How fast was you able to get real hand independence? Any tips?

@@Magic7Dragon I talk about this in a couple of other videos (I think the FAQ?) - the quick version is it probably took about three months. You can either play each hand until it's absolutely instinctive and then put them together, or play hands together super slowly - I think the best approach depends on the piece.

🙏

idk how people even play piano without learning some theory. it's so intwined. i saw a video saying 'dont worry about theory if you play piano' and I've played for years only thing I could think was 'sounds like a way to make your life 600x harder for no benefit' considering how piano is layed out and how european music theory's conventions apply so linearly and inherently to piano. feels like youd have to actively try to avoid it. it's not like guitar where you can just move same shape around or capo

Interesting… I started playing the piano so music theory is intuitive, not like on a stringed instrument :)

​@@JN-so6wt a certain amount of theory is absolutely helpful! It's mainly a question of which theory and how much theory. Too many "theory" courses go into way too much detail way too early. The most helpful theory is for scales / scale steps, triads, intervals, and using them to play by ear, take dictation, transposing (a great theory work-out), and improv.

@@aBachwardsfellow that's still a lot of theory though! all been very valuable to me in my musical journey. but yeah a beginner shouldn't overwhelm themselves, but that doesn't say anything about the value of approaching theory. When I started out I searched "music theory" and found overwhelming stuff, so just appended "beginner" to it and I was off to the races. Half these videos who caricature theory as its most extreme extents and then say "don't bother with it!" are either trying to sell something or sound like someone saying "Crime and Punishment is too much for a 10 year old, so don't learn to read!" 😆

Hey Zachary, I appreciate the comment (and the backup)! I didn't even know that Alfred had a rags book, I'm going to check that out. And I appreciate that you get what I'm trying to do with the channel (also I checked out yours - have you played Sekiro? I'm obsessed with it at the moment). Thanks for watching!

Lol I forgot I even made videos on this account. Funny you mention Sekiro I'm actually doing a 2nd playthrough of it. Its probably my favorite of all time game to be honest. The combat is amazing. Lies of P is more recent and is quite good too. I prefer the parrying on Sekiro though its a little strange on Lies of P. My piano channel is: www.youtube.com/@pianoprogress4792/videos feel free to check it out if you want. I'm always down for some additional feedback. @@JoelSnape1

It's important that you learn how to walk properly before you try to learn how to run properly. Nice comment. :)

@@JoelSnape1You're playing Sekiro 👀 what a coincidence, I just got to the final boss. Sank about 70hrs 😅

I believe you are spot on with self analysis. Here I am reading what you may think to some is too long winded or maybe not to the point but believe me, it is all very relevant. How we all communicate has nothing to do with the struggles, sometimes it may be harder for us to convey but I myself consider any information is good information. How we perceive that and use is up to each individual. Just the few things he mentioned brought a different light to how I was working out my struggles. The information you gave is as well, very useful. Thanks.

Hopefully at this point you've included playing some scales, arpeggios, and chords in several major and minor keys - basic skills that easily transfer into your reading and playing.

How can you have an "All in one" book 2? 🤣 Are those books worth it as I've looked but seeing "all in one" book 1 and book 2 made me think?

​@@paulneedham9885 the designation "all in one" indicates that the book includes, technic, theory, and repertoire. In many methods series there are separate books for technic, theory, and repertoire. An "all in one" book would not typically cover the entire range of skill levels and repertoire from beginning to advanced. Book one would typically contain technic, theory, and repertoire for very beginning students, book two would contain technic, theory, and repertoire for more advanced beginners to perhaps early intermediate level students, book three would contain technic, theory, and repertoire for solid intermediate students, etc. As a teacher of older students (teenage and adult) I find the "all in one" books are quite useful as the material is more condensed with less "fluff" to wade through. Many of the methods are geared toward younger students (5 - 10 year olds) and have lots of "fun" pictures which are supposed to make it more interesting for the younger students. For older students this is "baby-fied" and not really suitable. The material in the first all in one book might easily cover the same material in a dozen or more "baby" books.

@@paulneedham9885 because it's a series of volumes. The book doesn't claim to magically turn you into a world class pianist after 1 volume, or even all of them. Think of it as just a hook, but a functional one, because they really do offer so much to learn

Glad it's helpful!

Thanks, my man!

Definitely! Especially useful is core theory -- scales / scale steps, intervals, triads in all three inversions, added 7ths, 6ths, and 9th/2nds, playing by ear, transposing, dictation, and improv, etc.

Happy new year, Simon! You're very welcome.

Nice! Best of luck with it!

Thank you!

