Smooth, Buttery Scales - Two New Discoveries for Fluid and Concise Piano Scales

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6 жыл бұрын

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Пікірлер: 330

@OiledUpFatMan 3 жыл бұрын

Chopin said that the key to a smooth legato was to acquire an even staccato. The idea is precisely what you are talking about: a smooth, lateral movement across the keys without any excessive emphasis on contortion. When scales are practiced in staccato (pianissimo, absolutely even in tone, and in time) the hand will start to naturally shift into the placement of intention, and will arrive exactly where it needs to be. Source - "Chopin: Pianist and Teacher: As Seen By His Pupils" by Jean-Jacques Eigeldinger.

@Mrfailstandstil 2 жыл бұрын

I love to play staccato exercises just because it feels great and satisfying and my hands are naturally relaxed when playing staccato but now when I read your comment it will be even more satisfying to practice staccato, thanks! Legato is great too though 😊

@kristinamusik7414 2 жыл бұрын

Wow that help me. Thank you.

@korkorkorkorkor Жыл бұрын

"pianissimo, absolutely even in tone, and in time" uhhhhh

@OiledUpFatMan Жыл бұрын

@@korkorkorkorkor You having a stroke or something?

@Dragon-Slay3r Жыл бұрын

🙀

@birhb6372 4 жыл бұрын

Why am I watching this I play flute lol

@coolcaden26 4 жыл бұрын

Catstuffies Tran, idk

@hisky. 4 жыл бұрын

@@coolcaden26 r/wooooosh

@jamien.5528 4 жыл бұрын

*THE KITTY-LION* you didn’t even use r/whoosh right...

@xJackkHD 4 жыл бұрын

@@hisky. wrong context my friend

@matterminator57 4 жыл бұрын

*THE KITTY-LION* r/ihavereddit

@GabsARV 4 жыл бұрын

10:45 When I'm bored on the piano. Thanks for advice again Josh, really appreciate it.

@flornygrob 5 жыл бұрын

I was holding my phone in my left hand listening to your video while running cmaj with my right. When you talked about the happy balance of shift and under thumb, I played one of the smoothest, high-temp scales of my life and laughed my ass off. Thanks Josh.

@juangiulianipiano 4 ай бұрын

😂😂😂 excelente

@watchme1368 3 жыл бұрын

I respect you for your ideology. You have great tips. I started playing a year ago and progressed slowly due to life circumstances at age 34 with a partner that passed from cancer and leaving my son and I behind. I still practiced and came far. At the end of the day I realized, I had to spend the the time messing up to get better. Hope you can understand. I was amazed that I can play faster with time. I think the best lesson is spending time making mistakes to learn from them.

@NadyaPena-01 5 жыл бұрын

it's endearing when Josn mentions Sergey Babayan. He always gets a little giddy. You can tell he really admires his teacher.

@VDHmain 6 жыл бұрын

"Oh shoot, kill me now!" Made me laugh so hard! 8:05

@LiliVG 4 ай бұрын

Excellent explanation with examples. I had a French teacher many years ago, who told me that the fabled French teacher, Marguerite Long, said “play me a perfect scale in C. That is what she meant, perfect, buttery, smooth, even.

@ChrisKogos 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks for all your help man you're awesome!

@xenolith2732 4 жыл бұрын

i did not expect to see you here

@ChrisKogos 4 жыл бұрын

Neither did I

@everettsantana6058 2 жыл бұрын

You probably dont care at all but does anybody know of a way to log back into an Instagram account? I was dumb lost the password. I would appreciate any tips you can give me.

@arthurcash2282 2 жыл бұрын

@Everett Santana Instablaster ;)

@everettsantana6058 2 жыл бұрын

@Arthur Cash I really appreciate your reply. I got to the site on google and Im waiting for the hacking stuff now. I see it takes quite some time so I will reply here later with my results.

@PearlRoads 4 жыл бұрын

I applied this practice......and within a matter of minutes I noticed a difference. Your points are very clear and easy to follow. Thank you.

@binyoung7297 6 жыл бұрын

This type of video would be more effective if we actually get to see a close-up of your hand (shifting with a little crossing), rather than from a distance.

@esejsnake1503 4 жыл бұрын

@@AG-ur1lj Great reply! Thanks. Tried it out and I get it. Very nice of you to write that out.

@jckhammer 4 жыл бұрын

A G by missing his well articulated reply pretty much sums up what kind of a piano player or musician you really are. Perfectly illustrated by your response . Unreal

@SouloftheTroll 4 жыл бұрын

@@AG-ur1lj Can't see a thing!

