I've played piano (self taught) since I was knee high to a grasshopper. I've often been asked to teach others to play but I won't because I know it wouldn't be doing them any favours. If someone really wants to learn to play piano they should learn from someone that has been classically trained. However, I will sometimes agree to teach someone how to play a single tune of their choice. Invariably its "Moonlight Sonata" which I find boring (you know they're talking about the first movement and going through that, note by note with an absolute novice is mind numbing soul destroying). So I then say, OK we'll start with the third movement. Once you've got the hang of that, I'll teach you the rest of it. Once they hear that third movement, they change their mind. Works every time.
Some of my favourite facts about Moonlight Sonata: 1. Beethoven didn't give it the name "moonlight", it was only given to the sonata after his death. Which kinda explains the last movement. 2. The first movement is Adagio Sostenuto, despite many people playing it almost Grave. In fact, Beethoven most likely intended for the piece to be played twice as fast as most people play it (evident by the use of cut c), and we probably only play it so slowly because of tradition and because of that name "moonlight". 3. Pianos at the time of Beethoven didn't go as low as pianos today do, meaning those dramatic low F#s in the third movement were literally THE SECOND LOWEST NOTE ONE COULD PLAY on a piano at the time. Talking about drama!
I personally prefer the first movement played slowly, as it gives it a gentle quality, like a river meandering downstream before the raging storm of the third movement.
I thought the story with Beethoven's tempo markings was that someone gave him a metronome late in his life. At first he didn't think it was useful but then realized he could put exact tempo markings on his music so it would be at the speed he intended. He went back and put tempo markings on a lot of his older music. The fast movements tend to have markings so fast that most people don't play it at the written speed. Supposedly there was much debate about if he really intended them to be that fast. Anyway, I don't remember the exact story but I heard a whole thing about it on the radio years ago.
@@jwallah346 there's a theory that Beethoven's metronome was off in speed and therefore his tempo markings are incorrect. Which is nonsense because his students had their own metronomes and they confirmed the time signature of many of the pieces after his death.
@@WillsKeyboardSink It actually teaches about the sonata form and gives us unschooled sorts an eye into why Beethoven was a bit revolutionary. And it’s funny. 👏🏻
I had a friend who was constantly asked to play 'Moonlight Sonata', he would innocently ask 'all of it' and when inevitably answered yes, would do just that play ALL of it. A brilliant pianist he would astound people with the final movement. Sadly gone and much missed.
My childhood best friend was a great pianist, but chose not to pursue a career in it. he didn't even like it when people would request him to play songs, acted like it was an insult. Before he died, he played this song for me on a old Yamaha keyboard while I recorded it on an early type of mp3 recorder (lots of digital artifacts) At the end, he looked over at me and said in a crisp posh accent "I made one mistake, I shall not play it again and no I will not tell you what I did" I've listened to that dang recording over and over again for years now and I've come to the conclusion that he was pranking me and I've been falling for it still years after his death. If anyone wonders, he died of renal failure at an early age due to complications from childhood diabetes.
He truly was a great pianist. For the prank to work, he had to play the ENTIRE movement flawlessly and have complete awareness that he hadn't made an error. Amazing.
Putting into context what TwoSetViolin have said about Beethoven’s circumstance when he wrote this sonata, it only makes sense that it’s pain personified to play- for those who didn’t know, Beethoven was going deaf around the time he was writing this sonata, and he was going through so much emotional torment that he was driven to the point of contemplating ending it all. He poured all his emotions and all his pain into this piece, and it shows. Truly a whirlwind of emotions that consumes you whole from beginning to the end, a beautiful performance throughout. Even if it was pianist he’ll the entire time :)
Beethoven really was a mad man. Playing this stuff accurately is hard enough, but writing it, I honestly can't imagine. Especially with the limited musical influences of his time. Awesome performance btw.
Limited musical influences? Around 400 years of notated music and a rich a more diverse European musical history than gets shown in popular media or general education. There was a lot of exchange between cultures and religions going on. We do not have a clear idea of what was going on in popular music because it is mostly not written down, but it definitely existed and would have been familiar. Not to mention the high level of education in philosophy, theology, visual art, and dance which all play an important role in the development of new compositional techniques. But I cannot argue with you about how awesome his music is!
@@metalscholarsreact666 I'm not trying to say that music was one-dimensional in his time. I'm trying to say that it was harder for music to reach people. His life pre-dates the invention of sound recording or the radio, so everything had to find its way to you in a live format. So naturally access to new music was a lot more limited than in modern times, even for a professional musician, I imagine.
I've heard this piece lots of times already but it's still fun to listen especially with your amazing comments at the bottom. Also you are suprisingly good at playing piano for a meme channel, great interpertation
@@Pingoping "suprinsingly good [...] for a meme channel" - the one thing doesn't cancel out the other. As if someone who likes memes automatically can't play an instrument as good as someone who doesn't like memes. like wtf?!
This used to be my competition finale, after a Bach Prelude and Fugue, and a Chopin Etude. Its such an absolute banger of a piece. My mom would ask me why I had to play the ending so loudly.... I said that if my arms didn't ache by the end, Beethoven would kill me in my sleep. Yeah, I was pretty into piano at that time.
I tried to become proficient a the keyboards, for some reason I failed to practice proficiently apparently. Now I have a great love for anything keyboard. I do love my 1912 player! She came with 1600 rolls. I named her Zelda fitzgerald...
This isn't just PLAYING the 3rd movement of Beethoven's 14th Piano Sonata in C sharp minor, this is a really well done impression, better than many well known professionals. I have a lot of trouble finding pianists who UNDERSTAND tone color, rhythmic control, force and tempo, but you really nailed this piece and I am impressed.
