This is such an honest, realistic, and efficiently presented review of your progress. Both inspiring and helpful for other learners. Really amazing! Congrats on 2 years, and here's to many more 🥳🎉
Hey! Today, one year ago I saw your “first year progress video” and I decided to buy a piano and I’ve been playing since then. I’ve never let a comment before, but I see all your videos, they are really inspiring. Thanks for sharing your journey.
Hey man! I bought my first piano when I saw your one year video. Today I'm almost a year into learning it (I bought it on 25 of May), and I've been practicing it consistently since then, around an hour a day. Just want to let you know how much you inspired me, with your one year video! Also your angles and cinematography are very well put!
Wow, this is so cool. I love hearing messages like this. It's very humbling that I was able to inspire people to start their own musical journey. Keep at it!
As a piano beginner years ago I learned "Chopsticks" and "Hot Cross Bun". Over the years my playing improved and I've added many more pieces to my repertoire. But I still enjoy walking up to a piano casually at a gathering and play Chopsticks or Hot Cross Bun for fun. "Mary Had a Little Lamb" & "Lightly Row" is also fun pieces on my list too...
Thanks. You and me both! But my latest pieces are getting really hard! It feels like a big step up going from grade 2 to grade 3. Not including the grade 3 piece in the video, that seemed easier than some of the grade 2 pieces.
This video inspired me to start playing piano two weeks ago, and it's been a lot of fun so far. I can't wait to see how far I can go from here, thanks for the motivation!
congrats for moving from 1 yr to 2yrs, appreciate how you tell your true thoughts instead of putting all the nicely performed videos together, your progress encourages me to practice harder especially when my teacher taught some of the pieces in your videos, look forward to your progress of next year and hope that 1day I can play more nice pieces like you :)
Thank you. I see no point in pretending I am somehow better than I am or that I find any of this easy. Playing the piano is really hard. But as hard as it is, just plugging away has brought gradual, and mostly constant progress which is rewarding and motivating enough to keep going.
This is a great summary of your two years! I've watched many of the videos that you highlighted, but the narration added wonderful context. This serves as the perfect capsule showing how far you've come and should be "exhibit a" for anyone asking what you can achieve as a dedicated adult learner. I am really impressed with your tangible (and relatable) progress. Truly inspiring to those who are attempting the same, myself included Thank you and keep it up!
Thanks, I'm glad this video has turned out to be relatable with other adult learners. I just hope the pace of the progress doesn't put of those who are thinking about learning the piano. In the past I have had comments like "18 months to just play this, what's the point?"
Getting my first Digital Piano next week, so excited to start my journey! Thanks for making these yearly progress videos, hope we get a 3year update soon :D
That’s great to hear. It’s a bit late for a 3 year update. That was last year. I’m not really sure I have much to say at this point. Maybe a 5 year update next year.
I love your 1 year and 2 year progress video. In september 2022 i got my 10 years old some piano lesson and he had quit by december. In january 2023 i took his lessons over till june. I have been on my own since then. My progress has been slow and i would love to have a teacher to select pieces and guide me to make my progress more interesting.
Having a teacher really does help me maintain my motivation. I don't have lessons over the summer and as a result my progress really stalls as I have no clear goals and end up not doing much at all.
Thank you. I’ve learnt a lot of the past in both in terms of the piano and making videos. I like to think this video shows that with a reasonable amount of practice you can play some decent pieces even at a beginner level.
I'm in my late thirties and approaching the end of my first year of playing piano as an absolute beginner and my progress has been quite poor in comparison, despite my enthusiasm. This video has highlighted to me that my practice sessions could be significantly improved and structured better. If it hasn't been said already, you really are talented! Thanks for the great content!
Hi, thanks. I know the feeling of watching other beginners and thinking I am progressing more slowly. The best thing to do is to disregard what others are doing and concentrate on having fun and improving (slowly if needs be) over time. I will say that having some structure and routine in your practice will probably be beneficial. Over the summer months with my kids at home all day, and all sorts of activities and holidays planned, my routine goes out the window. I take this as an opportunity to read and play through a lot of music, but not to a high standard. I'm finding this has its own benefits. Keep at it, and by the time you are my age (mid 40's), you should be really good.
I started watching your videos when you were one year into piano and I had just begun. This video was very encouraging as I hit a slump in November and felt like giving up on the whole endeavour. Now I’m back at it again, humbled by how much work is involved in even just sounding mediocre! Haha! Thank you for all of the work you not only put into your piano practice but also in making these high quality progress videos that inspire people like me! It is greatly appreciated!
Thank you. Yes, playing the piano is super hard. But I’m assured that after a number of years we’ll be able to play impressive sounding pieces with having to spend so long working on them.
Very nicely made video and a standout against all the fake progress videos on UA-cam. You clearly made a good choice with your teacher. I reached a plateau after two years of self-teaching with an adult course, Hanon and Czerny. If I'd watched this video at that point, I might have sought a traditional teacher via Skype from my isolated home. Instead I googled Play Piano Fluently and instantly found the coach I've now had for four years. He puts rhythm first. It's a radically unconventional path that's working for me.
It's good that you've found something that works for you. I could probably do with more rhythm practice. I've found that piano gets progressively harder. The last couple of years have definitely been slower progress.
My buddy from high school just graduated from university with a music major. He’s gotten so good at piano over the past 4 years. He was showing me music theory last night, and it made sense! That’s what brought me here. I’m buying a keyboard.
Great idea. I first played guitar maybe 30 years ago, but there are is harmony theory I’ve only just discovered and it’s really made so much sense I can’t believe I didn’t know/realise until now. Theory definitely helps, but so much of learning piano at first is just getting your hands to do what you want them to do. Hope it goes well!
@ yessir! Thank you so much. I too played guitar when I was a teen. Like yourself, I have a bit of an entry level understanding. I’ll update you in 12 months❤️ I’m subscribing now to keep in touch
Thank you very much for putting the titles of the melodies! Very interesting you progress, I am really jealous! I am 58 and I’m learning since 6 months, a long wish from my infancy.
Great progress video! I like what you said about "Progress is not linear". I definitely feel that way with my violin studies. I often go back to old pieces once I've progressed and I can then make them sound better. You are sounding so good now!! 👏✨ -Sharona
It’s something my teacher told me would happen when I started. There are periods where we practice but just consolidate the progress and it all bursts out at once. That’s how she described it at least.
My year 3 is almost up, but I’ll probably not be making another video like this for a while. The progress is slower and the pieces I’m playing a not that dissimilar. I’ll probably do another after year 5.
@@DanielLearnsPiano That's fair. The thing I loved about this video is that you were detailed, honest, and realistic with your progress. The year long progress videos are most popular on UA-cam, but none of them really capture the "real life" aspect of learning something new. This video stands out among the rest because of your realistic expectations and detail. You even show how you were close to burnout in the holiday season, took a break, and came back stronger. Plus, your video is just excellently put together. I'm not going to tell you how to make a decision. Personally, I think it's important to continue that honesty. If your year 3 progress is slower, there's nothing wrong with that.
@@Gorngulot Yeah, that’s true. But it’s covered in a lot of my other videos. While 1 year progress videos are popular, 2 year videos seem to be a lot less popular. So I can’t imagine many people looking for 3 years. These videos take a while to put together and I do feel that it would be pretty similar to this one. I could always just make a year 3 update, but again, I talk about this stuff in other videos and I can see it reaching past my core audience anyway.
Bravo!! Love your playing! Great hand position, better than mine! I've also been playing for about two years before abandoning it in Feb. of '22 because of an international relocation.
I am pianoless at the moment, but hope to receive my new one next week. ( Covid has made me wait 3 months for it!) I sold my piano a year ago when I moved house and thought as I wasn’t making much progress beyond grade 2, I wouldn’t continue. But, I miss learning to play so much, I’m now, thankfully going back to it. You have inspired me it must be said. I bought the Forscore app, and didn’t realise it was empty and I have to fill it, never mind, it shouldn’t take long to get a few scores on there. Keep up your inspiring videos, they have made me want to keep playing and at least trying! Thank you…… Also, the way you explain your whole practice routine is very encouraging.
