New courses on piano technique and historical improvisation now enrolling at Improv Planet: The Four Pillars of Piano Technique : improvplanet.thinkific.com/courses/the-four-pillars-of-piano-technique Tone Production at the Piano : improvplanet.thinkific.com/courses/tone-production-at-the-piano How to Practice : improvplanet.thinkific.com/courses/how-to-practice The Piano Foundations Series : improvplanet.thinkific.com/bundles/piano-foundations And more: improvplanet.thinkific.com/

Contents: 0. Introduction [0:00] 1. Listen and study scores [1:59] 2. Sight-reading at least 20 min. a day [4:29] 3. Read about music (biographies of composers, music history books, etc.) [5:32] 4. Go to live concerts, listen to professional performances of all instruments, not just piano [6:17] 5. Record and critique yourself [7:15] 6. Guard your practice time (plan your time, write the schedule). Remember the idea that you start getting good at something after 10 000 hours of practice [8:06] 7. Scales and arpeggios!!! All keys should be equally comfortable for you [9:16] 8. Improvise and compose [10:52] 9. Go straight at your weaknesses in music [11:46] 10. Discuss music with other musicians [12:37]

When you want to be a serious pianist and you watch this video and realize how not serious you are. Humbling.

“If all keys aren’t equally comfortable for you, you are no kind of musician” I’m just going to go curl up and die hahahah

You young players, listen here also, since I have something to also add to this brilliant video: I've been playing (jazz) piano for 17 years. Only recently I've actually decided to seriously practice like a madman. However, I've just got diagnosed with MS. In fact, 2017 was the year where sudden various neurological crises started happening upon me. My right leg, then the left, and now my right arm. I'm unable to play the piano as I did before. Makes me feel a bit sick and suicidal honestly. My biggest regret was to NOT properly practice for various years that I missed out on. I was only playing standards (and keys) that I was super familiar with for all this time. I only could've only performed Giant Steps in the original key, and that's pretty much it. Only recently I started to "seriously," or should I say 'rationally,' practice, and I'm 25 now, and MS just happened. Anything can happen in life. I took music very seriously, but I never took practice seriously. You have to practice practicing and practice organization before practicing the piano. It has to be done. Practice avoiding distractions whether you eventually fall for them or not. Life is a practice of which is coincidentally happening to you. Be thankful there is life AND MUSIC. I only recently started to be a studious artist, which fellow non-musician friends found me becoming quite pedantic about music. Whether it's MS, death, an accident or what not. You're living in this moment, and ask yourself if you want to improve and take the appropriate steps. You have to think long and hard. One has to THINK if one wants to develop oneself into a serious artist. Don't become a "Classical" pianist if you do not listen to "Classical Music." I'm serious. Also LISTEN TO THIS GUY! I really dislike people who talk about technique, harmony or music without actually knowing what they're talking about. I hate asking "why?" and having the person dogmatically reply with "I was taught this" or "my professor showed me this." No, you need to KNOW why! Life has been giving to you. I like to see it as having to balance two things: control and comfort. If you keep choosing "comfort" all the time (whether it be socializing, smoking pot, playing video games, and/or etc.), then TIME will push you into situations and places you do not want to be in. Time will keep pushing you whether you like or not. It's up to you to "control" yourself, discipline yourself, and understand and utilize the time that life has bestowed upon you. Take "control" of your life; however, one needs to balance it out with "comfort" or else one will go mad. The time is now or never, and it'll always be. We all live in the present. I missed out the chance of my dream of which was to record myself performing all these Jazz standards, but I procrastinated and it never happened, and I'm 25 and it's too late. Again, you never know what time and life will bring you, and so understand this carefully. -William Slaght

I'm glad that this guy said to compose. Some of my friends make fun of me and push me around for composing. They love hearing me play piano but then turn against me when I compose. It mentally hurts me. It warms my heart to hear what you said about composing in the video.

I have played the piano for over sixty years. This video should be required watching for anyone who aspires to be a musician. I can't claim to do each of the ten things every day, but I do each of them at least several times every week. Frankly, I can't imagine making any real progress for an aspiring musician with less than fifteen hours per week of practice. Practicing one hour each day barely warms me up! Bravo, Professor!

I've been playing piano since I was 4, I practice everyday, I'm 11 now but I'll keep playing my whole life because I'm devoted

Great advice, for any person who'd like to be a musician really ! I'd add : sight singing. It's really important to be able to hear the music you are reading, and everybody should be able to read a score out loud. It takes so much practice, but it's really worth it!