I think too many people don't pay attention to the harmonies, or the clarity of the left hand, or the pedal and lack precision in their rhythms. this version is indeed very successful!! personally I am finishing Gardens in the Rain by Debussy, it gives me a hard time.
Amazing. I’ve seen and heard this performed many dozens of times by both amateurs and professionals, and if you aren’t a concert pianist, Will, this is the most stunning performance of the Moonlight 3rd movement by a non-professional I’ve ever seen. Absolutely incredible. 👏🙌
Actually for me playing the 3rd movement of the moonlight sonata is very fun and a great way to relieve stress; if you put your focus on perfection every piece will be pain
I kinda get that. I feel the same way about some difficult songs to sing. I really enjoy using Another Lonely Night (Without You) and Jet City Woman by Queensrÿche as songs to just let loose and enjoy the high that comes from the exercise of my voice even through the songs were actually pretty difficult to learn and are still difficult if I want to make sure my tone and breathing are perfect.
So true ! Every part of the piece has its own complexed emotions. Whenever I’m angered, I play the beginning and the end. Whenever I’m sad, I play the sad parts. So fun !
This is such a nice refreshing take on classical music. The commentary, of course, keeps viewers engaged whilst being engrossed by the well-polished performance of the piece itself. You make excellent content and I hope you make more. God bless and have an amazing 2022! (Subscribed and liked)
I mean why would you distract yourself with random subtitles rather than listen to the artistry of the musician? Is the music really that boring that you need to distract yourself while watching?
@@wilfredfegelein8215 I can see how subtitles would be an issue for some. Personally, I didn't find the subtitles so distracting that I forgot about the artist performing. As I said, I commended the use of the subtitles alongside the performance itself. Hope this clarifies my comments. Have a nice day!
@@wilfredfegelein8215 for people not super into classical music, it definitely can get boring at times. I was classically trained in voice and while yes I do love some classical music, sometimes I do get kinda "bored". But honestly the commentary is just really neat bc it helps non musicians understand music a bit better. And is a good refresher for those of us who graduated several years ago & did nothing with our degrees XD
Like everyone else, absolutely love the commentary. Coupled with your wonderful and emotive playing, it's a really nice change of pace. Most analysis videos are long lectures (which can be great!) dissecting things bit by bit, but it's really to have the commentary there as the music happens.
@@sirchoppy1810 He said it's not perfect himself in the description. It's actually fairly difficult to play the opening cleanly while playing softly, which is one of the reasons pianists often play Beethoven's p and pp a bit louder compared to, say Chopin's (justified by the compositional style of Beethoven as well). The lack of a crescendo mark doesn't mean you shouldn't crescendo. In a lot of instances, it just means that it's up to the performer. However, in this particular example, because the "melody" has a very clear ascending general contour, the convention is that a bit of crescendo is necessary. Also I think he was trying to emphasize the first left hand note for a more solid bass, it's just he had overdone it, so it sounds a bit more like an fp. He didn't really play it fff though. At least I wouldn't call it that. While I do agree that if he could make the soft parts even softer it would benefit his performance in terms of dynamics (it would make the contrasts even larger and more striking), I don't think this is reason to say that "he sucks".
@@19divide53 there's only one way to interpret Beethoven, it's not just "up to the performer" I guess that means I can play Rachmaninoff however I want because who gives a fuck about what the composer said right? 💀🗿🗿
I'm a pretty competent pianist, but this is beyond my level, so I'm really impressed. Then, added to that, your text 'narration' is both informative and hilarious! Great video. 😂
For those of you who are curious about the "complicated rules about the recap" (comment at 4:27), here's the gist: in a sonata, the two themes need to be in two different keys. The exposition features what's called a modulation, which is (in simple terms) changing from one key to another. However, in the conclusion (when you return to the original themes), both themes stay in the same key, so there's no modulation, which is why the second theme comes "earlier"
The facts that he plays with with such ease and at time closes his eyes and just listens in to the music is amazingly insane. he’s a generational talent no doubt.
Bro the third movement is at best intermediate when you finally learn to play the piano the first 2 pieces everyone jumps on are the third movement and impromptu
I'm a total piano beginner, but I still record all the pieces I learn to keep track of my progress, and I totally feel you about messing up only in the last few measures of a recording.
It totally sucks! I've been recording myself for years and ALWAYS mess up worse when I'm recording than when I'm not so when I finally have a decent recording just to mess it up right at the end it's like ARRRGH hahaha
What i like about your playing is that it has emotions in it. Most people play this piece to flex the ability to play the running notes, but i love how you took the extra effort to emphasize certain notes, and the narration at the bottom. Absolutely stunning performance. I really love the high notes parts as you played it before the continuous chords, and i love the movement in the chords!
I don't know if you read comments under old posts, but having just watched/listened to this, I had to comment on how brilliant this post is. 1) your playing. Green with envy here 2) the subs with your comments: informative yet humorous 3) Including the music at the top. This is the whole package. Congratulations. Have viewed many times. Good luck to you - and thanks!
No jokes i liked this video 5 times, because I was always forgetting that I had already like that and each time I was hypnotised by this masterpiece- This guy is the best really! Incontestable talent, with a great sense if humor and explaining things so clearly, I love it! Continue like that, it's my favorite music channel since the E video haha
Just discovered you but I must say I'm already a huge fan of your playing and your personality! Now, off to watch you play some Chopin. Keep up the fantastic work 👏
This movement of Moonlight Sonata was on constant repeat at one point in my early years of learning piano. I was so mesmerized by everything about it. It motivated me to want to be better. I never got tired of it. But hearing you play this, it somehow is like the first time hearing it. I haven’t played the piano in years now. However, The amount of finesse in your technique and style just reignited this itch I’ve had to pick up playing again. Well done, mate. You just got a follow.
