**UPDATE** More than 500,000 views!? I am both humbled and excited to encourage and inspire so many of you!🙏 Thank you so much!! Here are some answers for the usual comments: - Song #5 is "Bourrée in D minor" (Christoph Graupner) - The app I used in this video is Flowkey. - I have a new electric piano! A friend of mine will move and no longer needed the family's Casio PX-500L. It has weighted keys, and I have a sustain pedal. - If you cringe at the bad posture in the video, my friend also gave me the stand and bench for the keyboard, so I can now play with a proper position. - If you are also thinking about learning to play the piano, you should check out Matthew Cawood's reaction video on my progress. He has a lot of helpful points, along with other good content on his channel to nudge you in the right direction on your journey! th-cam.com/video/j10yuaJiwvs/w-d-xo.htmlsi=6piSZ2IWnDCXDuyC Again, thank you so much for the support and kind words! I am practicing piano every day and I hope to have more videos soon! Please also look forward to other videos I will make about hobbies and Japan!
@@siamakzahmat Right now, I am only learning songs by reading sheet music and a few tutorial videos I find on TH-cam. Flowkey is good overall, but here's my pros and cons for it: + Good lessons for beginners, with explanations of musical notation, finger positioning, etc. + Lots of songs in the musical library, covering a lot of different genres. + Many songs have at least 2 versions for beginner, intermediate, advanced, and pro difficulties + Each song and lesson has videos showing hand placement. + Affordable price - Need more lessons for intermediate and advanced players - Only shows about 4 measures of music, which scrolls across the screen as you play. No option to show more on the screen, and no option to print the sheet music. (Maybe it's different now) There may be a better website/app for you. Flowkey normally has a 1-week trial, so you can try it out and see if you like it.
As an adult-learner for a few years I've got a few points to adress; 1. Your keaybord is way too high versus your body. Lower arm should be about 90 degrees angle to the lower arm. Otherwise you too many muscles constantly strained to keep your hands up like this, which will hinder and halt your progress later on. 2. Keyboard is a road to nowhere. The keys are too light to learn proper technique. Digital pianos with weighted keyboard are also bad, because they are often overweighted to make sound control easier, but this makes faster pieces virtually impossible to play without tendon injury so you before you pick a weighted keyboard you need to compare it to a real acoustic piano and buy just as light or cut the weights if you already have one. 3. Self-teaching is also a road to nowhere in long term. To learn to play you need a teacher who is very observant and focuses on muscle control. Otherwise you either hit a wall and stop progressing or suffer hand injuries after a while. It may be even pointless to try playing even simpliest pieces before learning basics of finger control. A natural reaction is to press the key, which is a way to nowhere again, since it engages too many muscles, hindering control and straining hand muscles. The correct technique is a split-second impulse if just one muscle to make a finger hit the key, but the moment it touches a key every single muscle in your hand should already be completely loose and the finger should only keep going down from pendulum. Same if you're holding a key. It should not be a player holding the key, but sole weight of relaxed finger keeping it down.
@@piotrmalewski8178 As you can read in the comment with my update, I've gotten a new keyboard with weighted keys, a stand, and a bench. Thank you for the pointers that others can learn from, though!
Always love to see authentic videos. I am sick and tired of show offs and scripted videos. This brings me back to early days where I was in an Internet cafe to watch random YT videos.
This video reminds of few things 1. Consistency is the key to anything. 2. Practise makes anyone perfect. 3. Age is just a number. Great work there. It inspires people like me to go beyond the limits. All the best ❤
Of course age isn't just a number. That's a really popular, but ultimately deeply flawed position to hold. If you learn as a 3 year old, you are much, much more adaptive and able to learn than if you are an adult. It's the same thing with language. Can you learn as an adult? Sure! But you will most likely never achieve the level that someone who learns as a child does. Do you know why there are no 40 years olds in the NBA? Because age matters... The same reason we shouldn't have children presidents.
1 - yes, 2 - well, maybe, but this is still very basic pieces and robotic playing. That's not a diss, for 200 hours he's doing very well... it's just that 200 hours ultimately isn't that much. "Perfection" needs about 10000 hours of dedicated practice. 3 - well... ya know. There's some advantages to being older/more experienced at life, but learning completely new things gets harder.
As a professional musician and someone who taught for many years I just want to point out that this person had some previous musical experience. Don’t want anyone to be discouraged if day 1 doesn’t look like this for you ❤
Definitely! Hopefully they read my video description. Anyone who is learning a musical instrument for the very first time should expect a slower start.
I'm 34, and it's like one my life goals to learn the piano. When my daughter becomes a teen and starts shying from her parents. That's when I'll have time on my hands. This is exactly what I plan to do!
That is exactly my plan, I am finishing up my masters in December and I just got myself a piano to begin learning. Congratulations on your masters and all the fun ahead learning the piano!
That is a toy keyboard. Not only does it not support a sustain pedal, but the note lengths are fixed. Even holding down the key doesn't let it sustain.
Your seat is too low!!! Arms should be parallel to the floor. Please change this or you will develop wrist pain and complications!!! Thanks and keep going ❤️ love the traditional Japanese songs, very beautiful
You can put something under the chair so it's a bit higher, or one of those X-shaped keyboard stands, they aren't very expensive, also it will make playing piano more comfortable, you'll progress faster with a more comfortable position
Music teacher here--This is one of the first realistic one year's progress i've seen. Kudos! I think this is great given the time devoted to practice over a year. One thing I noticed that will serve you well- sometimes beginners have a habit of playing songs at uneven paces playing the easier parts fast and the difficult parts much slower. You manage to keep a nice steady pace throughout, even if it's a bit slow at times. The right pace to play a song is the pace you can play it at where it's consistent and where you can play accurately. It's sort of like weight lifting in that it's much better for development to lift at lower weights if your form is correct. Again, great job here!
Yes! I get so annoyed with videos where people who practice a "year" can play Clair de Lune with perfect nuance and form. It sets completely unrealistic expectations.
The hard parts are where the learning is. If you attack those parts with consistent, determined practice to make them the strongest parts of the piece, (I have to memorize nearly everything to get that level of accuracy) -- you will undoubtedly grow as a pianist.
