When I was a small child, I wished I had an empathic and logically thinking teacher like you. I didn't give up on playing the piano but I still remember the gruelling sessions where I would get screamed at for getting the rhythm wrong and getting saif that I have no talent when really my teacher never explained to me the problem with the rhythm like you did. they just screamed at me that I was doing it all wrong but they didn't tell me what exactly. I was puzzled and confused all the time and started becoming nervous when going to the lessons. I panicked before playing and that made it all worse. I almost didn't give up because of the rhythms, I was determined to learn. But I almost gave up because of my teacher. He also told my parents I had no talent but I paid for 45 minutes and he only gave me 15 minutes. I hyperfocused on the rhythms ever since and studied on my own. Fast Forward 9 years later, strangely, critics said I was the most talented kid with the highest potential and mentioned me in diverse newspapers, articles and such. But I still feel like everyone is going to judge me on my rhythm and what not. I can't Imagine how sad the person must have been receiving all the criticism. I feel like it is easy to criticize but people need time to develop. Constructive criticism is good but patience with people is, too. On my journey, the digital metrome was my best friend. I was literally taking minutes to just sit there and doing the maths on really complex rhythms. First, of course I tried to correct the rhythms, then I gradully turned up the speed and when you are lucky you have an orchestra or some official recording playing the piece, so you can play along when you are up to speed and that's when you will notice the last mistakes that have somehow crept in, if at all. I also tap my left or right hand on the lap with paused as mentioned in the video.
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience. Sadly I think many people, including myself, will identify with at least some part of your story. I’m so pleased that you didn’t give up, even though the pain has stayed with you in the form of imposter syndrome - we always feel like we’re going to be found out as “untalented” even though it’s in fact perseverance, hard work and determination that makes it possible for anyone to achieve their goals. And you have that in spades! So keep going, you’re an inspiration! 😊🙌
At age 69, I’ve a storied history of falling into each and every one of these traps! I remember, decades ago, my then-wife saying, “dear, bar lines are NOT rests!” Wonderful, informative lesson. Thanks so much.
I was so guilty of ignoring rhythm. I really like the idea of speaking out the "rest" and labeling every beat as "1". Eventually I began writing the beats above the notes and used the metronome more often when I had difficulty figuring out the rhythm. This is a great lesson, thank you!
Very powerful-like others (and you) mention, as a young student, I just thought “rhythm would take care of itself”. And just like you describe, it *might* in certain cases, but you will find yourself “arrested” in terms of true growth and development, struggling with any piece that you haven’t heard many times previously. One of my most vivid recollections was, as an 18 year old student, my piano teacher asked in frustration: “don’t you hear that you’re speeding up?” My blank stare in response was met, by her, with this look of silent, expressionless, but unmistakeable horror. Funny how these moments stick with you. Excellent excellent excellent video!
I remember, in the last piano exam I gave, one had to beat time to whatever the examiner chose to play to you, for that specific reason.An age ago, of course. But it has been so helpful. My teacher Ethel also used to say play a wrong note but dont break the rhythm! Thank you
I do hope they didn't give up! I was fortunate that bass guitar was my first serious instrument and it's primarily a rhythm instrument. That helped me enormously when I took up sax and then later piano.
I started taking piano lesson with a teacher one year ago, and I thought I was doing okay. Recently I switched to a new teacher and her very first remark of my playing was that "Your rythm is all wrong", and the second one "Why no expression at all?" . She asked if I knew how to count beats and read expression marks, and I said no, because the previous teacher didn't teach me those things. She was so surprised and now she ask me to count while playing as well as to follow the expression marks, which I found really hard to do because I am really not used to and not taught of since the very beginning. I feel so stressful at the moment, I can't even read the notes right.
So sorry to hear that, Nadia! If you watch the rhythm video I linked to at the end of this one, it'll definitely help you, and you might also want to watch my video on reading music that'll also make things a bit easier: th-cam.com/video/3A6NcbSJpHU/w-d-xo.html Best of luck! 🥰
I love love love your videos lol You keep me inspired to keep going! That being said, as a beginner, how would you approach learning a song that doesn’t have guitar tabs or music out there easily obtainable? It’s not even a song it’s just an interlude of a album I’m trying to learn but it’s hard to figure out the exact chords. The melody part I’m sure I could sit down and over months figure out myself but the chords are hard for me
I've been paying a teacher for a year to ignore her because I 'knew' that reading notes and fingering were the way to go. They are important but if I trusted my teacher more and not clung rigidly to my own idea, I would be a better player. She says the same things you do, I feel so dense as though I needed to hear it from someone else. When you know you know. It's been a month or so since I finally 'clicked' and suddenly my family notice I'm making progress.
