Dear Dr. Boyd, I am an adult student. I’ve been playing for 3+ years and I just came across your videos. Thank you so much for posting. These have become very helpful, especially the ones referring to how to practice and how to avoid mistakes when practicing. I look forward to more of your posts.
Merci. I had a visit from my nephew, who was a Youth Orchestra Saxophone player. We managed to schedule two sessions where he helped me with playing piano, feeling music and singing. I find it difficult to find the right pitch, so I'm going to incorporate the Rule of the Octave by parts into my singing routine. When I have the tonic, I can find the seventh and the second. After that is practicing on the third and the fifth. His tips were invaluable. BTW he was also encouraging my choice to go back to Book 1 of my method books and really learn musicality and the pulse. It's something I neglected as I rushed to tackle more difficult pieces. I will be able to offer a Birthday Cake to my brother (musician) on his big day. Maybe I'll get the Mouse to sing also.
I am glad your nephew was helpful to you and that you've taken effective, practical steps towards musical success! Best of luck to you, and happy practicing! 😊👏🏻
When I got my hybrid piano a year ago, I had a hard time getting used to having to hit a start button and wait for the instrument to "wake up" before playing. Now I use that 60 seconds to sit and center. I've been surprised at the shift that one little habit has made in the quality of my practice sessions! ;-)
Firstly, thanks so much for these videos - they are so insightful and helpful. Secondly, and sorry if I missed it, but could you explain a little by how you keep your practice journal (e.g. what do you note down)?
i'm trying not to convinced myself that i'm probably one of the lucky once learning piano....everything seems to be in sync and no distraction - fully focus....i do my technical exercises first for warm-ups and then my repertoire....doing Chopin etudes in my second year of constant playing....since i'm self-taught, never use metronome and never worry about sight reading....my only hurdles is memorizing music - just don't have that talent of playing by ear...and my other bad habits is i don't follow music score's dynamic....i do my own interpretation....when i listening to some youtube pianist, i can tell if the person is an entertainer or a concert pianist....i've been watching some of your videos....it seems that i'm on the right path - thank you
Dear Dr. Boyd, I'm an adult student age 71. I'm studying the piano for several reasons; first I really enjoy classical music, and I really enjoy playing it. Secondly, at my age it is very advantageous to have something which is mentally stimulating, keeping me mentally sharp. Finally, I was the primary caretaker for my wife, who had Alzheimer's disease, and my practice sessions were a welcome break, where I could focus on myself and the music. I think your videos are very helpful, but they seem to be oriented toward a person who is studying the piano to become a more professional musician. For example, you speak about planning your practice to reach a performance level at a specific time. I don't have these constraints. I am not very interested in performing, except, perhaps, for my friends and family on an informal basis. I'm retired and abhor schedules. How would you change your practice hints to address a person who is studying the piano for the pure enjoyment of playing it?
Thank you so much for your question. That's wonderful that you are playing for recreation and that piano playing has helped you! I teach piano at the university level (undergraduate and graduate piano majors) and so the videos I make are videos that my university students can watch and benefit from. Frequently I will be in a lesson and then refer to a video I made so they can get additional instruction. While many of the things I share are applicable to all pianists, regardless of their age, level, or ambition, you are correct that not all of my practice tips will apply to somebody who is not preparing for auditions or competitions. If you don't have an interest in performing, then you can just choose pieces and work on them at your leisure, without worrying about achieving a specific benchmark by a specific time. However, I have noticed that even for adult amateurs who don't have exams, competitions, or scheduled performances (like my university piano students do), it is helpful for many to set goals, so you feel a sense of progress. That's something a teacher can also help with, because you have a weekly lesson and then prepare over the week for the next one, and in that way it's a performance goal of its own. But there's nothing wrong with just playing the piano for yourself, for pure enjoyment, and not adhering to a plan or setting goals. Good luck to you and I wish you continued enjoyment at the piano!