As someone who played for nearly 20 years I have to disagree. Playing one consistent pace might be more effective. But playing the Parts you allready know in your desired pace makes it more fun and boosts your ego which overall will make you more consitent in practicing Piano regulary
@@KyleinJapan I recommend the Yamaha P series. I don't know your budget, but I've got a Yamaha P-515 and it's great. I've also heard that the Yamaha P-125 is good for its price range.
Oh man, so refreshing to see an actual realistic video of piano progress. Most videos fake it where they say "I've been studying piano for 2 weeks and I can play Beethoven's moonlight Sonata 3rd movement now!"
Thanks! I thought about letting a beard keep growing for the year to add to the video's authenticity, but my wife would not have wanted anything to do with that! Maybe if I ever commit to another skill for a year.
I practiced the intro to Pink Floyd’s song Wish You Were Here in guitar for a month, and I succeeded in making my entire family hate the most fabulous song ever written! :(
Don't worry, they'll like it a year later. I started playing guitar a decade back, and the first song I learned was also Wish You Were Here! Keep working on it. Soon, they will be very proud of your playing😊
Taking nothing away from the achievement, this isn't astounding at all except for the dedication and discipline. Anyone can do this! The dedication, however, is exceptional and admirable. It's hard as an adult to commit to learning difficult new skills.
That was one of the song that got me back into piano. I took lessons all through childhood but quit and after a while I just wanted to learn that song so I picked it up again. It's a great one
Excellent progress for a 1 year beginner. Bach's Prelude in C is a level 5 piece, you should be proud of yourself! I've read the other comments, so I was hoping to offer something the others haven't. Now that you have developed your mechanical skill at physically playing the keyboard a fair bit, perhaps you may want to look at delving into music theory more. It's not required to play, but it will help you understand musical relationships and over time it will help with learning and acquisition of new pieces because you'll start learning common patterns that are made by musicians. Apart from that, it's quite helpful for someone to just say the name of a chord that might not be as commonplace in everyday playing and you know where on the keyboard to play it (Eg Ab 6/9 or Cm7b5). Keep up the great work Kyle
We play pieces we like whether it's level 1 or 5. Composers didn't write pieces for specific conservatory levels. Many years after the pieces were composed, teachers & music institutes assign levels to pieces. We're not limited to playing pieces at our level. Bach Prelude in C isn't really difficult as a level 5 piece. My teacher assigned it as a level 3 piece with the Clementi Sonatina #1 in C and Minuet in G from the "Notebook for Anna M Bach" since most of it is just repetitions. Many beginner students would play the Prelude in C by itself without the C minor that comes after. If you include the C minor, the level would be higher.
Is Bach Prelude in C really a level 5 piece (genuine question)? I've been playing for 8 months and probably around grade 2 or 3, but I'm looking at the Bach piece and it seems easier than some of the stuff I've played recently.
@@avez-ch1np It's the person above who said Bach's Prelude in C is a level 5 piece. I said that my teacher assigned it as a level 3 piece. Don't think it's any higher than a level 3 because it's mostly repetitions.
Boy ain't that the truth! Theory opens up a whole new world, it lets you be able to improvise, play pop pieces for fun, and learn classical more easily as that music is full of theory. Also having a piano with a beautiful tone is essential, IMO, I have a 7' grand piano that i have dragged around for years, but I would never let it go, it is an integral part of my life and has a rich, beautiful sound.
I'm 46, been taking piano lesson every week for the last year from scratch. I've been learning Nina Simone's 'My baby just cares for me' and I love it! Taking piano lesson has improved my life!
Yes! Doing some kind of hobby like this does really help us relieve stress, feel better about accomplishing something, take pleasure in sharing with others.
hehe...I just happened to see your comment and laughed. Hey, hang in there and keep practicing. My voice was rather lousy/mediocre years ago, but then I finally simply practiced a lot on my own and tried to break out of my stage fright by forcing myself to join the church choir, where they asked me to solo, and it improved steadily, giving me a lot of pleasure. That was ten years ago, and I did take a couple of almost two year breaks along the way where I hardly sang and certainly didn't practice...but started back about six months ago and, however my voice really is, am singing my best ever. Decent practice in anything--and consistency--really does pay off. ... But, I realize you might have been completely kidding about singing for your wife...and certainly were about her divorcing you, even IF you did that and it was bad. Anyway, there's always juggling! Take care. 🙂
I was super impressed for a years worth of progress! Your internal tempo is really solid and you clearly have a good pacing for learning a new song. One thing I would recommend is having the piano a lot lower, your elbows being angled so high up puts your wrists/fingers in a less natural position playing!
Thank you! I tried improvising some sort of boost in my seat, but couldn't find anything right in our home. Now that my wife knows about my secret, I'm looking into getting a new keyboard to have a more proper posture.
You did a Brilliant job! I just bought a keyboard for my son in Black Friday but he refuse to have a formal practice everyday. I decided to practice myself and show him the importance of practicing.
Great job! I've played piano for 35 years and given lessons for 20. It always does my heart good to see someone new take up this wonderful and rewarding instrument. You've inspired me to actually produce my own music for my TH-cam channel. Thanks for a great video and for the inspiration.
Yeah, that was my first big challenge. If you check out the video of the final 3 songs in full (link in the description), I was pumped up when I finished that one!
Omg I have wanted to learn To Zanardkan for like 15 years but haven’t ever gone through with learning anything past the intro. I’m a solid musician (good drummer, decent guitarist) but haven’t had any lessons on piano, so I just have horrible technique and have no fluidity. I’m inspired.
It's possible, though I wouldn't start with "To Zanarkand." You need to gain the fundamental skills first and work your way up. If you play the guitar, then you've got a head start with being able to use both hands. I say go for it!
Ha, I had the same thing happen at 42 this year... Daughter is still half trying to learn, but I took it on and ran with it and am playing at a intermediate / pre-advanced level with some determination and hard work. Definitely never should feel like you're too old to try something new, never know when you'll stumble on something that interests you and betters yourself!
Show those young ones how it's done! And yes, you're never too old! I'm also working on something else that I plan to show next month--something that years ago I would have laughed at the notion of doing.
Congrats! This made me smile as my son (late teens then) decided during the covid lockdowns that he wanted to learn how to play Piano Man. No idea why that one lol. He did as you did, with an app, but with nothing else much to do he’d practice for hours. We already knew he was gifted in guitar thanks to his teacher but it turns out he may be just generally musically blessed. Within a month or two he managed Piano Man and moved on to Beethoven. Meanwhile, here’s me, half proud as punch and the other half mad because I took lessons for fourteen years and he was at my level in under six months 😂. I still hear him play both piano and guitar nearly every day.
