Cut your learning time in half with these piano practice techniques! Download your free workbook here: mailchi.mp/bccb1e32807f/practice-workbook-giveaway
I had a period with an excellent teacher (my adult daughter!) For the first 18months from absolute scratch. Then a big gap on my own. Then a teacher that I still have. I couldn't be without the lessons! After trying with and without...a teacher is a must for me. However... if anyone for any reason can't take lessons..you have to ask yourself what is the goal. If its to learn liked songs... pop and rock then YT and apps...if want to learn progrssively with grades ABRSM or Trinity. .and drawn towards classical like myself... a teacher is invaluable...
Absolutely fantastic! Thank you. This is the third video of yours I have watched (all today), and the one that compelled me to subscribe. Love the book recommendations below as well. I'm 71 years young and just beginning piano, with zero previous musical experience.
I had lessons ten years ago but had to quit due to work commitments. Taking it back up now has been almost like starting over, but attending to technique has accelerated my progress. This video was clearly helpful for me in designing a self-study program. THANKS!
Thanks for the video! I've been struggling keeping up with learning/practice since i haven't been feeling great for a long time. I don't find that motivation to even turn on my keyboard, but I'll try to push forward and practice. My family always put me down when once I told my mother about how I learned most of Gymnopédie 1, she would always be like what a waste of time, so I got no encouragement from learning on my own, thus me putting down my learning/practice for a while. That being said, I like your videos, somehow i get that feeling of "maybe I should try again, and practice" kind of thing, the kind of encouragement that I needed to hear- Thanks for the encouragement and motivation you give :)
Hi Jeffrey, I'm so sorry you had that experience, and I hope you'll trust that inner voice that urges you to try again. It can be hard to jump back in, especially if your energy is low, so it can help to set yourself only the tiniest commitment to start the habit - for example, "I commit to turning on my keyboard every day and playing one note". It sounds ridiculously tiny, but often the biggest hurdle is getting started, so it helps to make it as easy as possible. If you play your one note and then decide that you don't want to do anymore, then you've met your commitment and can walk away, but there'll be lots of days where once you've done that you'll want to play just a little more and gradually you'll recover your mojo! Best of luck, and please let me know if I can help. ♥
Jeffery playing for your own enjoyment can also be very satisfying. I am a long time guitar player who decided that I wanted to play piano. I really enjoy playing and for the most part I just play with no one really listening. But I really enjoy when I get to the point of playing a piece all the way through. Gymnopedie is one of my favorites. Go back to it very beautiful and you are very close to doing it. Good luck and stay the course.
@@LeCheileMusic Than you for your time :) I'll start with the habit of playing a bit after breakfast. Oh, and also, I need to learn and practice my sight reading, because I mostly forgot which note is which. Thanks again for your comment :)
@@mikelehan621 Thanks for the words :) I'm trying to get to play again, make it a habit, and learn and practice sight reading and the notes. Its been a while. Thanks again for your time :)
My goodness you have hit every issue….. I feel rewarded because many things I’ve naturally started to do… I will incorporate as much as I can into my daily practice…thank you so much…
Excellent content. Thanks. I want to clarify that the ability of an electronic keyboard to play louder or softer, according to how light or heavy your touch is, happens because it is "velocity sensitive", not because keys are weighted. Those are independent features. Many keyboards are velocity sensitive while having the light plastic keys. The keys have sensors that measure the speed of the key traveling down and uses that to vary the sound (volume, timbre, etc). Weighted keyboards improve the subjective feel or the touch, and almost all weighted keyboards are velocity sensitive, too. Additionally, another feature available is called pressure sensitivity which senses (of course) the amount of pressure you apply to a key after you've played it. It doesn't relate to piano playing, but it allows a synth to change volume, timbre or other property of the sound it's making.
Great video as always. I think your delivery in this videoi is great. Someone asked me why he should find a teacher when he could teach himself. I told him that a danger of teaching yourself is that you can practice your bad habits until they are absolutely part of your DNA and will be hugely difficult to unlearn.