Your videos are so great. Thank you so much. I think your point on the mindfulness is so important but at the same time I also wonder if it's not also the goal, at some stage of the piece, to let it inspire us and see which thoughts it triggers... So maybe we want to have our thoughts wander but not too much... ;) As a pianist, may I suggest 2 things that I would love for you to cover, one technical and one more musical, thanks for your consideration: 1) I struggle so much when there are sequences of playing two notes with the same hand without them sounding like they're not together. It really frustrates me in the Consolation n°3 by Liszt where there's plenty of those in the right hand! 2) I think a lot about "bringing emotions" to the piece and I did watch your part on how to play expressively. It seems like there is a set of conventions (like in 4:4 we want to have 1 beat louder than 3rd louder than 2 and 4, we also want the parts where there's a modulation or a key change to stand out). But at the same time it looks like the expectation is also to project ourselves in the piece and see what it makes us feel. I think these two visions can sometimes conflict. And sometimes piano teachers expect us to invest ourselves in the piece yet they don't really like our version because "this note sounds louder but it shouldn't if you really think about it". I would love to have your thoughts on that. Anyway, thank you so much for your videos, they are very inspiring!
Wow, these are really great questions! Thanks so much for raising these. I think a lot of people struggle with exactly what you mention here. I suppose my "short" answer to number 2 would be to say that there are stylistic conventions you want to observe if you're playing in a certain style period (e.g., the difference between playing Bach (Baroque), Mozart (Classical) and Liszt (Romantic)). There is a certain way of playing that makes these works recognizably BY those composers - e.g., you wouldn't use a lot of long pedals in Bach but it would sound strange to play Liszt with very little pedal. And so if somebody hears you play it, they would be able to say "Oh yeah, that sounds like Bach (or whoever)." And this also applies to questions of how you approach things on the page - attention to articulation, dynamics, note lengths, etc: all things that the composers wrote in the score. But depending on the style period and composer, the markings in the music mean slightly different things. It's sort of like learning a language - you can learn the words, but you also want to learn the accent and how to pronounce things correctly in that language. The same vowel can have a slightly different sound in a different language, and it's important to understand and be able to replicate the difference. So, in answer to your question about interpretation and FEELING the music, it is all in the context of the historical style, the composition, and what the composer wrote on the page. In that way, we are more like actors than, say, painters, because we have to take the script we are given (the score), look at it carefully, and then interpret it by allowing the music to stir emotions in us while also following the intentions of the composer. I hope this is helpful - it's sort of a complicated idea for just a YT comment 😂 but those are my initial thoughts....
@@ThePianoProfKateBoyd Thanks so much for your reply. This is gold!! I like your version, it makes the part of "putting emotions in a piece" more rational, and I quite like it. I am not so sure I always understand what is expected of me when I hear "oh for this part you should feel sadness and I should be able to hear that". But your thoughts on the historical context and how they shed light on the interpretation of the piece make a lot of sense and maybe this is a first step to making progress! I like the analogy with language, and I think probably the point is that at some point to understand writers, we need to understand the culture, the historical time, like we did in highschool when we analysed texts... Same in music. It's so interesting and I would love to do a music undergrad just to do this more! Really love your videos, thank you so much for this work. I look forward to the next ones ;)
FLOW! I had to read a book about FLOW in university in Piano. I did not get much other than what I was assigned to do was not putting me in FLOW, but rather frustraition!! Maybe I will reading The Posative Pianist.
What happens to me is that when I’m practicing I start mixing different parts of the peaces I need to master so I don’t focus on one but just jumping around those
You might find this helpful, where I go over how to practice more systematically. I apply it to a new piece but you can use these principles for a piece that you have already been working on for a while: th-cam.com/video/3pdFYAGJk1o/w-d-xo.html
Have any developmental neuropsychologists or other shown that 2- and 3-year-old prodigies follow all 7 of these rules when they touch the keyboard for the very first time?
![How to Improve Your Left Hand ACCURACY and SPEED [7 Tips!]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/3F0_XC5euyY/mqdefault.jpg)
Watch next: 8 Simple Habits to Become a Better Pianist 🎹 th-cam.com/video/ToCZ_jT4SJg/w-d-xo.html
Dear Dr. Boyd, I am an adult student. I’ve been playing for 3+ years and I just came across your videos. Thank you so much for posting. These have become very helpful, especially the ones referring to how to practice and how to avoid mistakes when practicing. I look forward to more of your posts.
Thanks! I'm so glad you the videos helpful! I really appreciate you taking the time to leave a comment. Good luck with your continued progress!
"Nobody will protect your practice time, you have to do that for yourself." So true!
