I had abusive parents, and after I finished music school they pretty much convinced me to quit. I don’t have a relationship with them now, and I’m trying to get back so that I can make music my actual career instead of working a full time office job to survive while teaching some lessons and freelancing on the weekends. It’s so hard, and I don’t have anyone to talk to about it except myself, so this video is literally exactly what I need thank you!

I’m so glad you said what you did about self-confidence, performance anxiety and procrastination. It took me a LONG time to realize that procrastination was a symptom of low self-confidence, not the cause of it.

A strange thing I started throwing into my practice- practicing “messing up” and recovering as smoothly as possible. Intentionally playing an incorrect note or two, but keeping the entire momentum smooth and carrying on with the performance. I noticed that it helped my confidence immensely when playing in front of others- I started to feel like “I am prepared to mess up, if it happens” and I wasn’t thinking “don’t mess up, don’t mess up!”

There is so much music produced nowadays that even good musicians work can be left unappreciated. It's important to sometimes stop comparing ourselves with others.

I just started taking lessons with a professional as an adult. While feeling that I've been a pretty dedicated, relatively advanced pianist over these years, she has made me aware of how lacking my childhood teacher was. It's been a hard (but necessary) blow to my already low self esteem as a musician. I'm already a very anxious performer. So this video is just what I needed right now. Thanks!

A new golden age of music theory is happening on KZfaq. ❤

Your comments about reframing situations is spot on. When I was in music school I was terrified of recitals. Oddly, juries never bothered me. But, the school I went to had what they called "sophomore comprehensives" . Basically a jury exam performed in front of the entire faculty. Your performance determined whether or not you got to continue as a music major. I was in the wings sweating all over my tux and my classical guitar and started thinking through the possible outcomes. One of which was, "Chances are, nobody's going to die from this." That single thought entirely flipped my terror on its head. I played the best I ever had, and it's become my "thought" any time I'm faced with anxiety like that. 30 years on, I haven't literally killed anyone with my performances yet.

I had an audition the other day and on that day I realized that practice is only 40% of the equation the other 60% is mental. I knew when I walked in that room I didn't know the cut as well as others but when I auditioned I played with the confidence of someone who knew it perfectly so I did well, indifferent to the very lazy practice I did for the audition.

The grace and humanity embedded in this generous artist's personality and work must not go unnoticed.

Thank you! Three thoughts: 1. This isn’t just one of the best videos on your channel, but one of the best videos on KZfaq, because it applies not just to musicians but to everybody. 2. It’s really interesting that most of your tips for self confidence are actually tips for getting better. This maybe isn’t surprising. The better we get, the more confident we feel. You’re clearly interested both in self confidence and improving as a musician. I never made this connection before, but it’s so obvious; how are you going to feel confident in something if you suck at it? Brutal but true. Thanks for bringing me to this insight. 3. For me, the key to self confidence is humility. Humility doesn’t mean putting yourself down. A psychologist who researches humility told me: humility is an accurate assessment of where you are. Wow! This means, don’t think you need to pretend to be better than you are. If you’re just starting to learn something new, why would you be good at it? If you’re good at it, then why doubt yourself? Accurate self-assessment is actually crucial to self-confidence. We don’t need to pretend.

Only an amateur musician here, but I just had to leave a comment thanking you for your positive attitude. It's a breath of fresh air on the internet of today

To dovetail: one barrier I have had to overcome as a composer/producer is that I would be seen as a mere hack who can’t make music that sounds original or unique but rather a tenth-rate imitation of better artists. This was a bad idea that I just learned to drop. What helped me to drop this was realising that I am not just my influences or knowledge. By extension, I am not a mere copy of those influences. My own experiences, abilities and tools are what make “my music mine” and no one else’s. And more importantly, I was sincere in making it. Even if I had a template or a reference point in mind, that’s not the same thing as “copying”. In the end, it’s my own thing that just happens to sound like something else. (And I’ve learned that people will respond with their own experiences. Not everyone else has listened to the same things I did … and in the same way.)

