FINALLY! a producer actually saying to learn basic theory I swear people are so scared of music theory that they actively hinder their own progress Basic music theory is genuinely so easy and its very rewarding once you can use it on your own songs
@@PanasheNdanga-Jerera its cause you're thinking of it as a rulebook instead of as a tool Music theory allows you to: - communicate with other musicians effectively - removes all the guessing work cause you know what something sounds like before you even listen to it - analyse any music you could ever listen to - be more creative when composing your music Its such an obvious advantage that you're basically shooting yourself at the foot by not knowing even a bit of it
@@camus.mp3 With this video, you're single-handedly (on the back of giants, of course) creating an army of freshly motivated creators who will thrive from your shared insights. I've also joined the ranks of your One Person army. 😂 Thank you!
My approach has been a lot of this for 4 ish years now. I worked my way back to learning a ton of old jazz, soul, Neo soul and funk songs. You literally just steal interesting chord voicings and progressions from there and remix the ideas. Most of those songs are not hard that hard to figure out if you can hear 5-1 and 2-5-1 movements. The voicings require more patient listening but it’s very rewarding.
Dude, I agree 100%. When you tell people you're a producer or musician, they expect you to be able to play popular songs on the piano or perform classical pieces perfectly, but it's a totally different thing. Creating something from scratch and bringing it to an industry-standard level requires a whole other set of skills and effort. That jazz technique is definitely clever, and I’ll make sure to give it a try
I’ve started to produce my own music and have no experience in piano and didn’t know where to start. I love that you made this video!!! Definitely made me feel a-lot better about this.
This explains a lot. I was in band in high school, and I was a trombone player. I was a part of jazz whenever it was in season and ever since I loved it. I started learning piano, and I still can't do what many other people can. Although, I wanted to create a jazzy sound. I accidentally taught myself how to write music on the spot and always wanted to make music. I didn't understand how, but I took music theory a year later and now I understand. A few years later, I'm a year into making music, and I'm not gonna say I'm successful, but I can definitely say I'm very proud of the things I've made. I can say with certainty that if I never learned jazz or music theory, I would be half of the composer I am today
As a producer I have 10 years of piano lessons and experience playing in jazz ensembles so I have no idea why I watched the whole thing. But I have to give mad props for the educational quality of your video because you've said exactly the things I would tell people but in the most effective way possible. Incredible job fam, keep it up!!
dawg the fact that this shit has 30 views and you have 2.7k subs, is crazy. your content is insanely high quality and inspirational, your music slaps and you seem like such a chill dude. genuinely wish you the best.
Literally just started learning how to play the piano for the purposes of producing my own music (backing tracks for my videos) so this video is eerily amazing timing, excited to watch the full vid :)
I freaking love music theory. Played very basic piano for about 20 years of my life. It was ok; I could play both hands and had worked out some good songs. Problem was that I had no idea what I was doing. I had a good ear, could sing great but had never applied myself. In June 2021 my Dad asked me to record an intro for his UA-cam channel. I realised that I was nowhere near competent enough to do so, and so I put it off. In September of that year, my Dad travelled to the USA on business and while he was there, caught Covid and died at the relatively young age of 66. This wrecked me and I committed myself to fast tracking my way into becoming a competent musician and so I decided to learn jazz piano. Jazz because it encompasses nearly all of Western music theory and Piano because it is much easier to visualise the theory on the keyboard than it is on any other instrument. Now at the beginning of August 2024, I have achieved so much freedom in my playing that I literally feel as if I can play anything that I put my mind towards playing. My music theory is *solid* and I often have deep conversations with other highly qualified musicians simply because I decided to learn Jazz. 100% agree with you! Jazz theory is the way to go! PS I don’t like the Jazz sound in general, but love its principles...
Heck yeah man! Exactly the video I needed and when I saw ableton faintly in the background and the next video was on drums I instantly subbed. Can't wait to practice.
I can't do sight-reading at all, and I have no experience with music prior to highschool aside from singing at home. Yet I feel like everything that I've learned about basic music theory and analyzing/transposing popular songs has completely changed my viewpoint, which is why I think your video sums it up very well. You don't need to be crazy fast at hitting notes or sight-reading, all it takes is the right approach, to KNOW what you're trying to do. Then it becomes natural.
I found your channel through your 30 days, 30 songs challenge and loved it! Then i saw a comment under L. Dre's last video where you wrote about this video and i was already waiting for the video to come out. This is just what i (and probably many other producers) needed, thank you! Keep doing music, your stuff sounds amazing!! ❤🙏
As someone who kind of took this path and sifted through countless youtube channels... Open Studio is unbelievably good if you're looking for that next step in jazz piano. Adam Maness is the best teacher I've come across at making more advanced concepts actually not intimidating and doable for self-taught peasants like me lol.