@@aygwm me, who has played piano for 8 years and is unable to play this: 🧍♂️ edit: to be fair tho i didn't enjoy practicing piano, i was forced to lol
I'm trying learning this movement right now and my left hand is so confused BIG BEET WHY! Very beautifully played btw, can't even imagine the patience and the pressure you had
We just stumbled across this video last night. My husband is a classically trained pianist and I am completely devoid of any musical ability. We both enjoyed this video so much! I love your train-of-thought comments throughout your videos. Thank you so much and please keep doing it!
This is by far one of my favorite piano pieces. And I never get tired of watching it, hearing it, etc.. Claire de Lune is also top of the list. I can't get enough of your content. Very fine playing!
I love having the sheet music right there to follow along. I've watched so many professional pianist but some how you make playing look so easy. This is phenomenal.
I'm 70 years old with no piano lessons before. I started to learn the first page of this piece 🙄 It is so hard but I dictated all the notes though. Hope I'll not give up🤔 This 3rd movement was not in Beethoven's 1993 movie Immortal Beloved. But if you close your eyes and listen, imagine Beethoven rushing through the moonlight tried to meet with her secret lover and found she wasn't there ... This may explain *WHY? *
Your playing is excellent, but the humorous commentary takes it up a notch! It also helps the listener understand the structure of the piece which is great. Congratulations for giving us such a fine performance and for adding an extra level!!
You just showed up on my YT feed with this video. So WONDERFUL! I’m not a musician, but I love learning about the structure of a piece of music. Thank you for explaining this very familiar but previously mysterious piece to me!
the commentary makes this more entertaining, for sure, but this is also my favorite rendition of the piece I’ve heard overall. like you nail the nuance in a way that others don’t, that brings this to a new level. much thanks!
Video came up in recommendations and I can never resist listening to the third movement so I clicked and I am glad I did. Incredible interpretation. Loved the commentary. Wishing you all the best.
Absolutely LOVED the commentary, and I actually learned something about music theory as it pertains to sonatas!!! Love your playing and your interpretation!!
This is exactly why I played the first and second movements, but never even attempted the third. Well played, sir! The running commentary at the bottom is wonderful! Almost half the fun! 😂
That is one of the few Beethoven "often overshosen" pieces I enjoy a lot, and your commentary really adds a lot to the video of a great interpretation on its own.
Lovely playing Will! I never realized the downwards run after the long chromatic scale towards the end was used by Chopin in Fantasie Impromptu! Fascinating! Love your running commentaries btw! Cheers from Australia!
I would LOVE to hear this at super-low tempo. I always feel like I'm missing some things listening to this piece, like a conversation going by too fast to catch everything. But oh my gosh what a wonderful performance, here! It just FLOWS like a fast-moving river. Amazing.
I never mastered this movement. I hit a wall when it came to the cadenza, a dream never fulfilled for me. You have such marvelous ability. I know every note well, and it was so great to hear you play them. I can still do the first and second movement, but only good enough to entertain myself. Good old Beethoven -- he was the greatest.
Wow, I haven't critically examined a piece of music like that since I graduated with my music degee. It felt so nice to truly analyze again! Thank you for sharing your talents and your thoughts on this movement, I play French horn so I've never understood how you pianists memorize so much music!
Respect to this for remembering the whole notes and playin it without a single mistake and the video is without an ad in the middle of it. Respect ✊ subscribe to him!
I am in my 50s and I have stopped playing the piano for many years. But I remember I self-learned playing the entire Moonlight Sonata. Of course, it doesn't mean I "self-learned" playing the piano. I was formally trained by an awesome classical piano teacher and achieved quite a high level of competency. However, while she had taught me playing other Beethoven's Sonatas, she never taught me to play the "Moonlight Sonata." After I stopped the piano lessons (because I had reached a certain age when I no longer needed a piano teacher), I remember the first piece of music I chose to learn by myself to play was this one. It was an "easy" choice not because the piece itself is easy (even though it is technically less challenging than some of Beethoven's other Sonatas), but because it is so pleasant to listen to. The third movement is actually one of the all-time favorite pieces of music that I have learned to play.
Yeah I absolutely agree. There's much harder stuff out there, but this one sounds so so pleasant, AND it LOOKS harder to play than almost any piece, at least in the eyes of most people with less than 2 years of piano experience. Most pieces that are more difficult than sonata 14 don't look hard but really are.
@Gary Allen trills in general are just enjoyable for me, and that first part.. well interesting way to put it thats for sure but as im a female that has long fingers ive learned to stretch them out but still a little painful when its 12ths or further
I've tried taking on this piece before. Made it to the ring/pinky trill part and was absolutely DESTROYED by that lol. Props to whoever made through that part. Splendid job mate.
I know nothing about notes or musical Phrases but love listening to classical music. With the comments he has made me see poetry in the compositions . I have an added beauty to my listening exoerience. Thank you
No-one would ever believe me if I told them I learnt about this piece from playing osu and now I've probably heard it over 50 times because it's just that good. Amazing performance, thank you for being in my youtube recommendations
This is the first of any of your videos I've seen, and I want to say a huge thank you for brightening my day with such a fun and interesting and well performed video! I really felt like applauding at the end. Your narrations are fantastic and really added that extra something to the video. You have a new subscriber. Keep up the great work!
I really relate to the commentaries you make when I play this piece, but I would have loved you to expand on the major key changes (which here are quite simple and easy for even less experienced musicians to follow, he basically just uses I, IV and V) and on the customary variations from the time when big beet asks us to repeat the piece. Adding little variations and ornaments on the repeat really makes the piece shine and feel coherent, as well as add a little bit of you into the playing which feels amazing. Thank you for making this video though, the comments you make are always well-timed and made me laugh ! PS : Open your beautiful piano when recording, its voice just yearns to sing through the muffling lid :)
Great recording, great recording, great everything! I'm going to start calling him "Big Beet" now. My only piece of unsolicited advice: don't slow down the last few chords! Keep it rigid and uncompromising 'till the very end!