Bravo! Seriously I mean BRAVO! 'The Entertainer' shows genuine progress and I can't cheer you on enough! Keep it up and YOU will become an entertainer yourself! In fact you are well on your way. When I was a teenager I tried the self instructed approach and after a year I wasn't much past the 'Mary had a little lamb' stage. Frankly I wasn't given much encouragement. In our tiny house with a family of five in it, in order to keep from getting shut down altogether I had to use headphones so no one else would have to put up with my fumbling. That was 60 years ago and it still stings when I recall it.
I started very similar to you. I am now 2.5 years learning, but with a teacher. If you really like the instrument, getting a good teacher will be the best you can do. Now it is my passion and I am commited to learn for the rest of my life. It is a wonderful hobby. Congrats!
I've been learning for 7 months so far. I've come a long way (relative to what is a long way for ME). You were good from the start! I have struggled but man, do I love it! I will continue. Your playing is beautiful. I'm just learning The Entertainer now.
Thank you! As I mentioned, I took some lessons as a child, and playing guitar for so many years surely helped me to use both hands. If you've been learning for 7 months, then I'm sure you can keep going! Good luck with your progress!
Your level of discipline is inspiring! Great progress. The piano is a beautiful instrument, but you have outgrown the one you have. Gear is absolutely not everything, but man are you going to love the day you treat yourself with an upgrade :)
Thank you! A friend of mine gave me a Casio that he no longer needed, with weighted keys, a sustain pedal, stand and bench. Yes! It's much more satisfying to play! I would still like to get something nicer. Maybe some day...
Holy moly! I just started playing not long ago and no joke, my whole end goal is to learn To Zanarkand!!!!! Such an inspirational video sinceI was totally surprised when that was your final song and you did it in a year. That really motivates me to keep going. Thanks!
Yup, that was my one-year goal (besides surprising my wife for our anniversary). It was really tough to get it perfect from start to finish. This is the video I learned it from. There may be a better one out there, but this guy did a good job of breaking up into good portions to learn one at a time. th-cam.com/video/iTHuKTMl2rg/w-d-xo.htmlsi=i_GH_HIuqpitgzyN Keep practicing, and thank you!
@ thanks for replying! I’ll definitely check that video out. I’ve really upped my practicing since the other day and maintained it. Keep it up yourself too. Sending my regards from 🇨🇦! ✌️
Thanks for sharing your video, an incentive to anyone starting out. I am 70 and also wanted to play piano many years ago, we purchased a keyboard for our son many years ago and he plays some lovely music. Now grown up and he has his Yamaha DGX630 at his house, so I have decided to get my own keyboard. Having spent a vast amount of time watching TH-cam and also visiting my local piano shops will be purchasing a Roland FP30x in the near future. Always subjective but it's sound quality and touch is great considering it's price point. 30min a day should be achievable, I do play my son's when I can but still an absolute beginner.
That's awesome you want to try at 70! In fact, I think everyone your age should take up one or two skills to keep flexing your mind and body as a means to stay "young" as long as you can! I think 30 minutes a day will be doable, but even if you miss a day or two, don't let it get you down! And some days if you feel like going another 15 or 30 minutes, that's even better!
Hello from the US, Kyle! Your channel just "randomly" popped up as a suggestion--& so, loving music & also just starting this month learning a lot more about Japan & attempted to teach the language to myself, I watched. Time sequences are almost always nice to see, & I particularly enjoyed your final comments & when you explained your main channel purpose--including the words at the bottom--to encourage others to expaned themselves & to help others (& I'll add, hopefully, animals & our fragile planet). I think what you did is commendable. It's hard to find--and force--the time as we age & have work responsibilities (& often families). I hope your wife appreciated your great efforts. One suggestion, if you don't mind...I too had lessons for about a year, also around age 8, & I took again around age 20 for about a year, but I really wish my parents had pushed me more to practice & continue when I was young--even for just two to three years so as to get to a decent level. I now wish I had a good ability with piano or guitar, & as an adult, it's harder to find the time for all of my interests--not to mention bill paying. 🙂 I sure understand that you don't want children to end up resenting something so special as music, and I can't say how I'd feel about it now had they "forced" me to take lessons & practice for a few years while I was young, but perhaps you can find a way to get your son back into it. I don't know what the stats say, but I'll be that most adults would say that they'd truly love to be able to play at least half-decently on at least one instrument. Also...I agree with what I saw another poster had written..."This is what TH-cam was meant to be!" There's so much violence, clickbait (In fact, I just unsubscribed to a channel to which I'd recently subscribed because of slandarous/libelous clickbait in an early video by the guy...and from the comments, several other people did too, fortunately. Integrity matters.), thumbnail AI (often misleading), socially disruptive, and simply inane or offensive stuff, that it's a pleasure to see a channel like yours that seeks to get people to enjoy life more, to improve themselves, and to "pay it forward". I subscribed and "thumbs up" and look forward to viewing more of your channel.
Thanks you for the support and encouraging words! My daughter (actually) has moved on to drums and seems to have a knack for it! She started junior high this year, along with joining their tennis club. Students in Japan normally have to go to school 5 days a week, with clubs meeting/practicing 5-6 days, so time management has been a challenge. With the new year coming, we're going to talk about a more regimented schedule, so I hope she'll practice enough to keep it with her through adulthood!
It very courageous to share after just 1 year. I’m 56 and have been practicing for 1 year too. Briefly tried piano software but a teacher is much more effective. They can immediately tell you the issue which needs to be worked out.
I live in Japan, but my Japanese probably isn't fluent enough yet to understand everything a teacher here would tell me. I'll ask around my social network and see if they know of someone who has experience teaching people like me.
@@KyleinJapanyou can very possibly find a teach who speaks English enough. Not THAT many words are needed. When I lived in Japan teaching English at a conversation school I took Shamisen lessons from someone taking English lessons there. They can adjust your wrists without words and demonstrate most things without much grammar in either language. You’re doing fine as you are though.