Great advice! Yesterday I had this not-so-brilliant idea to buy a book of sheet music of songs I know. I'm not entirely happy about just learning chords; I wanted the notes in front of me so I can practice. I've probably bitten off more than I can chew but we shall see.
Hi Mam, very good video and real tips. Man I would like to request you, if possible could you make some videos on reading syncopated rythms, I can read rythms which are on beats like 1e&a but it is very confusing to read syncopated rythms to me. Kindly make some tutorials on it. Thanks
All good advice and a great delivery as always.I couldn't find Tempo, but I have never found a phone/tablet app that was as good as even a cheap digital standalone. None of the apps seem to have a staccato beep, so it's really hard to hear precisely where the beat is. I'm not sure how important that that is for a beginner, but the more complex the music, the more the importance of beat awareness.
Thank you! ☺️ Most of the apps have an option to change the sound of a given beat to highlight it - is that what you mean by a staccato beat? Usually you can tap on the beat graphic to change it. Personally I don’t, I prefer a steady stream of equal metronome clicks so I can jump in whenever I want. I agree it’s important to know where the strong beat is - maybe if someone is playing by ear they might not immediately be sure which beat that is but if learning from a score it should be clear.
I appreciate all these tips. I concentrate on sight readind esp the bass clef. I love watching Martha Agerich also because she is nearer my age. Extraordinary player.
More great advice. And, at least something to celebrate ! I've had an acoustic piano for 40 years or more, and dabbled now n then. However, theres a coupleo of drawbacks. One, practicing on a piano is probably No 5 after a violin, recorder, harmonica and trumpet, in rankings of annoyance, to the unsympathetic ear. Secondly, as nice as my piano is, its 100 years and sadly though tuned ( to itself ) its a semi tone Flat, which even the best learner won't sound brilliant on. So, to cheer myself up, I blew £500 recently on a new digital piano, full of all the bells n whistles I didnt need, except, its Sounds Great, it has a Pedal and, best of all, Headphones. So, imagine my delight when you advised learning on something half decent. Thank You So Much ! You made my day. And I can practice day or night, and even when the Soaps are on ! 😂😂😂
Thanks so much for this video. It really helps put in perspective what I'm doing right so far and what needs to be added. I started (from zero ) in February with Flowkey. I did all the courses and also finished a piece that I always wanted to play. But now, striating to learn my second piece I realised I need to learn more theory and improve my reading. I'll check ou the literature your'e recommending in the links. And thanks for all your videos! They always help!
Thank you so much for wonderful practice advices. I believe it helps not only me but many other piano learners. By the way, I also have a question regarding to piano . Lot of people say practicing on a digital piano makes a piano player progress much slower than practicing on an acoustic piano be causes of the sensitive touch that an acoustic piano can offers than a digital one can. Is that really true Dr Lecheile? Thank you very much in advance.
As a new player my ambition is to be able to read and play with both hands I'm a long way off and in the learning zone of knowing the notes as they lay on the stave i started with note letters on the notes and find it hard to shake this off to just knowing the note and just the note
I love your videos. I’ve been playing piano consistently for the last 18 months. I took 2 years of lessons over 10 years ago but couldn’t find time to practice. Now that I retired I am dedicating my free time to learning piano. I play 2-3 hours total in 3 sessions every day and I still feel like I wish the day was longer so I had more time. Are asynchronous lessons still available? I didn’t see any link for it.
I really enjoyed the video that included Jibidy Face and would like to watch it again but can’t find which video it is on. Can you help please? Thank you Blanche Cooper
Lots of good advice…I did notice that there was nothing mentioned about a metronome. The Metronome has always freaked me out, and I have always resisted using it. What do you think about using one?
I overcame using it with fear! With Bach Invention no.1 at a very slow tempo. The mentonome helped me play it even before increasing tempo. I count out loud most of the time on new pieces. I ALWAYS count out loud with sight reading.