That's a really fascinating approach - I've got a cheat book (so chords for the LH with a RH melody stave) and it's great practice

That’s a truly admirable ability! And your determination to learn and make music against *a* status quo! Youre an inspiration. 🌟 I can’t do what you do-because we all have different abilities, and there’s NO such thing as “can’t,” is there?! ☺️👍🏻🌟🌟🌟🌟

Hey chaos. I get a lot of nice comments and I'm grateful for all of them, but this one really means a lot to me, thanks very much for taking the time to put it all down. I'm really glad I could help in some way, and I hope the time you put in at the piano leads on to even more good stuff for you - I know what you mean about it being like meditation, and if you can learn to get even a little bit good at it, there's a ton more you can learn. Keep going! ps I'm not actually sure I could hum any Horowitz, but that reference did make me think of that one tune from Alfred's 1 - you probably know the one I mean

... and articulation and phrasing -- they all go together with dynamics to make the difference between playing *music* and just playing notes.

hmm interesting… not rhythm?

Thanks Robert!

I would say this video shows you as being factually incorrect. He started on a toy and... he learned. I think a better lesson might be "if money is a concern, buy the cheapest thing with these features if you can, but if you can't there are still skills you can learn without them. Yes, you might have to relearn some habits, but that takes less time than if you had no experience at all (if you do it thoughtfully) But also, it should be noted that re-learning and adapting to different instruments is a skill in and of itself that can be very helpful and rewarding. There are so many different types of keyboards out there, and having experience on multiple kinds can make you a more versitile player and thus enjoy the keyboard more. For instance, if you want to get into electeonic music, there are a lot of synths with small keyboards, and compact MIDI controllers, that are very much not toys, and are extremely useful. Their size isn"t just to make them cheap; when doing electronic music, you are often dealing with a lot of different hardware in front of you, and it's just not practical to always have a full-size keyboard right in front of you. Or a synth with its own keyboard might have access to different features of the synthesizer that an external keyboard can't use, and so you might have several keyboards all around you with different sizes and feels and features. Anyway, I guess what i'm saying is that all progress is better than no progress, and we shouldn't be gatekeeping based on what hardware someone has access to!

Never?

Buy the toy later. On the other hand we bought my son a toy keyboard as soon as he could sit upright. Some 17 years later he gained a place by competitive entry to the Conservatorium of Music.

@@philgray1023 ♥️

I bought a cheapish keyboard as did not want to invest in anything expensive in case I gave up. I am on my 5th lesson and all going well.

Thanks for watching!

try learning Ballade in G Minor Chopin. that's why my first hard piece for you from a stranger. trust me, its doable with PRACTICE

Thank you!

I'm sitting grade 7 at 54....hopefully 2 years I will be grade 8

I appreciate it!

Thanks Anthony, these sorts of messages always cheer me up. Hope you're enjoying piano - you can always do a bit of bodybuilding alongside BJJ, I really enjoy both. Shout if I can help (I can't on cycling, I'm terrible at it)

Agree with all of this, though I think my stretch pieces were a little TOO stretch. Good advice on scales too!

That's the nice thing about Kings Cross! Some people watch, some people stop to enjoy the music, some people nod as they go by. Sometimes I sit there with a croissant to see what everyone else is playing, it's a lovely vibe.

Very nice! Best of luck

Thank you!

Coming this week, my friend! (if I can get the edit done)

The MAN

Thank you! I mean, I *would* say that you could definitely learn pedal if you wanted to - but if you're making music that sounds good to you and the people you want to play it for, and it makes you happy, keep doing what you're doing. Best of luck!

I've seen this advice on Reddit (LH and RH seperate, right)? It works for some stuff for me, other stuff not so much?

I found your other video, thanks!

Hey Kevin, very sorry for the delayed reply here. I use a Roland FP10 which I think was under $400, and it's worked great for me: I don't have any experiences with more expensive stuff, but the reddit /r/piano FAQ is super helpful and has some recommendations. I took a look at those pieces - I definitely think the Grusin is doable wiht practice! Good luck!

Hahah I had to go look this up: it's the Usborne Nursery Rhyme songbook! Usborne has a bunch of nice Learn To Play books - the Opera and Beethoven ones are full of interesting facts about the pieces you're learning (I buy a tonne of sight-reading practice books from charity shops)

Piano teacher here -- Alfred publishes several book series and most are sequential. I suggest looking at online sample pages of a few different series geared to different age groups and abilities (such as the 'Alfred Basic Adult Piano Course' or the 'Alfred Basic Piano Library') to help select a series that looks right for you, then start from Book 1 of that series. Some of the earliest concepts may be review, but repeating/building on those foundational skills will continue to help you progress to harder material. Good luck!

@@Jenjursnap i will check that out , thanks for your reply..

Good point, I should have. Added a link to his video to the resources in the description

@@JoelSnape1 I think the norm is to ask beforehand, get permission, and link them if they want to be linked.