I'm mentally retarded and I understand what you're trying to do I'm all for new learning but do you plan to make a book do you plan to make some kind of system out there that people can follow are you willing to go against colleges and professors and people who write sheet music to prove that your system is better for your piano I'm not saying what you're doing is wrong but it's nothing wrong with a little bit of music theory it helps a little bit

Thank you

I like the song mapping chart! Question: Is it better to do the entire first column first, then the second, etc., or can one do the first row first, then the second, etc,? Also, could there be potential issues with the transitions between the song sections? Since you’ve drilled in each section in isolation, could it cause issues when trying to play the entire song because you never learned to play the song as a continuous piece? How do we prevent this from happening?

Then why not put it up first.?

It's not a lot of help

I disagree. I never took lessons and don’t know how to read music, but I can play all kinds of songs. Classical like Black Keys[1], songs I call “fun” classical - Yiruma n such- that aren’t to challenge or improve skill wise but are still fun to play around with, to the songs I or a loved one likes. [1]Side note: Though I should admit for the Black Keys song in particular, Im still working on mastering it; I _can_ play it, but it doesn’t sound great. it’s a bit mechanical and meh atm. I haven’t had much time to practice it since learning it tho, so I think I’ll be able to play it well in time. Claire de Lune ig would be a better example, but I digress haha Anyways my point is, not everyone’s skill level will be capped. Especially if you have a good ear and a good intuitive sense of music (if that makes sense?). don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t recommend learning how I did at all. I wish Id been taught about finger placement and technique and the math behind music and everything when I was learning. I’ve always wanted to go learn to read sheet music and music theory and all that, and to some people it’s invaluable. I agree w u that saying it’s an outdated way of learning is just wrong and frankly ridiculous - it’s like saying reading is outdated bc we have Netflix and audiobooks now. But like.. that doesn’t mean we don’t still need literacy. *But* I also think not everyone needs that to be a good pianist. It’s good to have that in your foundation but not essential. Sometimes, all the technicalities will make the player into.. idk, someone who’s playing right _technically_ but sounds just like everyone else, or who can play but has no emotion or style or anything behind it. For me, i think it would’ve been hard for me to push past the technical side and find myself and how I express myself (& my style, wtv) if I’d learned piano the traditional route. I think it depends a lot on the person. sorry for the super long response omfg haha TLDR: I think there’s pros and cons to either way of learning. I don’t believe learning theory and technique is essential to everyone

I gave up many times learning piano the traditional way. The only thing that has unblocked my learning curve is that I decided to learn it like i did guitar. Learning guitar was wayyy easier, learn a hand full of chords. Play songs right away. Granted I was playing simple versions of the songs I wanted to learn. But I could play them. As time went on I added new skills to my repertoire. Learning chord shapes on piano has finally gotten me to keep going with it for the same reason I liked guitar. I can play simple versions of songs by knowing 5-6 chords. I'm way more motivated to learn how to read sheet music and all the other techniques that come with piano then I ever was.

100% agree

The way is not always the goal....I think in this context DIDACTICS should be based on the goal. If you intend to get a professional pianist you can't avoid getting classical trained. To admit it, I'm not mad about having had classical guitar lessons. They gave me a solid foundation in knowledge of music theory (and some remnants of it are still retrievable ;-)). But this kind of learning to play a musical instrument is another approach and enables faster succsess....By the way: in fact, there are also different methods of reading acquisition. Even if it is not very common, some children are tought it in a holistic approach - not in the form of entire books, but word by word...

Your point doesn't bear scrutiny well when it comes to adult learning. You DO start off reading one letter at a time WHEN YOU'RE A TODDLER, but NOT as an adult. Though you learnt your mother tongue that way, that's not how you'd learn French or German is it? As adults learning music, people do not want to start at a 'toddler' level. They want to play music! Yes, it means they get good at BASICALLY playing, but that's better than being NO GOOD at trying to play really well. And it's definitely better than giving up, which is what happens to the majority of adults who attempt to learn the piano. Think about that - the MAJORITY give up, so doesn't that indicate the established way of teaching and learning doesn't work? If you had a factory where the majority of products came off the production line broken, you'd change the process wouldn't you? So I'm all in favour of a piano-learning method that ENGAGES people and creates a lot more people who can PLAY, rather than a few people who can play very well. Because, let's face it, the ones with a natural talent will excel _no matter how they begin_ whereas the average player (the majority) will only succeed if they don't give up because they're enjoying early success.