That's great to hear. I probably should have been clearer about the app. I scan the books I buy with the app, so I always have a paper version. I just use the app to not spoil them or have big piles on my piano.
I literally had my first taster session yesterday and instantly signed up to weekly lessons starting Monday! I originally took up keyboard lessons around 25 years ago during school, though they were very short lived after discovering video games! 😂 As I’ve grown older and my music tastes have changed, I’ve had the desire to pick it back up again and really go for it! Fingers crossed I’ll be collecting my first digital piano later today and I can get started right away! Thank you for the honest videos! I think I’m going to start filming myself to track progress, as it’ll be nice to look back over time and see how far I’ve come and hopefully inspire others to “just go for it!” Wish me luck! 🎹👍
No worries. Definitely record your progress. Whether you make it public or not is different but having something to look back on is really important. Beat of luck.
Always like your videos, dude. I think I started a little after you did (July, 2020). I played Prelude prelude in D flat Major (and bombed) at my first recital. Anyway, I think we are at about the same level. Thanks for making these videos.
Amazing man, really inspirational! Been playing for almost a year and a half now, and only started really digging into music theory and technique this year. Kicking myself for not doing so earlier, but better late than never I guess. Keep up the grind!
If you have the room, buying an acoustic will be another HUGE motivation. I've got a hybrid and it's close, but it's not the same as my Kawai RX-2. Not even close.
I think I've always known this, but to begin with I wasn't sure of my commitment levels. Even after the first year when I bought the CA99, which was pricey but still not much compared to an acoustic, I was unsure. But, I'm actually off to a piano showroom tomorrow to check out their acoustics. Since buying the CA99 my daughter has begun playing and yesterday took her first exam. Now is the time to get an acoustic for both of us. I'll probably keep the CA99 as well. Either have it in my office or my daughter can have it in her bedroom.
@@DanielLearnsPiano I was lucky and found a mint RX-2 second hand. And yes, you will always want a digital around if you have a family and get that urge for late night or early practice! Are you a memeber of the piano world forums? Lots of good piano advice around there. Can't go wrong with a Kawai or Yamaha in my opinion. I'd love a Steinway or a Bosendorfer one day, but still a bit out of reach for me financially. Good luck at the showroom!
@@marcusvaldes I'm going with a Kawai K300 or K500 in mind but will play on what they have to make my decision. The showroom I'm going to has some more expensive brands like Grotrian and Wilh.Steinberg. If I can find something that I like the sound of, that's not glossy black I'll be made up.
Your videos are inspiring! I'm about to go back into lessons after about 15 years. I breezed through the first set of children's beginner books I found in my piano bench at my moms house. They are for children, so I expect things to get much more difficult once i start my lessons. I'm glad I've maintained my dexterity and hand eye coordination to a fair degree, but I believe having a mentor is SO IMPORTANT! I'm very excited to play again. As a child, I didn't take it seriously and I hated practicing. As an adult paying for my own lessons, I'm hoping to be more consistent.
Thanks, I'm glad you thought so. Sounds like you are off to a great start again. Having played as a child is must really help. I'm sure you'll find it much more rewarding as an adult though and should actually enjoy practicing now. Come check out the Discord server where myself and a number of other adult progress channels get together. We discuss playing the piano, repertoire, etc. We even try and get together once a week through the server to have a study group where we play to each other what we are currently working on (though this is quite Europe centric at the moment). discord.gg/WnGAb5F6Mm
great stuff mate, well done. just bought myself a novation for ableton. dont have a clue what im doing but your videos are very inspiring and a lot more honest that some of these others ive seen. i hope for you continued success in your musical journey!
Hmmm, i practice for 2-3 hours a day, and i spend 1 hour for technical exercises such as all of hanons, a fraction of liszt, all of the major/minor scales, appegios and rhythm practice, then i spend the other hours on pieces, i also learning/practicing 2-3 pieces (excluding exams pieces) at three seperate difficulties (one within my grasps, one that’s challenging and one that is way above my grade) at a time and when i nearly finished/mastered one i instantly add in another, sometimes it’s overwhelming but the feeling of being able to one day plays 3 different pieces that i like feels out of this world :DD but yes the amount of technical practices can sometimes be hideous and straight up boring and but they are good for maintaining my confidence and technical capabilities when i do not want to practice any of my pieces
I have also been following your progress over you two year period and it is very interesting to see and hear how you have developed. As an retired teacher I would lije to see the rest of your body to become more involved. By that, I don't meand sway your body around nut more a demonstration that the whole of you is involved with the music - th expression. At the moment your fingers and hands have improved enormously, but the seem to be somewhat detached from your arms. I knowit is only two years and you haveachieved agreat deal in that time but what I am suggesting is simply part of your musical development. You mentioned how going to your teacher has helped you realise that there is more to playing the piano than simply learning which finger to play a note. Well, all I am suggesting is a further progression along the riad to playing the piano. May I suggest you view your video then check out some pianists on UA-cam to see if you can see what I am referring to. One last thing. Exoression comes from the shoulders which helps to determine the weight of your finger on the key by lean i ng into the key. Sorry it isnt easy trying to describe it to you. Your teacher will know.😊👍Good luck with your journey. I look firward to watching your continued progress.🎶🎵😊
Hi, thanks for the tips. It is something my teacher has raised in the past. I talked about it one of my videos. I believe it was Gypsy Dance. I feel like it’s just another thing that I can’t really think about as I’m playing the pieces I’m recording. I’m literally on full-tilt as it is. Performing my latest pieces takes all my concentration as it is. However, when I’m playing some of my older pieces that I still have I can relax more and that sort of movement then feels more natural. It’s definitely something I’ll work on though.
Im playing for 1 and a half year now and yes I kind of mastered River Flows in You. I think I’m not very fast at learning the piano but I do it with all my heart and soul. And that is what matters to me. I even bought me a grand Piano. Well see 😂
Sounds like you are doing well. It doesn’t matter how fast we progress as long as we enjoy ourselves. I’m tempted by a grand. It will be my next piano. It’s just a case of when I have somewhere to put it and can afford one.
@@DanielLearnsPiano there are some pretty affordable Grands from Yamaha and Kawai. I bought myself a used Yamaha G2 from 1974. That comes cheaper than a new one. And it does sound quite good :)
Very impressive! I am a 70 year old beginner and my hand independence sucks. Don't know that I will ever make it to grade 3 in my lifetime. Perhaps in a better place we can all be concert pianists. Is there something that attracted you to the classical music or is that the direction your teacher guided you? I want to learn to play the disney favorites, movie greats like memory from cats with lots of arpeggios, and just fun pop stuff. Do you feel your path of classical learning sets you up to play these pieces more easily or should I just focus more on the music I want to play from the beginning. Don't get me wrong, I like the classical stuff, but there are some great movie themes and pop songs out there as well.
Congrats on starting at 70. I’d heard that having a classical training prepares you well for other types of music. I don’t know if that’s true or not. But it’s also a way to get educated in another type of music I may not have listened to otherwise. What I do know is that learning anything takes ages. Hopefully a few years down the road I’ll be able to pick up simple pieces quickly. Who knows.