I could have used this video 40 years ago. I will never be a Concert Pianist but I know I have Talent and enjoy playing.

"I am spending the entire day making myself improvise fugues in D# minor" --- respect

Can't believe I just found my old piano teacher after 20+ years. Such great insights here. I love the bit about how we're all narcissists. So true. Looking forward to seeing lots more content from the artist I once knew as "Mr. Mortensen" (now Dr. Mortensen). So cool!

It's also important to have fun

I did a lunchtime gig playing piano in a fancy restaurant a couple hours a day. After 6 months of that, 6 days a week, I was in the best playing shape of my life. What made the crucial difference was that, although it wasn’t a pressure situation, you had to play non stop and not screw up. Your technique and musculature necessarily go way up. So great to feel like the master for once. It’s ebbed away since, I’m sorry to say.

I love this video! And may I add; 11. Know your instrument well: If you have an acoustic piano, open it up and learn about the mechanism, learn how to clean it, learn how to tune it, check its tune periodically and read about your instrument: the history and the culture of it.

I'm so glad I found this video and realized that I'm doing a lot of things listed in your video! I'm happy you uploaded this and I hope it gets the views it deserves!

I started playing music when I was 14- I'm 18 now, and I've always loved playing the piano the most. I've felt like I was at a stand still in my practice though, and realized all I was really doing was just repeating the music I've already learned, rather than learning something new to improve myself further. This video has really helped a lot already, and has motivated me to do better, to practice more, to practice the things I may not like, etc etc. This was a great video to watch and I'll probably rewatch in the future when I need a kick in the rear to do better. My music director would say that "there's always room for perfection" no matter who you are.

Been coming back to this for just over four years now. Continues to be a hidden gem on this platform. An absolute masterpiece of passion and tutelage.

Well that was a good slap in the face for me...and well deserved. Man do I need to get my !@#$ together on that instrument. Thanks, just what I needed!

i love this. I've grown up learning music in the marching band and transitioning to self-teaching. A lot of teachers tend to avoid going into theory with the younger audience and it holds them back sooo much. There are so many pianists out there that are lost when asked to improv and actually put their music chops to the test.

I would love a teacher like you that challenges my knowledge all the time and aspires that I grow every day through hard work. Im not a professional musician, and Ive recently taken piano at 23 years old. But Im definitely putting in the work in all the theory and fundamental techniques. Sadly, im self taught and I know self teaching will never be able to substitute a competent teacher. But I have really loved the journey until now, its been four months and Ive seen incredible results by staying consistent practicing every day.

I keep learning songs that are above my level, and I force myself to inch ahead memorizing every note. You are amazing! Another person to add to the list of people I want to be as good as one day .

Some great truth bombs here. A lot of young musicians really need to hear your message. The best thing you said was how shocked you are by people who claim to play piano for over 10 years and have very little to show for it. I have been playing for over 17 years, and classically trained with music theory, but even with this experience I cannot say I am a serious pianist. Sure I could play advanced pieces by Rachmaminoff or Chopin, or talk about some music history, but I definitely do not understand everything there is to know about my instrument. If anyone ever wants to get better at something, what you are not good at has to be acknowledged.

been playing for 20 years, and trying to take it to the next level. thanks for this amazing video!

This is so, so true. I have almost finished my first semester of college level piano. Nothing here is new information to me, which makes me feel better about myself, but it is worth reminding ourselves time and time again to do this things so we continue to improve.

This advice is excellent for non-professionals who CARE about their musical abilities. Especially going at your weaknesses. I am 48 and I'm going back to Piano to get good enough that I can use the Piano to write songs. I faked my way through guitar without learning music theory and sight reading, and I realize now how much that crippled me. Now that I'm wanting to write songs, I realize that the quality of what I produce is crippled by my lack of knowledge, and conversance with what music is. Music theory is knowing what music is. Great points all of them. Also you've encouraged me to up my daily practice time. I want to get good (enough for my own purposes) before I'm 60.

Dr. Mortensen, these ten suggestions are foundational that I have not been doing and I need to put more effort into them. Thanks for this comprehensive foundational list.