I agree. If you are a beginner, then following his advice is actually very helpful. But as you become a little more advanced, you should start to introduce the traditional way in between. This is going to ensure that at the very least you don’t get frustrated in the beginning but as you get better and better, you start to do it the professional way

@@MichaelOrtega I’d say the first bit of advice is fantastic for both beginners and advanced players, although I would go a step higher and suggest not only understanding chord shapes but also its harmonic function. Sightreading becomes sooo much faster once you have a basic grasp of harmony.

ues

I actually have never been able to read sheet music for any instrument, ive always learned by ear or playing over and over. I hear the note i know the note

@@btat16 got some resources for me

Totally agree.I think that if someone interested in learning songs they've never heard before can really benefit if they learn to "read" the piano tutorials here on KZfaq (the falling notes style ones). People hate on those tutorial videos so much, but they really allow for anyone to learn the notes, rhythms, and expression of a song in a easier and much more digestible fashion than sheet music.

I’m lazy and just want to play and sing 🎤 can’t read but can play by ear

@draugn I know how to read sheet music, but it's something you really need to practice for it to become useful. It's an effort you have to be willing to put in. Also, it's more difficult to grasp the structure and harmony of a musical piece out of sheet music, regardless of its genre.

Reading sheet music is a big advantage for sure. But you can't rely on it each time you want to play a new song. Ears must be developed if you want to play in a band or church setup.

Yea a big reason is this stuff is pretty new. Nowadays you can lookup the chords to any popular song free on Google, and there are sites with giant databases of almost every song. So a lot of teachers never learned this method of learning songs and hence don't teach it. So glad you liked the video 👌

@@becomeapianosuperhuman6765 ur are very right sir

If your goal is to play easy songs then yes. But if your goal is to play virtuosic, difficult, long pieces, then you need to learn note reading. Just like there are no shortcuts to learning/reading any language, there are no shortcuts to being an good musician.

@@aritina8379 i strongly believe in understanding how things works before delving into big things. Piano goals are different to individuals but the main goal to evryone is to be able to play songs and if u are a producer like me, u get to understand that all i need is my chord , inversions, scales, harmony and melodies once i can put this together, then am good to go in modern pop music. The major challenge with many musicians is they get lost in too much piano pieces and as a result they are unable to be better musicians. Because there is too much to learn at thesame time and that slows u down...but when things are broken in smaller steps, u get to understand and get things right easily. Piano is a weirdo instrument the more advanced u get the more critical it gets .. so am a fan of playing by ears and also know the basics of music theory. Then i can break the rules ...

@@onimisilovesonmusic4548 I couldn't have said it better myself 👌

So true, couldn't have said it better myself

So true, I get tired of trying to find music that's an accompaniment to vocals, it's always left hand rhythm and right hand melody!

@@NeedsMoreTriangle It sounds like you just want to play the chords, and you don't need sheet music or piano tutorials for that. You just need to learn the chord shapes and inversions and look up a song's chords. You play the bass of the note on the left hand and the entire chord in the right hand and sing on top. With time you naturally learn arpeggios and other neat tricks, but if you only want to accompany yourself singing that should be a good start!

its just how it is, you need to learn sheet music if you want to play classical properly, classical is still to this day, the test for virtuosity and skill on a classical instrument, its what all competitions test on, but for people who just want to play their favorite songs, simply learning their chords will do wonders.

I just started playing piano and my first piece is Moonlight sonata. I didn’t want to learn piano so I could play 3 chord songs. Everyone has different desires and expectations.

Not exactly so. Unfortunately somebody on KZfaq knows the most about finger technique? Wow…. It’s free, so everyone follows this ad ice. Sad.

Don't believe a word of it. You have to train your fingers to become strong so all fingers play at the same volume and strength. Do this with finger exercises. There's no other way.

@Grace Jackson was about to just comment the same thing. My pinky finger is a stud, but my ring finger feels like it’s not even part of my body sometimes, if my pinky and middle finger are also engaged. I know what I want it to do, but it just feels crippled.

ok, this "solution" is a whole other issue. Sometimes, people just have weak pinkies, and depends on someones own preferences. Like if you have good typing skills, and you just have more strength in you pinkie's, maybe doing this exercise could work really well! But if you have lower strength in you pinkie generally, this may not work out as well. Tbh though, I think a good solution is to practise the fur elise opening part, you can adapt much faster when doing that. Hope this could help someone out.

me... short hands and finger,.. need shorter gaps keyboard haha,.. but I am innovating which also makes my learning to takes time...

Awesome, love that! Thanks for the comment :)

I come Jamaica can u teach

Couldn't agree more. This "method" really only works for generic, three-chord pop songs. It's important to learn how to read sheet music and music theory early on because when you begin to learn complicated pieces, you'll need the basic fundamentals if you want to grow as a musician. However, the one piece of advice about rotating your wrist is valid. However, that's, quite literally, first lesson stuff.