I personally used an app called "simply piano" to learn, that I was able to hook up via USB to the iPad. Highly recommend it, both from a learning standpoint and because it makes it fun and easy to play along with popular music at multiple skill levels for each song. It has really helped me to both learn, but also stay interested in playing because of the sort of "game" element. Now, I admittedly do have a background in playing drums at an advanced level and guitar at a sort of intermediate level, so it may not be the best option for someone who is brand new to an instrument, but it was an excellent course in my opinion, and tons of music to play along to. Downside was it required a subscription, but it was absolutely worth the cost to me.
God bless you my sweet friend. Your dedication and consistency is so admirable to see. Truly a motivation to many, and not to mention a wonderful and sweet gift to your wife as well. ☺️
Yes, that was the main reason I stopped using the Flowkey service. You can only see about 4 measures at one time on the screen. I'm using sheet music for most of my practice now.
Kyle, college piano tteacher here. You are sitting at least 2" too low. Please find a flat pillow to boost up and try also about 1" back further. You can also find a lower desk for the keyboard.
As a self-taught guitarist, I have mad respect for you. As a self thought gituarist myself I have crazy respect for you. A person with dedication to practice and not to give up is always someone who deserves our deepest respect. Keep on practicing my friend. You are awesome!
Self-taught is a problem. You waste a lot of time not knowing what/how to practice, sometimes not knowing errors or bad habits. A metronome is an absolute must for beginners. Much good advice below about weighted keys and sustain pedal. You also need music theory to understand what you are playing. It will make it easier. GOOD WORK
It depends on what he’s looking to get out of it. I am a self taught photographer and have won some local awards. I feel like I have a deeper understanding of the science and a more natural feel because I learned my way based on what I enjoyed. I don’t seek to be a professional photographer and I enjoy my hobby.
Yes. I was using our dining table and didn't have good books or something to boost my body up. Also, since it was a secret from my wife, I had to put everything away after I finished practicing each time.
I plan to get myself an electric piano for Christmas this year. I will be 27 around that time and I finished my Masters last year, so I feel it's finally time to get back to some of my hobbies and fulfilling some of my dreams. I got a few months of piano lessons when I was maybe 7 and when I didn't want to play anymore, no one tried to convince me otherwise. Since I was about 10, I regretted not learning to play. Next year will be the year when I want to do what you did!
The whole time I was listening and thinking the skills you were building would be perfect for playing To Zanarkand. I was so happy when that was the final song!
![Try to Beat me at Violin [🎻100 Violin Giveaway]](/img/n.gif)
**UPDATE** More than 500,000 views!? I am both humbled and excited to encourage and inspire so many of you!🙏 Thank you so much!!
Here are some answers for the usual comments:
- Song #5 is "Bourrée in D minor" (Christoph Graupner)
- The app I used in this video is Flowkey.
- I have a new electric piano! A friend of mine will move and no longer needed the family's Casio PX-500L. It has weighted keys, and I have a sustain pedal.
- If you cringe at the bad posture in the video, my friend also gave me the stand and bench for the keyboard, so I can now play with a proper position.
- If you are also thinking about learning to play the piano, you should check out Matthew Cawood's reaction video on my progress. He has a lot of helpful points, along with other good content on his channel to nudge you in the right direction on your journey! th-cam.com/video/j10yuaJiwvs/w-d-xo.htmlsi=6piSZ2IWnDCXDuyC
Again, thank you so much for the support and kind words! I am practicing piano every day and I hope to have more videos soon!
Please also look forward to other videos I will make about hobbies and Japan!
Great video, really inspirational!
Would you recommend Flowkey? Or do you have something else now?
@@siamakzahmat Right now, I am only learning songs by reading sheet music and a few tutorial videos I find on TH-cam.
Flowkey is good overall, but here's my pros and cons for it:
+ Good lessons for beginners, with explanations of musical notation, finger positioning, etc.
+ Lots of songs in the musical library, covering a lot of different genres.
+ Many songs have at least 2 versions for beginner, intermediate, advanced, and pro difficulties
+ Each song and lesson has videos showing hand placement.
+ Affordable price
- Need more lessons for intermediate and advanced players
- Only shows about 4 measures of music, which scrolls across the screen as you play. No option to show more on the screen, and no option to print the sheet music. (Maybe it's different now)
There may be a better website/app for you. Flowkey normally has a 1-week trial, so you can try it out and see if you like it.
@@KyleinJapan am doing bouree for exam 30min a day you doing good
As an adult-learner for a few years I've got a few points to adress;
1. Your keaybord is way too high versus your body. Lower arm should be about 90 degrees angle to the lower arm. Otherwise you too many muscles constantly strained to keep your hands up like this, which will hinder and halt your progress later on.
2. Keyboard is a road to nowhere. The keys are too light to learn proper technique. Digital pianos with weighted keyboard are also bad, because they are often overweighted to make sound control easier, but this makes faster pieces virtually impossible to play without tendon injury so you before you pick a weighted keyboard you need to compare it to a real acoustic piano and buy just as light or cut the weights if you already have one.
3. Self-teaching is also a road to nowhere in long term. To learn to play you need a teacher who is very observant and focuses on muscle control. Otherwise you either hit a wall and stop progressing or suffer hand injuries after a while. It may be even pointless to try playing even simpliest pieces before learning basics of finger control. A natural reaction is to press the key, which is a way to nowhere again, since it engages too many muscles, hindering control and straining hand muscles. The correct technique is a split-second impulse if just one muscle to make a finger hit the key, but the moment it touches a key every single muscle in your hand should already be completely loose and the finger should only keep going down from pendulum. Same if you're holding a key. It should not be a player holding the key, but sole weight of relaxed finger keeping it down.
@@piotrmalewski8178 As you can read in the comment with my update, I've gotten a new keyboard with weighted keys, a stand, and a bench. Thank you for the pointers that others can learn from, though!
This is what TH-cam was meant to be!
Yes. Literally you tube
Greatest comment ever.
Yeah! ❤
Always love to see authentic videos. I am sick and tired of show offs and scripted videos. This brings me back to early days where I was in an Internet cafe to watch random YT videos.
This video reminds of few things
1. Consistency is the key to anything.
2. Practise makes anyone perfect.
3. Age is just a number.
Great work there. It inspires people like me to go beyond the limits. All the best ❤
Of course age isn't just a number. That's a really popular, but ultimately deeply flawed position to hold. If you learn as a 3 year old, you are much, much more adaptive and able to learn than if you are an adult. It's the same thing with language. Can you learn as an adult? Sure! But you will most likely never achieve the level that someone who learns as a child does. Do you know why there are no 40 years olds in the NBA? Because age matters... The same reason we shouldn't have children presidents.