I keep coming back to this video, the advice is so sound... it's very easy to neglect aspects. Even if I don't do every one every day, this is a great reminder list, thank you for that. Late starter, London

Dear Dr. Mortensen: Thank you for this amazing video. It is great advice, not just for pianists, but for all musicians. You gave me a kick in the pants. I used to be a guitarist and because of life’s circumstances I stopped playing about 40 yrs. ago. I am now retired and have decided to pick up the instrument again. This video provides so much good, positive advice. I decided to play the guitar for my own enjoyment. Your video made me realize how much greater that enjoyment will be by my following your ten points as they’re applied to the guitar. Thank you again for your ideas. Roland Ascarrunz recovering guitarist.

I'm going to show this to every student I ever have, and also use it as a reminder for myself. Well done. This is THE video.

Great video! Im not an aspring pro muscian but I do take practice and study seriously. Ive been playing for almost two years now and enjoy this instrument everyday. I enjoy the mental challenge and rewards that come from progressing.

I would add 11th: Study all the harmony you can in order to understand what you are playing and (for example) be able to find the right dynamics without depending on the different editions of the scores. ;)

I love this. I used to do all this instinctually, due to my love for music and how I wanted to repay it for almost quite literally saving me. As a result, my growth in the first 3 years had been phenomenally explosive; the following 7 have been stagnant. I was born with particularly strong hyperhidrosis of the hands and feet, and the constant sweating and slipping off the keys discouraged me immensely and made me walk away for good; there's no way I could fight the biology and physiology. A huge part of me had been missing the past 7 years as a result. And this video reminded me of a happier time.

"10 years of study and not a whole heck of a lot to show for it" I needed that call out xD great, thought-provoking video!

Thank you, I genuinely appreciate this video as it brought to light all the things I could be doing to improve.

This is a solid call to action for me. I get pretty good at whining that my skills aren't improving, while at the same time not working to these kinds of standards. Really motivating video, thanks for making it!

I love composing, and I’ve been composing for about a year now. I’ve written 2 sonatas so far, in the progress of writing two more, I’ve written waltzes, miscellaneous pieces, rondos, etc. It’s super fun and anyone who wants to really get into music should try it.

this is pure gold! these tips of advice apply to other professions and life. what an inspiration. thank you!

This is absolutely true! PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE, there is no other way to get better just practice, don't stay on your comfort zone and work on your weaknesses and this is not just for piano but for everything you want to get good at. I'm 17 and I play piano since I was like 5, what have I done these 12 years?!?!!? This video motivated me to start doing what I say "I love most" @cedarvillemusic thank you man! Keep uploading videos because I'm looking forward to see them

Love this energy, I just started learning to play and want to take it serious. A lot of other videos I’ve seen aren’t as straight forward about what it takes

Gosh this is invaluable. I watched this years ago and back then I felt a little bit overwhelmed. Now that I'm studying music on a higher academic level in university, it's only just dawned on me how useful your advice is, in fact every musician should be doing most of these. This is an eye opener. Composing music is my greatest passion, for me I really need to focus on sight reading more and analyze the works of the great musicians and composers to learn as much as possible from them.

Was going to ignore this video. ..so many people giving advice. But this is priceless! Thank you

Thanks Doc! Outstanding advice. I really appreciate this video. I'm not one of your students, but I'm going to share this with other musicians.

I wish I had seen this video freshmen year or earlier, but I am glad I saw it now as a Senior. Regardless of being a Jazz Alto Sax "player" (I put it in brackets because after hearing his definition of a musician, I am still far from it) I can translate this info straight to my instrument and personal studies. Seems like an awesome Professor that is strict on his students because he cares. Thank you for caring! God bless you, and keep on educating the future of music.

Great video! Been a few years since I've taken lessons as life has taken me away from the piano, but after watching this I feel a need to dust off my piano fingers and get practicing on the pieces I was never able to finish learning.

Thanks for this! Great advice I'm so ready to put into action!

Many of these advices apply to almost any profession! Great video!

Wow! I wish I was preparing to Attend your classes. I would work my butt off! You are a great teacher!! Thank you.

Thanks a ton for the help John. I have to say sometimes it's hard to know what to do when you don't have a teacher and you're just floundering around in community college. This truly points out the flaws in my methods of practice. I admit I'm often afraid that it took me too long to get into good habits, I wonder if I'll be able to shorten up my weaknesses in time for me to be able to be a Pianist as my career, even though I've been playing all my life... but I won't stop even if it doesn't end up how I imagine it, because I love music too much.

record yourself... YES. I recorded a few minutes playing the third mov of bach's bwv 1052. During the recording I only notice a few mistakes. Listening. i notice right and left hand clarity issues, timing issues, finger accidentally hitting the note beside it. You are so right.