Love your channel! I've literally heard and loved these pieces all of my life, but not as a musician. I'm learning so much and it really adds to my enjoyment!
Jaw dropping. Possibly the hardest but most beautiful piece of music ever written, So jealous that you are able to do this and bring this joy into your life whenever you wish.
@Tolstoy111 as someone who has played piano badly for my entire life due to lack of discipline and natural talent I am going to say for me it would be amazing to be able to play this.
. You are 100% correct about discipline, but it should be accompanied by love of the sound. Playing some music when I was a child could evoke tears. Music is a gift from the universe, one of the characters in "Howard's End" says about Beethoven. Listening to the 2nd movement of the Seventh Symphony still does that to me. I am 77 yrs old, and music is fundamental to me. If you want to intimidate yourself, listen to the pianists in the final round of the 18th Chopin Conservatory competition in Warsaw. The winner was phenomenal playing Chopin's 1st piano Concerto.
I've always appreciated a good pianist, but as someone who's ignorant it's actually super fascinating to have the pieces explained as well, I love what you do :)
This was so entertaining! I loved being able to read the score, get a little sonata-form lesson, and listen to a fantastic performance, all at the same time. Bravo :)
you can now hear me suffer on spotify!!! open.spotify.com/album/5Ct1XHR4dIwAIaTtzZxNs1
I've played piano (self taught) since I was knee high to a grasshopper. I've often been asked to teach others to play but I won't because I know it wouldn't be doing them any favours. If someone really wants to learn to play piano they should learn from someone that has been classically trained. However, I will sometimes agree to teach someone how to play a single tune of their choice. Invariably its "Moonlight Sonata" which I find boring (you know they're talking about the first movement and going through that, note by note with an absolute novice is mind numbing soul destroying). So I then say, OK we'll start with the third movement. Once you've got the hang of that, I'll teach you the rest of it. Once they hear that third movement, they change their mind. Works every time.
Great thanks !!!
How many months did it take you to learn to play it??
Some of my favourite facts about Moonlight Sonata:
1. Beethoven didn't give it the name "moonlight", it was only given to the sonata after his death. Which kinda explains the last movement.
2. The first movement is Adagio Sostenuto, despite many people playing it almost Grave. In fact, Beethoven most likely intended for the piece to be played twice as fast as most people play it (evident by the use of cut c), and we probably only play it so slowly because of tradition and because of that name "moonlight".
3. Pianos at the time of Beethoven didn't go as low as pianos today do, meaning those dramatic low F#s in the third movement were literally THE SECOND LOWEST NOTE ONE COULD PLAY on a piano at the time. Talking about drama!
I personally prefer the first movement played slowly, as it gives it a gentle quality, like a river meandering downstream before the raging storm of the third movement.
What is it about this Beethoven, so elementary broken chords in an advanced key and the frantic speed makes it special .
I thought the story with Beethoven's tempo markings was that someone gave him a metronome late in his life. At first he didn't think it was useful but then realized he could put exact tempo markings on his music so it would be at the speed he intended. He went back and put tempo markings on a lot of his older music. The fast movements tend to have markings so fast that most people don't play it at the written speed. Supposedly there was much debate about if he really intended them to be that fast. Anyway, I don't remember the exact story but I heard a whole thing about it on the radio years ago.
@@jwallah346 there's a theory that Beethoven's metronome was off in speed and therefore his tempo markings are incorrect.
Which is nonsense because his students had their own metronomes and they confirmed the time signature of many of the pieces after his death.
@@yuvalne Also I think there was something about them finding his metronome in a museum and the it was still accurate.
I loved watching you play this, but what really makes this video great is the narration at the bottom. It makes your videos stand out, well played!
thanks :D glad you enjoyed the running commentary!!!
@@WillsKeyboardSink It actually teaches about the sonata form and gives us unschooled sorts an eye into why Beethoven was a bit revolutionary. And it’s funny. 👏🏻
Yeah, it makes the difference from some other incredible performances as this one :)
Yes the commentary is what made me subscribe. Good stuff!
I really agree!
I had a friend who was constantly asked to play 'Moonlight Sonata', he would innocently ask 'all of it' and when inevitably answered yes, would do just that play ALL of it. A brilliant pianist he would astound people with the final movement. Sadly gone and much missed.
rip bozo
Not cool man
@@LeckerLeberwurst not cool at all
😢❤️🌹
@@LeckerLeberwurst loser
My childhood best friend was a great pianist, but chose not to pursue a career in it. he didn't even like it when people would request him to play songs, acted like it was an insult. Before he died, he played this song for me on a old Yamaha keyboard while I recorded it on an early type of mp3 recorder (lots of digital artifacts) At the end, he looked over at me and said in a crisp posh accent "I made one mistake, I shall not play it again and no I will not tell you what I did" I've listened to that dang recording over and over again for years now and I've come to the conclusion that he was pranking me and I've been falling for it still years after his death. If anyone wonders, he died of renal failure at an early age due to complications from childhood diabetes.
Sorry for your loss, what a great friend you had!
He truly was a great pianist. For the prank to work, he had to play the ENTIRE movement flawlessly and have complete awareness that he hadn't made an error. Amazing.
@@andrewduan8059 why not
Im sorry for your loss!
Too sweet for this world.