I am going through this dilemma. One of the best vids ever posted. Learning piano and my teacher is directing me to play sheet music whereas I need to express my own music
To expand on your idea I think this applies to more than just music. In my opinion this is a good approach to learning just about anything. Where most people get stuck when learning new things is a misconnection of what they think a skill does vs what the skill actually does. A relevant example that you brought up was the difference between reading and writing music. The scope of the two skills is vastly difference, one focus on the timing and accuracy of notes placed, the other focuses on placing the notes such that they make sense. It's kind of like the difference between reading a book vs writing a book, different goals are being accomplished. So how do we apply this to avoid frustration around learning things? First we have to avoid misunderstanding what a skill is trying to accomplish so that we don't spend a bunch of time working on irrelevant, though sometimes useful, things. This can be accomplished by defining the scope of the skill through a problem-solution reference point. Problem: I want to learn to play the piano. Reason: So that I can use it to make music. From this let's look at the solutions. Solution 1: Learn to read and play sheet music. Solution 2: Learn how piano is used to produce music. Of the two solution which sounds more applicable to what I am trying to achieve? Well let's define the scope, the first solution focuses on understanding the language of sheet music, something modern producers probably don't interface with often. The second one focuses on how music theory is used to structure music and how to use a piano to apply it. Both skills teach the piano from the perspective of "being able to play music", but they use the piano with different intentions which in turn determines your mindset when you sit at the piano. Likewise, learning algebra can be used for finance, or engineering, the math is simply the instrument of which you apply to different things. That's why it's called an instrument, it's a means to an end. Taking a bit of time beforehand to define things and frame them so that you can see a general path to your goal will save you a bunch of time in unrelated tutorials. If you want to know how to do something, first understand what the tools of the trade are, then look at how people use them. Even the most difficult and complex jobs are simply a large combination of tools and skills that make up one job. Just like how cells make up organs which in turn make up living creatures, or how counting numbers leads to arithmetic which leads to algebra, then geometry, etc. Maybe I'm an optimist, but I think most people sell themselves short on what they are capable of. The human brain really is quite an impressive machine when it comes to learning things.
As someone who has done collegiate music theory, this is something I absolutely agree with and encourage. You're not sitting there reading books and writing out the chords structures and changes. You're engaging your body and senses to feel, expect and be surprised at chord changes and interpreting them in real time. This technique is something a lot of musicians try to encourage but fail at in the academic world, but all it boils down to is that you're combining theory and aural skills to train your ears and hands to feel the sound. You don't need to dive deeper into theory unless you want to but having the practiced listening skill and applicable piano (or instrument if your choice) skill under your fingers will take you so much further musically and intellectually for your instrument. Plus, jazz chords are just way more expressive and more fun to learn. Your music will be so much more vibrant and rich with them.
I really enjoyed this video. I have been struggling with learning how to make melodies and chords sound good, especially since I watch piano tutorials all the time. What hit me was when you said people know how to play other people's stuff, but what about your own stuff? How do you practice so that you can make your own music? It clicked in my head when you said you could do it by using transcriptions and improvisation. Thank you.
This video basically just summed up my entire experience learning the piano. I had no idea that jazz methodology was what intervened in the process of learning composition, but it makes sense and it really motivates me to keep pushing in that direction. I'm super grateful to see something like this be made both for myself and for other people in the future. Massive props dude, dream on 🙏
I had an epiphany watching this! Thanks, man! I started learning classical piano and violin as a kid and HATED IT!!! It wasn’t until I picked up the guitar that I started to love the idea of playing music again. This video put into words the way I feel about piano. I just hadn’t thought about it that way before.
This is so interesting from another perspective! My background is in painting, and I notice similar issue - a lot of people can paint quite well if they are looking at references, but most of them would find it very hard to improvise or come up with their own image as they paint. I think these are two different mindsets.
Thanks for this. I taught my self piano over 10 years ago by just sitting down and going for it and in the last year or so I gave up. Once you know scales, chords, jazzy chords and can improvise some spicy lines it's so easy to hit a wall and have no idea where to go next. Learning Jazz tracks by ear... sounds terrifying, but it's worth a shot. It makes sense I guess, if music is a language might as well learn some more vocabulary rather than just making it up. Thanks again 👍
Awww Thank YOU! I really needed this, so happy the algorithm pushed you towards me a second time, this time you got a new subscriber, I'm excited to grow alongside you as a producer! Keep it going, you are providing value to us! Hope the last day of the year blesses you, and here's to more wins! 🥂 💕
Great video, I’ve really been inspired seeing more people lay their whole process out, warts and all. I come from a world we hide all this. And you are very right there’s a whole set of other skills to train your brain to write music. Most materials center on making you a human playback machine:) Thanks for this!
❤ I learned piano as a beginner and trying to focus on music production. I had some similar thoughts as I learn but not in a structured way but now I’m convinced it’s the best progression plan for me! I think I’m the niche you’ve helped a lot! Thank you!
I agree - studying jazz has a huge amount to offer, even if you are not a ‘jazz buff’. I find the richness of the harmony endlessly interesting, and also the incredible variety of rhythm inspiring.
Dude you have no idea how much I needed this video. I've had a keyboard sitting in my room collecting dust since 2022! I've been making beats with wack chords for far too long. I will study this vid and try my best to learn. Thanks man!
Can't thank you enough. Just started on my journey of music making only because I like the idea of music making. I always improvise on the melodies and make tunes in my head so I thought I should learn and do the real stuff. But I am beginner to everything from DAWs, piano, music theory same everything. All of this is overwhelming and I couldn't figure out where to start and where to invest my time. Thank you for showing me the path. ❤❤
As someone who is classically trained in flute but has next to no piano experience and is looking to learn it for music production, this makes so much more sense than what I've been trying which was basically just grinding to the point of tedium
The funny thing is that I actually looked at jazz piano along my on-and-off piano learning journey, because I loved how jazz musicians are able to so effortlessly improvise stuff on top of anything, and I admired the musicians who are able to listen to a song once and freestyle something very similar. And somewhere along the way... I kinda forgot about the whole thing and never looked deeper into the field any deeper for years. So I think this is a sign that I need to stuff my head back into jazz music and learn things, so thanks for the video!
Thank you. I’m 52 and been doing that for years, not days. I hope I can focus on the better things from now on. I love your authenticity. You are on the right track, your music sounds great!