That's funny, "What have you been doing for TEN YEARS?!!" That tickles me. When you don't practice consistently or participate in competitions or prepare for serious auditions, then progress can be really really slow, especially for those who just do it for a hobby. C'est La Vie! Non-the-less, this is one of the best piano tip & mentoring videos I have heard!! Really great advice. If I were going to be a music major who plays piano, I would live by this video. I give it 4 1/2 stars out of 5.

Awesome video. Thank you for sharing your wisdom!

Brilliantly helpful post, John. Thank you!

Great tips, thanks man!

Love this. Working on some transcriptions, my sight reading, and my tension,

Thanks for posting, one thing that always gets me is I work on a routine that includes all the elements and it goes great for a while but then I start obsess on one piece or one element and the rest goes out the window more and more until I’m just doing one thing

I couldn't agree more with you about recording and critiquing oneself! When I first filmed myself playing...boy oh boy, was that an eye/ear-opener! Not to mention that a camera/microphone induces a good measure of stage-fright in me! And I still feel I have a lot of work to do in order to be able to make a decent recording. PS - The Schubert G-flat Impromptu...its quite fun to play it in different keys and to hear how it sounds.

This is a great video! Thank you! I'm off now to do assignment #2! I'm not an aspiring pianist, but I am a new music teacher who wants to get better at piano. :-)

Amazing! I'm going to make all my students watch this. Thank you sir!

Thank you professor. Great advice.....all of them.

Some of those incoming high schoolers are getting 30 minutes a week of lessons, which may explain why they suddenly blossom in college when they're studying for many hours a week directly with music professors.

Thank you so much this was a real eye opener

This is an amazing list of how to become a better musician! I appreciate your taking the time to put this list together. As someone that has played the piano since I was 13 (am now 58), I know that I should be further along in my journey than I am. Life happened and I am not a professional musician, but I do see the value of these points, and I am going to print them out and put them on the wall so that I can read them. I am sure that your students that follow this list of points become excellent musicians! One thing that I would add to the list, maybe as a bonus point after the fundamentals, is to experiment with other instruments. Because I play piano, I can play the organ, but the multiple manuals and voices of the stops, whether pipe organ or draw-bar organ, provides different voicings and different playing experiences. I also play the accordion, banjo, saxophone, drums, bass guitar (and, by extension, the bass viola as a bass fiddle for bluegrass). It's all fun and it gives me a more well-rounded sense of being a musician. It's also fun to be able to say, "sure, I can play that!" It also affords experiences that I might not have had otherwise, like playing Sam Houston's personal pipe organ, which is located in Huntsville, TX just off the Sam Houston State U campus (where I attended for college).

A decent de-stressing gesture is a great help as well: I used a self realized one which is crossing hands over on the keys for a few seconds or more and randomly exploring keys far from what you were practicing; then stop by lifting both hands in front of you where centre of Piano is; then place the left hand on top of the right hand and intermingle all fingers while flexing them the hands and wrists and vice versa: Instantly you can go back to full practice mode: This crossover relaxes both hemispheres of the brain naturally as is evident when you relax in lying down; you automatically cross your arms and legs:

Excellent well grounded advice. It's great if a person does have a good aptitude for music, but nothing beats enthusiasm and sincere dedication to piano studies. Thank you for sharing, cedarvillemusic. :)

Thank you ! Very clear an instructive. Ciao John

Great advice. I particularly like his emphasis on improvising. Church organists have to improvise; jazz pianists improvise as a matter of course; but most classical pianists hardly know the word! I love improvising at the piano, and seeing if I can get into the style of Vaughan Williams, or Rachmaninov etc. Similarly, classically trained singers panic at the thought of improvising! I once had the pleasure of improvising all the vocal narrative for a church Christmas pageant. It was exalting, and surprisingly easy once I let myself go. The organist accompanied me without missing a chord; we were like two jazz musicians who've played together for years.

Many, many thanks for your advice!

Well done. Very good pointers for aspiring musician or someone who just want to improve their craft.

Thank you very much for your advice! As an incoming piano student for college, your expertise was highly appreciated!

Thank you for this wonderful & enlightening video!

From another professional pianist with degrees, but with a partly non-musical career - Dr. Mortensen is right on here. Every point. Listen and imitate and you will do well. Excellent video.

I want to take my playing to the next level and now I know how. This is tough love at its best. Great advice, you really opened my eyes.