@18lollypop18 4 жыл бұрын

@@SouloftheTroll your not supposed to sight read instructions

@SouloftheTroll 4 жыл бұрын

@@18lollypop18 Man, you sure missed the point! Good luck with that.

@katherineroche7041 4 жыл бұрын

Never had related my "fight or flight" responses to THUMB UNDERS! Ha Ha, So true!

@michaelsmith697 4 жыл бұрын

Very true Josh! That’s exactly what I teach. When playing slowly the thumb miss dry pass under the hand. This is crucial. But as speed increases as you suggest the shift of position is more important. I get students to practise in clusters so they can memorise and become super familiar with the patterns. Also ascending in the RH is always easier than descending in the LH , so these methods and understanding becomes super important. Great video!

@ale.alvarez2666 2 жыл бұрын

Great explanation! I totally get it now, its just about transporting your hand fast enough over the keyboard to avoid the "thumb under" motion as much as posible... Thank you you are a master teacher!

@thegreenpianist7683 6 жыл бұрын

I would like to share a practice method that helped so much with scales at a little faster tempo, I think Josh may have already covered it I'm not sure, basically, I start by playing the two notes of the cross in tempo comfortably and relaxed, then I start building around it adding one or two notes at a time before and after while still maintaining a relaxed hand and wrist, for example: If I'm practicing C major scale, I play E and F with the correct fingering (3,1) in tempo, then add the D before them and practice that, then add the G after them and practice that and so on, it's been really helpful for me, I hope it can benefit anyone reading this super long comment

@honshushu 6 жыл бұрын

u mean like the hanon exercises no.32~36 ?

@thegreenpianist7683 6 жыл бұрын

龍銘瀚 I have ZERO idea how Hanon exercises go, I have never practiced them.

@thegreenpianist7683 6 жыл бұрын

JAMES KRAMER oh you are too kind Mr. Kramer :) I do also believe Mr. Wright has the best teaching methods on KZfaq, I wish you all the best in your endeavor :D

@joshwrightpiano 6 жыл бұрын

Great thoughts everyone! Thank you all for your kindness and support

@yichen3370 6 жыл бұрын

龍銘瀚你好，你是钢琴专业的吗?

@MusicLover-oe3ig 2 жыл бұрын

The touch is unbelievable refine, bouncing and soothing, very helpful indeed... thank you so much!!

@camillesindell2740 5 жыл бұрын

I recently became aware of "position changes" and the beauty of leading with the elbow just before the position change is made, even notating the very place where the elbow moves, just as fingering is notated. The hand is well into "position" and the first note of the new position can be played with ease, not rushed at all. This works incredibly well and has improved my tempo and note accuracy, as well as cutting down on thumb under. I believe you are advising the same thing. By adding wrist navigation as well as this "elbow navigation" I have greatly reduced tension in my playing and increased smoothness. Thank you!

@guilhermebgirardi 5 жыл бұрын

Great teachers will be great. You are untouchable!

@juice5203 3 жыл бұрын

4:30 ish throws down a lightning fast scale to silence the would be critics. Epic

@ninjaraph 6 жыл бұрын

Thank you! Your channel is a treasure trove of knowledge and training, really helping my piano playing. People, I highly recommend getting some videos up on his website when something looks interesting. These KZfaq vids were great, but whole length ones I got from there were exceptional. Closest thing to actually being able to be his student in person.

@andreabrown9430 5 жыл бұрын

THANK YOU JOSH. Love these videos, so helpful.

@leonajones4702 3 жыл бұрын

The fourth joint, YES! I often explain to students that there is an energy burst that is controlled by the finger joints, but ultimately originates more from the wrist, that even while applying what feels like a staccato attack, the finger stays in place to effectuate legato. I like this demo and your explanation, which gives me more language with which to teach articulation.Thanks.

@michaelzamora8056 5 жыл бұрын

Hey Josh Wright, that part about the importance of the wrist really struck a chord with me. I'm a drummer at heart, and wrist exercise is a much more common thing among our kind. There's something called the Moeller method, and its basically the root of proper wrist movement (and one of the most important things for a percussionist to know, in my opinion). Its an interesting connection between our instruments and it might help someone learning piano to learn about this as well. Its taught very, very early on, so there's lots of examples of people who use it but Drumeo is the most reliable source.

@jaytheexplorer9016 4 жыл бұрын

I love how he has this ability to subcommunicate, "Look. I'm right. Here's proof." and rip a light-speed passage. Whew. Goals.