​@@doramips It really depends on what type of music you're playing. If you play jazz or in any type of band that isn't a classical orchestra then you don't really need standard notation. There are so many good musicians that don't know how to sight read. In my opinion it is much more important to have a well developed ear, so that you easily can pick up on musical ideas just by listening to them. And of course, music theory is important to know. But if you're playing classical music then I agree, learning standard notation can be really practical in that scenario.

@@zugrath16 music is literally for the ear, so really, it's probably best to start with developing the ear Learning to sight-read is really important for precisely learning complex compositions written by others in a short period of time. I used to be proficient in sight reading for voice, back when I had to do it everyday in high school. (Material like Bach, Mozart, Handel) I've never been proficient in sight reading for piano. I took two semesters of piano in college, and basically didn't practice at all. I have a lot of fun learning songs by ear and composing my own nonetheless.

the context is for *beginners* . I fell into the traphole of "wow traditional doo daa must classical and learn sheet before even touching the keys." Made me so unmotivated along with many others. In the end learn the number system helped me learn faster with chords and solos

@@zugrath16 If they can't read, they're not good musicians. Theory and notation are critical parts of this.

Hahaha

Awesome Dan. Glad you found the video helpful! 🎹

I would love to learn the music that plays in Rydon Tower, in Dragon Quest VIII. Not sure if the melody would intrude on that. It's just finding the right chords to play it. I just playing the beginning of, "What are we made of", by Brian May. I fell in love with it when it was in '96's Pinnochio.

@@hardyjoe4278 if you want to learn it: 1)Listen 2) Find the notes on the keyboard 3) Repeat until done

You don't have to learn every note on the music sheet. You only have to read it. Learn the right way to play right.

Great attitude Dee. Keep up the great work! 🎹

Glad you liked it Nicolas!

Did not get correct pattern. maybe don't have super ears.

Thanks. Glad you enjoyed the video! 🎹

Thanks for this I actually put sticker for notes 😂

I'm just starting to learn and I think stickers are good to start with. My plan is to use them for a week or two and then start removing them one by one (probably starting with middle C) over the course of days or weeks. My thinking is that it'll reduce the early frustration and speed up getting acquainted with the keyboard/notes. By removing them one by one from early on, I'll learn the keys/notes in a more manageable way. I find it less stressful and, as we all know, stress hinders the learning process. Might not work for everyone but it suits my learning style.

I literally just put the stickers on my keyboard an hour ago!😂

You’re not supposed to leave them on for that long more than a few months!

So glad you're enjoying the lessons!

Best of luck on your journey! It's never too late to pick up on something you are interested in.

Yeah, it's really funny to me that this video is "5 things I wish I'd known" and he goes off explaining that you _shouldn't_ know sheet music for arbitrary reasons

Thanks Gary, so glad you enjoyed it

Hey Ari. good to hear from you. So yes, the chord chart method works with most contemporary music styes (pop, rock, country, jazz, oldies, etc) but for classical, yes, you're going to have to learn to read music. But most of the people who watch my channel aren't that interested in classical (I've done many surveys haha), and would much rather just play their favorite songs from the radio. And it's MUCH easier to do that using chords than sheet music. I get this feedback a lot, and I think it's just a matter of having different goals. Most piano teachers were brought up in the classical world, where the goal is to learn complex, difficult sonatas or concertos etc. But for most students who come to me, they don't really care about that, and this is a much easier way for them to learn their favorite songs. I think if someone's only goal is to play really difficult classical pieces, they should probably get a teacher and not be learning off KZfaq anyways. Hope that makes sense! -Zach

Reading sheet music doesn't necessarily mean you're good. They're both hard

I 💯 agree. I’m 2-3 months in trying to teach myself and I will not even look at this method until I am familiar with sheet music. I know myself and if I learn to play chords before notes, I will find it extremely difficult to go to sheet music if I can just give up and play something with chords instead and I’ll never learn how to play Claire de lune.

Great to hear you're back at it!!

Lol It’s funny to know that you’ve never heard it called that before. 😂

Exactly, it's a great starting point!

Hello, how are you today, and how is the weather condition there. I hope you are safe and sounds with your family! I was going through my page when I found your adorable profile. I'm new on due to the pandemic and I would love to have as a friend, can we be friends if you do not mind? Please send me a friend request. Thank you! 🌹Mar God has saved you from the corona ...

You did the right thing. Learning to see chord shapes on the staff is just a matter of reading the intervals. Also if you have the understanding of the harmonic function of the chords, use that to help you predict what chords will follow in the progression since a lot of Western popular music share similar harmonic qualities.