These tips are not only useful for piano, but also for life 😁 Thanks for these amazing videos!

Nahre, you’ve been on such a roll recently with your videos for me. They have been so inspiring and I especially needed this one because motivation is so much harder than actually difficult music to me. A lot of times having to deal with technology that I barely know how to use is extremely frustrating to me and I just give up immediately when I can’t do something. This video has reinvigorated me to try some of of those things again, so thank you!

Another amazing video honestly, applicable for musicians of all levels

Hi Nah Re. As an English teacher, I consider your "how to sound like" videos extremely valuable in terms of pedagogy. It comes to my mind that legendary video from walking the bass, "all about piano scales". There is structured and conceptualized substance that fosters people to rewatch it many more times

As a chess player I can relate to your advice. Especially the part about failure. Sometimes, as a teacher, helping the students to face and deal with failure seems more important than the things I am actually teaching.

Thank you Nahre. Your suggestions here are what I try to instill with my students. First rule: Don't be afraid of "making mistakes" or "hitting a wrong note". Just keep going and enjoy learning how it might be improved. Also, it seems that some musicians take themselves way to seriously, personally associating their playing skills with their self ego and sense of social esteem. All of that just "gets in the way" of the joys of playing music with and for friends.

it is insane to me that someone as good at piano as nahre is this insecure. As someone who never went to any arts related school who publishes videos/music i get insecure as wel, but i always thought it was because i didnt really felt like i was any authority on the subject, becasue i am youtube-trained in everything. hearing this makes me rethink that, i might have also been insecure about these things if i went to art school. thanks for the video, i really like the insight, and you have no reason to doubt yourself, you are an amazing musician/educator in my eyes

I was self taught for around two years, saw two teachers during that period, neither of them whom I considered helpful in the ways I most needed. Now I am seeing another teacher who is fully doing their role in pointing out where I need serious improvement (something my previous teachers were too lenient with). A lot of my flaws have finally been brought to light, making me realize how much I’m lacking and have to grow. One thing in particular is rhythm, a concept I didn’t understand upon teaching myself and avoided because of its daunting unfamiliarity and complexity. We are heavily focusing on all my weaker musical points and doing such has really been a blow to my confidence as a pianist. Rather than dedicating more attention to the areas in which I struggled, I preferred to stick to already established skills like rapidly reading notes (solely pitch and not rhythm). Doing such validated all the work I had put into piano because I found I could do something successfully (which turns out is only reading pitch instantly, not nearly enough to comprehend the entirety of sheet music). I found that denying my weak areas made me feel more accomplished because I could pretend they didn’t exist and enjoy playing, but in an ultimately harmful and counter productive ignorance. It’s almost painful to finally confront my flaws with the intention of having them fixed because the first steps in correcting them are excruciating. Both in that old habits die hard but also that I have a teacher who is adamantly (and for the better) forcing me to face musical concepts, such as counting, I procrastinated on. It is immensely uncomfortable to be told that you aren’t playing correctly after all the blood, sweat and tears you pored into your precious craft. Another issue I face is understanding that piano playing is a time consuming, rigorous art that requires great commitment over long durations. One cannot expect to sight-read a Liszt etude perfectly at their first attempt, an entirely unreasonable feat that I pity myself for because I am unable. And am continuously unable from virtuous piece to virtuous piece. All in all, it is a taxing journey to remind oneself that these standards are ridiculous and that even the greats require time to excel in such difficult pieces. The piano has been an incredible addition to my life but because of my own self imposed cruelty and bullying, it has also been a great source of grief. Videos like these, from incredibly skilled and experienced pianists are what I need to find meaning in persevering.

I've made blunders on stage; it's somewhat liberating to have survived such things. In retrospect, "what went wrong" for me started long before the performance (e.g. not seeking enough other performance opportunities, not pushing the limits of each performance to be as favorable to me and my career as possible).