@kenmccarty6229 4 жыл бұрын

The bouncing toward end is helping me like crazy! I knew the other stuff, so I’m glad I waded thru until the end. I slow down and I can play smooth. But as soon as a speed up I have trouble. So the bouncing exercise is something new I can try. Thanks

@sofiae8123 Жыл бұрын

Excellent suggestions! Thank you!

@robbarronmusic 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks Josh, this is great advice.. I've never thought of this before but this is a great insight into why this happening in my playing too! I've learnt alot from your videos.. best wishes from London.

@MrCinemuso 5 жыл бұрын

Great teaching, going to check out more of your vids!

@noraz8291 3 жыл бұрын

You are a ton of fun. AND extremely helpful, thanks so much.

@passage2enBleu 5 жыл бұрын

This has been so helpful, as I'm building up speed I'm thinking there's something wrong with my crossover technique. You has clarified it now. Thanks a million.

@Naesman1167 4 жыл бұрын

Thank you Josh. I’m more of a jazz guy. But your technique explanation really helps. Very grateful...

@AndersChanTidemann 4 жыл бұрын

You are a wonderful teacher!

@sanhitasaha7439 4 жыл бұрын

Amazing tips sir...the best piano technique videos by far i have ever come across on youtube. Your webinars are equally fantastic! Thank you for being so generous Regards from India :)

@user-sb1or2hl8n 4 жыл бұрын

7:03 ‘what?’ That was exactly I reacted, haha. Thanks for your sharing

@yoyoe7798 5 жыл бұрын

Great presentation skills with interesting & precise demonstration. Support!

@beverleymellor 3 жыл бұрын

Yes thanks josh you are awesome your lessons are so interesting you know all the bad habits we pick up along the way - greatest teacher on the net for me 🙌🏻👍🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

@susanamariles8309 4 жыл бұрын

Chopin wrote exclusively for hands. Break down piece into phrases, blocks of a passage, or melody bar;@ 8-bars. The SPAN of each melody phrase should cover 10/ ten notes.[Look at your hand placing thumb on “C” and stretch pinky as far possible; then counts notes your hand reaches ) maybe 9? Or 10?). Make Blocks of melody made into chords . Practice Chords then arpeggio of chord; it HELPS! C major Scale=Two (2) Blocks move hand twice; think”trajectory up/down”!

@Tousanx 4 жыл бұрын

An overhead camera showing your hand moves would help out immensely

@beckywallenborn8307 3 жыл бұрын

Another expert and helpful video- thanks so much, Josh!

@EricRinehartPiano 6 жыл бұрын

Coming back to your channel after working with a Taubman teacher, it is amazing to me the consistency that my teacher and you talk about these physical motions of rotation in the multiple planes. It makes me realize you had been talking about this stuff for so long, but how IMMENSELY difficult these ideas are communicated orally and on video. There is nothing like having a teacher there to literally hold your hand and show what is right and wrong.

@florenceterrito1579 6 жыл бұрын

Eric Rinehart Piano f

@lifedoom2922 4 жыл бұрын

4:37 great tutorial, I broke my fingers.

@jorgerivas1424 4 жыл бұрын

Got it! Thanks!

@ts8538 10 ай бұрын

Thank you. This is really helpful to me.

@amysun6080 4 жыл бұрын

After one hour spending on C major scale, this video can't be more timely. Can't wait to try these two tips tmr. I pleasantly found out the rotation and shifting balance, and finger stocato on my own. Good to get it verified here.

@HKLee-dn1fh 3 жыл бұрын

Super helpful!!! Thanks

@Louise-qk2po 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks Josh👍

@EtoGmajor 6 жыл бұрын

Very helpful. I'll definitely use it. I actually like 2 weeks ago discovered something like that wrist movement idea to help me when my scale passages were not clean, except I would do two note slur wrist movement instead, but it accomplishes the same thing. I ran into it just messing around. Glad I got some verification that it's a good thing.

@joshwrightpiano 6 жыл бұрын

China Fun awesome! Thanks for the feedback

@danielpicha630 2 жыл бұрын

great tips, the Hannon thumb exercises also helped me improve my scales.

@RD-jr8nv 2 жыл бұрын

I’m sure you’ve been lauded the world over but just want to say you are a phenomenal player and these analogies you’re using are great!

@Daniel-qr6sx 3 жыл бұрын

imagine having that kind of sightreading lol..

@artirjaj-l3481 3 жыл бұрын

You always inspire me to play thank you my master maybe one day Ill show you what Im working on 😎

@beckywallenborn8307 4 жыл бұрын

Jumping up and down on the inside to watch, listen and learn these helpful tips! Please continue with this format and perhaps illustrate with left hand so we can better see the movements you describe so well.