It’s the little things that spark a great chord progression for me. Been in a rut the last few months and just watching you improvising, I realized I got too focused on creating something because I had and urge to create when I forgot how I made those great progressions… creating nothing. Just playing random chords in a scale that I’m looking for is the secret sauce for me. Thanks. 🙏🏾
Thank you for making these videos as they've helped a beginner like me. I'm not in a place where I can get classically trained and didn't have the resources needed to find a direction in piano learning so this has made such a massive impact to me. I'm almost moved to tears. thank you for being a beaming light in an aspirational beginner's journey. thank you so much ❤
Well said been producing for a while and now picked up piano for a full year now roughly maybe a lil less but jazz was my first interest and from there improvement happens. Now getting further into composing its fire asf
Maybe one of the most underated perfect videos that resumes what u really need as an improviser , arranger , literally any type of musician , thesis literally all the knowledge i got after several years in one video , im subscribing . Cant wait to see u improve more buddy 😊❤️
Having some history of classical training as a kid, but playing with various instruments and production this is my whole argument about this division between classical and jass/modern learning approach it seemed for me no one is talking about. Thanks for bringing this up now I have clear guide for myself and can recommend this vid to anyone when this subject comes up :D
You're exactly right about transcription. The other very amazing thing about the Nashville Number System is the ease of transposition. I teach my students using this methodology and it keeps them in lessons longer. It amazes parents that their kids can pick up songs they've never heard so quickly by ear. They say it's like magic 😆. Very insightful video, great job!
Bruh you're helping a great music producer in the future with this video. Thank you so much for that approach, hope to see ya on the next music awards'ish on the next years.
thanks! i was trying to learn piano for a couple of months now and all i can do is play other people's stuff, which is useful too, but i think your advice will lead to better results
So helpful and interesting! As someone who dances, I see this exact experience in the dance world. People who only take choreography classes tend to only know how to mimic other peoples' movement, while people who take freestyle classes develop more foundations to create and develop their own movement in the art form. I felt stuck for quite a bit because of this! Can't wait to come back to this video when I try music again :)
Been waiting for this exact video to be made for years. Couldn’t have imagined a better set of explanation and advice. Keep up the good work, you’re a great teacher.
Excellent advice buddy, I’m at that point whereby I’ve been in traditional lessons for two years and still can’t play a song, I know my scales, keys, a wide range of chords but feel totally lost. I’m going to take your advice instead of wrestling with despair!
Nice video man, this is more or less what happened to me. I studied piano when i was a teenager a lot o classical but no theory, so now that i want to make music in logic, i realized i know how to read but not how to make. a week ago i started the Jazz Piano for Beginners that, btw, shows in your search. It has been changing a lot the way i see music. Keep it up!
Your channel is such a gem man what the hell 😭 so relatable because I'm a producer who's been learning classical piano for a year so I mainly come up with stuff with midi and sometimes on the piano but that's definitely a skill you have to develop on your own as a producer
This was literally God-sent! I am a singer and I am learning to play the piano and guitar because I would like to also produce my own music. I have just been struggling to figure out chords to add to my music that make it sound really cool and stuff, so this breakdown really gives me more direction. I thought learning sheet music was the best option ( its still super helpful with reading notes and learning more music theory) but I needed this more to progress the way I would like to, so thank you soooooo very much!!!!
1) I like pretty much all music but I especially love jazz. 2) It is NOT difficult at all - never was, never will be. 3) Always, always, always use your ears. Everything else follows. 4) I'm glad you make it clear that effort, SOME work is involved - but 'work' is not 'work' if you like doing it.
Great video! Seeing L Dre's video inspired me as well but this one really helped me understand why the traditional piano lesson approach didn't stick lol. I'm using this as my start to really learn piano to produce my music better! Thank you!
Dude I literally never commented on a yt video before but it felt like this video was for me. I’m exactly at where you are right now. Bout to check this jazz vibes. Appreciate it g🫶🏻
Thank you. As a former active duty infantryman and SAW gunner this makes sense. I was shooting in the general sector of where we’re taking contact but I wasn’t shooting at the right bearings. As a result the enemy wasn’t being effectively surprised. Jazz music, the fundamentals needing to be learned, necessary techniques to master, where to find the info needed and an approx timeframe you can see it done. You just in essence gave what the Marine Corps calls an ADDRAC (Attention, Direction, Description, Range, Assignment, and Control) I knew I was missing a piece of the puzzle and I believe you just helped me find it. So again, thank you. I owe you a case of beer for that .
Real talk... I vibe on being able to learn efficiently and effectively, keeping the goal the focus which is to produce music and improvise. Right now im learning the piano and getting comfortable before i move onto the next steps but its good to know how i can progress in a few weeks/ months. Going to save this. It will probably save me months of learning. You got yourself a subscriber. Good luck further
As a producer/engineer, for years I tried to learn the piano unsuccessfully as I didn't really connect with sight reading. It didn't make any sense at all. However I did realize that my music became a lot better once I was able to play through improvisation on my AKAI Fire. I now know why. Thank you so much!
Ultra insightful and motivating. And you say you're not a teacher. Guess again... clearly, one of the best!! Your presentation style is amazing. Few people can flow like that without a single "uh" or "um". Truly, you should examine your mental processes while speaking off the cuff and share what you believe have been your life experiences that have led to such fluidity. I'm sure you had this video all outlined, but clearly, you were not reading from a script. A great skill.