Putting into context what TwoSetViolin have said about Beethoven’s circumstance when he wrote this sonata, it only makes sense that it’s pain personified to play- for those who didn’t know, Beethoven was going deaf around the time he was writing this sonata, and he was going through so much emotional torment that he was driven to the point of contemplating ending it all. He poured all his emotions and all his pain into this piece, and it shows. Truly a whirlwind of emotions that consumes you whole from beginning to the end, a beautiful performance throughout. Even if it was pianist he’ll the entire time :)
Thank you for explaining the context of the composer's life. Very helpful. Now I'll go find TwoSet's video.
@@MsSambaNow no problem :D it's their "10 Pieces that prove classical music is not calming and boring" video
And what a beautiful sublimation it was! 🌹❤️
That, along with rejection and betrayal from his love interest... quite sad really...
@@souldancersbyjennifer I was wondering why it reminder me of Fur Elise! Some bits sounded like it to.
Beethoven really was a mad man. Playing this stuff accurately is hard enough, but writing it, I honestly can't imagine. Especially with the limited musical influences of his time.
Awesome performance btw.
Was just thinking about this. Like Mr. Beet had no UA-cam to turn to. He was just sitting there, alone, being SUPER dramatic for hours at end.
Esp the fact he was deaf
Limited musical influences? Around 400 years of notated music and a rich a more diverse European musical history than gets shown in popular media or general education. There was a lot of exchange between cultures and religions going on. We do not have a clear idea of what was going on in popular music because it is mostly not written down, but it definitely existed and would have been familiar. Not to mention the high level of education in philosophy, theology, visual art, and dance which all play an important role in the development of new compositional techniques. But I cannot argue with you about how awesome his music is!
@@metalscholarsreact666 I'm not trying to say that music was one-dimensional in his time. I'm trying to say that it was harder for music to reach people. His life pre-dates the invention of sound recording or the radio, so everything had to find its way to you in a live format.
So naturally access to new music was a lot more limited than in modern times, even for a professional musician, I imagine.
beethoven is easy. Liszt, Rachmaninov and Alkan are hard
I've heard this piece lots of times already but it's still fun to listen especially with your amazing comments at the bottom. Also you are suprisingly good at playing piano for a meme channel, great interpertation
No it's a piano channel and he's good at meming XD
Also surprisingly good? You're a joke, the level and skill is madness!
Surprisingly good? Have you ever touched a piano?
@@LK-hk9qv yeah I play piano myself
@@Pingoping "suprinsingly good [...] for a meme channel" - the one thing doesn't cancel out the other. As if someone who likes memes automatically can't play an instrument as good as someone who doesn't like memes. like wtf?!
This used to be my competition finale, after a Bach Prelude and Fugue, and a Chopin Etude. Its such an absolute banger of a piece. My mom would ask me why I had to play the ending so loudly.... I said that if my arms didn't ache by the end, Beethoven would kill me in my sleep. Yeah, I was pretty into piano at that time.
did you win?
@@r4dius. They did not, win the competition finale, RicheHarvesting.
I tried to become proficient a the keyboards, for some reason I failed to practice proficiently apparently. Now I have a great love for anything keyboard. I do love my 1912 player! She came with 1600 rolls. I named her Zelda fitzgerald...
As a mom, I would accept that answer.
I respect Big Beet
This isn't just PLAYING the 3rd movement of Beethoven's 14th Piano Sonata in C sharp minor, this is a really well done impression, better than many well known professionals. I have a lot of trouble finding pianists who UNDERSTAND tone color, rhythmic control, force and tempo, but you really nailed this piece and I am impressed.
I think too many people don't pay attention to the harmonies, or the clarity of the left hand, or the pedal and lack precision in their rhythms. this version is indeed very successful!! personally I am finishing Gardens in the Rain by Debussy, it gives me a hard time.
What is tone color?
Amazing. I’ve seen and heard this performed many dozens of times by both amateurs and professionals, and if you aren’t a concert pianist, Will, this is the most stunning performance of the Moonlight 3rd movement by a non-professional I’ve ever seen. Absolutely incredible. 👏🙌
Actually for me playing the 3rd movement of the moonlight sonata is very fun and a great way to relieve stress; if you put your focus on perfection every piece will be pain
I kinda get that. I feel the same way about some difficult songs to sing. I really enjoy using Another Lonely Night (Without You) and Jet City Woman by Queensrÿche as songs to just let loose and enjoy the high that comes from the exercise of my voice even through the songs were actually pretty difficult to learn and are still difficult if I want to make sure my tone and breathing are perfect.
Music is wonderful in its ways
So true ! Every part of the piece has its own complexed emotions. Whenever I’m angered, I play the beginning and the end. Whenever I’m sad, I play the sad parts. So fun !
My guess is that even Beethoven didn’t play it perfectly.
This is such a nice refreshing take on classical music. The commentary, of course, keeps viewers engaged whilst being engrossed by the well-polished performance of the piece itself. You make excellent content and I hope you make more. God bless and have an amazing 2022! (Subscribed and liked)
took the words out of my mouth, yes exactly
I mean why would you distract yourself with random subtitles rather than listen to the artistry of the musician? Is the music really that boring that you need to distract yourself while watching?
@@wilfredfegelein8215 I can see how subtitles would be an issue for some. Personally, I didn't find the subtitles so distracting that I forgot about the artist performing. As I said, I commended the use of the subtitles alongside the performance itself. Hope this clarifies my comments. Have a nice day!
@@liamesanchez I also found them quite distractive while looking at the notes and listening.
@@wilfredfegelein8215 for people not super into classical music, it definitely can get boring at times. I was classically trained in voice and while yes I do love some classical music, sometimes I do get kinda "bored". But honestly the commentary is just really neat bc it helps non musicians understand music a bit better. And is a good refresher for those of us who graduated several years ago & did nothing with our degrees XD
Like everyone else, absolutely love the commentary. Coupled with your wonderful and emotive playing, it's a really nice change of pace. Most analysis videos are long lectures (which can be great!) dissecting things bit by bit, but it's really to have the commentary there as the music happens.
he sucks, you know why? it says "p" at the beinning, and not "FFF". there is no cresendo, the sf is supossed to pop out of the scale, shake my head.