@ashtynrms 5 жыл бұрын

i'm so bad at scales. i try my best to avoid them at all costs! this actually really helped me get over them! thanks!!

@NK-vj7ur 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks, very helpful!

@itsallaboutperspective3183 4 жыл бұрын

Piano -C Scale: I learned to move thumb(C) under index finger after striking (D), press(E) & the thumb is already in position to strike (F).

@christopherpaul1810 3 жыл бұрын

I'm not a professional player, just an amateur currently learning Mozart's 16th piano sonata (1st mov) and was having difficulty with the fast run near the beginning maintaining evenness and felt some muscle pain, weak pinky finger. How you described shifting hand position rather than thumb under has been a tremendous help my technique improved in minutes after trying it.

@PhilipChristian 6 жыл бұрын

Perfect advice. Great video Josh.

@joshwrightpiano 6 жыл бұрын

Philip Christian thanks so much Philip!

@HimanshuSharma-pz9gv 5 жыл бұрын

Thankew Sir....it really helped a lot

@SarthakTandon 4 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for this lesson, I guess it'll help me with chopin nocturne in c sharp minor during that fast scale

@lawrencetaylor4101 2 жыл бұрын

Merci for this.

@shanehartley484 6 жыл бұрын

Great tip. Way smoother right away. The fight or flight thing will help too. I could not figure out why my playing got bad when there was someone listening. Need to remain calm and not got adrenaline flowing and hammer on the keys. .

@edwarda.casimiro9808 6 жыл бұрын

Maybe I'm not putting enough thought into my scales; my greatest concern is fingering. Yes, the F# minor scale still haunts me. I know which fingers to use, and when, but that flies out the window past 92 bpm. My tip for playing scales well is: relax! I got that from you, and it's a game-changer. Also, the faster you go, the quieter your hands need to be (that I got from Mozart). Master the fingering at a slow tempo, and as you increase the speed, relax and keep your hands quiet. Great video! I'm working on Bach's inventions, and this video gives me some ideas on how to improve my playing.

@davidk7529 4 жыл бұрын

It's whole body technique involving wrist rotation, fingering, and unrestricted arm movement. Graham Fitch covers _all_ of it really well over on the Pianist Magazine channel.

@hungdaddy9709 4 жыл бұрын

Great Tips!

@Carl-ri6nq 6 жыл бұрын

You are such a great teacher

@joshwrightpiano 6 жыл бұрын

Carl thank you for your support!

@cynthiagunkle7225 6 жыл бұрын

What a nice sounding piano!

@criss719 5 жыл бұрын

I wish I would have had someone like you as my piano teacher back years ago.

@danieltkach2330 4 жыл бұрын

He is your piano teacher now :)

@alejandronieto576 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for this.

@michaelsotomayor5001 5 жыл бұрын

10:43 epic

@sunnyshengpianopieces.4840 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you for teaching I got a better now.

@lesturner9849 6 жыл бұрын

Great video sir!

@pleaseexcusemydeeplyawkwar4972 2 жыл бұрын

Gaaahh!! I just heard you play Bach for the first time!!!!!! *dies* Amazing.

@Wendolynn_Jane Жыл бұрын

Thank you. Best! :)

@DragisaBoca 5 жыл бұрын

I am a guitarist and this applies 100%.

@jakevvootton3642 3 жыл бұрын

The most important thing I have ever learned for Practice and Playing is ROTATION. Just by implementing this seemingly *unnatural movement* I have sped up my learning and playing confidence, easily by a factor of 5x or more. Its fair to say that without rotation, I may have gave up practicing a lot. Thanks Josh

@jjmcnamara5236 6 жыл бұрын

I would love to get a masterclass with you at some stage you’re amazing!!

@John-so3gp 6 жыл бұрын

Thank You .......

@davidlewis4013 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks this was actually pretty helpful. It's still a meditation to some extent

@JoanKSX 3 жыл бұрын

Awww thank you so much! That's what I heard from most Baroque pieces performed by most professional pianists =O

@yoshyoka 4 жыл бұрын

3:21 can relate to that!

@pritchy007 2 жыл бұрын

Great advice! Thank you so much! I always tend to play “ spagetti” scales and that is reflected in the pieces, so if I am playing Chopin’s 4th etude that is so visible. I will try practicing with the writs/ staccato-ish technique 😅

@VenomCold 6 жыл бұрын

playing bach italian concerto right now 3rd mvt this helped me alot thanks!