WOAH can't tell you how much this means - this is exactly what I focused on while making this video cuz I usually do shitty takes and way too many cuts so hearing someone appreciate it makes it feel even more satisfying
@@camus.mp3 All well-deserved. And whether you intend it or not, those qualities will place you in leadership role after leadership role in any and all endeavors you choose. You'll see. 👍
I found your channel last week or two weeks ago and I love your content. Seriously, the way you struggle with your music really speaks to me, as I do the same thing, yk where I can't play my own chords, or I stop working on something I love even though it's good because I'm tired of it, or just not being able to come up with anything I like so I rework it 500 times. I'm so glad that these tips were shown to me, and man, I really need to improve my music writing, piano wise. I always write up midi and tamper with the notes until it sounds natural, when I literally have a keyboard right next to me that solves all those problems. Anyway, thanks Camus, you're awesome. Best of luck with your music, bro =)
Im so glad i started to learn music theory from the beginning as well instead of just "producing". You have a good approach i can definitely agree on your statements 🤜🏽🤛🏽
Respect the confidence, but there's something special about the years of dedication and mastery that a grandmaster pianist brings to music. Production skills are crucial, no doubt, but they complement the deep musical understanding that comes from mastering an instrument. Both skills are valuable, but let’s not downplay the artistry that comes from true mastery. Imagine what could happen if both worlds collaborated-could be something amazing
Perfect 🎉 I just set up a new keyboard to begin learning and this clarified the feeling I was having about translating the skills later to production. legend! Thanks from NSW
This is it. I got to this exact conclusion a few weeks ago as i was tired of sight reading sheet papers because i thought that was the only way for people to learn. I realized how much better, natural and pleasing a melody with harmony sounds playing it rather than placing note by note in a daw's piano roll
this is exactly what I’ve been looking for, I’m learning guitar atm and this is exactly what I want to do but all the content and lessons I find on UA-cam are oriented to help you play the songs you like, not really for producing
transcription and improv really helps you develop your musical ear more as well, and the satisfaction that comes out of being resourceful with the basics even if ur no instrumental whiz really motivates you from time to time to just keep on practicing. love this vid a lot too thank u camus!!
Hey, great video! Couple questions: 1) How are you checking your transcriptions online? 2) Is the newsletter site you use free? Do they do sms? I’m lookubg for something myself. Thanks so much🙏🏾
1) I look up lead sheets to the song 2) YES i didnt really wanna pay for mailchimp so im using mailerlite (jury's out for whether it shits the bed or not)
Thanks, man! I was looking for a way to get more into piano but, like you mentioned, traditional methods are not a good fit for me as an artist/producer. Great video!
This is basically how I learned the guitar. Daily practice was scales, arpeggios, triads, and 7th chords. Learned 2 blues songs, 2 jazz songs, a few pop and r&b songs. This was really just to learn a few chords progressions. Once you do this your ear should start to develop and you'll be able to make your own stuff pretty quickly. Do what this guy says. Just start practicing the keys, don't make excuses. A year from now you'll be mad you didn't do it sooner.
Started an email newsletter-type-thing: subscribepage.io/LfYCYV (sub if you like the vibes)
What keyboard do you use or recommend
Seems like jazz is always the answer
Jazz it up bro
Always playing funk on drum but, always copying jazz drummers.
Yes
yessir
Jazz is the problem and the solution
FINALLY! a producer actually saying to learn basic theory
I swear people are so scared of music theory that they actively hinder their own progress
Basic music theory is genuinely so easy and its very rewarding once you can use it on your own songs
Agreeed
Not knowing theory doesn’t hinder your progress
@@PanasheNdanga-Jerera its cause you're thinking of it as a rulebook instead of as a tool
Music theory allows you to:
- communicate with other musicians effectively
- removes all the guessing work cause you know what something sounds like before you even listen to it
- analyse any music you could ever listen to
- be more creative when composing your music
Its such an obvious advantage that you're basically shooting yourself at the foot by not knowing even a bit of it
@@PanasheNdanga-Jerera wrong
Look, I like music theory, and it has been forever hindering my brain :(
I'm that one person. You reached me. Thank you 🙏
Same !
I, too, am that one person. Massive props 🙏
how the fuck are there this many one persons
@@camus.mp3 With this video, you're single-handedly (on the back of giants, of course) creating an army of freshly motivated creators who will thrive from your shared insights. I've also joined the ranks of your One Person army. 😂 Thank you!
I’m Spartacus
This is word for word what Ive been doing for the past year. And I tell you, he is 100% correct
how the f was this hidden from me for so long
My approach has been a lot of this for 4 ish years now. I worked my way back to learning a ton of old jazz, soul, Neo soul and funk songs. You literally just steal interesting chord voicings and progressions from there and remix the ideas. Most of those songs are not hard that hard to figure out if you can hear 5-1 and 2-5-1 movements. The voicings require more patient listening but it’s very rewarding.
fucking oath stealing cool sections of old progressions like that is the best way to be instantly inspired I swear
Dude, I agree 100%. When you tell people you're a producer or musician, they expect you to be able to play popular songs on the piano or perform classical pieces perfectly, but it's a totally different thing. Creating something from scratch and bringing it to an industry-standard level requires a whole other set of skills and effort.
That jazz technique is definitely clever, and I’ll make sure to give it a try
I’ve started to produce my own music and have no experience in piano and didn’t know where to start. I love that you made this video!!! Definitely made me feel a-lot better about this.
This explains a lot. I was in band in high school, and I was a trombone player. I was a part of jazz whenever it was in season and ever since I loved it. I started learning piano, and I still can't do what many other people can. Although, I wanted to create a jazzy sound. I accidentally taught myself how to write music on the spot and always wanted to make music. I didn't understand how, but I took music theory a year later and now I understand. A few years later, I'm a year into making music, and I'm not gonna say I'm successful, but I can definitely say I'm very proud of the things I've made. I can say with certainty that if I never learned jazz or music theory, I would be half of the composer I am today
If you're proud of your stuff I'd call that successful - that's so sick to see the theory and practice synergy for you too
As a producer I have 10 years of piano lessons and experience playing in jazz ensembles so I have no idea why I watched the whole thing. But I have to give mad props for the educational quality of your video because you've said exactly the things I would tell people but in the most effective way possible. Incredible job fam, keep it up!!