You're the only one I've seen who is completely honest AND doesn't seem to skip the important steps. Playing Chopin or the 1st movement of the Moonlight Sonata after 1-2 years is simply showing childish impatience and no understanding of what proper musicality means -_- (Btw, I really cannot stand listening to that movement anymore, since it is so overplayed and 99% of the time performed horribly!) I'm also an adult beginner, started at 25 and have had 1.5 years of lessons, before I injured myself and now I'm slowly picking things back up after almost 2 years of healing. My progress has been similair to yours, keeping in mind that I started from scratch without any prior knowledge, having to learn even basic note reading and rythms. So I'm a bit further behind, especially on sightreading, which I did not practice much at all after the first few months and now I'm seeing the negative impact, so I'm working on it extensively. As for your progress, from what I can tell you are doing great and I also had a stunt in my progression around the 1 year mark, but I'm really improving now with smarter practicing and I doubled my time to around 2 hours a day, giving me more time for keeping focus and not feeling rushed. It also helped with the issue of making mistakes all the time, in combination with specifically isolating these parts instead of replaying whole sections, so maybe you could go for 15 or 30 min more, though I know you have a busy life... Lastly, I'm a bit worried, that you mentioned there was little focus on technique with your teacher, which after researching a lot online and my own experience with my teacher should ALWAYS be a huge focus, especially in the beginning. It is crucial not to learn things the wrong way, because untraining muscle memory is very difficult and it keeps coming back if you're not mindful every second of playing. This is what got me injured actually, Covid hit and I practiced for 3 hours straight, while after an hour my wrists got really stiff and I hadn't mastered using armweight properly. So I basically played with stiff wrists for 2 hours every day and I ignored my pain for weeks, until I eventually wrecked my tendons in both arms. Still not sure if I'll ever fully recover... You look quite relaxed and you play much less, so I don't think you'll have theses issues, however I noticed that you could maybe use your armweight more when phrasing and move your wrists more freely. I've been working on it and once you get a feel for it, it helps a lot with control, dynamics, phrasing and it feels much better to play that way. I'll be checking in on your progress to keep me motivated and I wish you all the best! Huge respect as well, for sticking with it and documenting your progress so honestly! I know just how tough it can get some days, to the point where you just want to smash your piano, haha ;D Greetings form Germany!
Thanks. There’s a lot to unpick here, let me work my way through it. I actually think it was Moonlight that originally planted the seed of playing the piano in my head. An ex-girlfriend played the start of it to me once, when I had no idea she had even played the piano. I didn’t know what it was at the time, but I thought it sounded great. But you are right, it’s a victim of its own success because everyone plays it now. Some before they probably should. I can see that I will probably need to increase the time I practice if I can find that time. Already recently, what was an hour is more like 70-75 minutes. Regarding technique, my teacher does teach it obviously. My point was that I was expecting it to be like 90% of my lessons, whereas it’s probably 10%. Technique has always been a means to an end, and not the end itself. So she will raise things when she thinks it’s holding me back. But the focus of my lessons has always been the musicality or pieces, and ways to practice, rather than specifically what I should do with my hands and arms. Though that does come up too, but it’s never the starting point. You are not the first to mention arm weight, I’m sure this will be something my teachers raises with me when she see’s it as something holding me back. I’m generally pretty good at taking onboard the advice she provides. Anyway, thanks for watching my videos and taking the time to write. I appreciate it. Being a gamer you must have Discord, right? You should stop by the server we’ve set up. Around UA-cam 20 channels like mine and just viewers of the channels have all got together and chat together. discord.gg/WnGAb5F6Mm
I like this narration format. I also think you’re doing things the right way playing a variety of styles at each grade. But does it make you feel like a big man to lie about your progress? ;)
It would have been better to start 40 years ago. But the next best time is now. Make sure expectations are in check. Playing the piano is really hard. And it will be frustrating. But keep going and what was hard will become easier and before you know it you will be playing the music you love. I hope it goes well for you.
Thanks for this video! I was originally like dang.... He's so far ahead of where I am at a year. But then after I heard some pieces I've been playing I remember my teacher bases her class on RCM and you said ABRSM. 😂 (Not that it should be a comparison, but still.... Pretty much same pace and I felt better about that). This is really encouraging, and I'm glad adult learners like you are sharing this kind of content.
What matters is that you are improving month to month. My pace is pretty slow if I compare to other pianists that I know. But they practice more than me so that explains it. I think it's good to have a slow progress video on UA-cam so that other learns don't think it's normal to play Fantaisie Impromptu in your first 8 months.
I only came across your channel a couple of months ago, but it is already my favourite piano progress channel. I love your openness on topics that are relatable to many adult beginners. Your videos over the past year show great progress and I'm looking forward to the next year of them 😊
Wow, thank you. That's really kind. I'm glad the content resonates with people. Most of piano UA-cam seems to be people demonstrating how great they are. There are so many videos where someone picks up this instrument with apparent ease. That's not been my experience, and I'm sure it's also not the case with most people. I think it's important sharing the struggles as well as the successes so other learners realise it's completely normal and part of the process.
Hi there, love the page and find your content really inspiring 👍 I also have a Kawai Ca 99 … was just wondering if you can give any tips about connecting the sound to a phone or camera? Any help on this would be amazing.
Thanks. The sound from the piano comes out a bit hot to go directly into a camera unfortunately. I’ve been recording the sound via line out into a external recorder. Initially into a 4K recorder for my camera, but more recently into a 32-bit float audio recorder which ensures I never clip the audio. There’s nothing worse that recording for 30-40 minutes and then finding out you’ve peaked the audio.
Out of curiousity, how do you find writing your own music on the piano to be difficulty wise? I'm not talking writing full out songs, but to just sit down and play what you're feeling?
That depends on your definition of sight-reading. If you mean sight-reading in the true prima vista sense (at first sight), then obviously not. These pieces take weeks of practice before I can play them like this. If you simply mean, did I learn them by reading the score, then yes this is correct. I actually never even listen to recordings of the pieces I play. I learn them from the score and then my teacher helps me make them sound better. You can watch me learn a piece a simple piece from start to finish in the video below. This gives you an idea of how it will sound at various points. The piece in the video is grade 1 where I'm about grade 3 now. So the the one hour mark in the video would normally take much longer for a piece at my level. ua-cam.com/video/pDI1u8TOsyU/v-deo.html
Hi there - love this vid and your commitment to learning the piano as an adult. I'm also thinking about trying out the same thing. Just curious though - since you played guitar as a teenager, why did you not go back to the guitar? Why the switch to the piano?
I believe I talk about this in my first year video. But the answer is I did go back to the guitar before trying the piano. My guitar playing was so skewed towards heavy metal riffing which I was still reasonable ok at, but other areas were completely lacking. Ultimately I found it too frustrating being a complete beginner in some areas and would just revert back to playing my old Metallica songs. This is why I decided to try the piano. Everything was new and as such I couldn’t be frustrated working on basic skills because that was my only option.
Your video making skills have got better and better too! Very inspiring. I saw you make a lot of notes on your sheet music. Is this something you just do or is this a method you learned specifically to help learn the pieces?
Hey, thanks. I typically make notes on my scores during my lessons. I find it easier than writing in a notebook. I do occasionally add other marks during my practice signifying what I’m planning to work on or things like that.
I will soon start learning the piano on my own. I will also follow Faber's Adult Piano Adventures with some teacher follow-up every now and then. I wanted to ask you if you'd start over learning the piano, would you change anything? What would you do or wouldn't do? Do you have any specific advice? Thank you!
There isn’t much I’d do differently. I’ve basically just followed my teacher’s advice. I do find there is a constant desire to play harder repertoire which takes a long time to learn. Spending more time churning through lots of easier pieces is probably more beneficial. It’s not as glamorous though.
I really appreciate the way you have laid out the way you go about learning. I will be self taught at first but looking to get into a structured learning system with a teacher as well. I like the tools you to help you progress. I wouldn't know where to begin if it wasn't for this helpful vid. I can kind of gauge how doing one hour a day would be highly beneficial for playing and learning. May I ask, do you use 88 keys very often? i can't decide if I should just get an 88 key piano/keyboard or get something with 61 keys to start out with. Keep up the good work!
Thanks. I don’t use them that often but I think it’s often enough that if I didn’t have them it would be frustrating. Typically I think all digital pianos with a good weight action have 88 keys and you want a good weighted action.
Hi, wonderful video. May I ask, do you have a demanding schedule? If so, how do you incorporate the same amount of time of practice (if not more) to each new piece you learn/play?
Whats that tablet that you’re using? Are you using some sort of page turner as well? Sorry if you made a vid talking about it already. I couldn’t find it.
It’s the iPad Pro 12.9” model. I do t use a page turner because most of my pieces are only a page and anyway, I’ve memorised the piece by the time I can play it and no longer need the music.
@@DanielLearnsPiano I'm an "old" guy, 56, who wants to try and play a guitar or piano, whichever one has the less discouraging learning curve. There are a lot of videos that address the "piano vs guitar, which is easier" debate and none of them really convinced me either way. With your experience with both instruments, and your confident response to my question, perhaps you'd consider making a video on the subject. Regardless, I like your channel a lot, thanks!