@VenomCold 6 жыл бұрын

ja ich war sehr jung damals und fand das lustig :D und bach rockt

@joshwrightpiano 6 жыл бұрын

TheDerDumme glad to hear it helped!

@_wade_morgan 5 жыл бұрын

That accent was spot on 😂

@douglascutler1037 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks, Josh, for sharing your piano knowledge so generously. Fascinating hypothesis at 2:40, that micro fight or flight reactions might enter our hand motions at tricky points in a passage. Entirely plausible. Best solution may be lots and lots of detail practise to the point where the difficult spots become more familiar, more controlled and therefore less panic inducing. Otherwise, the volume settings are a bit low. I had to put on headphones to hear all this.

@hectorromero3386 4 жыл бұрын

Interesante su explicación, ojalá pudiésemos tenerla en español. Gracias.Exitos

@johnnewell552 2 жыл бұрын

For me, I notice that I am also holding my breath whenever I anticipate something coming up that isn’t comfortable. That makes the body go “hey! We’re not breathing! Hurry up whatever you’re doing so we can breath again”. I am primarily a drummer and this is one of the reasons why fills get rushed frequently.

@Dan-pq1tp 2 жыл бұрын

1. Mentally modelling scales as 2 hand positions, & uniting. 2. Shifting arms horizontally is often underutilized [& slack is picked up by wrist].

@gretareinarsson7461 Жыл бұрын

One of my teachers advice three things about scales in a piece: fingering the scale, think of the beginning and the end and direction of the scale.

@joeybernhard971 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks you

@iceghost27 3 жыл бұрын

Josh, It's reassuring I'm not the only one that finds C Major to be one of the harder scales. It's actually been a personal struggle the last couple weeks in my practice. That being said, I actually got up after this video and practiced just C Major scales for 45 minutes straight using some of these techniques. Thank you for the inspiration.

@TehWinnerz 3 жыл бұрын

C major doesn't fit the natural shape of the hand. its the hardest for literally all pianists

@fadrian98 Жыл бұрын

7:46 That's real buttery 😳🤯 🧈

@Dominique632 4 жыл бұрын

This made me laugh so hard😂😂😂😂😂 the way you copied little kids and beginners movements and manners when they play scales cracked me up, it was phenomenal 😂

@chuangjudy7614 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for all your help! That’s exactly me on the cross -_-

@dannydaniels3784 2 жыл бұрын

6:05 "i was playin it, super slow..." Meanwhile me the newbie: *tryin to figure out which finger to use next for the next cross*

@pookz3067 2 жыл бұрын

Part of the “less thumb under” from faster tempos also just comes from having prepared the other fingers earlier out of necessity at high speeds

@lifeaschrisyanak5150 6 жыл бұрын

Hey Josh, I have a question regarding scales. I have been practicing my scales with two hands lately, each hand playing the notes of the scale as an octave. I am doing this, because I am trying to work with the Liszt Transcendental Études to focus on building my skills and talent before studying music at a Conservatory after High School. And the one that I am working with in particular is the 7th étude, Eroica. I have been working with this technique to held conquer some passages in that Étude, and I was wondering if this is a proper way to practice this skill? Thank you so much, keep up with the amazing lessons and accomplishments, you are my constant inspiration.

@leenguyen2219 Жыл бұрын

Basically, keep calm and think, and maintain a relaxed demeanor when practicing as best as you can right.

@jackstremlow3725 4 жыл бұрын

So buttery 🤤

@kitstr 5 жыл бұрын

Josh you are a total gem and a great guy. Thanks for this and all the valuable info you give us.

@thegreenpianist7683 6 жыл бұрын

Great video Josh, can't wait to try this! Btw, can you do a video on how teach piano systematically and effectively from lesson 1 for a brand new student to a little more advanced level? I believe you haven't covered this yet and it would be great if you could do so :D I hope you and your family are having a nice week :)

@douglasochieng8906 6 жыл бұрын

TheGreenPianist Nice one! I'll be checking for the response to this request ☺

@thegreenpianist7683 6 жыл бұрын

JAMES KRAMER haha I definitely do not consider myself a valuable gem, Mr. Wright is though :D A job is never terrible, nothing is as long you learn from it, knowledge is the most valuable thing a human being can possess. I hope you're having a great week :)

@joshwrightpiano 6 жыл бұрын

Check out my video “is it too late to learn piano?” I go over a bunch of books I often use to get beginners started. A very basic approach would be the adult Faber piano adventures (for learning the basics), Hanon (dexterity, strength, speed), Schmitt (starting at exercise 34 for finger independence), and Easy Classics (for building a basic repertoire). I hope that helps!