I play a different instrument but this is great advice for all musicians. Thank you!
Merci.
I had a visit from my nephew, who was a Youth Orchestra Saxophone player. We managed to schedule two sessions where he helped me with playing piano, feeling music and singing.
I find it difficult to find the right pitch, so I'm going to incorporate the Rule of the Octave by parts into my singing routine. When I have the tonic, I can find the seventh and the second. After that is practicing on the third and the fifth. His tips were invaluable.
BTW he was also encouraging my choice to go back to Book 1 of my method books and really learn musicality and the pulse. It's something I neglected as I rushed to tackle more difficult pieces. I will be able to offer a Birthday Cake to my brother (musician) on his big day. Maybe I'll get the Mouse to sing also.
I am glad your nephew was helpful to you and that you've taken effective, practical steps towards musical success! Best of luck to you, and happy practicing! 😊👏🏻
Thank you for your generous advice ❤
When I got my hybrid piano a year ago, I had a hard time getting used to having to hit a start button and wait for the instrument to "wake up" before playing. Now I use that 60 seconds to sit and center. I've been surprised at the shift that one little habit has made in the quality of my practice sessions! ;-)
Thanks for sharing! Great insight!
I read “The Musician’s Way” last year. Excellent book! I highly recommend it. Thanks for this video!😊
I love that book - glad you liked it too!
Firstly, thanks so much for these videos - they are so insightful and helpful. Secondly, and sorry if I missed it, but could you explain a little by how you keep your practice journal (e.g. what do you note down)?
Strike that (the part about the journal), I found your video on this! Thanks again :)
Glad you found it! I'm also thinking of making another one sometime soon. Stay tuned....
Great advice as always! Thank you!
Excellent tips. I wish I had a way to have this pop up on my screen every couple weeks as a refresher! Thanks so much!
Thanks! Good luck!
Thank you for your advice.
Now I am reading musician'sway in japanese.
That's great!
i'm trying not to convinced myself that i'm probably one of the lucky once learning piano....everything seems to be in sync and no distraction - fully focus....i do my technical exercises first for warm-ups and then my repertoire....doing Chopin etudes in my second year of constant playing....since i'm self-taught, never use metronome and never worry about sight reading....my only hurdles is memorizing music - just don't have that talent of playing by ear...and my other bad habits is i don't follow music score's dynamic....i do my own interpretation....when i listening to some youtube pianist, i can tell if the person is an entertainer or a concert pianist....i've been watching some of your videos....it seems that i'm on the right path - thank you
This is wonderful, thank you for sharing! Happy practicing! 😊
Dear Dr. Boyd, I'm an adult student age 71. I'm studying the piano for several reasons; first I really enjoy classical music, and I really enjoy playing it. Secondly, at my age it is very advantageous to have something which is mentally stimulating, keeping me mentally sharp. Finally, I was the primary caretaker for my wife, who had Alzheimer's disease, and my practice sessions were a welcome break, where I could focus on myself and the music. I think your videos are very helpful, but they seem to be oriented toward a person who is studying the piano to become a more professional musician. For example, you speak about planning your practice to reach a performance level at a specific time. I don't have these constraints. I am not very interested in performing, except, perhaps, for my friends and family on an informal basis. I'm retired and abhor schedules. How would you change your practice hints to address a person who is studying the piano for the pure enjoyment of playing it?
Thank you so much for your question. That's wonderful that you are playing for recreation and that piano playing has helped you!
I teach piano at the university level (undergraduate and graduate piano majors) and so the videos I make are videos that my university students can watch and benefit from. Frequently I will be in a lesson and then refer to a video I made so they can get additional instruction.
While many of the things I share are applicable to all pianists, regardless of their age, level, or ambition, you are correct that not all of my practice tips will apply to somebody who is not preparing for auditions or competitions.
If you don't have an interest in performing, then you can just choose pieces and work on them at your leisure, without worrying about achieving a specific benchmark by a specific time. However, I have noticed that even for adult amateurs who don't have exams, competitions, or scheduled performances (like my university piano students do), it is helpful for many to set goals, so you feel a sense of progress. That's something a teacher can also help with, because you have a weekly lesson and then prepare over the week for the next one, and in that way it's a performance goal of its own.