It's interesting that a lot of these lessons actually apply to other high performance activities and professions - lack self confidence = performance anxiety and procrastination is toooo real!

The AUDIO QUALITY of your voice sounds much cleaner/better in this video. Did you make changes to your recording equipment? Sounds FANTASTIC!

All of this is wonderful. Heading into my third decade as a professional musician, every minute of this video resonates with my experience. And as someone who's consumed countless books, conference presentations, and videos on the various psychological pitfalls of a musical career, I find your framing of the subject very refreshing. Congrats on the 500k, too. I think I joined around the 50k mark and have really enjoyed watching these past few years. Nice to see someone else a bit like myself, who keeps looking for new things to do and new ways to do them!

Nahre, this is such an insanely good video. Wisdom and insight aside, the camera work, editing, sound design, animation.. all of that is inspiring in and of itself! Add some of the most motivating and succinct life/music/mental health advice I’ve ever received, and wow… Your intelligence and passion for your craft(s) is incredibly touching and inspiring. YOU. ARE. AWESOME!!! THANK YOU!!!!

Lack of confidence is my biggest barrier when it comes to performing on recitals/auditions, despite of long hours of practicing the pieces. I fully relate to how you feel that you "cannot play" without a warm-up routine of some sort.

The most comfortable I have felt at the jazz jam was the time when there was only musicians left in the club. An audience can be very intimidating to newbies. One time though I looked at the folks who had come to hear us play and all I saw was smiling, encouraging faces. That was a good day to play. Thank you for this important lesson !

I started having piano lessons again today after pausing it for more than half a year. I felt very distant about the piano ,and also i had a bad performance three years ago which still hangs at the back of my mind , its been a very annoying thought to get rid of . This vid really helped, motivate and clarifies a lot of things for me . Thanks ❤❤

I thought this video was going to be about things like perfect pitch. Self confidence is gained by performing often, and keeping on performing. After a break, the performance anxiety will come back again. So, one just needs to keep on performing. Anywho, excellent videos. Nice to hear from a real accomplished musician. Thank you very much!!!

After 18 years of playing the piano I agreed to join an ensemble for the first time - for Stravinskys firebird with winds orchestra, of all projects. Dear Nahre, this video was exactly what I needed at this point in time. Thank you for the inspiration

I was actually just having a discussion with another musician about this a few months back. He kept spending his time researching and practicing stuff wanting to get better, but I was telling him all he needed was a bit more experience in uncomfortable situations and more confidence in himself. His talent is there, he had experience, but he was always questioning himself and you could hear it In the few months since that discussion he sounds like he’s gotten years of experience and whatever new stuff he is learning or practicing is making much more immediate impact in our playtime together. So proud of him, and I let him know it

Love your videos and your love of music 😊 it’s such a treat every time you pop up in our feeds!

I think a lot of this advice is great for anyone just living life. I'm a railroader, and I know how important my daily routine is for me to move through a complicated day with confidence. If I could add one point, getting enough rest, and sleep is crucial, especially before a big day!

This is not just for musicians, but for everybody.

I completely agree. I just graduated from college with a degree in music as a guitarist. It wasn’t until a few months after did I learn how vital your perspective on yourself is to performing any task. Anxiety and over thought will totally ruin any practice and preparation. Learning to master that will not only help your performances but it will also make performing more enjoyable. You don’t ever want to let anxiety mix with your musical expression. Music is supposed to be fun.