Don't get me wrong, playing the guitar is not easy either. But the with guitar you are only doing one thing at a time. Both hands are coordinated to do that one thing. One pressing down on the frets, the other plucks the strings. With piano, you have to do two things at the same time. Each hand effectively becomes its own band member. This can get really difficult both physically, and mentally.
Thank you. I have captured audio in different ways. On the Roland I have recorded straight to iPhone (day 10), recorded my session then played it back capturing the audio from the headphones in an audio recorder, but mostly I saved the midi and exported it from GarageBand with a different piano sound. With the Kawai I have different options so I have exported an mp3 directly from the piano, simply recorded it with a mic or what I do now, run the line-out directly into my camera. For video, other than the first clip I’ve used my Sony A7iii. However, in the last year I do capture both video and audio into a separate external recorder which provides longer record times, a monitor I can see, and a SSD I can edit directly off of saving my me from transferring these massive files off SD cards. But truth be told, as long as you have enough light, you can get a decent recording with your phone. I just love camera gear so it’s basically me combining two hobbies.
I’m thinking about starting again after giving up as a teenager. Would you still recommend the Roland FP-30 for starters or something else? Thanks for sharing your progress btw!
It depends on your budget and how committed you see yourself being. If your budget doesn't stretch further than the Roland then I'd recommend it, as it's good for it's price. However, if you see yourself being committed and have more budget available I would recommend a better quality piano like the Kawai CA49. If for example, you have a big budget but are unsure how committed you are (this was my situation) you can start with the Roland, see how you take to it again, and once you are sure you will continue upgrade later. Personally, I find that the feel and sound of a better quality instrument makes the whole experience more enjoyable. You will be spending a lot of time with this instrument these things are very important.
Is that a digital piano or a keyboard with a nice stand I thought I seen all peddles though. Nice man good for you reward yourself after a full year of dedication, I’d do the same. Except I’d just go broke and buy a grand piano to feel like a class act 🤣
It’s still digital, but it’s a top of the range model. It’s the Kawai CA99. My next reward will be a grand. But I’m planning to wait a couple of years for that at least.
Great video! Pinky are quite strong, rounded and do not bend. I see that you don't play with your hands from elbow, only with your fingers, did the teacher teach you that?
Thanks. Both my little fingers were injured during my teenage years. Neither of them straighten properly. Though looking at them now they actually look better than before I started playing so maybe that has rehabbed them a little. My teacher doesn’t really discuss technique unless it’s holding me back. She prioritises the music and making that sound as good as it can. If my technique is preventing that we’ll work on it. But no, she’s not told me to play like this. We just have bigger issues to work on.
Depends on how you look at it. When I started I had never played a piano. I consider that being a beginner. Frankly, I’m still a beginner now and it’s been almost 3 years now. My piano progress is some of the slowest I’ve seen in online. If you have trouble believing someone can progress one grade a year you should reevaluate how difficult you think playing piano really is.
@@DanielLearnsPiano Sorry, I was trying to find a genuine 0 to play to a year progress, by the time I got to yours I was frustrated, one can easily see that all those who posted such had indeed been doing exercises, and knew how to put reading notation into action. I apologise for my lack of manners
@@HHowardHH honestly, reading is the easiest part of learning in my opinion. Learning the notes of a piece is 100x quicker than being able to play them correctly at tempo. If you start with pieces that are written to teach this it comes fairly quickly as they only add a few notes at a time. Don’t start trying to read your dream piece. That will cause nothing but frustration. And don’t confuse being able to read notation with sight-reading where you can play something new straight away. I rarely actually read while playing. I can’t concentrate on the two things at once. I read while learning a piece and practice but after drilling the same section 50 times I’ll have remembered the whole piece within no time. I have the music open in front of me only to jog my memory if I’m really stuck. Playing the piano is really hard. You probably aren’t going to be playing Fantaisie Impromptu in a year. If that’s what you are expecting it would be better to quit now and save the frustration. But if you are satisfied with slow steady progress you can just stick with it and you’ll probably be pretty decent in 5 years. That’s the way I look at it anyway. As soon as I started I realised that most 1-year progress videos are either by savants, liars or just people being unintentionally misleading. Like never mentioning the 8 years they played as a child. I had never played the piano, but I had played the guitar to a mediocre level, and I have explained this in other videos. And seriously, out of all the people I know that post progress online, I am the slowest learner. I honestly think my rate of progress is achievable by most people if you commit the same amount of time (1 hour a day) and have a teacher.
@@DanielLearnsPiano I read like you but centering on bass guitar, I've played 47 years, in many countries and played with many. I've written over 200 songs, but that's not hard considering I've only done original music of mine and others for over 30 years I've tended to use various keyboards as sound effects, lay down multiple tracks of piano and it sounds like i know how to play. Lol Now I wish to learn classical so i bought a Yamaha P515, i wanted the feel of piano and to be honest whether what they say it's probably more piano than artificial sugar is sugary, but not by a lot. A real piano is a real piano. In recordings it doesn't matter, like the old arguments of which distortion to use on guitar, I've seen all the arguments, but at the end of the day 'distortion finesse ' gets lost the second another instrument is added. Anyway, i am as good at piano as a cat is at barking, lol, I'm crap, but I'll get better. At least like you say i know how things should sound and feel which makes it more funner. 😁
It's been two years and I'm still playing. I almost can't believe it.
I've just started yesterday and I hope I can say the same thing in 2 years.
Your first years progress prompted me to buy a piano and learn.
Excited for the 10 year progress video! :P
@@LeRainbow Add it to your calendar!
Can you please let me know which volume of Classics to Modern you used?
I was using the old editions of books 1 & 2 mostly (red & blue). I have the third which I use occasionally now.
That feeling of the piece you struggle with becoming easier after a break is so rewarding.
You are not wrong. As everything is getting more difficult it may have to be a strategy I adopt more often.
An honest progress video for adults learning to play to piano who have a normal life to live too! You clearly have a great commitment to learning 👏
This is such an honest, realistic, and efficiently presented review of your progress. Both inspiring and helpful for other learners. Really amazing!
Congrats on 2 years, and here's to many more 🥳🎉
Thanks Jorge, I appreciate it.
Hey! Today, one year ago I saw your “first year progress video” and I decided to buy a piano and I’ve been playing since then.
I’ve never let a comment before, but I see all your videos, they are really inspiring. Thanks for sharing your journey.
Wow, I love this. It’s amazing to think that these videos have made such a positive impact. Reading this has literally made my day.
How’s it going?
It’s going well.
Hey man! I bought my first piano when I saw your one year video. Today I'm almost a year into learning it (I bought it on 25 of May), and I've been practicing it consistently since then, around an hour a day. Just want to let you know how much you inspired me, with your one year video! Also your angles and cinematography are very well put!
Wow, this is so cool. I love hearing messages like this. It's very humbling that I was able to inspire people to start their own musical journey. Keep at it!
As a piano beginner years ago I learned "Chopsticks" and "Hot Cross Bun". Over the years my playing improved and I've added many more pieces to my repertoire. But I still enjoy walking up to a piano casually at a gathering and play Chopsticks or Hot Cross Bun for fun. "Mary Had a Little Lamb" & "Lightly Row" is also fun pieces on my list too...
Sounds good!
Great work. I'm really excited for the 3 year mark!
Thanks. You and me both! But my latest pieces are getting really hard! It feels like a big step up going from grade 2 to grade 3. Not including the grade 3 piece in the video, that seemed easier than some of the grade 2 pieces.
This video inspired me to start playing piano two weeks ago, and it's been a lot of fun so far. I can't wait to see how far I can go from here, thanks for the motivation!
That’s great to hear. All the best on your musical journey.
congrats for moving from 1 yr to 2yrs, appreciate how you tell your true thoughts instead of putting all the nicely performed videos together, your progress encourages me to practice harder especially when my teacher taught some of the pieces in your videos, look forward to your progress of next year and hope that 1day I can play more nice pieces like you :)
Thank you. I see no point in pretending I am somehow better than I am or that I find any of this easy. Playing the piano is really hard. But as hard as it is, just plugging away has brought gradual, and mostly constant progress which is rewarding and motivating enough to keep going.