@@jaekn toxic clown
@@jaekn Sad but true!
1 - yes, 2 - well, maybe, but this is still very basic pieces and robotic playing. That's not a diss, for 200 hours he's doing very well... it's just that 200 hours ultimately isn't that much. "Perfection" needs about 10000 hours of dedicated practice. 3 - well... ya know. There's some advantages to being older/more experienced at life, but learning completely new things gets harder.
2. Practice makes progress*
As a professional musician and someone who taught for many years I just want to point out that this person had some previous musical experience. Don’t want anyone to be discouraged if day 1 doesn’t look like this for you ❤
Definitely! Hopefully they read my video description. Anyone who is learning a musical instrument for the very first time should expect a slower start.
thank you - I was thinking "day 1: dude hits a chord?... that wasn't my day1 experience"
sigh, what a relief, when started watching this video I'm wondering, thanks
This is one of the most realistic progress video I've seen
was literally about to say this
I'm 46 years old, and learning the piano is next on my bucket list after finishing my master's. Thanks for showing me that it's not too late.
It's definitely not! And good luck finishing that master's degree!
I'm 34, and it's like one my life goals to learn the piano. When my daughter becomes a teen and starts shying from her parents. That's when I'll have time on my hands. This is exactly what I plan to do!
@@arjunnarula2978try an app like rocksmith or simply piano.
That is exactly my plan, I am finishing up my masters in December and I just got myself a piano to begin learning. Congratulations on your masters and all the fun ahead learning the piano!
Depends. For noodling around like this guy here, it's never too late. For anything more serious it surely is. No illusions there
It's a strange feeling to be proud of a complete stranger, but here we are. Lovely song choices, too! Keep practicing :)
Get the poor guy a sustain pedal! Seriously though, great job and keep it up!
That’s funny! I wondered what was happening!
And a taller stool or lower table. Arm position is all wrong.
That is a toy keyboard. Not only does it not support a sustain pedal, but the note lengths are fixed. Even holding down the key doesn't let it sustain.
@@thux2828 It might have some kind of built-in reverb setting. Also since it has a USB out, it's probably possible to hook it up to a VST plugin.
@@blablaqq It sounds like all the notes are exactly equal length no matter how long the note is held.
Im more impressed by your unwavering consistency. Nice self discipline!
Your seat is too low!!! Arms should be parallel to the floor. Please change this or you will develop wrist pain and complications!!! Thanks and keep going ❤️ love the traditional Japanese songs, very beautiful
Thanks! And not an ideal setup, I know, but I had kept it a secret from my wife. Hence, the odd setup.
@@KyleinJapan amazing work for real! But try at least to put something under the chair because wrist pain is no joke!
i was gonna say the same! it's important for wrist health, take care of yourself!
I wouldn't change the seat, I'd change the desk. But sometimes it's not that easy.
You can put something under the chair so it's a bit higher, or one of those X-shaped keyboard stands, they aren't very expensive, also it will make playing piano more comfortable, you'll progress faster with a more comfortable position
Music teacher here--This is one of the first realistic one year's progress i've seen. Kudos! I think this is great given the time devoted to practice over a year. One thing I noticed that will serve you well- sometimes beginners have a habit of playing songs at uneven paces playing the easier parts fast and the difficult parts much slower. You manage to keep a nice steady pace throughout, even if it's a bit slow at times. The right pace to play a song is the pace you can play it at where it's consistent and where you can play accurately. It's sort of like weight lifting in that it's much better for development to lift at lower weights if your form is correct. Again, great job here!
Yes! I get so annoyed with videos where people who practice a "year" can play Clair de Lune with perfect nuance and form. It sets completely unrealistic expectations.
Honestly he is progressing about 10x faster than me. But I have no regrets it's not a race!
@@notaverygoodusername absolutely true
The hard parts are where the learning is. If you attack those parts with consistent, determined practice to make them the strongest parts of the piece, (I have to memorize nearly everything to get that level of accuracy) -- you will undoubtedly grow as a pianist.
As someone who played for nearly 20 years I have to disagree. Playing one consistent pace might be more effective. But playing the Parts you allready know in your desired pace makes it more fun and boosts your ego which overall will make you more consitent in practicing Piano regulary
Gotta thank the TH-cam algorithm for sliding these random gems into my feed every now and then. 👍
And thank *you* for watching!
I'm 40. I started learning piano together with my son with the same teacher. It's a lot of fun. It's never too late to learn something.
No, never too late! Have fun learning with your son!
Good luck, Hong! I hope you and your son will have many years of fun together playing duets on the piano and learning side by side.
Those 30minutes every day makes a difference. 200 hours well spent! Congrats! You deserve the keyboard upgrade now!
Thank you! I'm currently looking around for one.
@@KyleinJapan I recommend the Yamaha P series. I don't know your budget, but I've got a Yamaha P-515 and it's great. I've also heard that the Yamaha P-125 is good for its price range.
@@gabrielwickander Thanks, I'll check them out. So far, I've liked the feel of a Roland best, but Yamaha feels good, too.
@@dkarchiv4871 Ok, thank you!
Wow! Your progress is so much better than mine
Oh man, so refreshing to see an actual realistic video of piano progress. Most videos fake it where they say "I've been studying piano for 2 weeks and I can play Beethoven's moonlight Sonata 3rd movement now!"
Thanks! I thought about letting a beard keep growing for the year to add to the video's authenticity, but my wife would not have wanted anything to do with that! Maybe if I ever commit to another skill for a year.
I practiced the intro to Pink Floyd’s song Wish You Were Here in guitar for a month, and I succeeded in making my entire family hate the most fabulous song ever written! :(
Yeah. For the peace of mind of everyone living with you, headphones are a must.
Well as long as you enjoyed it it's ok! 😅
Well good luck mate
Don't worry, they'll like it a year later. I started playing guitar a decade back, and the first song I learned was also Wish You Were Here! Keep working on it. Soon, they will be very proud of your playing😊
Comments filled with other pianists who want to support you
Your dedication is unmatched. This is astounding progress for 1 year
Taking nothing away from the achievement, this isn't astounding at all except for the dedication and discipline. Anyone can do this!
The dedication, however, is exceptional and admirable. It's hard as an adult to commit to learning difficult new skills.