Hello, I already play, Satie, Chopin, some easier Bach pieces... On my own, now 72 Having had Basic lessons in my youth- going forward to Beatles songs of my teen era. Abrupt halt- marriage & children. Retired now-- Now, I've ventured to the divine composers, afore mentioned. What i NEED is a teacher to point out my errors, my peddling, etc. Which online can't see your peddling errors. Currently, I have an offer to participate in online lessons. Considering my needs, and what can not be done on a Zoom lesson- am I wrong on that? I wonder should I proceed. Any thoughts? Thank you P.S. My piano, does have recording ability and yes! I shudder to playback. Brutally honest😂
Hi there, great question! It really comes down to how experienced your online teacher is and if they’re properly set up for lessons with good audio etc. As teachers, we HEAR errors in things like fingering, phrasing and pedalling rather than see them, and that’s no different on Zoom. What we look for visually is tension, awkward hand shape etc. So I would suggest you ask your potential online teacher about this and be open to giving it a go! Some of the best teachers I ever had were, and continue to be, online! Best of luck with it 😊
Awesome advice! Love that part about establishing a habit. Think this is the most challenging part to learn anything. Thanks so much and may be one day I’ll get on your waiting list.
Good advice. Except, when I was learning piano my dog didn’t like my playing, so he’d come up under the keys and knock my hands off with his nose when I was trying to practise.
I would like to ask this since my fingers are quite small. Will concerts still be able to do? im only at a younger age so I don't know how much they may grow but i really want to play many pieces but my fingers are very short.
Hi Mia, that’s a great question! There’s a huge range of repertoire out there to suit every kind of hand and having big hands isn’t always an advantage - people with big hands for example can play composers like Rachmaninov more easily but might have a hard time with Bach or Mozart. And in many cases there are ways around problems caused by small hands, like leaving out a note in a chord, or arpeggiating a chord instead of playing all the notes together. Your teacher will help you figure out how to do this. Best of luck with it, I’m sure you’ll do great! 😊
Cut your learning time in half with these piano practice techniques! Download your free workbook here: mailchi.mp/bccb1e32807f/practice-workbook-giveaway
I had a period with an excellent teacher (my adult daughter!) For the first 18months from absolute scratch. Then a big gap on my own. Then a teacher that I still have. I couldn't be without the lessons! After trying with and without...a teacher is a must for me. However... if anyone for any reason can't take lessons..you have to ask yourself what is the goal. If its to learn liked songs... pop and rock then YT and apps...if want to learn progrssively with grades ABRSM or Trinity. .and drawn towards classical like myself... a teacher is invaluable...
The best lesson I've learned the hard way is that less is more..20 focused min for deep learning reaps more results than hours of practice.
Very true, Susan 🥰
Absolutely fantastic! Thank you. This is the third video of yours I have watched (all today), and the one that compelled me to subscribe. Love the book recommendations below as well. I'm 71 years young and just beginning piano, with zero previous musical experience.
Thanks so much Tom, and it looks like you’re subscriber no. 8000 🥳🎉🤩 Hope my videos continue to encourage you ☺️
I am also just getting started, just bought my 1st piano at the age of 63, and to say I am baffled is an understatement!
You are an excellent teacher and communicator. Thanks for all the videos you post.
Thanks!
Thanks so much Karen! 🙏
I had lessons ten years ago but had to quit due to work commitments. Taking it back up now has been almost like starting over, but attending to technique has accelerated my progress. This video was clearly helpful for me in designing a self-study program. THANKS!
You’re welcome, Bobby, best of luck!
Thanks for the video!
I've been struggling keeping up with learning/practice since i haven't been feeling great for a long time.
I don't find that motivation to even turn on my keyboard, but I'll try to push forward and practice.
My family always put me down when once I told my mother about how I learned most of Gymnopédie 1, she would always be like what a waste of time, so I got no encouragement from learning on my own, thus me putting down my learning/practice for a while.