It helps if you learn the chords by number. Most common chords are I, IV, and V. You can play a I with the seventh note added right before you transition from a I to a IV. Wherever you're playing V, it also sounds better to add a seventh. If there's an accidental, it's likely to use a II chord with a seventh added. If there's a minor, most of the time it will be a iv chord. If you play a scale in the key the song is being played in, the I chord will be do, the IV fa, the V sol, and so on. Most songs start on I and end on V. Knowing these basic rules of thumb make it so much easier to learn new songs.

Thanks Zsolt!!

You re playing Claire de lune in 2 mounts… I m very impressed, keep up the good work 👍

@@recuerdos2457 oh no! I’m definitely not playing Claire de Lune lol. I can play the first line from memory/imitation. But my point was if you only learn the chord method, someone puts Clair de Lune in front of you, you won’t be able to play it correctly if at all.

@@recuerdos2457 I’m now almost 10 months in but I still can’t play very much. My teacher is very technical and wants me to have full control over my hands before we dive into pieces like that. I’m ok at Czerny exercises but that’s about it lol

Practice every night before bed. Just 10 minutes. Nothing wrong with doing an hour, just do it every day. You’re literally building pathways in your brain so the frequency is the most important thing!

This is exactly me

Thanks so much, I appreciate it

So glad you liked it Javita!!

Is the feeling more satisfying than reality ?

Yeah I can’t name notes by their sound either but I don’t think that is what he was pointing out. I think you just had to identify higher or lower.

Yep it does help a lot

Yea, sheet music is notorious for being really hard to learn. It's similar to learning a new language, but IMO even harder because you can't just pause if you forget something. Unless you're learning classical music, I don't think it's necessary to learn to read music, and you can learn much faster playing by chords or by ear. Thanks for the comment!!

@@barbaramilone2800 Yea, this style works with pretty much any style, except classical. But for most people watching this channel, they're much more interested in playing their favorite songs from the radio than learning complex classical music, and this is MUCH easier path to that go. Thanks for the comment!

Sheet music isn't hard to read, atleast not for me. I learned the acronyms for the right and left hand. I write the sharps and flats at the top of each page so I know what applies. I don't know if you know this so for the right hand, notes on the line are Every Good Boy Does Fine ( E, G, B, D, F) between the lines for the right hand is FACE (F, A, C, E) left hand on the lines Good, Boys, Do, Fine, Always (G, B, D, F, A) between the lines All, Cows, Eat, Grass (A, C, E, G) I would write my little cheater notes above each note and after a while, like memorizing your times tables, you see a note and you know what it is without having to think about it. Yes it can be tedious and frustrating learning notes but once you know them it's awesome.

@@barbaramilone2800 Chopin and every composer uses chord progressions no matter what the genre of music is. Either is pop/rock, classical,jazz,transitional or oriental. It is just that in songs or in a popular famous melody, he chord progression has to be kind of a basic(popular) one. For example take nearly any popular classical composition and add the chord symbols to the left hand . Just for the popular part of it we all know and can sing along the melody. Yes, these are the chord progressions also used in popular songs.

Hey man - so basically there are a bunch of different ways to learn music. You can read notes, learn with Synthesia tutorials, play by ear, or play using chords. If you want to learn classical music, you're going to have to learn to read music. But if you want to learn pop songs, it isn't really necessary. You can continue doing synthesia tutorials, you can def learn songs but the downside is every song you have to memorize everything note by note instead of using chords to simplify a bunch of notes into a few chords. If you're interested in the Chord method (for pop songs I think it's by far the easiest way to get started) this video will give you a rundown: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/bb2DktqS2K2mqHU.html Hope that helps! -Zach

'Squiggly music stuff'? I love it, fellow caveman. I always use(d) the expression 'pissed spider stuff' myself.

Just u xd

It was just you

I’m in the same boat. I put my 7 year old son in lessons and I figured I would teach myself so that I can help him practice correctly every day, otherwise he would misunderstand something and practice incorrectly. I’m trying to do the traditional way because I know how I am. If I get hooked on chords, I will never learn to read music later and I will limit myself forever. Once I get comfortable with sheet I will try the chord method. A lot of the stuff I want to play is a bit more complex than chords too.

Glad you enjoyed the video! 🎹

No, dude. Sheet music is outdated and bad. You see, it's based on a C major scale and everything out of that must be corrected by sharp/flat symbols. This brings a big problem that, visually same distances won't keep the uniformity in music interval. And it's hard to map the key from what you see on the sheet as it goes complex. The sheet music itself is a compromise. Now we got midi and stuff, why don't we just look at synthesia and rock on it. At the end of a day, you got nothing less on a synthesia than sheet music.

@@wed2w k

I agree, I don’t know this guys problem with sheet music 😂

True. I mean he's great and can be helpful for beginners (like myself), but it annoys me hearing him say something against sheet music.

​@@ellemagnificowhy you love it ??