@@sirchoppy1810 stfu, he can interpret the song however he wants to.
@@sirchoppy1810 He said it's not perfect himself in the description. It's actually fairly difficult to play the opening cleanly while playing softly, which is one of the reasons pianists often play Beethoven's p and pp a bit louder compared to, say Chopin's (justified by the compositional style of Beethoven as well).
The lack of a crescendo mark doesn't mean you shouldn't crescendo. In a lot of instances, it just means that it's up to the performer. However, in this particular example, because the "melody" has a very clear ascending general contour, the convention is that a bit of crescendo is necessary.
Also I think he was trying to emphasize the first left hand note for a more solid bass, it's just he had overdone it, so it sounds a bit more like an fp. He didn't really play it fff though. At least I wouldn't call it that. While I do agree that if he could make the soft parts even softer it would benefit his performance in terms of dynamics (it would make the contrasts even larger and more striking), I don't think this is reason to say that "he sucks".
@@Jwick-xu8cz lmao that is not how it works.
@@19divide53 there's only one way to interpret Beethoven, it's not just "up to the performer" I guess that means I can play Rachmaninoff however I want because who gives a fuck about what the composer said right? 💀🗿🗿
I'm a pretty competent pianist, but this is beyond my level, so I'm really impressed. Then, added to that, your text 'narration' is both informative and hilarious! Great video. 😂
During my freshman year as a piano major I spent 9 ghastly weeks working on this movement. It is a nightmare in spots. You do it very well!
ONLY 9 WEEKS?? I’ve 15 and I’ve been playing since I was 4 and I feel like it would take me 9 weeks to learn up to the 3rd page 😭😭
For those of you who are curious about the "complicated rules about the recap" (comment at 4:27), here's the gist: in a sonata, the two themes need to be in two different keys. The exposition features what's called a modulation, which is (in simple terms) changing from one key to another. However, in the conclusion (when you return to the original themes), both themes stay in the same key, so there's no modulation, which is why the second theme comes "earlier"
The facts that he plays with with such ease and at time closes his eyes and just listens in to the music is amazingly insane. he’s a generational talent no doubt.
Don't go telling it's talent. It's all hard work. Atleast a year.
Bro the third movement is at best intermediate when you finally learn to play the piano the first 2 pieces everyone jumps on are the third movement and impromptu
@@codelif wdym 1 year? Ive played about 8 years and still struggle lol
@@hoogreen i mean on this piece.
@@codelif oh ok
I'm a total piano beginner, but I still record all the pieces I learn to keep track of my progress, and I totally feel you about messing up only in the last few measures of a recording.
J have recordings of my piano 1950' good memories for me jgave translate on caissettes to days
It totally sucks! I've been recording myself for years and ALWAYS mess up worse when I'm recording than when I'm not so when I finally have a decent recording just to mess it up right at the end it's like ARRRGH hahaha
What i like about your playing is that it has emotions in it. Most people play this piece to flex the ability to play the running notes, but i love how you took the extra effort to emphasize certain notes, and the narration at the bottom. Absolutely stunning performance. I really love the high notes parts as you played it before the continuous chords, and i love the movement in the chords!
I don't know if you read comments under old posts, but having just watched/listened to this, I had to comment on how brilliant this post is. 1) your playing. Green with envy here 2) the subs with your comments: informative yet humorous 3) Including the music at the top. This is the whole package. Congratulations. Have viewed many times. Good luck to you - and thanks!
No jokes i liked this video 5 times, because I was always forgetting that I had already like that and each time I was hypnotised by this masterpiece-
This guy is the best really! Incontestable talent, with a great sense if humor and explaining things so clearly, I love it!
Continue like that, it's my favorite music channel since the E video haha
Just discovered you but I must say I'm already a huge fan of your playing and your personality! Now, off to watch you play some Chopin. Keep up the fantastic work 👏
This movement of Moonlight Sonata was on constant repeat at one point in my early years of learning piano. I was so mesmerized by everything about it. It motivated me to want to be better. I never got tired of it. But hearing you play this, it somehow is like the first time hearing it.
I haven’t played the piano in years now.
However, The amount of finesse in your technique and style just reignited this itch I’ve had to pick up playing again.
Well done, mate. You just got a follow.
First movement : Audience cry
Second movement: Audience gone
Third movement: Pianist cry
😅😂
Affirmative
lmao
this is too real
hands gone
"big beet" is such an adorable nickname! hahah
it's such a beautiful (and EXTREMELY difficult) piece, but you managed to play it perfectly, you have all my respect
It’s actually not extremely difficult… this is something that a 3rd or 4th year player could learn.
@@aygwm me, who has played piano for 8 years and is unable to play this:
🧍♂️
edit: to be fair tho i didn't enjoy practicing piano, i was forced to lol
@@aldanyu9479 same, I just started to play a lot over the past year because I noticed I enjoy piano when I can play the songs I want
EXTREMELY difficult? No. It’s hard, but not that hard.
I forgot how much I love this piece. Also, the commentary is really fascinating! Great playing! 10/10!
I'm trying learning this movement right now and my left hand is so confused BIG BEET WHY! Very beautifully played btw, can't even imagine the patience and the pressure you had
Absolutely bloody fantastic! that was easily one of the best performances I have ever heard!!
Art is hiw we decorate walls, music is hiw we decorate time. This is a masterpiece - thankyou for explaining it to me
Woah, very impressive! Whoever you live with is lucky to get to hear you practice
haha!