@@DanielLearnsPiano so true, the progress is rewarding especially after struggling on the same phrase for awhile!!
This is a great summary of your two years! I've watched many of the videos that you highlighted, but the narration added wonderful context. This serves as the perfect capsule showing how far you've come and should be "exhibit a" for anyone asking what you can achieve as a dedicated adult learner.
I am really impressed with your tangible (and relatable) progress. Truly inspiring to those who are attempting the same, myself included Thank you and keep it up!
Thanks, I'm glad this video has turned out to be relatable with other adult learners. I just hope the pace of the progress doesn't put of those who are thinking about learning the piano.
In the past I have had comments like "18 months to just play this, what's the point?"
Getting my first Digital Piano next week, so excited to start my journey!
Thanks for making these yearly progress videos, hope we get a 3year update soon :D
That’s great to hear. It’s a bit late for a 3 year update. That was last year. I’m not really sure I have much to say at this point. Maybe a 5 year update next year.
I love your 1 year and 2 year progress video. In september 2022 i got my 10 years old some piano lesson and he had quit by december. In january 2023 i took his lessons over till june. I have been on my own since then. My progress has been slow and i would love to have a teacher to select pieces and guide me to make my progress more interesting.
Having a teacher really does help me maintain my motivation. I don't have lessons over the summer and as a result my progress really stalls as I have no clear goals and end up not doing much at all.
Brilliant video! This was excellently presented and very inspiring! I'll be using this when I recommend piano to others.
Thank you. I’ve learnt a lot of the past in both in terms of the piano and making videos. I like to think this video shows that with a reasonable amount of practice you can play some decent pieces even at a beginner level.
I'm in my late thirties and approaching the end of my first year of playing piano as an absolute beginner and my progress has been quite poor in comparison, despite my enthusiasm. This video has highlighted to me that my practice sessions could be significantly improved and structured better.
If it hasn't been said already, you really are talented! Thanks for the great content!
Hi, thanks. I know the feeling of watching other beginners and thinking I am progressing more slowly. The best thing to do is to disregard what others are doing and concentrate on having fun and improving (slowly if needs be) over time.
I will say that having some structure and routine in your practice will probably be beneficial. Over the summer months with my kids at home all day, and all sorts of activities and holidays planned, my routine goes out the window. I take this as an opportunity to read and play through a lot of music, but not to a high standard. I'm finding this has its own benefits.
Keep at it, and by the time you are my age (mid 40's), you should be really good.
Do you have a teacher? That makes a HUGE difference as well.
I started watching your videos when you were one year into piano and I had just begun. This video was very encouraging as I hit a slump in November and felt like giving up on the whole endeavour. Now I’m back at it again, humbled by how much work is involved in even just sounding mediocre! Haha! Thank you for all of the work you not only put into your piano practice but also in making these high quality progress videos that inspire people like me! It is greatly appreciated!
Thank you. Yes, playing the piano is super hard. But I’m assured that after a number of years we’ll be able to play impressive sounding pieces with having to spend so long working on them.
Very nicely made video and a standout against all the fake progress videos on UA-cam. You clearly made a good choice with your teacher. I reached a plateau after two years of self-teaching with an adult course, Hanon and Czerny. If I'd watched this video at that point, I might have sought a traditional teacher via Skype from my isolated home. Instead I googled Play Piano Fluently and instantly found the coach I've now had for four years. He puts rhythm first. It's a radically unconventional path that's working for me.
It's good that you've found something that works for you. I could probably do with more rhythm practice. I've found that piano gets progressively harder. The last couple of years have definitely been slower progress.
congrats on your progress, hard work pays off!
Thanks.
My buddy from high school just graduated from university with a music major. He’s gotten so good at piano over the past 4 years. He was showing me music theory last night, and it made sense! That’s what brought me here. I’m buying a keyboard.
Great idea. I first played guitar maybe 30 years ago, but there are is harmony theory I’ve only just discovered and it’s really made so much sense I can’t believe I didn’t know/realise until now. Theory definitely helps, but so much of learning piano at first is just getting your hands to do what you want them to do. Hope it goes well!
@ yessir! Thank you so much. I too played guitar when I was a teen. Like yourself, I have a bit of an entry level understanding. I’ll update you in 12 months❤️ I’m subscribing now to keep in touch
Very inspiring, thank you for documenting your journey!
No problem.
An inspiration as always Dan, thank you for another great video
Thanks, Jeremy!
Dan... is that what his name is? I've always wondered what his name was, cause he's never told us! 😭 -Sharona
@@PianoBeaShar It’s true, I don’t introduce myself in the videos. But I did in the about page of my channel. 😃
I appreciate your honesty. I will try to apply the tips you have shared. Thanks a lot.
No worries. Though I may not be the best person to take tips from.
Thanks for posting this. I struggle a bit with mini arranged pieces because I don't like contemporary stuff.
Thank you very much for putting the titles of the melodies! Very interesting you progress, I am really jealous! I am 58 and I’m learning since 6 months, a long wish from my infancy.
Great progress video! I like what you said about "Progress is not linear". I definitely feel that way with my violin studies. I often go back to old pieces once I've progressed and I can then make them sound better. You are sounding so good now!! 👏✨ -Sharona
It’s something my teacher told me would happen when I started. There are periods where we practice but just consolidate the progress and it all bursts out at once. That’s how she described it at least.
Great progress 👏
After 8 Years of playing my most difficult piece is fantasie impromptu
Well done you.
What an excellent video. Looking forward to year 3!
My year 3 is almost up, but I’ll probably not be making another video like this for a while. The progress is slower and the pieces I’m playing a not that dissimilar. I’ll probably do another after year 5.
@@DanielLearnsPiano That's fair. The thing I loved about this video is that you were detailed, honest, and realistic with your progress. The year long progress videos are most popular on UA-cam, but none of them really capture the "real life" aspect of learning something new. This video stands out among the rest because of your realistic expectations and detail. You even show how you were close to burnout in the holiday season, took a break, and came back stronger. Plus, your video is just excellently put together. I'm not going to tell you how to make a decision. Personally, I think it's important to continue that honesty. If your year 3 progress is slower, there's nothing wrong with that.
@@Gorngulot Yeah, that’s true. But it’s covered in a lot of my other videos. While 1 year progress videos are popular, 2 year videos seem to be a lot less popular. So I can’t imagine many people looking for 3 years. These videos take a while to put together and I do feel that it would be pretty similar to this one. I could always just make a year 3 update, but again, I talk about this stuff in other videos and I can see it reaching past my core audience anyway.
@@Gorngulot If you want to see where I am at after 3 years. Check this out. ua-cam.com/video/2RWAkVnUJ_U/v-deo.html
Bravo!! Love your playing! Great hand position, better than mine! I've also been playing for about two years before abandoning it in Feb. of '22 because of an international relocation.
Nice work mate! Onwards and upwards to 3 years!
Cheers, man! Gonna be a lot of hard work judging by the pieces my teacher has me working on currently.
I am pianoless at the moment, but hope to receive my new one next week. ( Covid has made me wait 3 months for it!) I sold my piano a year ago when I moved house and thought as I wasn’t making much progress beyond grade 2, I wouldn’t continue. But, I miss learning to play so much, I’m now, thankfully going back to it. You have inspired me it must be said. I bought the Forscore app, and didn’t realise it was empty and I have to fill it, never mind, it shouldn’t take long to get a few scores on there. Keep up your inspiring videos, they have made me want to keep playing and at least trying! Thank you…… Also, the way you explain your whole practice routine is very encouraging.
That's great to hear. I probably should have been clearer about the app. I scan the books I buy with the app, so I always have a paper version. I just use the app to not spoil them or have big piles on my piano.
I literally had my first taster session yesterday and instantly signed up to weekly lessons starting Monday!
I originally took up keyboard lessons around 25 years ago during school, though they were very short lived after discovering video games! 😂 As I’ve grown older and my music tastes have changed, I’ve had the desire to pick it back up again and really go for it! Fingers crossed I’ll be collecting my first digital piano later today and I can get started right away!