I am a current student at Berklee Online and I absolutely love it. I am still quite early in my own music journey-just about three or four years in this far-and I started with Berklee Online last year. Totally accelerated my learning. Cannot recommend it highly enough.❤

An unbelievably important video and an under taught topic in music education. As a pianist, I was tagged fairly early on to be a solo performer but quickly found that I couldn't keep up with the pressure and anxiety. I thankfully found other musical areas to pursue - conductor, church organ, choir (essentially anything where I can hide or not face the audience! 🤣🤣). As a music teacher, I take time in lesson to explicitly teach about performance anxiety and share my own experiences with my classes. Thank you for highlighting this important topic.

everytime I see an artist I really like and look up to admit to mental challenges and how they push through them, it makes me feel encouraged.

Hi Nahre. I am not a musician but I still find this video of yours endearing and inspiring. Beyond being erudite and talented, you are also authentic and humble. Please keep sharing the experiences you have on your artistic journey - they are much appreciated. May the world play your music one hundred years from now.

Wow yes I totally agree. Confidence is such a big thing. It's so difficult to stay away from the negativity. Just when I think I can reach all my musical goals I'm sent crashing down by the smallest of things. I always feel like I am having to build up to try to reach my goals.

I'm finishing my music studies after more than a decade and I had never seen points so accurate, varied and useful in a video. Everyone watching it should follow at least some, if not every one of the things you say. Congratulations, I found it truly wise.

What an incredibly generous person you are. I’ve always had a latent interest in music and making music, but I’ve barely ever explored that interest. A lot of it has to do with perfectionism and not wanting anyone to hear me not be amazing, which is all on me, but it’s prevented me from really delving into one of the things I love so much in life. This is very valuable knowledge to have, and it’s also very hard won because you’ll never learn it without putting in the long, hard hours that I haven’t. But it’s also broadly applicable to pretty much everything in life, too. So not only are you pursuing your own passions and working hard to improve yourself at them, you’re sharing the results of that with the world, and not to stop there, you’re also sharing the challenges you’ve run up against in that pursuit and the things you’ve learned from running up against them and how to keep making progress. That’s a beautiful thing to do, and I’m grateful to you for doing it. Thank you for teaching those who’d listen how to make their own lives better, and how they can use that to return that favor to others, too.

Love your pep talk. Wish I had this kind of talk a lot earlier. You are absolutely right about procrastination. I am an example of it.

Applicable to all fields of life. Thank you. You're a definite exception to the old rule that "those who can't, teach" . . Your high level communication skills and sense of humour, allied to your knowledge make your videos a joy to watch/listen to - from someone who doesn't usually have the patience to listen to youtubers. Plus, you have a real understanding of complexity and how it's present in so much of our lives.

You are the most authentic, sincere and captivating personality on KZfaq, I hang on your every word. Thank you for the wonderful content Nahre, gratitude and respect to you!

Congrats on 500k! You’ve been an inspiration to me for a long time. I appreciate that you stay true to yourself. It comes through. Great video. Very relatable.

thank you for this approach to tackling mental barriers. I feel like most people hide, withhold, or restrict their findings to a kind of "secret to success" kind of thing rather than outwardly explaining their findings. I get the world is a competitive place at times but seeing people like you who genuinely just want to see people or the world grow is extremely refreshing.

I genuinely cannot imagine what mean things someone can write below your videos. They're just brilliant and very helpful! Thank you 💕

We become what we practice most Confidence is a misnomer. You don't gain confidence, but lose, fear, insecurity and self doubt. If you are working to gain confidence, you are merely repressing or temporarily diverting your insecurity and fear of failure, If you are clear in who you are and love what you do with overriding joy and passion, fear and insecurity cannot gain a foothold in your being. Living in harmony is about how you live your life balancing and aligning body, mind, soul and spirit which is facilitated by healthy diet and exercise. Music is the sonic flow of life and once you are in that flow and have tasted the supreme joy and bliss of life, all else fades into insignificance.

Perhaps your finest video. Inspiring and compassionate. Btw your "How to Sound Like ..." videos are priceless and my favorite series on YT. Yes, even over Pitch Meeting

Thank you for this beautiful video and being so vulnerable! Classical music needs more of this!