Thank you!
dawg the fact that this shit has 30 views and you have 2.7k subs, is crazy. your content is insanely high quality and inspirational, your music slaps and you seem like such a chill dude. genuinely wish you the best.
7.2k now. I guess you can say it is now a certified banger.
13k now…ill go ahead and have a watch 🤷🏽♂️
55k now…
ahh fuck sake dude thank you
Now 76k haha
I have no classical piano training, but learning a bit of theory has unlocked a lot for me. This video is spot on! Thank you, thank you!
so grateful for that mate!
Literally just started learning how to play the piano for the purposes of producing my own music (backing tracks for my videos) so this video is eerily amazing timing, excited to watch the full vid :)
love the vibe of your channel that's so chill
Dude you have no idea how much I needed to watch this video at this stage in my musical journey. This is brilliant.
you changed my life bro. I’ve been stuck for months trying to make my own music. You are awesome.
fucking YES
damn I'm so grateful for that - I WAS THERE FOREVER
I freaking love music theory. Played very basic piano for about 20 years of my life. It was ok; I could play both hands and had worked out some good songs. Problem was that I had no idea what I was doing. I had a good ear, could sing great but had never applied myself. In June 2021 my Dad asked me to record an intro for his UA-cam channel. I realised that I was nowhere near competent enough to do so, and so I put it off. In September of that year, my Dad travelled to the USA on business and while he was there, caught Covid and died at the relatively young age of 66. This wrecked me and I committed myself to fast tracking my way into becoming a competent musician and so I decided to learn jazz piano. Jazz because it encompasses nearly all of Western music theory and Piano because it is much easier to visualise the theory on the keyboard than it is on any other instrument. Now at the beginning of August 2024, I have achieved so much freedom in my playing that I literally feel as if I can play anything that I put my mind towards playing. My music theory is *solid* and I often have deep conversations with other highly qualified musicians simply because I decided to learn Jazz. 100% agree with you! Jazz theory is the way to go!
PS I don’t like the Jazz sound in general, but love its principles...
Wow what a story, grateful you found jazz
Good vid, I totally resonate with your approach. I’m thankful the algo showed me the video
Heck yeah man! Exactly the video I needed and when I saw ableton faintly in the background and the next video was on drums I instantly subbed. Can't wait to practice.
Bro, discovered your channel today as I'm starting a 30 days 30 songs project, and you just posted this at the best timing haha
Thanks for sharing !!
currently doing my own also (on day 8) best of luck bro!🙌
good luck !
How's it coming bro??
Really dope video brotha, I am rooting for your artists/musicianship success man 💙
Ive never heard someone do the "one person who might need it" and feel like i was the one person. Great video man.
I can't do sight-reading at all, and I have no experience with music prior to highschool aside from singing at home. Yet I feel like everything that I've learned about basic music theory and analyzing/transposing popular songs has completely changed my viewpoint, which is why I think your video sums it up very well.
You don't need to be crazy fast at hitting notes or sight-reading, all it takes is the right approach, to KNOW what you're trying to do. Then it becomes natural.
I found your channel through your 30 days, 30 songs challenge and loved it! Then i saw a comment under L. Dre's last video where you wrote about this video and i was already waiting for the video to come out. This is just what i (and probably many other producers) needed, thank you! Keep doing music, your stuff sounds amazing!! ❤🙏
ahhh thank you so much, thanks for being here for the journey - also can we get l dre to see this please lol
15:45 It reached that one person who needed to hear it. Thank you brotha I'm gonna do it! This is truly clutch, tryna get my Mac Miller on!
Mac was one of a kind man - figuring out the good news prog did things to me
The most game changing advice I ever heard , amazing
thumbnail dont lie hahaha thanks dude
Finally. Someone shows what to do in action rather than talk about it. gosh its like math all over again. Very frustrating. Thank you for this.
You nailed it. This is the video I wished I made but didn't put the pieces together the way you did. Bravo! FYI, I took notes.
Thank you! worked hard on organising it
As someone who kind of took this path and sifted through countless youtube channels... Open Studio is unbelievably good if you're looking for that next step in jazz piano. Adam Maness is the best teacher I've come across at making more advanced concepts actually not intimidating and doable for self-taught peasants like me lol.
YEAH ok I'll pay more attention there - I think my dexterity is lagging a bit for that channel though
I am going through this dilemma. One of the best vids ever posted. Learning piano and my teacher is directing me to play sheet music whereas I need to express my own music
this is the kind of tutorial I have been searching for about 2 years now. glad I finally have a clear guide line of what I wanna do thanks a lot
To expand on your idea I think this applies to more than just music. In my opinion this is a good approach to learning just about anything. Where most people get stuck when learning new things is a misconnection of what they think a skill does vs what the skill actually does. A relevant example that you brought up was the difference between reading and writing music. The scope of the two skills is vastly difference, one focus on the timing and accuracy of notes placed, the other focuses on placing the notes such that they make sense. It's kind of like the difference between reading a book vs writing a book, different goals are being accomplished. So how do we apply this to avoid frustration around learning things?
First we have to avoid misunderstanding what a skill is trying to accomplish so that we don't spend a bunch of time working on irrelevant, though sometimes useful, things. This can be accomplished by defining the scope of the skill through a problem-solution reference point. Problem: I want to learn to play the piano. Reason: So that I can use it to make music. From this let's look at the solutions. Solution 1: Learn to read and play sheet music. Solution 2: Learn how piano is used to produce music. Of the two solution which sounds more applicable to what I am trying to achieve? Well let's define the scope, the first solution focuses on understanding the language of sheet music, something modern producers probably don't interface with often. The second one focuses on how music theory is used to structure music and how to use a piano to apply it.