Thank you for the honest videos! I think I’m going to start filming myself to track progress, as it’ll be nice to look back over time and see how far I’ve come and hopefully inspire others to “just go for it!”
Wish me luck! 🎹👍
No worries. Definitely record your progress. Whether you make it public or not is different but having something to look back on is really important. Beat of luck.
Congratulations. You’ve done and continue to do brilliantly and are an inspiration. Well done.
Thank you so much!
Always like your videos, dude. I think I started a little after you did (July, 2020). I played Prelude prelude in D flat Major (and bombed) at my first recital. Anyway, I think we are at about the same level. Thanks for making these videos.
Thanks. I commend you for being brave enough to perform at a recital. I know I would fall to pieces.
Great progress Daniel, keep it up!
Thanks.
Amazing man, really inspirational! Been playing for almost a year and a half now, and only started really digging into music theory and technique this year. Kicking myself for not doing so earlier, but better late than never I guess. Keep up the grind!
It's been two years for me this month!
If you have the room, buying an acoustic will be another HUGE motivation. I've got a hybrid and it's close, but it's not the same as my Kawai RX-2. Not even close.
I think I've always known this, but to begin with I wasn't sure of my commitment levels. Even after the first year when I bought the CA99, which was pricey but still not much compared to an acoustic, I was unsure.
But, I'm actually off to a piano showroom tomorrow to check out their acoustics. Since buying the CA99 my daughter has begun playing and yesterday took her first exam. Now is the time to get an acoustic for both of us. I'll probably keep the CA99 as well. Either have it in my office or my daughter can have it in her bedroom.
@@DanielLearnsPiano I was lucky and found a mint RX-2 second hand. And yes, you will always want a digital around if you have a family and get that urge for late night or early practice! Are you a memeber of the piano world forums? Lots of good piano advice around there. Can't go wrong with a Kawai or Yamaha in my opinion. I'd love a Steinway or a Bosendorfer one day, but still a bit out of reach for me financially. Good luck at the showroom!
@@marcusvaldes I'm going with a Kawai K300 or K500 in mind but will play on what they have to make my decision. The showroom I'm going to has some more expensive brands like Grotrian and Wilh.Steinberg. If I can find something that I like the sound of, that's not glossy black I'll be made up.
Your videos are inspiring! I'm about to go back into lessons after about 15 years. I breezed through the first set of children's beginner books I found in my piano bench at my moms house. They are for children, so I expect things to get much more difficult once i start my lessons. I'm glad I've maintained my dexterity and hand eye coordination to a fair degree, but I believe having a mentor is SO IMPORTANT! I'm very excited to play again. As a child, I didn't take it seriously and I hated practicing. As an adult paying for my own lessons, I'm hoping to be more consistent.
Thanks, I'm glad you thought so. Sounds like you are off to a great start again. Having played as a child is must really help. I'm sure you'll find it much more rewarding as an adult though and should actually enjoy practicing now.
Come check out the Discord server where myself and a number of other adult progress channels get together. We discuss playing the piano, repertoire, etc. We even try and get together once a week through the server to have a study group where we play to each other what we are currently working on (though this is quite Europe centric at the moment).
discord.gg/WnGAb5F6Mm
great stuff mate, well done. just bought myself a novation for ableton. dont have a clue what im doing but your videos are very inspiring and a lot more honest that some of these others ive seen.
i hope for you continued success in your musical journey!
Good for you. It’s never too late to start learning.
Very inspiring! ❤
Thanks 🙏
Wow congratulations
Hmmm, i practice for 2-3 hours a day, and i spend 1 hour for technical exercises such as all of hanons, a fraction of liszt, all of the major/minor scales, appegios and rhythm practice, then i spend the other hours on pieces, i also learning/practicing 2-3 pieces (excluding exams pieces) at three seperate difficulties (one within my grasps, one that’s challenging and one that is way above my grade) at a time and when i nearly finished/mastered one i instantly add in another, sometimes it’s overwhelming but the feeling of being able to one day plays 3 different pieces that i like feels out of this world :DD but yes the amount of technical practices can sometimes be hideous and straight up boring and but they are good for maintaining my confidence and technical capabilities when i do not want to practice any of my pieces
Do what works for you!
I have also been following your progress over you two year period and it is very interesting to see and hear how you have developed. As an retired teacher I would lije to see the rest of your body to become more involved. By that, I don't meand sway your body around nut more a demonstration that the whole of you is involved with the music - th expression. At the moment your fingers and hands have improved enormously, but the seem to be somewhat detached from your arms.
I knowit is only two years and you haveachieved agreat deal in that time but what I am suggesting is simply part of your musical development. You mentioned how going to your teacher has helped you realise that there is more to playing the piano than simply learning which finger to play a note. Well, all I am suggesting is a further progression along the riad to playing the piano.
May I suggest you view your video then check out some pianists on UA-cam to see if you can see what I am referring to. One last thing. Exoression comes from the shoulders which helps to determine the weight of your finger on the key by lean i ng into the key. Sorry it isnt easy trying to describe it to you. Your teacher will know.😊👍Good luck with your journey. I look firward to watching your continued progress.🎶🎵😊
Hi, thanks for the tips. It is something my teacher has raised in the past. I talked about it one of my videos. I believe it was Gypsy Dance.
I feel like it’s just another thing that I can’t really think about as I’m playing the pieces I’m recording. I’m literally on full-tilt as it is. Performing my latest pieces takes all my concentration as it is. However, when I’m playing some of my older pieces that I still have I can relax more and that sort of movement then feels more natural.
It’s definitely something I’ll work on though.
Brilliant video! 👏👏👏👍👍👍
Thanks, Tam.
Im playing for 1 and a half year now and yes I kind of mastered River Flows in You. I think I’m not very fast at learning the piano but I do it with all my heart and soul. And that is what matters to me. I even bought me a grand Piano. Well see 😂
Sounds like you are doing well. It doesn’t matter how fast we progress as long as we enjoy ourselves. I’m tempted by a grand. It will be my next piano. It’s just a case of when I have somewhere to put it and can afford one.
@@DanielLearnsPiano there are some pretty affordable Grands from Yamaha and Kawai. I bought myself a used Yamaha G2 from 1974. That comes cheaper than a new one. And it does sound quite good :)
I’m sure. I’d like a Kawai GX3, but first is having somewhere to put one.
@@DanielLearnsPiano i hope you can fit it a grand is the best possible way to Play Piano :)
@@daikitv688 I’ll just make the most of playing my teacher’s for now.
finally a realistic video where the dude doesn't play some hard pieces from liszt after 2 years
Mate, I’ve seen videos where they played Claire du Lune after 2 weeks! 🤣🤣🤣
Very impressive! I am a 70 year old beginner and my hand independence sucks. Don't know that I will ever make it to grade 3 in my lifetime. Perhaps in a better place we can all be concert pianists. Is there something that attracted you to the classical music or is that the direction your teacher guided you? I want to learn to play the disney favorites, movie greats like memory from cats with lots of arpeggios, and just fun pop stuff. Do you feel your path of classical learning sets you up to play these pieces more easily or should I just focus more on the music I want to play from the beginning. Don't get me wrong, I like the classical stuff, but there are some great movie themes and pop songs out there as well.
Congrats on starting at 70. I’d heard that having a classical training prepares you well for other types of music. I don’t know if that’s true or not. But it’s also a way to get educated in another type of music I may not have listened to otherwise. What I do know is that learning anything takes ages. Hopefully a few years down the road I’ll be able to pick up simple pieces quickly. Who knows.
Great job.
Thanks!
You're the only one I've seen who is completely honest AND doesn't seem to skip the important steps. Playing Chopin or the 1st movement of the Moonlight Sonata after 1-2 years is simply showing childish impatience and no understanding of what proper musicality means -_- (Btw, I really cannot stand listening to that movement anymore, since it is so overplayed and 99% of the time performed horribly!) I'm also an adult beginner, started at 25 and have had 1.5 years of lessons, before I injured myself and now I'm slowly picking things back up after almost 2 years of healing. My progress has been similair to yours, keeping in mind that I started from scratch without any prior knowledge, having to learn even basic note reading and rythms. So I'm a bit further behind, especially on sightreading, which I did not practice much at all after the first few months and now I'm seeing the negative impact, so I'm working on it extensively.