That being said, I like your videos, somehow i get that feeling of "maybe I should try again, and practice" kind of thing, the kind of encouragement that I needed to hear-
Thanks for the encouragement and motivation you give :)
Hi Jeffrey, I'm so sorry you had that experience, and I hope you'll trust that inner voice that urges you to try again. It can be hard to jump back in, especially if your energy is low, so it can help to set yourself only the tiniest commitment to start the habit - for example, "I commit to turning on my keyboard every day and playing one note". It sounds ridiculously tiny, but often the biggest hurdle is getting started, so it helps to make it as easy as possible. If you play your one note and then decide that you don't want to do anymore, then you've met your commitment and can walk away, but there'll be lots of days where once you've done that you'll want to play just a little more and gradually you'll recover your mojo! Best of luck, and please let me know if I can help. ♥
Jeffery playing for your own enjoyment can also be very satisfying. I am a long time guitar player who decided that I wanted to play piano. I really enjoy playing and for the most part I just play with no one really listening. But I really enjoy when I get to the point of playing a piece all the way through. Gymnopedie is one of my favorites. Go back to it very beautiful and you are very close to doing it. Good luck and stay the course.
@@LeCheileMusic Than you for your time :)
I'll start with the habit of playing a bit after breakfast. Oh, and also, I need to learn and practice my sight reading, because I mostly forgot which note is which.
Thanks again for your comment :)
@@mikelehan621 Thanks for the words :)
I'm trying to get to play again, make it a habit, and learn and practice sight reading and the notes. Its been a while.
Thanks again for your time :)
How's it going? Have you kept at it??
Liked subscribed and shared. Thanks LeCheile!
You are a true educator. Thanks from this adult student!
My goodness you have hit every issue….. I feel rewarded because many things I’ve naturally started to do… I will incorporate as much as I can into my daily practice…thank you so much…
Brilliant, Doris, keep doing what you're doing! Best of luck 😊
You are an excellent teacher! Thank you.
self-recording is extremely useful in spotting mistakes...👋
This is a very good and helpful site. I have and am still learning a lot. Continue sharing please, we are learning and you're such an amazing teacher.
Thanks so much, glad to help ☺️
Excellent content. Thanks.
I want to clarify that the ability of an electronic keyboard to play louder or softer, according to how light or heavy your touch is, happens because it is "velocity sensitive", not because keys are weighted. Those are independent features. Many keyboards are velocity sensitive while having the light plastic keys. The keys have sensors that measure the speed of the key traveling down and uses that to vary the sound (volume, timbre, etc). Weighted keyboards improve the subjective feel or the touch, and almost all weighted keyboards are velocity sensitive, too.
Additionally, another feature available is called pressure sensitivity which senses (of course) the amount of pressure you apply to a key after you've played it. It doesn't relate to piano playing, but it allows a synth to change volume, timbre or other property of the sound it's making.
Thanks Ivan, good to know! 😊
Thank you-Sooo much good information and overview of the learning orocess! I love watching your videos!
Great video as always. I think your delivery in this videoi is great.
Someone asked me why he should find a teacher when he could teach himself. I told him that a danger of teaching yourself is that you can practice your bad habits until they are absolutely part of your DNA and will be hugely difficult to unlearn.
Thanks Tim, I'm always trying to improve the video quality! You're so right, I see it again and again; ingrained bad habits are so hard to reverse!
Great advice!
Yesterday I had this not-so-brilliant idea to buy a book of sheet music of songs I know. I'm not entirely happy about just learning chords; I wanted the notes in front of me so I can practice. I've probably bitten off more than I can chew but we shall see.
Sounds like a totally brilliant idea to me - good luck with it! 🤩
You are such a passionate teacher!!❤
Hi Mam, very good video and real tips. Man I would like to request you, if possible could you make some videos on reading syncopated rythms, I can read rythms which are on beats like 1e&a but it is very confusing to read syncopated rythms to me. Kindly make some tutorials on it. Thanks
This is a great idea. Accountability does wonders for everything in life - smile Always appreciate your content and help.
Thanks John 😊
I always learn things new from you, thank you very much
All good advice and a great delivery as always.I couldn't find Tempo, but I have never found a phone/tablet app that was as good as even a cheap digital standalone. None of the apps seem to have a staccato beep, so it's really hard to hear precisely where the beat is. I'm not sure how important that that is for a beginner, but the more complex the music, the more the importance of beat awareness.