Both skills teach the piano from the perspective of "being able to play music", but they use the piano with different intentions which in turn determines your mindset when you sit at the piano. Likewise, learning algebra can be used for finance, or engineering, the math is simply the instrument of which you apply to different things. That's why it's called an instrument, it's a means to an end. Taking a bit of time beforehand to define things and frame them so that you can see a general path to your goal will save you a bunch of time in unrelated tutorials. If you want to know how to do something, first understand what the tools of the trade are, then look at how people use them. Even the most difficult and complex jobs are simply a large combination of tools and skills that make up one job. Just like how cells make up organs which in turn make up living creatures, or how counting numbers leads to arithmetic which leads to algebra, then geometry, etc.
Maybe I'm an optimist, but I think most people sell themselves short on what they are capable of. The human brain really is quite an impressive machine when it comes to learning things.
As someone who has done collegiate music theory, this is something I absolutely agree with and encourage. You're not sitting there reading books and writing out the chords structures and changes. You're engaging your body and senses to feel, expect and be surprised at chord changes and interpreting them in real time. This technique is something a lot of musicians try to encourage but fail at in the academic world, but all it boils down to is that you're combining theory and aural skills to train your ears and hands to feel the sound. You don't need to dive deeper into theory unless you want to but having the practiced listening skill and applicable piano (or instrument if your choice) skill under your fingers will take you so much further musically and intellectually for your instrument.
Plus, jazz chords are just way more expressive and more fun to learn. Your music will be so much more vibrant and rich with them.
I really enjoyed this video. I have been struggling with learning how to make melodies and chords sound good, especially since I watch piano tutorials all the time. What hit me was when you said people know how to play other people's stuff, but what about your own stuff? How do you practice so that you can make your own music? It clicked in my head when you said you could do it by using transcriptions and improvisation. Thank you.
I've been playing piano with lessons for almost six years now. All of this piano what you do iv'e never heard of. I NEED this skill. Epic
This video basically just summed up my entire experience learning the piano. I had no idea that jazz methodology was what intervened in the process of learning composition, but it makes sense and it really motivates me to keep pushing in that direction.
I'm super grateful to see something like this be made both for myself and for other people in the future. Massive props dude, dream on 🙏
legend thank you so much and super glad it helped :)) There are lots of old ideas like this that we're just sleeping on
This is really the exact type of actionable video that I wish people made for beginner musicians more often
I had an epiphany watching this! Thanks, man! I started learning classical piano and violin as a kid and HATED IT!!! It wasn’t until I picked up the guitar that I started to love the idea of playing music again. This video put into words the way I feel about piano. I just hadn’t thought about it that way before.
i just had a surreal experience in which this was *exactly* the video i needed to find today, thankssss
As a music producer the first thing i did was learning music theory..
This is so interesting from another perspective! My background is in painting, and I notice similar issue - a lot of people can paint quite well if they are looking at references, but most of them would find it very hard to improvise or come up with their own image as they paint. I think these are two different mindsets.
This was one of the most helpful things I've come across. Thank you!!
Thanks for this. I taught my self piano over 10 years ago by just sitting down and going for it and in the last year or so I gave up. Once you know scales, chords, jazzy chords and can improvise some spicy lines it's so easy to hit a wall and have no idea where to go next. Learning Jazz tracks by ear... sounds terrifying, but it's worth a shot. It makes sense I guess, if music is a language might as well learn some more vocabulary rather than just making it up. Thanks again 👍
mannn this was insanely helpful in regaining hope from so many nights of frustration in music production. appreciate the guidance and insight brother
Thanks!
Really appreciate this 🙏🙏
Awww Thank YOU! I really needed this, so happy the algorithm pushed you towards me a second time, this time you got a new subscriber, I'm excited to grow alongside you as a producer! Keep it going, you are providing value to us! Hope the last day of the year blesses you, and here's to more wins! 🥂 💕
Great video, I’ve really been inspired seeing more people lay their whole process out, warts and all. I come from a world we hide all this.
And you are very right there’s a whole set of other skills to train your brain to write music. Most materials center on making you a human playback machine:)
Thanks for this!
❤ I learned piano as a beginner and trying to focus on music production. I had some similar thoughts as I learn but not in a structured way but now I’m convinced it’s the best progression plan for me! I think I’m the niche you’ve helped a lot! Thank you!
this video has changed the trajectory of my life one day i’ll thank you for it
I agree - studying jazz has a huge amount to offer, even if you are not a ‘jazz buff’. I find the richness of the harmony endlessly interesting, and also the incredible variety of rhythm inspiring.
It's actually a bottomless rabbit hole of inspiration
Dude you have no idea how much I needed this video. I've had a keyboard sitting in my room collecting dust since 2022! I've been making beats with wack chords for far too long. I will study this vid and try my best to learn. Thanks man!
ahhhh you really are the exact person I was trying to reach (hopefully u can delete captain chords too)
This was exactly what I needed. Thank you for making this lovely guide!!!
Can't thank you enough. Just started on my journey of music making only because I like the idea of music making. I always improvise on the melodies and make tunes in my head so I thought I should learn and do the real stuff. But I am beginner to everything from DAWs, piano, music theory same everything. All of this is overwhelming and I couldn't figure out where to start and where to invest my time. Thank you for showing me the path. ❤❤
As someone who is classically trained in flute but has next to no piano experience and is looking to learn it for music production, this makes so much more sense than what I've been trying which was basically just grinding to the point of tedium
The funny thing is that I actually looked at jazz piano along my on-and-off piano learning journey, because I loved how jazz musicians are able to so effortlessly improvise stuff on top of anything, and I admired the musicians who are able to listen to a song once and freestyle something very similar. And somewhere along the way... I kinda forgot about the whole thing and never looked deeper into the field any deeper for years. So I think this is a sign that I need to stuff my head back into jazz music and learn things, so thanks for the video!