As for your progress, from what I can tell you are doing great and I also had a stunt in my progression around the 1 year mark, but I'm really improving now with smarter practicing and I doubled my time to around 2 hours a day, giving me more time for keeping focus and not feeling rushed. It also helped with the issue of making mistakes all the time, in combination with specifically isolating these parts instead of replaying whole sections, so maybe you could go for 15 or 30 min more, though I know you have a busy life...
Lastly, I'm a bit worried, that you mentioned there was little focus on technique with your teacher, which after researching a lot online and my own experience with my teacher should ALWAYS be a huge focus, especially in the beginning. It is crucial not to learn things the wrong way, because untraining muscle memory is very difficult and it keeps coming back if you're not mindful every second of playing. This is what got me injured actually, Covid hit and I practiced for 3 hours straight, while after an hour my wrists got really stiff and I hadn't mastered using armweight properly. So I basically played with stiff wrists for 2 hours every day and I ignored my pain for weeks, until I eventually wrecked my tendons in both arms. Still not sure if I'll ever fully recover...
You look quite relaxed and you play much less, so I don't think you'll have theses issues, however I noticed that you could maybe use your armweight more when phrasing and move your wrists more freely. I've been working on it and once you get a feel for it, it helps a lot with control, dynamics, phrasing and it feels much better to play that way.
I'll be checking in on your progress to keep me motivated and I wish you all the best! Huge respect as well, for sticking with it and documenting your progress so honestly! I know just how tough it can get some days, to the point where you just want to smash your piano, haha ;D Greetings form Germany!
Thanks. There’s a lot to unpick here, let me work my way through it.
I actually think it was Moonlight that originally planted the seed of playing the piano in my head. An ex-girlfriend played the start of it to me once, when I had no idea she had even played the piano. I didn’t know what it was at the time, but I thought it sounded great. But you are right, it’s a victim of its own success because everyone plays it now. Some before they probably should.
I can see that I will probably need to increase the time I practice if I can find that time. Already recently, what was an hour is more like 70-75 minutes.
Regarding technique, my teacher does teach it obviously. My point was that I was expecting it to be like 90% of my lessons, whereas it’s probably 10%. Technique has always been a means to an end, and not the end itself. So she will raise things when she thinks it’s holding me back. But the focus of my lessons has always been the musicality or pieces, and ways to practice, rather than specifically what I should do with my hands and arms. Though that does come up too, but it’s never the starting point.
You are not the first to mention arm weight, I’m sure this will be something my teachers raises with me when she see’s it as something holding me back. I’m generally pretty good at taking onboard the advice she provides.
Anyway, thanks for watching my videos and taking the time to write. I appreciate it. Being a gamer you must have Discord, right? You should stop by the server we’ve set up. Around UA-cam 20 channels like mine and just viewers of the channels have all got together and chat together.
discord.gg/WnGAb5F6Mm
Great video
Thanks.
Good Work!
Thanks.
I like this narration format. I also think you’re doing things the right way playing a variety of styles at each grade.
But does it make you feel like a big man to lie about your progress? ;)
Yes, it does! 😃😆😆
Your progress videos are more realistic than other ones.
Yes, I progress slowly!
Here I am. Today is my first day playing piano. 47 years old. Am I crazy?
It would have been better to start 40 years ago. But the next best time is now. Make sure expectations are in check. Playing the piano is really hard. And it will be frustrating. But keep going and what was hard will become easier and before you know it you will be playing the music you love. I hope it goes well for you.
Just bought a keyboard with the intent to make it my classical instrument of choice. I figured 30 is a good time to start
The best time was as a child. Next best time is now. Go for it!
Thanks for this video! I was originally like dang.... He's so far ahead of where I am at a year. But then after I heard some pieces I've been playing I remember my teacher bases her class on RCM and you said ABRSM. 😂 (Not that it should be a comparison, but still.... Pretty much same pace and I felt better about that).
This is really encouraging, and I'm glad adult learners like you are sharing this kind of content.
What matters is that you are improving month to month. My pace is pretty slow if I compare to other pianists that I know. But they practice more than me so that explains it. I think it's good to have a slow progress video on UA-cam so that other learns don't think it's normal to play Fantaisie Impromptu in your first 8 months.
@@DanielLearnsPiano yes! It's so good to have this "normal" progress posted. It's definitely encouraging.
I only came across your channel a couple of months ago, but it is already my favourite piano progress channel. I love your openness on topics that are relatable to many adult beginners.
Your videos over the past year show great progress and I'm looking forward to the next year of them 😊
Wow, thank you. That's really kind. I'm glad the content resonates with people.
Most of piano UA-cam seems to be people demonstrating how great they are. There are so many videos where someone picks up this instrument with apparent ease. That's not been my experience, and I'm sure it's also not the case with most people. I think it's important sharing the struggles as well as the successes so other learners realise it's completely normal and part of the process.
Hi there, love the page and find your content really inspiring 👍 I also have a Kawai Ca 99 … was just wondering if you can give any tips about connecting the sound to a phone or camera? Any help on this would be amazing.
Thanks. The sound from the piano comes out a bit hot to go directly into a camera unfortunately. I’ve been recording the sound via line out into a external recorder. Initially into a 4K recorder for my camera, but more recently into a 32-bit float audio recorder which ensures I never clip the audio. There’s nothing worse that recording for 30-40 minutes and then finding out you’ve peaked the audio.
Out of curiousity, how do you find writing your own music on the piano to be difficulty wise? I'm not talking writing full out songs, but to just sit down and play what you're feeling?
I don't attempt to write my own music. While technical skill and music theory is quite limited it just seems like an exercise in futility.
This is me now... I'm learning the piano starting 2024. Square 1.... a million to go.
Awesome. Keep practicing, you'll do great!
Hi nice progress, were you sight reading those pieces played in the video?
That depends on your definition of sight-reading. If you mean sight-reading in the true prima vista sense (at first sight), then obviously not. These pieces take weeks of practice before I can play them like this.
If you simply mean, did I learn them by reading the score, then yes this is correct. I actually never even listen to recordings of the pieces I play. I learn them from the score and then my teacher helps me make them sound better.
You can watch me learn a piece a simple piece from start to finish in the video below. This gives you an idea of how it will sound at various points. The piece in the video is grade 1 where I'm about grade 3 now. So the the one hour mark in the video would normally take much longer for a piece at my level.
ua-cam.com/video/pDI1u8TOsyU/v-deo.html
@@DanielLearnsPiano thanks for the response!
Hi there - love this vid and your commitment to learning the piano as an adult. I'm also thinking about trying out the same thing. Just curious though - since you played guitar as a teenager, why did you not go back to the guitar? Why the switch to the piano?
I believe I talk about this in my first year video. But the answer is I did go back to the guitar before trying the piano. My guitar playing was so skewed towards heavy metal riffing which I was still reasonable ok at, but other areas were completely lacking. Ultimately I found it too frustrating being a complete beginner in some areas and would just revert back to playing my old Metallica songs. This is why I decided to try the piano. Everything was new and as such I couldn’t be frustrated working on basic skills because that was my only option.
Your video making skills have got better and better too! Very inspiring. I saw you make a lot of notes on your sheet music. Is this something you just do or is this a method you learned specifically to help learn the pieces?
Hey, thanks. I typically make notes on my scores during my lessons. I find it easier than writing in a notebook. I do occasionally add other marks during my practice signifying what I’m planning to work on or things like that.
I will soon start learning the piano on my own. I will also follow Faber's Adult Piano Adventures with some teacher follow-up every now and then. I wanted to ask you if you'd start over learning the piano, would you change anything? What would you do or wouldn't do? Do you have any specific advice? Thank you!
There isn’t much I’d do differently. I’ve basically just followed my teacher’s advice. I do find there is a constant desire to play harder repertoire which takes a long time to learn. Spending more time churning through lots of easier pieces is probably more beneficial. It’s not as glamorous though.
what was he playing at 2:17?