Thanks for sharing this Nahre! This was really helpful and I think not enough people talk about their struggles and the hard and bumpy roads and insecurities they have despite how successful they are! You're really an amazing person and I hope you keep continue inspiring us artists and musicians alike out there! Love what you do! And when you're feeling down, just remind yourself that you are more than amazing! And that's already a gift to yourself and to your loved ones and to the world! Stay creative and keep on creating Nahre!

Thank you for this video, Nahre. I wish I had these advises when i was a music student in university - I was plagued with stress, anxiety, and a lack of self confidence. This feels like a reassuring hug

Nahre, you are amazing!. Thank You for expressing with such empathy and sincerity (and positivity) , how do you deal with the vulnerabilities and self confidence gymnastics that it takes for most of us musicians to keep going . You are a Beautiful and very generous artist.

Just speaking as myself--hopefully without too much pride or humbleness--my ultimate level of musicianship is that I do the work, the study, the practice, the listening, and then push my ego to the side to just be a good servant to the spirit of music. After that, just gratitude for the opportunity, and enough respect to keep working.

EXCELLENT, Nahre! One of my favorite quotes: “Worry is weaponized imagination.” Just remembering that when I DO worry is often enough to help shift my imagination to be more constructive and supportive.

There’s a lot of great advice in this video. I have started to realize some of it on my own, but it’s always nice to hear someone else corroborating things that you realize. I have started trying to regularly publish my own material on my KZfaq page, I think you were right about doing that regularly. Thanks for making the video. Keep up the good work!

There's so much in here, and thank you for getting my brain going! But I just wanted to pop in to note that your "how to sound like" series is what drew me to your videos and they're fantastic. They are awesome explorations of the theory behind these composers and great instruction.

I really admire your perspective, especially your honesty and vulnerability about going through certain processes. Many times we as musicians, especially those of a certain level of experience, are hesitant to admit our weaknesses and shortcomings, even to ourselves. I believe that this has the genuine ability to stagnate our growth as musicians. You posting about how you feel when going through the process of creation helps to show us that we're not alone when this happens to us, and gives us useful tools to overcome those troublesome areas of our musical development. Thanks for what you do!

You definitively are welcome to make more videos, Nahre - I enjoyed - Every. Single. One.

This video isn't only brilliant for musicians, also to non-musicians in real life. Fantastic insight - thank you so much!

Nahre, you really are a very good person. You're very kind hearted, very honest and you always give so much valuable information in your videos. I'm always learning so much from you. I'm so happy that I've discovered your videos few years ago. I'm very greatful to you for your work. God Bless You, Nahre.

As a French I usually understand more easily Brits than Americans, but your voice is so clear and so pleasant ! I can hear your videos in loop just for my pleasure. AND they are great!

Related to the fear of negative feedback/comments, it’s worth noting that you could be the most kind, loving, generous, saintly individual alive and there will still be people who, because of their own negative subconscious programing and self-loathing, will STILL find a (totally baseless) reason to hate you. You could be the single greatest musician of all time and you’ll still get people saying you suck, you’re overrated, they would have done it better and blah blah blah. A bright light attracts undesirable insects. We should never allow others to dim our light because most truly mean-spirited negative comments are really just reflections of that person’s own internal struggles with themselves. A mentally stable, emotionally mature person doesn’t leave cruel negative comments, they just let stuff slide and don’t allow petty things to disturb their inner peace.

Nahre: We LOVE you! For YOU and your music. You always act with courage and above all empathy and respect. You make it all 'relatable'. We are grateful that such a flower has bloomed in our midst.

Thank you so much for sharing. I subscribe to dozens of channels covering many topics and fields, and I can say confidently that yours is one of my favorites across the board. I appreciate how hard you work at this and the result is always worth watching. Take care, Cheers.