@DanKaschel absolutely! Anyone can do it, you're right! Piano is open and accessible! Come join the fun!!!
Ending the video with To Zanarkand is actually amazing.
That was one of the song that got me back into piano. I took lessons all through childhood but quit and after a while I just wanted to learn that song so I picked it up again. It's a great one
@1:43 is Bourree in D minor by Christoph Graupner.
Thank you!!!! I will change the description now!
Im very proud of you dude.
Excellent progress for a 1 year beginner. Bach's Prelude in C is a level 5 piece, you should be proud of yourself! I've read the other comments, so I was hoping to offer something the others haven't. Now that you have developed your mechanical skill at physically playing the keyboard a fair bit, perhaps you may want to look at delving into music theory more. It's not required to play, but it will help you understand musical relationships and over time it will help with learning and acquisition of new pieces because you'll start learning common patterns that are made by musicians. Apart from that, it's quite helpful for someone to just say the name of a chord that might not be as commonplace in everyday playing and you know where on the keyboard to play it (Eg Ab 6/9 or Cm7b5). Keep up the great work Kyle
We play pieces we like whether it's level 1 or 5. Composers didn't write pieces for specific conservatory levels. Many years after the pieces were composed, teachers & music institutes assign levels to pieces. We're not limited to playing pieces at our level.
Bach Prelude in C isn't really difficult as a level 5 piece. My teacher assigned it as a level 3 piece with the Clementi Sonatina #1 in C and Minuet in G from the "Notebook for Anna M Bach" since most of it is just repetitions. Many beginner students would play the Prelude in C by itself without the C minor that comes after. If you include the C minor, the level would be higher.
Is Bach Prelude in C really a level 5 piece (genuine question)? I've been playing for 8 months and probably around grade 2 or 3, but I'm looking at the Bach piece and it seems easier than some of the stuff I've played recently.
@@avez-ch1np It's the person above who said Bach's Prelude in C is a level 5 piece. I said that my teacher assigned it as a level 3 piece. Don't think it's any higher than a level 3 because it's mostly repetitions.
Boy ain't that the truth! Theory opens up a whole new world, it lets you be able to improvise, play pop pieces for fun, and learn classical more easily as that music is full of theory. Also having a piano with a beautiful tone is essential, IMO, I have a 7' grand piano that i have dragged around for years, but I would never let it go, it is an integral part of my life and has a rich, beautiful sound.
I'm 46, been taking piano lesson every week for the last year from scratch. I've been learning Nina Simone's 'My baby just cares for me' and I love it! Taking piano lesson has improved my life!
Yes! Doing some kind of hobby like this does really help us relieve stress, feel better about accomplishing something, take pleasure in sharing with others.
EXCELLENT song choice!!!
I, too, sang for my wife on our anniversary. She immediately asked for a divorce.
😆
hehe...I just happened to see your comment and laughed. Hey, hang in there and keep practicing. My voice was rather lousy/mediocre years ago, but then I finally simply practiced a lot on my own and tried to break out of my stage fright by forcing myself to join the church choir, where they asked me to solo, and it improved steadily, giving me a lot of pleasure. That was ten years ago, and I did take a couple of almost two year breaks along the way where I hardly sang and certainly didn't practice...but started back about six months ago and, however my voice really is, am singing my best ever. Decent practice in anything--and consistency--really does pay off. ... But, I realize you might have been completely kidding about singing for your wife...and certainly were about her divorcing you, even IF you did that and it was bad. Anyway, there's always juggling! Take care. 🙂
I was super impressed for a years worth of progress! Your internal tempo is really solid and you clearly have a good pacing for learning a new song. One thing I would recommend is having the piano a lot lower, your elbows being angled so high up puts your wrists/fingers in a less natural position playing!
Thank you! I tried improvising some sort of boost in my seat, but couldn't find anything right in our home. Now that my wife knows about my secret, I'm looking into getting a new keyboard to have a more proper posture.
You’re great !!!💜🙏
I can't believe you kept that secret for a year! 😮 Very cool idea, and it's even cooler that you followed through! 🎉
well done sir. truly inspirational. "To Zanarkand" are one of the most beautiful compositions i know of.
As a beginner, you really inspired me with your progress
You definitely inspired me. ❤
You did a Brilliant job! I just bought a keyboard for my son in Black Friday but he refuse to have a formal practice everyday. I decided to practice myself and show him the importance of practicing.
Bravo, you did in one year what most of us self taught people took 2-3 years!
I always start learning and 2 months later I drop off. Maybe I’ll stick with it. I’m impressed with your progress. Thanks for the video.
Great job! I've played piano for 35 years and given lessons for 20. It always does my heart good to see someone new take up this wonderful and rewarding instrument. You've inspired me to actually produce my own music for my TH-cam channel. Thanks for a great video and for the inspiration.
nice progress! I am especially impressed by the Entertainer
Yeah, that was my first big challenge. If you check out the video of the final 3 songs in full (link in the description), I was pumped up when I finished that one!
Omg I have wanted to learn To Zanardkan for like 15 years but haven’t ever gone through with learning anything past the intro. I’m a solid musician (good drummer, decent guitarist) but haven’t had any lessons on piano, so I just have horrible technique and have no fluidity. I’m inspired.
It's possible, though I wouldn't start with "To Zanarkand." You need to gain the fundamental skills first and work your way up. If you play the guitar, then you've got a head start with being able to use both hands. I say go for it!
Nice work! proof its never too late to learn something new. learning an instrument is one of the best things to do in life
The lessons as a child were making a huge difference. Those early neural paths were still there. You definitely didn't forget.
Yes, the foundation was still there to build off of, so I hope anyone who tries to learn for the absolute first time doesn't get too discouraged!
Ha, I had the same thing happen at 42 this year... Daughter is still half trying to learn, but I took it on and ran with it and am playing at a intermediate / pre-advanced level with some determination and hard work.
Definitely never should feel like you're too old to try something new, never know when you'll stumble on something that interests you and betters yourself!
Show those young ones how it's done! And yes, you're never too old! I'm also working on something else that I plan to show next month--something that years ago I would have laughed at the notion of doing.