Absolutely captivating, amazing and outstanding tips, doing my advanced certificate this year in piano, and I found this video enlightened me and has helped me a lot. Thanks for this video

Halfway through this but absolutely loving this. Great advice.

This was really helpful, thanks for the extra drive to keep me practicing even more!

i am a illustrator, only playing the piano as a hobby, it is crazy how much similarity there is between developing a skill like drawing and something like piano, especially mentally wise.

One of the major reason I LOVE Elton John's live performances! He certainly knows how to improvise his music! No two concerts of his are hardly ever the same!!! Thanks for being a big supporter of improvisation! That's where the entertainment is for me and why I love Elton and anyone else who can do a good improve performance! :)

Good advice for everyone who wants to master their craft. I'm a retired professor of anthropology, now training as a programmer. It is remarkable to me how good the advice in this video is for mastering the craft of programming. Good stuff Professor Mortensen!

Thanks for this wisdom. From my experience with other instruments, I couldn't agree with you more on learning scales, 10000 hours of practice practice practice, and recording yourself.

Thanks. This is quite inspiring, even for us amateur musicians.

That...! Is one of my favourite parts of the op 23 no 2 My teacher played that when we left class and I actually hid behind the coats haha and she realised I was listening to her play that piece especially that left hand singing line very dynamic and emotional piece... Thanks!!! 😊 I started late not Prodigy but I did start serious at 15 and put 8-9 hrs a day quite obsessed the piece that got me into classical piano was Emanuel ax playing at proms Beethoven 3rd piano concerto And that Scriabin etude he played at his last live performance was amazing and he was in his mid eighties!...

Wow! Great advice! You woke me up. Wish you were my teacher. Thank you for posting.

Great advice. Thank you for the valuable lesson

Very insightful, especially for a young musician like myself. Thank you.

So glad this channel found me!!!🙏🙏🙏

Excellent for any musician in any genre ! Sharing !

excellent lizst

I just came across your video. It applies to all music students, I think. I study violin, but these are all things I will keep in mind to incorporate into my daily or weekly practice routine. Thanks.

I love this. I play the flute, not the piano, and I am not a music student - at least not professionally, and not at this stage of my life; but all of this is so familiar and resonates so well with me. It also strikes me as being very generalisable - the specific details may vary, but this is really the pattern for learning and getting good at anything, especially a skill, i.e. something you have to learn through practice and getting good at it rather than through memorising. I would only add: have fun. You absolutely need the practice and the background research to create a basis to your technique, but you need to find on a regular basis what makes you want to do this. When I changed flute teachers once and came across, for the first time in a while, someone who was interested in me as a musical personality, I rediscovered why a loved the flute so much, and I redoubled my practice. Practice hard - and make it fun.

So helpful! Thanks!

No that’s one tough - and no doubt excellent - teacher. At age 19, I wasn’t even close, but I’m no musician either. Congratulations to those who are ready and able.

Damn, professor. Began learning during college but play on and off for most of my adult years. Thanks for the advice; it really puts things in perspective.

Thanks for the awesome content!

Solid stuff. I am not a pianist, but a bass guitarist, and (making appropriate adjustments) I would say that these wisdoms would apply to all instrumentalists and singers, and by extension to all performing arts. Thanks for the clear structure.

Oh. If I only had this advice when I was younger. Then again, it's never too late! Thank you for this advice.

Absolutely amazing. Thank you for this treasure chest of wonderful insight.

I’m a beginner. No aspiration at the moment but hope to get better. And I am happy that I do much of what is said here already. I also understood every single point is so valid here. Thank you.

These are excellent advices - both, for enthusiasts and, I believe, for professionals too. Thank you!! :)

Man, such good and thorough advice! I like, among other points, your urging to music students (and this applies to voice students as well as to instrumentalists. I worked in various musical circumstances, in cities great and humble, in which there were conservatory and university level music programmes, all with performance majors included in the curriculum. In such an out-of-the-way place, muscialy speaking, as London, Ontario, the very large department was full of students who had no real idea of what professional performance stardards really are. One simply has to hear the great vocalists and instrumentalists to have any clear idea of what is expected of a fine performer. In London, Ont., many kids had very inadequate ideas of up to what they needed to measure. Concerts by important musicians make it clear what the standards are. Students should even be required to attend concerts. Having them write critiques of what they heard, to avoid sluffing off, help to make them get to and into the concert and recital halls.