For my very first recital, I was 10 or 11 years old and had to play the first movement of Moonlight Sonata. I was the last performance, and nobody told me where the bathroom was. I almost peed my pants while waiting, but finally got someone to show me the way to the bathroom just before my performance. I literally had to run there and back, so I had an extra dose of adrenaline. After 3 or 4 measures, I forgot the piece and had to signal to my teacher for the sheet music. Once I had the sheet music and performed the piece, I got a standing ovation, but the experience leading up to that point was so terrible I decided not to perform again. Between then and becoming an adult, I performed just 3 or 4 times, and never again in an unfamiliar place. I still cringe thinking about it 20 years later, but it has so far been the only truly bad performance experience.

I love this video! It reveals-and answers so much. Thank you for sharing! Keep up the great work. You are very inspiring!

Great video. I like the point about presenting vs sharing. It really does change the perspective on the purpose of outputting things, whether it's music, a video, opinion in a discussion, etc. and making the goal to simply just share. How others feels about it is up to them and the goal shouldn't be to control that.

Congrats for 500k subs!! You really do deserve it!!

So happy to have been watching your content since the beginning of 2020, and so much love for your KZfaq/ career/ self- journey 💛💛💛

I'm always so impressed with how humble you seem to be Nahre, particularly when you're such an incredibly accomplished pianist. Thanks again for sharing your vulnerability. It is a most welcome thing these days! 🤗✌

Great job with those push ups! You are killing it! As a jazz musician nothing boosts my self confidence as having an environment where I can play loud and not worry about making mistakes. That can be one or multiple friends I enjoy playing with. Also if all other aspects of life are going well I'm a lot less self conscious and therefore play better. I never successfully channeled bad feelings into good music!

Congratulations on 5K subscribers. I truly believe yours is the best music channel on KZfaq. One million subscribers is just around the corner!

Love this video Nahre, it’s very honest and reassuring. I also just came across your video on 2-5-1 practice exercises, just when I’d recently started creating some myself!

Before a gig I always try to imagine the job going great. Instead of thinking of all that can go wrong….I try to visualize myself playing well and enjoying the process. I also imagine that I am already on the gig when I am home practicing so when I get there it’s no longer a new venture. Great channel and incredibly useful advise here. 😎. Much love

Great advice, and its helpful beyond music performance. In my work I'm regularly graded on my performance, and I always feel that anxiety when I know I'm being watched. Visualise a positive result as you prepare and amplify the positive feedback.Thank you, Nahre!

I'm not a musician, BUT this video was still helpful to me, I struggle with anxiety and procrastination about starting a new thing or working on/starting a project, so your tips can be modified so they can apply to other hobbies or projects other than music. So thank you for this, it has inspired me to get out there and just try new things that I've wanted to, but have been nervous about.

This is one of my favorite videos of yours Nahre Sol. You’re talking about music but also about life in general, and in a vulnerable and heartfelt way that is very inspiring 😊

I love everything about this video. From a technical standpoint - the lighting, outfit changes 😄, sfx, graphics...I know how long that stuff takes, and it is much appreciated! And of course, the content and message is right on. Thanks so much for what you do!

Nahre, great video as always. And your pushup form is perfect despite the declaimer as a not-so-active person 😊

Very good tips thanks

Wow, nahre...this is soooo encouraging. I needed to hear this! Thank you for sharing these rich, rich thoughts.

Nahra, thank you for sharing. Always be yourself, and keep on keeping on.

Great video on a super important topic! Thank you! (and congrats on 500K of course!)

I’m a pianist in Hawaii and I adore your content and playing. Please know you videos have more inspirational impact than you know. We see you as supremely talented and hardworking in your craft. And we think you play beautifully and possess a coveted fluid piano technique. You’re adding so much value to the world through your content. Please keep them coming.

Great video on self-confidence Nahre. I am going to send this to a whole bunch of my musician friends and family.