Thank you! ☺️ Most of the apps have an option to change the sound of a given beat to highlight it - is that what you mean by a staccato beat? Usually you can tap on the beat graphic to change it. Personally I don’t, I prefer a steady stream of equal metronome clicks so I can jump in whenever I want. I agree it’s important to know where the strong beat is - maybe if someone is playing by ear they might not immediately be sure which beat that is but if learning from a score it should be clear.
THANK YOU.
Thank you for such excellent advice!! Also, thank you for the bibliographies!!
You are so welcome!
I appreciate all these tips. I concentrate on sight readind esp the bass clef.
I love watching Martha Agerich also because she is nearer my age. Extraordinary player.
Isn't she amazing, Katie, an unstoppable force!
Asynchronous lessons I am very interested. How do I get on your list?
You can email me at leah@lecheilemusic.com 🥰
Very helpful points. Thank you.
Excellent video❤
You are a wonderful educator!!!!
Thanks again for your tips and content
More great advice. And, at least something to celebrate ! I've had an acoustic piano for 40 years or more, and dabbled now n then. However, theres a coupleo of drawbacks. One, practicing on a piano is probably No 5 after a violin, recorder, harmonica and trumpet, in rankings of annoyance, to the unsympathetic ear. Secondly, as nice as my piano is, its 100 years and sadly though tuned ( to itself ) its a semi tone Flat, which even the best learner won't sound brilliant on. So, to cheer myself up, I blew £500 recently on a new digital piano, full of all the bells n whistles I didnt need, except, its Sounds Great, it has a Pedal and, best of all, Headphones. So, imagine my delight when you advised learning on something half decent.
Thank You So Much ! You made my day.
And I can practice day or night, and even when the Soaps are on ! 😂😂😂
Fantastic - have fun! 🥰
Excellent advice from an excellent teacher. Thank you!
Thanks so much for this video. It really helps put in perspective what I'm doing right so far and what needs to be added. I started (from zero ) in February with Flowkey. I did all the courses and also finished a piece that I always wanted to play. But now, striating to learn my second piece I realised I need to learn more theory and improve my reading. I'll check ou the literature your'e recommending in the links. And thanks for all your videos! They always help!
You’re welcome, Gustavo 😊
Very useful!
Amazing! Thank again Leah! Thank you for this advice! It's exactly what I need! I have some good news. I'll tell you soon. 😊🙏🏼🎶
Thank you so much for wonderful practice advices. I believe it helps not only me but many other piano learners. By the way, I also have a question regarding to piano . Lot of people say practicing on a digital piano makes a piano player progress much slower than practicing on an acoustic piano be causes of the sensitive touch that an acoustic piano can offers than a digital one can. Is that really true Dr Lecheile? Thank you very much in advance.
Hi Natalie, as long as the keyboard you’re using has weighted keys, it won’t slow down your progress. 😊
GREAT VIDEO! THANK YOU!
Wonderful
Merci beaucoup. You've helped me a lot.
As a new player my ambition is to be able to read and play with both hands I'm a long way off and in the learning zone of knowing the notes as they lay on the stave i started with note letters on the notes and find it hard to shake this off to just knowing the note and just the note
Love this video xo
I love your videos. I’ve been playing piano consistently for the last 18 months. I took 2 years of lessons over 10 years ago but couldn’t find time to practice. Now that I retired I am dedicating my free time to learning piano. I play 2-3 hours total in 3 sessions every day and I still feel like I wish the day was longer so I had more time. Are asynchronous lessons still available? I didn’t see any link for it.
Thanks JD, you can get in touch through my website www.lecheilemusic.com - just fill in a contact form and I'll get back to you.
I really enjoyed the video that included Jibidy Face and would like to watch it again but can’t find which video it is on. Can you help please? Thank you Blanche Cooper
Here you go 😊: The Piano Sight Reading Tricks That Make Reading Music 100% Easier
ua-cam.com/video/3A6NcbSJpHU/v-deo.html
Thanks
Great video. Do you recommend getting all of the books in the accelerated series or just a handful?