We just stumbled across this video last night. My husband is a classically trained pianist and I am completely devoid of any musical ability. We both enjoyed this video so much! I love your train-of-thought comments throughout your videos. Thank you so much and please keep doing it!
This is by far one of my favorite piano pieces. And I never get tired of watching it, hearing it, etc.. Claire de Lune is also top of the list. I can't get enough of your content. Very fine playing!
I love having the sheet music right there to follow along. I've watched so many professional pianist but some how you make playing look so easy. This is phenomenal.
I'm 70 years old with no piano lessons before. I started to learn the first page of this piece 🙄 It is so hard but I dictated all the notes though. Hope I'll not give up🤔 This 3rd movement was not in Beethoven's 1993 movie Immortal Beloved. But if you close your eyes and listen, imagine Beethoven rushing through the moonlight tried to meet with her secret lover and found she wasn't there ... This may explain *WHY? *
'his'
@@sunnyng1645 The 3 little dots at the edge will let you edit even weeks later.
I hope this guy understands how insanely amazing his skills are
Absolutely FANTASTIC! So much hard work must have gone into this. I feel like I just attended a free concert!
Your playing is excellent, but the humorous commentary takes it up a notch! It also helps the listener understand the structure of the piece which is great. Congratulations for giving us such a fine performance and for adding an extra level!!
You just showed up on my YT feed with this video. So WONDERFUL! I’m not a musician, but I love learning about the structure of a piece of music. Thank you for explaining this very familiar but previously mysterious piece to me!
the commentary makes this more entertaining, for sure, but this is also my favorite rendition of the piece I’ve heard overall.
like you nail the nuance in a way that others don’t, that brings this to a new level. much thanks!
I haven't been this excited by this particular piece in years. Thanks a lot!
I love these commented videos, would definitely love to see more of these for more pieces! This is amazing and you rock!
as someone who is currenly learning this piece for a concert, this is EXACTLY what goes through my mind when i play it
Beet is my fav of all time and yo nailed it 😂💯🤸♂️❤️
After rewatching like 20 times I finally noticed that your left leg is dancing with the beat
He is using it to keep a steady tempo (like a metronome) he also may use it a bit for pedaling
Video came up in recommendations and I can never resist listening to the third movement so I clicked and I am glad I did. Incredible interpretation. Loved the commentary. Wishing you all the best.
Absolutely LOVED the commentary, and I actually learned something about music theory as it pertains to sonatas!!! Love your playing and your interpretation!!
This is one of my favorite pieces. I could listen to you play this all day. Just absolutely beautiful. Brilliant!
You are absolutely friggin amazing. What talent. Many thanks for sharing
This is exactly why I played the first and second movements, but never even attempted the third. Well played, sir! The running commentary at the bottom is wonderful! Almost half the fun! 😂
That is one of the few Beethoven "often overshosen" pieces I enjoy a lot, and your commentary really adds a lot to the video of a great interpretation on its own.
Well done!! 👌
Love the commentary as well.
This is one of the pieces I'm currently learning.
Amazing work! I think it's pretty ironic that Beethoven wrote "presto agitato", but then added "piano" as a dynamic marking at the beginning, haha.
The contrast between the p parts and the strategically places sfz's makes this a very agitated piece.
Two-'Differing'-DYNAMICS ... One-SPEED ... The-Other LOUDNESS!!!??? >(*U^)< *Wink*
Lovely playing Will! I never realized the downwards run after the long chromatic scale towards the end was used by Chopin in Fantasie Impromptu! Fascinating! Love your running commentaries btw! Cheers from Australia!
Your playing is absolutely divine! I really loved the commentary (love your sense of humour).
I would LOVE to hear this at super-low tempo. I always feel like I'm missing some things listening to this piece, like a conversation going by too fast to catch everything. But oh my gosh what a wonderful performance, here! It just FLOWS like a fast-moving river. Amazing.
There’s an excellent recording of it played slowly and perfectly controlled by Tzvi Erez. You should check it out 😊
That was a wonderful performance! Thank you, and for the very interesting narrative!
I never mastered this movement. I hit a wall when it came to the cadenza, a dream never fulfilled for me. You have such marvelous ability. I know every note well, and it was so great to hear you play them. I can still do the first and second movement, but only good enough to entertain myself. Good old Beethoven -- he was the greatest.
That was awesome!!! Thank you.
Geez that's flexing. I thoroughly enjoyed that!
Wow, I haven't critically examined a piece of music like that since I graduated with my music degee. It felt so nice to truly analyze again! Thank you for sharing your talents and your thoughts on this movement, I play French horn so I've never understood how you pianists memorize so much music!
I don't really remember it my fingers do 😆
Muscle memory is so overpowered
Respect to this for remembering the whole notes and playin it without a single mistake and the video is without an ad in the middle of it. Respect ✊ subscribe to him!
WillsKeyboardSink can't be human, he plays so fast!!!
Beautifully played. Well done :) I prefer this to Willhelm's version. I think this is more fluid and softer in the right places.
I am in my 50s and I have stopped playing the piano for many years. But I remember I self-learned playing the entire Moonlight Sonata. Of course, it doesn't mean I "self-learned" playing the piano. I was formally trained by an awesome classical piano teacher and achieved quite a high level of competency. However, while she had taught me playing other Beethoven's Sonatas, she never taught me to play the "Moonlight Sonata." After I stopped the piano lessons (because I had reached a certain age when I no longer needed a piano teacher), I remember the first piece of music I chose to learn by myself to play was this one. It was an "easy" choice not because the piece itself is easy (even though it is technically less challenging than some of Beethoven's other Sonatas), but because it is so pleasant to listen to. The third movement is actually one of the all-time favorite pieces of music that I have learned to play.