I can just echo a lot of the comments here. I get so much out of your videos and being walked through the way you approach music. There was a point where I walked away from making music completely because I suffered from imposter syndrome to the nth degree. At this point in my life, I find approaching things with curiosity, joy and a sense of fun has opened up my music world again. You are certainly a part of that journey for me.

I enjoy your content very much. I feel like I've hit another plateau with my skill level and videos like these are an excellent boost to motivation. I especially agree with the concept of changing your perspective when met with difficulty. I personally enjoy meditation a lot and it has made this part of the practice routine easier for me. The term headspace is a bit corny given that it's a name of a meditation related product but I feel like it describes the effects of meditation quite well. Your head often feels like a cramped space where everything is stuck in place and it's hard to navigate and rearrange things. To me meditation helps to create a neutral zone in the mind where one can look at things "normally" and manipulate them in an easier way. Thoughts feel freer, there's more "room" so to speak. Implementing a preparation involving meditation before practising the piano has eased some of those mental blockades on certain difficult passages of music I've been struggling with. I also listen better after meditating. Thanks again for the wonderful content.

Thank you very much for this, not only performers but also composers should practice this! :)

you constantly articulate and share the exact on the nose mental & physical & practical techniques & thoughts & solutions to every internal and external roadblock that I’ve struggled with for the past 20 years. endlessly appreciative of what you do and how you do it.

Keep doing your thing, Nahre. We are listening and learning right along with you. I hope you are feeling that positive vibe.

Hi Nahre. The "how to sound like X composer" is actually one of my favorite series of videos on your channel! I really enjoy how you condense the composers different styles into some keywords that succintly and successfully encapsulate their music. That is literally and metaphorically "music to my ears". 😂 All the best and thank you for sharing this!😊

Your animations are amazing!

The timing of this video was perfect. Thanks for sharing, Nahre. 👍🏼

Thank you, I needed that. 🙏 So very good to hear both personal and musical integrity shared.

Music is an avocation rather than a vocation for me, as a scientist (astronomer). But it seems to me these practices apply to almost any creative endeavor. Thanks for articulating them so clearly and persuasively. More importantly, congratulations on passing the 500k subscriber milestone-well-earned! I've been a subscriber for much of that climb, and have enjoyed and learned from so many of your videos. -Tom

Exercising is great, but sometimes I feel musicians can injure themselves and that can hinder their performance. How do you protect your hands, wrists, fingers etc? Also congrats on 500k!!

Fantastic topic! Very helpful. I'm old now and I have been a musician for all my life. It was very different back when I was young. I would have needed a good teacher and I never found one. "Play what is written there and learn your scales and arpeggios!" was what I did for eight years. I found it extremely boring and begged for someone to explain stuff to me and teach me something else than uninteresting Sonatinas. There was this myth about super talented people who find out everything by themselves: super complex jazz voicings, gorgeous improvisation with fluidity.... I struggled like crazy and jazz records didn't help. Toom many notes and too fast. I did find out a ton on my own, just enough to become a professional musician, but without a great teacher I never got there where I felt confident. Eventually I found the information and it was confirmed: I would have needed that decades earlier. Now I'm a piano teacher and I help my students by spicing up the repertoire with nice tunes of their choice, also explaining the "what and why". I have nothing but praise for Berklee, Boston. I did one of their first online course programs way back in 2005-2007. Unfortunately no piano courses or degrees back then, but that changed meanwhile. If I had the money, I would take the most complete piano online course available. You must study, but studying without knowing exactly what and how from a competent and trusted source, you go nowhere. Thanks for doing this. Love you playing and your great personality!

If I may also share - The biggest and most recent boost to my confidence around creativity (working with my voice coach) has been to train myself to listen more closely to and connect with my own sense of satisfaction and use this as a guide as to whether something is 'finished' or good enough. I find this has made me feel less anxious about getting things ' right' and, I believe , helping my performances to be more natural and (ironically) enjoyable to others. Loving your videos and appreciate your courage around vulnerability - thank you