I mainly just use the lesson book and the sight reading book. The others are “nice to have” but not really necessary. 😊
Lots of good advice…I did notice that there was nothing mentioned about a metronome. The Metronome has always freaked me out, and I have always resisted using it. What do you think about using one?
I love the metronome! I made a video about it here: Master Your Music in Half the Time!
ua-cam.com/video/Uks4_au3JwU/v-deo.html
Yes, she did mention the metronome, when she talked about rhythm. She even mentioned it in her playlist at 4:08
I overcame using it with fear! With Bach Invention no.1 at a very slow tempo. The mentonome helped me play it even before increasing tempo. I count out loud most of the time on new pieces. I ALWAYS count out loud with sight reading.
Hello, I already play, Satie, Chopin, some easier Bach pieces... On my own, now 72
Having had Basic lessons in my youth- going forward to Beatles songs of my teen era.
Abrupt halt- marriage & children.
Retired now--
Now, I've ventured to the divine composers, afore mentioned. What i NEED is a teacher to point out my errors, my peddling, etc. Which online can't see your peddling errors. Currently, I have an offer to participate in online lessons. Considering my needs, and what can not be done on a Zoom lesson- am I wrong on that?
I wonder should I proceed. Any thoughts?
Thank you
P.S.
My piano, does have recording ability and yes! I shudder to playback. Brutally honest😂
Hi there, great question! It really comes down to how experienced your online teacher is and if they’re properly set up for lessons with good audio etc. As teachers, we HEAR errors in things like fingering, phrasing and pedalling rather than see them, and that’s no different on Zoom. What we look for visually is tension, awkward hand shape etc. So I would suggest you ask your potential online teacher about this and be open to giving it a go! Some of the best teachers I ever had were, and continue to be, online! Best of luck with it 😊
@LeCheileMusic
Thank You so much!
I highly respect your expert advice and your videoes.
Much appreciated😊
Trisha
Where was this instruction when I started teaching myself five years ago.
Great Video!
Thanks Josef! 😊
Awesome advice! Love that part about establishing a habit. Think this is the most challenging part to learn anything. Thanks so much and may be one day I’ll get on your waiting list.
You’re welcome - let me know when you’re ready! 😊
Good advice.
Except, when I was learning piano my dog didn’t like my playing, so he’d come up under the keys and knock my hands off with his nose when I was trying to practise.
😂😂❤️🥹
I subscribed and reloaded this video just to turn the ticker over to 25,800 views.
Love that, thank you! 🥰
pls can you mentor me on sight reading its really my dream but l had never been good at it and far way down to my playing level
Hi Molly, you can check out my sight reading course at www.lecheilemusic.com/courses - it’s got everything you need 😊
@@LeCheileMusic oh OK will do just that.... Thanks a bunch
I would like to ask this since my fingers are quite small. Will concerts still be able to do?
im only at a younger age so I don't know how much they may grow but i really want to play many pieces but my fingers are very short.
Hi Mia, that’s a great question! There’s a huge range of repertoire out there to suit every kind of hand and having big hands isn’t always an advantage - people with big hands for example can play composers like Rachmaninov more easily but might have a hard time with Bach or Mozart. And in many cases there are ways around problems caused by small hands, like leaving out a note in a chord, or arpeggiating a chord instead of playing all the notes together. Your teacher will help you figure out how to do this. Best of luck with it, I’m sure you’ll do great! 😊
@@LeCheileMusic Thank you so much for the feedback!😁
How can I get in contact with you?
Hi Willie, my website is www.Lecheilemusic.com
Boy I wish my brain could form habits but I don't even remember to brush my teeth at night ;_;
You might find this video useful: The ADHD Strategies You Need to Know to Learn Piano!
ua-cam.com/video/DYi4fEwtyx4/v-deo.html
Keyboard only has 5 octaves!!!
Need full keyboard 7 octaves.
Ideally, yes! 🙂
😊wim😊
! like
Tight budget........broke, hard up, got knowt........skint....
Thanks!
Thanks so much! 😊