Congrats! This made me smile as my son (late teens then) decided during the covid lockdowns that he wanted to learn how to play Piano Man. No idea why that one lol. He did as you did, with an app, but with nothing else much to do he’d practice for hours. We already knew he was gifted in guitar thanks to his teacher but it turns out he may be just generally musically blessed. Within a month or two he managed Piano Man and moved on to Beethoven. Meanwhile, here’s me, half proud as punch and the other half mad because I took lessons for fourteen years and he was at my level in under six months 😂. I still hear him play both piano and guitar nearly every day.
Ha! Brains are wired differently for everyone! He enjoys both enough to play every day, so that's a blessing!
Wow! You're doing incredible especially for just a year! Hats off to you brother.
I love this. People to often give up learning music and you stuck to it. That's honestly huge!
Bravo! Seriously I mean BRAVO! 'The Entertainer' shows genuine progress and I can't cheer you on enough! Keep it up and YOU will become an entertainer yourself! In fact you are well on your way.
When I was a teenager I tried the self instructed approach and after a year I wasn't much past the 'Mary had a little lamb' stage. Frankly I wasn't given much encouragement. In our tiny house with a family of five in it, in order to keep from getting shut down altogether I had to use headphones so no one else would have to put up with my fumbling. That was 60 years ago and it still stings when I recall it.
Thank you!
I started very similar to you. I am now 2.5 years learning, but with a teacher. If you really like the instrument, getting a good teacher will be the best you can do. Now it is my passion and I am commited to learn for the rest of my life. It is a wonderful hobby. Congrats!
I've been learning for 7 months so far. I've come a long way (relative to what is a long way for ME). You were good from the start! I have struggled but man, do I love it! I will continue. Your playing is beautiful. I'm just learning The Entertainer now.
Thank you! As I mentioned, I took some lessons as a child, and playing guitar for so many years surely helped me to use both hands. If you've been learning for 7 months, then I'm sure you can keep going! Good luck with your progress!
that sounds beautiful! i can’t believe you self taught yourself all of that, amazing! keep it up👍
Your level of discipline is inspiring! Great progress. The piano is a beautiful instrument, but you have outgrown the one you have. Gear is absolutely not everything, but man are you going to love the day you treat yourself with an upgrade :)
Thank you! A friend of mine gave me a Casio that he no longer needed, with weighted keys, a sustain pedal, stand and bench. Yes! It's much more satisfying to play! I would still like to get something nicer. Maybe some day...
Bravo Kyle! Discipline is everything👏
absolutely killing it! keep it up
Awesome job!! Killed it with the To Zanarkand!
Very cool! Great message, too! Thank you so much!!!
Boy, when "To Zanarkand" popped up out of nowhere it hit me right in the feels like it always does. Great job, and congrats on the dedication.
Holy moly! I just started playing not long ago and no joke, my whole end goal is to learn To Zanarkand!!!!! Such an inspirational video sinceI was totally surprised when that was your final song and you did it in a year. That really motivates me to keep going. Thanks!
Yup, that was my one-year goal (besides surprising my wife for our anniversary). It was really tough to get it perfect from start to finish.
This is the video I learned it from. There may be a better one out there, but this guy did a good job of breaking up into good portions to learn one at a time.
th-cam.com/video/iTHuKTMl2rg/w-d-xo.htmlsi=i_GH_HIuqpitgzyN
Keep practicing, and thank you!
@ thanks for replying! I’ll definitely check that video out. I’ve really upped my practicing since the other day and maintained it.
Keep it up yourself too. Sending my regards from 🇨🇦! ✌️
Thanks for sharing your video, an incentive to anyone starting out. I am 70 and also wanted to play piano many years ago, we purchased a keyboard for our son many years ago and he plays some lovely music. Now grown up and he has his Yamaha DGX630 at his house, so I have decided to get my own keyboard. Having spent a vast amount of time watching TH-cam and also visiting my local piano shops will be purchasing a Roland FP30x in the near future. Always subjective but it's sound quality and touch is great considering it's price point. 30min a day should be achievable, I do play my son's when I can but still an absolute beginner.
That's awesome you want to try at 70! In fact, I think everyone your age should take up one or two skills to keep flexing your mind and body as a means to stay "young" as long as you can! I think 30 minutes a day will be doable, but even if you miss a day or two, don't let it get you down! And some days if you feel like going another 15 or 30 minutes, that's even better!
Great job! Very inspiring, need more content like this in the world.
Nice job! I have a digital piano coming on Friday....we shall see how it goes.
Nice! I hope you enjoy playing it!
holy this is inspirational! ty so much for sharing. I will get back to practicing I swear it.
I love that you surprised your wife with playing piano 🥲🥹
WOW Love how your skills compounded over time :) I think it's fun and you're enjoying .:)
Your playing is beautiful, especially the last song. Keep at it Chief!
That was soo good to watch! It made me happy :> I'm currently at 1,5 month and wont stop here
Good luck!
Your unwavering dedication is admirable..... 💪💯
Hello from the US, Kyle! Your channel just "randomly" popped up as a suggestion--& so, loving music & also just starting this month learning a lot more about Japan & attempted to teach the language to myself, I watched. Time sequences are almost always nice to see, & I particularly enjoyed your final comments & when you explained your main channel purpose--including the words at the bottom--to encourage others to expaned themselves & to help others (& I'll add, hopefully, animals & our fragile planet). I think what you did is commendable. It's hard to find--and force--the time as we age & have work responsibilities (& often families). I hope your wife appreciated your great efforts. One suggestion, if you don't mind...I too had lessons for about a year, also around age 8, & I took again around age 20 for about a year, but I really wish my parents had pushed me more to practice & continue when I was young--even for just two to three years so as to get to a decent level. I now wish I had a good ability with piano or guitar, & as an adult, it's harder to find the time for all of my interests--not to mention bill paying. 🙂 I sure understand that you don't want children to end up resenting something so special as music, and I can't say how I'd feel about it now had they "forced" me to take lessons & practice for a few years while I was young, but perhaps you can find a way to get your son back into it. I don't know what the stats say, but I'll be that most adults would say that they'd truly love to be able to play at least half-decently on at least one instrument. Also...I agree with what I saw another poster had written..."This is what TH-cam was meant to be!" There's so much violence, clickbait (In fact, I just unsubscribed to a channel to which I'd recently subscribed because of slandarous/libelous clickbait in an early video by the guy...and from the comments, several other people did too, fortunately. Integrity matters.), thumbnail AI (often misleading), socially disruptive, and simply inane or offensive stuff, that it's a pleasure to see a channel like yours that seeks to get people to enjoy life more, to improve themselves, and to "pay it forward". I subscribed and "thumbs up" and look forward to viewing more of your channel.