But there's nothing wrong with just playing the piano for yourself, for pure enjoyment, and not adhering to a plan or setting goals. Good luck to you and I wish you continued enjoyment at the piano!
Your videos are so great. Thank you so much. I think your point on the mindfulness is so important but at the same time I also wonder if it's not also the goal, at some stage of the piece, to let it inspire us and see which thoughts it triggers... So maybe we want to have our thoughts wander but not too much... ;)
As a pianist, may I suggest 2 things that I would love for you to cover, one technical and one more musical, thanks for your consideration:
1) I struggle so much when there are sequences of playing two notes with the same hand without them sounding like they're not together. It really frustrates me in the Consolation n°3 by Liszt where there's plenty of those in the right hand!
2) I think a lot about "bringing emotions" to the piece and I did watch your part on how to play expressively. It seems like there is a set of conventions (like in 4:4 we want to have 1 beat louder than 3rd louder than 2 and 4, we also want the parts where there's a modulation or a key change to stand out). But at the same time it looks like the expectation is also to project ourselves in the piece and see what it makes us feel. I think these two visions can sometimes conflict. And sometimes piano teachers expect us to invest ourselves in the piece yet they don't really like our version because "this note sounds louder but it shouldn't if you really think about it". I would love to have your thoughts on that.
Anyway, thank you so much for your videos, they are very inspiring!
Wow, these are really great questions! Thanks so much for raising these. I think a lot of people struggle with exactly what you mention here.
I suppose my "short" answer to number 2 would be to say that there are stylistic conventions you want to observe if you're playing in a certain style period (e.g., the difference between playing Bach (Baroque), Mozart (Classical) and Liszt (Romantic)). There is a certain way of playing that makes these works recognizably BY those composers - e.g., you wouldn't use a lot of long pedals in Bach but it would sound strange to play Liszt with very little pedal. And so if somebody hears you play it, they would be able to say "Oh yeah, that sounds like Bach (or whoever)."
And this also applies to questions of how you approach things on the page - attention to articulation, dynamics, note lengths, etc: all things that the composers wrote in the score. But depending on the style period and composer, the markings in the music mean slightly different things.
It's sort of like learning a language - you can learn the words, but you also want to learn the accent and how to pronounce things correctly in that language. The same vowel can have a slightly different sound in a different language, and it's important to understand and be able to replicate the difference.
So, in answer to your question about interpretation and FEELING the music, it is all in the context of the historical style, the composition, and what the composer wrote on the page. In that way, we are more like actors than, say, painters, because we have to take the script we are given (the score), look at it carefully, and then interpret it by allowing the music to stir emotions in us while also following the intentions of the composer.
I hope this is helpful - it's sort of a complicated idea for just a YT comment 😂 but those are my initial thoughts....
@@ThePianoProfKateBoyd Thanks so much for your reply. This is gold!! I like your version, it makes the part of "putting emotions in a piece" more rational, and I quite like it. I am not so sure I always understand what is expected of me when I hear "oh for this part you should feel sadness and I should be able to hear that". But your thoughts on the historical context and how they shed light on the interpretation of the piece make a lot of sense and maybe this is a first step to making progress! I like the analogy with language, and I think probably the point is that at some point to understand writers, we need to understand the culture, the historical time, like we did in highschool when we analysed texts... Same in music. It's so interesting and I would love to do a music undergrad just to do this more!
Really love your videos, thank you so much for this work. I look forward to the next ones ;)
FLOW! I had to read a book about FLOW in university in Piano. I did not get much other than what I was assigned to do was not putting me in FLOW, but rather frustraition!!
Maybe I will reading The Posative Pianist.
I like The Positive Pianist because it adapts the principles of FLOW to piano playing, and it's quite applicable and readable. Hope you like it!
@@ThePianoProfKateBoyd Thank you! I look forward to getting meca copy.
What happens to me is that when I’m practicing I start mixing different parts of the peaces I need to master so I don’t focus on one but just jumping around those
You might find this helpful, where I go over how to practice more systematically. I apply it to a new piece but you can use these principles for a piece that you have already been working on for a while: th-cam.com/video/3pdFYAGJk1o/w-d-xo.html
Have any developmental neuropsychologists or other shown that 2- and 3-year-old prodigies follow all 7 of these rules when they touch the keyboard for the very first time?