Thank you. I’m 52 and been doing that for years, not days. I hope I can focus on the better things from now on. I love your authenticity. You are on the right track, your music sounds great!
Respect the dedication over so many years, thanks mate :)
This video is gold. It's deceptively deep and thoughtful. You nailed jazz learning casually
It’s the little things that spark a great chord progression for me. Been in a rut the last few months and just watching you improvising, I realized I got too focused on creating something because I had and urge to create when I forgot how I made those great progressions… creating nothing. Just playing random chords in a scale that I’m looking for is the secret sauce for me. Thanks. 🙏🏾
let's go bro just let that creativity be freeeee
Thank you for making these videos as they've helped a beginner like me. I'm not in a place where I can get classically trained and didn't have the resources needed to find a direction in piano learning so this has made such a massive impact to me. I'm almost moved to tears. thank you for being a beaming light in an aspirational beginner's journey. thank you so much ❤
ahhh mate so grateful I could do that - there's so much amazing info out there but piecing it together is the hard part
Well said been producing for a while and now picked up piano for a full year now roughly maybe a lil less but jazz was my first interest and from there improvement happens. Now getting further into composing its fire asf
Maybe one of the most underated perfect videos that resumes what u really need as an improviser , arranger , literally any type of musician , thesis literally all the knowledge i got after several years in one video , im subscribing .
Cant wait to see u improve more buddy 😊❤️
ahhh too kind stoked to have you
Having some history of classical training as a kid, but playing with various instruments and production this is my whole argument about this division between classical and jass/modern learning approach it seemed for me no one is talking about. Thanks for bringing this up now I have clear guide for myself and can recommend this vid to anyone when this subject comes up :D
You're exactly right about transcription. The other very amazing thing about the Nashville Number System is the ease of transposition. I teach my students using this methodology and it keeps them in lessons longer. It amazes parents that their kids can pick up songs they've never heard so quickly by ear. They say it's like magic 😆. Very insightful video, great job!
holy shit i didnt even realise that was a name for it - really grateful to have a teacher validate this lol
great video man! subbed!
Bruh you're helping a great music producer in the future with this video. Thank you so much for that approach, hope to see ya on the next music awards'ish on the next years.
Damnnn hopefully it does
thanks!
i was trying to learn piano for a couple of months now and all i can do is play other people's stuff, which is useful too, but i think your advice will lead to better results
Teaching-wise this video's a masterpiece! It's compelling and entertaining to watch and brought down many barriers I face. Stellar work! 🫡
That’s crazy I started just trying different keys that sound good together then build a small loop for songs it’s all sound selection lowkey
LITERALLY everything is actually so simple
Best video I found on music production In 4 years
So helpful and interesting! As someone who dances, I see this exact experience in the dance world. People who only take choreography classes tend to only know how to mimic other peoples' movement, while people who take freestyle classes develop more foundations to create and develop their own movement in the art form. I felt stuck for quite a bit because of this!
Can't wait to come back to this video when I try music again :)
Been waiting for this exact video to be made for years. Couldn’t have imagined a better set of explanation and advice. Keep up the good work, you’re a great teacher.
🙏🙏
Amazing insights! Thank you for this and keep it going 🔥🔥🔥
Excellent advice buddy, I’m at that point whereby I’ve been in traditional lessons for two years and still can’t play a song, I know my scales, keys, a wide range of chords but feel totally lost. I’m going to take your advice instead of wrestling with despair!
go straight for the songs you love - it might make you love the instrument
Nice video man, this is more or less what happened to me. I studied piano when i was a teenager a lot o classical but no theory, so now that i want to make music in logic, i realized i know how to read but not how to make. a week ago i started the Jazz Piano for Beginners that, btw, shows in your search. It has been changing a lot the way i see music. Keep it up!
Your channel is such a gem man what the hell 😭 so relatable because I'm a producer who's been learning classical piano for a year so I mainly come up with stuff with midi and sometimes on the piano but that's definitely a skill you have to develop on your own as a producer
Also it's cool that you think jazz is the solution to our problems because I've actually thought of doing jazz piano too
YEAH it really is such a specific skill isn't it - and thank you :)
This was literally God-sent! I am a singer and I am learning to play the piano and guitar because I would like to also produce my own music. I have just been struggling to figure out chords to add to my music that make it sound really cool and stuff, so this breakdown really gives me more direction. I thought learning sheet music was the best option ( its still super helpful with reading notes and learning more music theory) but I needed this more to progress the way I would like to, so thank you soooooo very much!!!!
1) I like pretty much all music but I especially love jazz.
2) It is NOT difficult at all - never was, never will be.
3) Always, always, always use your ears. Everything else follows.
4) I'm glad you make it clear that effort, SOME work is involved - but 'work' is not 'work' if you like doing it.
this is facts mate
Great video! Seeing L Dre's video inspired me as well but this one really helped me understand why the traditional piano lesson approach didn't stick lol. I'm using this as my start to really learn piano to produce my music better! Thank you!
this is probably the best video for any producer beginner or advanced
the BEST video surely not hahaha thank you
Extremely helpful at the right time! 🙏🏻 Thanks a lot!