Thanks you for the support and encouraging words! My daughter (actually) has moved on to drums and seems to have a knack for it! She started junior high this year, along with joining their tennis club. Students in Japan normally have to go to school 5 days a week, with clubs meeting/practicing 5-6 days, so time management has been a challenge. With the new year coming, we're going to talk about a more regimented schedule, so I hope she'll practice enough to keep it with her through adulthood!
Kyle, great job. Amazing dedication. Wonderful results.
That was impressive, great work.
Great progress Kyle. You need to get a sustain pedal! Keep up the hard work, the results are showing
Thank you!
Great job Kyle! Keep it up!
Well done, good job. Keep on playing 🎼🎹
I will never hear Zanarkand and not get emotional. What an amazing effort to be able to play that after just one year.
It very courageous to share after just 1 year. I’m 56 and have been practicing for 1 year too. Briefly tried piano software but a teacher is much more effective. They can immediately tell you the issue which needs to be worked out.
I live in Japan, but my Japanese probably isn't fluent enough yet to understand everything a teacher here would tell me. I'll ask around my social network and see if they know of someone who has experience teaching people like me.
@@KyleinJapanyou can very possibly find a teach who speaks English enough. Not THAT many words are needed. When I lived in Japan teaching English at a conversation school I took Shamisen lessons from someone taking English lessons there. They can adjust your wrists without words and demonstrate most things without much grammar in either language.
You’re doing fine as you are though.
@@M_SC Good to know. Thanks!
I personally used an app called "simply piano" to learn, that I was able to hook up via USB to the iPad. Highly recommend it, both from a learning standpoint and because it makes it fun and easy to play along with popular music at multiple skill levels for each song. It has really helped me to both learn, but also stay interested in playing because of the sort of "game" element.
Now, I admittedly do have a background in playing drums at an advanced level and guitar at a sort of intermediate level, so it may not be the best option for someone who is brand new to an instrument, but it was an excellent course in my opinion, and tons of music to play along to. Downside was it required a subscription, but it was absolutely worth the cost to me.
Thanks for sharing!
Great playing you really have discipline, good work :)
Congratulations! I recommend you to:
>> 1 > 2
My setup has changed since this video, and it's much more appropriate. Thanks!
Well done and good luck on the hunt for an upgraded keyboard. You will love how much you can do with it.
Nobuo Uematsu for the last one! What a great choice!
Thank you for sharing!
An inspiring video. The transition of sitting straight to playing with your body as you kept on learning is a sign of being in the flow. I love it.
This is great. Keep up. You deserve to have a good piano 👍🏻👏👏👏🎼
God bless you my sweet friend. Your dedication and consistency is so admirable to see. Truly a motivation to many, and not to mention a wonderful and sweet gift to your wife as well. ☺️
Thank you!
Keep it up!
Bravo!!! Makes me want to do the same!
That's what I hope to inspire in people--not necessarily piano, but something to get creative and challenging juices flowing!
It's great that you realised that you need to read sheet music finally.
Yes, that was the main reason I stopped using the Flowkey service. You can only see about 4 measures at one time on the screen. I'm using sheet music for most of my practice now.
This was one is the most inspiring things I watched... thank you
get yourself a full-size keyboard/piano like a Roland or something. you will be surprised how good you really sound.
Looking to get something soon. When I play on pianos/keyboards at the stores, I do like the feel of Roland better than the others!
thank you from someone about to turn 47 who will be buying a keyboard next month to try and learn piano finally. This was really inspiring!
Glad to hear it! Good luck learning!
I'm playing the piano again 35 years after I stopped playing.
Brilliant this mate well done!
Kyle, college piano tteacher here. You are sitting at least 2" too low. Please find a flat pillow to boost up and try also about 1" back further. You can also find a lower desk for the keyboard.
Thanks! Changing it soon!
As a self-taught guitarist, I have mad respect for you.
As a self thought gituarist myself I have crazy respect for you.
A person with dedication to practice and not to give up is always someone who deserves our deepest respect.
Keep on practicing my friend. You are awesome!
Thank you!
Self-taught is a problem. You waste a lot of time not knowing what/how to practice, sometimes not knowing errors or bad habits. A metronome is an absolute must for beginners. Much good advice below about weighted keys and sustain pedal. You also need music theory to understand what you are playing. It will make it easier. GOOD WORK
I know self-taught is not the ideal way. I will look into a pedal and something with weighted keys. Thanks for the encouragement and advice!
I think that largely depends on goals. Still, you’ve got to admit- he’s made good progress for self-taught.
It depends on what he’s looking to get out of it. I am a self taught photographer and have won some local awards. I feel like I have a deeper understanding of the science and a more natural feel because I learned my way based on what I enjoyed. I don’t seek to be a professional photographer and I enjoy my hobby.
Super inspiring!
Thanks for sharing
You’re sitting too low.
I believe the piano is too high.
Yes. I was using our dining table and didn't have good books or something to boost my body up. Also, since it was a secret from my wife, I had to put everything away after I finished practicing each time.
The table isn’t brown enough
And high should he be sitting?
@@thehonestintellect or your white balance is not in the sweet spot?
I plan to get myself an electric piano for Christmas this year. I will be 27 around that time and I finished my Masters last year, so I feel it's finally time to get back to some of my hobbies and fulfilling some of my dreams. I got a few months of piano lessons when I was maybe 7 and when I didn't want to play anymore, no one tried to convince me otherwise. Since I was about 10, I regretted not learning to play. Next year will be the year when I want to do what you did!
Glad to hear it! I think everyone should commit themselves to learning some sort of creative or practical outlet!
Amazing, love final fantasy music. Currently learning a song for my anniversary :)
Wonderful to watch. You have a lot to look forward to as you keep practicing and get a better setup!
The absolute best choice for a final song.
thats so sweet and thoughtful,says alot about you. respect man
You just gave me HOPE! Thank you so very much
The whole time I was listening and thinking the skills you were building would be perfect for playing To Zanarkand. I was so happy when that was the final song!
I aim to please. 😉
i had goosebumps to Zanarkand. So many years since the last time i heard it, it almost made my cry
This is seriously awesome and so motivating. You rock!