Yeah I absolutely agree. There's much harder stuff out there, but this one sounds so so pleasant, AND it LOOKS harder to play than almost any piece, at least in the eyes of most people with less than 2 years of piano experience. Most pieces that are more difficult than sonata 14 don't look hard but really are.
the "stacked chords part" is probably the hardest thing for me in this piece i love the arpeggios in the beginning and love trills haha
@Gary Allen trills in general are just enjoyable for me, and that first part.. well interesting way to put it thats for sure but as im a female that has long fingers ive learned to stretch them out but still a little painful when its 12ths or further
Now I know where they got the coin sound from (1:28-1:30)in the NES Super Mario Brothers video game 🤔
I've tried taking on this piece before. Made it to the ring/pinky trill part and was absolutely DESTROYED by that lol. Props to whoever made through that part. Splendid job mate.
This is brilliant ❤❤❤❤😊😊😊😊😊😊 love reading along too.
I know nothing about notes or musical Phrases but love listening to classical music. With the comments he has made me see poetry in the compositions . I have an added beauty to my listening exoerience. Thank you
No-one would ever believe me if I told them I learnt about this piece from playing osu and now I've probably heard it over 50 times because it's just that good. Amazing performance, thank you for being in my youtube recommendations
RIIIIGHT. It started with galaxy collapse osu to this and now I’m intrigued
This is the first of any of your videos I've seen, and I want to say a huge thank you for brightening my day with such a fun and interesting and well performed video! I really felt like applauding at the end. Your narrations are fantastic and really added that extra something to the video. You have a new subscriber. Keep up the great work!
I really relate to the commentaries you make when I play this piece, but I would have loved you to expand on the major key changes (which here are quite simple and easy for even less experienced musicians to follow, he basically just uses I, IV and V) and on the customary variations from the time when big beet asks us to repeat the piece.
Adding little variations and ornaments on the repeat really makes the piece shine and feel coherent, as well as add a little bit of you into the playing which feels amazing.
Thank you for making this video though, the comments you make are always well-timed and made me laugh !
PS : Open your beautiful piano when recording, its voice just yearns to sing through the muffling lid :)
Very well played. Moonlight Sonata’s 3rd Movement is considered one of the top 10 most difficult pieces to master and you did a beautiful job.
The fact youre playing this by memory is amazing
Not really, months of practice and constant repetition help commit it to memory.
@@Coasterdude02149i literally just said that he's playing it by memory you just said it in a smarter variant
@@Coasterdude02149 well yeah, months of practice to commit it to memory is amazing
Great recording, great recording, great everything! I'm going to start calling him "Big Beet" now.
My only piece of unsolicited advice: don't slow down the last few chords! Keep it rigid and uncompromising 'till the very end!
you're absolutely amazing! would love to see you play something out of a concerto, maybe rachmaninoff 👀👀
This is my favourite piece its so crazy whilst sounding amazing, well done you played great
The best video: ua-cam.com/video/c4NTcxI9-qY/v-deo.html
Love your channel! I've literally heard and loved these pieces all of my life, but not as a musician. I'm learning so much and it really adds to my enjoyment!
I cannot express how much I love this. As someone who is proficient but actually terrible at the piano, this was just glorious
Jaw dropping. Possibly the hardest but most beautiful piece of music ever written, So jealous that you are able to do this and bring this joy into your life whenever you wish.
It isn't that difficult. It sounds a lot harder than it actually is.
@Tolstoy111 as someone who has played piano badly for my entire life due to lack of discipline and natural talent I am going to say for me it would be amazing to be able to play this.
. You are 100% correct about discipline, but it should be accompanied by love of the sound. Playing some music when I was a child could evoke tears. Music is a gift from the universe, one of the characters in "Howard's End" says about Beethoven. Listening to the 2nd movement of the Seventh Symphony still does that to me. I am 77 yrs old, and music is fundamental to me. If you want to intimidate yourself, listen to the pianists in the final round of the 18th Chopin Conservatory competition in Warsaw. The winner was phenomenal playing Chopin's 1st piano Concerto.
Браво, піднімає силу духа! Бетховен був пророком, майбутнє в музиці сказав!
Виконавець супер! Браво! Дякую
Wow, that was incredible. You deserve to play on nothing less than a Steinway!
DID YOU SAY INCREDIBLE?!
@@extremecowz7694 what?
My all time absolute favourite Beethoven piece. Thanks for the excellent dose 👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽
The keyboard and your fingers are ONE! Bravo, love your recital and the details to this video. Thank you!
Wunderschön, die herrliche Mondscheinsonate. Vielen herzlichen Dank 🤗.
I could listen to this all day without getting bored at all
I have heard this movement of the sonata a lot before, and I just can say that you play it in a very cool way 💖💖
I've always loved the arpeggios in this song, they're so pretty
omg i LOVED the commentary at the bottom! 😂😂 and, obviously, i LOVED your playing! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 11/10
That was awesome man. I just started learning piano and seeing stuff like this makes me want to get better even more!
Also the narration is awesome
Amazing!! This was very entertaining to watch!
I've always appreciated a good pianist, but as someone who's ignorant it's actually super fascinating to have the pieces explained as well, I love what you do :)
I’m mesmerized by this performance. Thanks for sharing!
Funnily enough this video reminded me of how much fun this piece is to play. Really makes you feel alive!
even deaf, beethoven got a better hearing than most fnf modders LOL
The only thing I could imagine doing less than botching this over halfway through is playing this at all. What an insane piece of music
This was so entertaining! I loved being able to read the score, get a little sonata-form lesson, and listen to a fantastic performance, all at the same time. Bravo :)
This was the piece of music that made me want to learn classical piano...your running commentary is so cool, thank you very much...loved it