Dude I literally never commented on a yt video before but it felt like this video was for me. I’m exactly at where you are right now. Bout to check this jazz vibes. Appreciate it g🫶🏻
Thank you. As a former active duty infantryman and SAW gunner this makes sense. I was shooting in the general sector of where we’re taking contact but I wasn’t shooting at the right bearings. As a result the enemy wasn’t being effectively surprised. Jazz music, the fundamentals needing to be learned, necessary techniques to master, where to find the info needed and an approx timeframe you can see it done. You just in essence gave what the Marine Corps calls an ADDRAC (Attention, Direction, Description, Range, Assignment, and Control) I knew I was missing a piece of the puzzle and I believe you just helped me find it. So again, thank you. I owe you a case of beer for that .
Real talk... I vibe on being able to learn efficiently and effectively, keeping the goal the focus which is to produce music and improvise. Right now im learning the piano and getting comfortable before i move onto the next steps but its good to know how i can progress in a few weeks/ months.
Going to save this. It will probably save me months of learning.
You got yourself a subscriber. Good luck further
hopefully it saves you a lot of time :))
As a producer/engineer, for years I tried to learn the piano unsuccessfully as I didn't really connect with sight reading. It didn't make any sense at all. However I did realize that my music became a lot better once I was able to play through improvisation on my AKAI Fire. I now know why. Thank you so much!
so sick that you just stumbled into it thats a W
Ultra insightful and motivating. And you say you're not a teacher. Guess again... clearly, one of the best!! Your presentation style is amazing. Few people can flow like that without a single "uh" or "um". Truly, you should examine your mental processes while speaking off the cuff and share what you believe have been your life experiences that have led to such fluidity. I'm sure you had this video all outlined, but clearly, you were not reading from a script. A great skill.
WOAH can't tell you how much this means - this is exactly what I focused on while making this video cuz I usually do shitty takes and way too many cuts so hearing someone appreciate it makes it feel even more satisfying
@@camus.mp3 All well-deserved. And whether you intend it or not, those qualities will place you in leadership role after leadership role in any and all endeavors you choose. You'll see. 👍
I found your channel last week or two weeks ago and I love your content. Seriously, the way you struggle with your music really speaks to me, as I do the same thing, yk where I can't play my own chords, or I stop working on something I love even though it's good because I'm tired of it, or just not being able to come up with anything I like so I rework it 500 times. I'm so glad that these tips were shown to me, and man, I really need to improve my music writing, piano wise. I always write up midi and tamper with the notes until it sounds natural, when I literally have a keyboard right next to me that solves all those problems. Anyway, thanks Camus, you're awesome. Best of luck with your music, bro =)
Ahh thankyou for this :)) I feel like most of us go through that and it’s crazy frustratinng i feel you
This was insanely helpful, all yt turorials should be like this one. Thanks for sharing information
I suck at piano but these steps are what really leveled me up on guitar. Good video man. Very consise message.
Im so glad i started to learn music theory from the beginning as well instead of just "producing".
You have a good approach i can definitely agree on your statements 🤜🏽🤛🏽
I like to spam the pentatonic scale helps a lot on all my scales makes things extremely easy
Respect the confidence, but there's something special about the years of dedication and mastery that a grandmaster pianist brings to music. Production skills are crucial, no doubt, but they complement the deep musical understanding that comes from mastering an instrument. Both skills are valuable, but let’s not downplay the artistry that comes from true mastery. Imagine what could happen if both worlds collaborated-could be something amazing
Perfect 🎉 I just set up a new keyboard to begin learning and this clarified the feeling I was having about translating the skills later to production. legend! Thanks from NSW
lets GO nsw, gl with it
This is it. I got to this exact conclusion a few weeks ago as i was tired of sight reading sheet papers because i thought that was the only way for people to learn. I realized how much better, natural and pleasing a melody with harmony sounds playing it rather than placing note by note in a daw's piano roll
Yeahh something about the velocities and timings just feel way better and it's so much easier to make new melodies once you're playing them
Oh my god I can’t tell you how much I needed this because i’m learning piano to reach the point of making my own music at some point
fuck yes I cant tell you how many times I typed in this title to find 0 videos
@@camus.mp3 ikr!! I’ve done the same thing and found nothing. So thanks for sharing that💕💕
this is exactly what I’ve been looking for, I’m learning guitar atm and this is exactly what I want to do but all the content and lessons I find on UA-cam are oriented to help you play the songs you like, not really for producing
LITERALLY SAME im in the same boat with guitar - think I'm gonna just do this with that too
transcription and improv really helps you develop your musical ear more as well, and the satisfaction that comes out of being resourceful with the basics even if ur no instrumental whiz really motivates you from time to time to just keep on practicing.
love this vid a lot too thank u camus!!
Hey, great video! Couple questions:
1) How are you checking your transcriptions online?
2) Is the newsletter site you use free? Do they do sms? I’m lookubg for something myself.
Thanks so much🙏🏾
1) I look up lead sheets to the song
2) YES i didnt really wanna pay for mailchimp so im using mailerlite (jury's out for whether it shits the bed or not)
@@camus.mp3 so you start by attempting to play by ear then refer to the lead sheet for confirmation?
Ahh my bro. This is exactly the video I needed. I can build chords by drawing them that’s it in terms of my piano skills haha
Today was the day I decided I’d learn to play keyboard to help with writing and producing, and YT served this right up. Great video, thank you ☺️
Thanks, man! I was looking for a way to get more into piano but, like you mentioned, traditional methods are not a good fit for me as an artist/producer. Great video!
This is basically how I learned the guitar. Daily practice was scales, arpeggios, triads, and 7th chords. Learned 2 blues songs, 2 jazz songs, a few pop and r&b songs. This was really just to learn a few chords progressions. Once you do this your ear should start to develop and you'll be able to make your own stuff pretty quickly.
Do what this guy says. Just start practicing the keys, don't make excuses. A year from now you'll be mad you didn't do it sooner.
Might just steal that guitar roadmap oops
Shell 7ths?