Dude, it says right there on the screen!
I really appreciate the way you have laid out the way you go about learning. I will be self taught at first but looking to get into a structured learning system with a teacher as well. I like the tools you to help you progress. I wouldn't know where to begin if it wasn't for this helpful vid. I can kind of gauge how doing one hour a day would be highly beneficial for playing and learning. May I ask, do you use 88 keys very often? i can't decide if I should just get an 88 key piano/keyboard or get something with 61 keys to start out with. Keep up the good work!
Thanks. I don’t use them that often but I think it’s often enough that if I didn’t have them it would be frustrating. Typically I think all digital pianos with a good weight action have 88 keys and you want a good weighted action.
@@DanielLearnsPiano Thank you!
Hi, wonderful video. May I ask, do you have a demanding schedule? If so, how do you incorporate the same amount of time of practice (if not more) to each new piece you learn/play?
Hi, I block out an hour a day to practice. I work from home so I do this in my lunch hour when there are no other distractions.
Any chance I could get a referral for your Piano teacher? Looking for online instructor...
Sorry, no. I do not pass out my teacher's details to people I don't know. I'm sure you can find a decent piano teacher in your local area.
Whats that tablet that you’re using? Are you using some sort of page turner as well? Sorry if you made a vid talking about it already. I couldn’t find it.
It’s the iPad Pro 12.9” model. I do t use a page turner because most of my pieces are only a page and anyway, I’ve memorised the piece by the time I can play it and no longer need the music.
Any opinion on which instrument is harder to learn? Piano or guitar?
Piano. Without a doubt.
@@DanielLearnsPiano I'm an "old" guy, 56, who wants to try and play a guitar or piano, whichever one has the less discouraging learning curve. There are a lot of videos that address the "piano vs guitar, which is easier" debate and none of them really convinced me either way. With your experience with both instruments, and your confident response to my question, perhaps you'd consider making a video on the subject. Regardless, I like your channel a lot, thanks!
Don't get me wrong, playing the guitar is not easy either. But the with guitar you are only doing one thing at a time. Both hands are coordinated to do that one thing. One pressing down on the frets, the other plucks the strings. With piano, you have to do two things at the same time. Each hand effectively becomes its own band member. This can get really difficult both physically, and mentally.
Great progress! Im looking to record my progress as well, what equipment do you use to capture the audio and video?
Thank you. I have captured audio in different ways. On the Roland I have recorded straight to iPhone (day 10), recorded my session then played it back capturing the audio from the headphones in an audio recorder, but mostly I saved the midi and exported it from GarageBand with a different piano sound. With the Kawai I have different options so I have exported an mp3 directly from the piano, simply recorded it with a mic or what I do now, run the line-out directly into my camera.
For video, other than the first clip I’ve used my Sony A7iii. However, in the last year I do capture both video and audio into a separate external recorder which provides longer record times, a monitor I can see, and a SSD I can edit directly off of saving my me from transferring these massive files off SD cards.
But truth be told, as long as you have enough light, you can get a decent recording with your phone. I just love camera gear so it’s basically me combining two hobbies.
@@DanielLearnsPiano Awesome, thanks for the thorough reply!
is it realistic that i'm learning fantaisie impromptu at about 1 year and i can play op 64 no2
No
good to know, good progress btw @@DanielLearnsPiano
Hi there, what equipment is that on which you have your scores?
It’s an iPad Pro.
I just started 3 days ago. Did you also learn to read music at the same time too?
Yes, that’s right.
4:39
I’m thinking about starting again after giving up as a teenager. Would you still recommend the Roland FP-30 for starters or something else? Thanks for sharing your progress btw!
It depends on your budget and how committed you see yourself being.
If your budget doesn't stretch further than the Roland then I'd recommend it, as it's good for it's price. However, if you see yourself being committed and have more budget available I would recommend a better quality piano like the Kawai CA49.
If for example, you have a big budget but are unsure how committed you are (this was my situation) you can start with the Roland, see how you take to it again, and once you are sure you will continue upgrade later.
Personally, I find that the feel and sound of a better quality instrument makes the whole experience more enjoyable. You will be spending a lot of time with this instrument these things are very important.
awesome
Thanks.
What’s the name of the app you mentioned? Congratulations for your two years!
Thanks. It’s forScore.co
Is that a digital piano or a keyboard with a nice stand I thought I seen all peddles though. Nice man good for you reward yourself after a full year of dedication, I’d do the same. Except I’d just go broke and buy a grand piano to feel like a class act 🤣
It’s still digital, but it’s a top of the range model. It’s the Kawai CA99. My next reward will be a grand. But I’m planning to wait a couple of years for that at least.
Great video! Pinky are quite strong, rounded and do not bend. I see that you don't play with your hands from elbow, only with your fingers, did the teacher teach you that?
Thanks. Both my little fingers were injured during my teenage years. Neither of them straighten properly. Though looking at them now they actually look better than before I started playing so maybe that has rehabbed them a little.
My teacher doesn’t really discuss technique unless it’s holding me back. She prioritises the music and making that sound as good as it can. If my technique is preventing that we’ll work on it. But no, she’s not told me to play like this. We just have bigger issues to work on.
I might have missed it, but did you ever go to your teacher for in person lessons or stay online?
I have been but due to Covid it has mainly been online. She is hoping to get back to normal after Easter. We’ll see what happens.
how old were you when you started?
I was 42.
This is nothing more than showing off you weren't a beginner at all.
Depends on how you look at it. When I started I had never played a piano. I consider that being a beginner. Frankly, I’m still a beginner now and it’s been almost 3 years now. My piano progress is some of the slowest I’ve seen in online. If you have trouble believing someone can progress one grade a year you should reevaluate how difficult you think playing piano really is.
@@DanielLearnsPiano Sorry, I was trying to find a genuine 0 to play to a year progress, by the time I got to yours I was frustrated, one can easily see that all those who posted such had indeed been doing exercises, and knew how to put reading notation into action.
I apologise for my lack of manners
@@HHowardHH honestly, reading is the easiest part of learning in my opinion. Learning the notes of a piece is 100x quicker than being able to play them correctly at tempo.
If you start with pieces that are written to teach this it comes fairly quickly as they only add a few notes at a time. Don’t start trying to read your dream piece. That will cause nothing but frustration.
And don’t confuse being able to read notation with sight-reading where you can play something new straight away. I rarely actually read while playing. I can’t concentrate on the two things at once. I read while learning a piece and practice but after drilling the same section 50 times I’ll have remembered the whole piece within no time. I have the music open in front of me only to jog my memory if I’m really stuck.
Playing the piano is really hard. You probably aren’t going to be playing Fantaisie Impromptu in a year. If that’s what you are expecting it would be better to quit now and save the frustration. But if you are satisfied with slow steady progress you can just stick with it and you’ll probably be pretty decent in 5 years.
That’s the way I look at it anyway. As soon as I started I realised that most 1-year progress videos are either by savants, liars or just people being unintentionally misleading. Like never mentioning the 8 years they played as a child.
I had never played the piano, but I had played the guitar to a mediocre level, and I have explained this in other videos. And seriously, out of all the people I know that post progress online, I am the slowest learner. I honestly think my rate of progress is achievable by most people if you commit the same amount of time (1 hour a day) and have a teacher.
@@DanielLearnsPiano I read like you but centering on bass guitar, I've played 47 years, in many countries and played with many.
I've written over 200 songs, but that's not hard considering I've only done original music of mine and others for over 30 years
I've tended to use various keyboards as sound effects, lay down multiple tracks of piano and it sounds like i know how to play. Lol
Now I wish to learn classical so i bought a Yamaha P515, i wanted the feel of piano and to be honest whether what they say it's probably more piano than artificial sugar is sugary, but not by a lot.
A real piano is a real piano.
In recordings it doesn't matter, like the old arguments of which distortion to use on guitar, I've seen all the arguments, but at the end of the day 'distortion finesse ' gets lost the second another instrument is added.
Anyway, i am as good at piano as a cat is at barking, lol, I'm crap, but I'll get better.
At least like you say i know how things should sound and feel which makes it more funner. 😁