives it feeling. Now this advice. I have fond memories of him showing how the 5 reverbrates from the 1 I should have followed him then. Tonebase free trial here I come. Thank You
Seymour Bernstein is a treasure chest of goodness, sincerity and frankness. His sage advice is so inspiring and should be required listening for everyone he mentioned.
Such helpful advice! As a parent of a 4 yr old, I probably need this reminder every 6 months or so and that advice about the left hand index finger is gold.
Intermediate pianist here. Completely agree with Bernstein on resolutions, though I do think it's nice to think about the next year, and consider what pieces I want to be able to play/learn within that year. My goals for example are finishing the F minor Chopin Etude (op.10), finish up the Beethoven C maj (op.2 no.3) sonata and starting a new one (haven't decided yet, but I have some options) and to start playing some late Haydn sonatas as that was my Christmas present.
Other than that, I'll probably play a lot more through the months as, similarly to resolutions, I probably won't stick to some of these goals and I will probably also add goals, but it is nice to make a very loose 'planning' for yourself
Thank you so much for posting this video. It has inspired my practicing and I loved the story about Kissen
Thank you, really enjoy your channel. Mr Berstein's emotional awareness of the music and the touch required are true gifts to all of us.
I started to learn piano two and a half years ago when I turned 70. My only teachers are UA-cam videos. I'm driven by the feeling of self expression I enjoy improvising, letting out my emotions through the keyboard. I play some "OPM" other peoples music for a couple of reasons. The practice discipline required , because I like the music , and what I learn while learning the music inspires me to play around more, experimenting, improvising . I read music very little I play by ear, I work out basic melodies and build on that. Seymour you would be happy to know I practice every day and part of my practice is technical, things that I learn on UA-cam. I started by pretending that I could play, not for the sound but to acclimate physically to playing and eventually I learned what keys sounded good together, I learned scales and cords. Now I 'compose. I have no desire to play in any competition, I just play for the love of it. I'm like a kid and a water fountain, I can't pass a piano without wanting to stop and take a sip. Love watching your videos Seymour, Happy Birthday! Sorry I missed you at the 92nd st Y, I used to live around the corner.
Thank you for sharing. Recently I rediscovered my love for piano music after having left playing years ago, decades really. I stopped when I shouldn’t have and it’s become one my biggest regrets. I got sucked into the busy grind of daily life that I forgot to live fully. There was always an empty hole that I didn’t know how to fill. I realize now how to do so. As it did for you, UA-cam has become a great source in this endeavor - listening to great artists of the past, present, and new exciting ones, and of course Seymour. And by reading stories like yours. They are all inspiring me to return to playing and pick up where I left it.. It’s been a while since you posted, but I hope you’ve reached new heights by now and continue to love playing.
such sharp mind at 96!
One of the most inspiring videos I have ever heard. Said by a professional musician and teacher.
You have a new happier subscriber.
Seymour is an American Treasure.
When I started playing the piano, I always felt a desire to play, but as I got older into middle school, I was always bored of it; however, when I got to high school new pieces continued my inspiration aswell as listening to Seymour.
Happy 97th Birthday, Seymour! 🙂
Muy agradecida.!!!
Love u Seymour!!!
Such a wonderful teacher, full of wisdom
Thank you for sharing this precious moments and thoughts to all of Music lovers and educators. I really appreciate it! Seymour is absolutely an outstanding teacher without a doubt. Wish you always healthy and happy 😊
I never comment anything on UA-cam or anywhere else.
Now I just need to do it and have no words. I can't describe how amazed I am at what I've just watched. I play the piano since the age 5 and never knew why. I'll be 33 tomorrow and now I know it.
I just discovered Mr. Bernstein the other day. I am, at most, an amateur pianist. My mother was a music teacher who loved to practice both piano and organ. She also played clarinet and taught all the instruments. She was amazing. I attempted to follow in her footsteps but discovered by my second year of college that being a piano major was not a good fit for me. I love to play. There are still pieces I want to learn, but my first love is writing. Without music though, I honestly believe my writing would suffer. Watching Mr. Bernstein and listening to his advice reminds me of the importance to keep that connection to music going.
It was awsome thank you so much♡
I didnt think i would agree with anything - more i listened, i firmly agree with everything. testing the piano in competition is awesome advice. Also helps break the nervousness and tension. I wish i did this every time
He is just marvelous.
Kapustin should be included as a great post-Rachmaninoff composer-performer. His renditions of his own work are exceptional.
Yes! The Concert Etudes are crazy
How magnificent! I am in wonder at such genius.
Love the tip to develop the ear by playing tunes with left index finger. Thank you
What an excellent documentary!
To hear such words of wisdom acquired through the arduous process of time and dedication. Bernstein's words ought to be required for every piano (music) teacher and every student.
The picture he paints of practice, determination and reality is what the world used to operate by. That was the norm. Sadly, today we coddle, cajole and let the whines and whims of children dictate our futures.
Oh that we might go back to building character through hard work and perseverance.
my man seymour is absolutely based
Inspired!
Thank you!!!!’n
Incredibly priceless advice
Thank you so much Gents. Ben, don't ruin your eyes deciphering the microscopic notes in that Dover edition...I have the same one. 🤗
Maestro of maestros 👍🎶
LIKED! SUBSCRIBED! I enjoy hearing from Seymour! ^_^
Gracias por la clase de piano ! De vida!! La pedagogia de la libertad,
The best music video I’ve ever seen!!
Seymore reminds me of my old professor. Sometimes I learned the most when we just talked and I never touched a key.
That really was fantastic! I compose piano works but then I can barely play.The exact oposite of the great player who can't compose.
So, on this path, to master the core of the musici-language, I have been listening, and playing for all of my life different comp. And I think mr. S.B. isright in all advices, i.e tempi, (rubato), hairpins, ped.educ. Etc.. Soli Deo Gloria for all the good things..
A real guru.
30:50 "you can't feel and think at the same time"
musicians and dancers and actors and performers from all around the world: "hold my beer".
This was crazy good. Sometimes we are lucky to stumble across gems in life…I just did
Thanks for the quality content as always! Happy new year, Ben and fellow classical music fans! Greetings from Korea. Wish you guys all the best. 🙂🍀🙏
Thank you very much!
I have heard Kissin play his own compositions and I must agree with his original reaction to Seymore advice - "I CAN'T!!!!😩".
Kissin knew already he didn't have a natural gift for composing as opposed to playing piano and that's fine. Not everybody, in fact hardly anybody, can be Liszt, Chopin or Rachmaninoff.
Happy New Year to Seymour and Ben!
A wise man indeed.
A child who has a parent directly monitoring the daily hour of practice everyday and doesn't push back on that plan is a special child for sure
Seymour is the model of a cultured individual and of the wisdom that comes with the aesthetic dimensions of Life.
LOL from the description I though it would be about musical resolution, you know, returning to the tonic
All Musicians need to see this.Perhaps your best Upload.Certanly the most inspiring and Meaningful one,and definitely Seymour at his most Inspired.🎹🎵🙏😉
Distilled wisdom from a long lifetime.
100 percent agree with Seymour about the harm of letting only one winner in each competition.