When the focus is on rythmn, as in being taught it, I can't help thinking of Grace Jones's performance of "Slave to the Rythmn" at the "Night of the Proms".... If you look closely Ms Jones is spinning the hoola hoop to the rythmn of the song - very impressive, if a little bizzare... On a serious note (excuse the pun) I always try to "feel" the rythmn of a piece. 'Difficult to explain in words but an example I can try to give is when I try to play a new piece raw, without preparation - sort of sight reading it. Then after making a complete mess of that, I play a soundtrack of the piece or get my wife to play it (if available) to listen to it played properly i.e. rythmn, expression, tempo etc; Once assimilated, I then try to 'mimick" or "feel the memory" of the rythmn, expression, tempo etc; when I go to attempt it a second time and third and forth and x100 times! All of this helps greatly in getting the piece under wraps a lot more quickly. Therefore, having access to the reference track helps bring rigour to the attempts at practicing it. This, however, doesnt mean I can play it at all well, it just means it sounds better by being able to compare against the original when learning it and practicing with it. Meanwhile, I'm very close to signing up to your online lessons as I find your content always very pertinent and timely.. Thank you.
You might find some useful tips in this video: The ADHD Strategies You Need to Know to Learn Piano! th-cam.com/video/DYi4fEwtyx4/w-d-xo.html but aside from that, your best approach is probably to work on small sections at a time to avoid overwhelm - 2 to 4 bars - and focus on different elements initially: rhythm first, then notes, articulation, dynamics etc. Then you can start to combine them. Make copies of the music and use different colours to highlight any patterns, like chord progressions or repeating rhythmic or melodic ideas. For the dyspraxia, you will need to be patient about developing your coordination. Simple technical exercises like the ones in A Dozen A Day are good, but work very slowly at first to help your brain understand the movements you want your hands to make. Say out loud to begin with what you’re doing, e.g., “my right hand is playing g and my left hand is moving down an octave” etc and be prepared to do many repetitions for it to stick. Good luck, wishing you every success! 😊
Thanks for your videos and can I ask a question please. Ive been learning piano by going through Alfreds Adult all-in-one Course Level one which I have almost completed. Could you recommend a piano book of Irish songs (Im Irish living in UK) that i could start on which I could do in parallel with the Alfreds Level 2 book? Many thanks !!!
There are a couple of books that I like to dip into, which might be a little challenging to begin with but I’m sure you’ll get a lot of use out of over time. One is “Tranquility: the Piano Solos of Phil Coulter”, which includes a lot of his arrangements of well known traditional tunes, and the other is “Traditional Slow Airs of Ireland” by Tomás Ó Canainn, which just gives the melody line of many songs, to which you add your own chords (great for developing your knowledge of harmony). I’m sure there are others but I enjoy these two. Best of luck with it 🥰
When I was a small child, I wished I had an empathic and logically thinking teacher like you. I didn't give up on playing the piano but I still remember the gruelling sessions where I would get screamed at for getting the rhythm wrong and getting saif that I have no talent when really my teacher never explained to me the problem with the rhythm like you did. they just screamed at me that I was doing it all wrong but they didn't tell me what exactly. I was puzzled and confused all the time and started becoming nervous when going to the lessons. I panicked before playing and that made it all worse. I almost didn't give up because of the rhythms, I was determined to learn. But I almost gave up because of my teacher. He also told my parents I had no talent but I paid for 45 minutes and he only gave me 15 minutes. I hyperfocused on the rhythms ever since and studied on my own. Fast Forward 9 years later, strangely, critics said I was the most talented kid with the highest potential and mentioned me in diverse newspapers, articles and such. But I still feel like everyone is going to judge me on my rhythm and what not. I can't Imagine how sad the person must have been receiving all the criticism. I feel like it is easy to criticize but people need time to develop. Constructive criticism is good but patience with people is, too.
On my journey, the digital metrome was my best friend. I was literally taking minutes to just sit there and doing the maths on really complex rhythms. First, of course I tried to correct the rhythms, then I gradully turned up the speed and when you are lucky you have an orchestra or some official recording playing the piece, so you can play along when you are up to speed and that's when you will notice the last mistakes that have somehow crept in, if at all. I also tap my left or right hand on the lap with paused as mentioned in the video.
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience. Sadly I think many people, including myself, will identify with at least some part of your story.
I’m so pleased that you didn’t give up, even though the pain has stayed with you in the form of imposter syndrome - we always feel like we’re going to be found out as “untalented” even though it’s in fact perseverance, hard work and determination that makes it possible for anyone to achieve their goals. And you have that in spades! So keep going, you’re an inspiration! 😊🙌
At age 69, I’ve a storied history of falling into each and every one of these traps! I remember, decades ago, my then-wife saying, “dear, bar lines are NOT rests!” Wonderful, informative lesson. Thanks so much.
🤣😂
I was so guilty of ignoring rhythm. I really like the idea of speaking out the "rest" and labeling every beat as "1". Eventually I began writing the beats above the notes and used the metronome more often when I had difficulty figuring out the rhythm. This is a great lesson, thank you!
Very powerful-like others (and you) mention, as a young student, I just thought “rhythm would take care of itself”. And just like you describe, it *might* in certain cases, but you will find yourself “arrested” in terms of true growth and development, struggling with any piece that you haven’t heard many times previously. One of my most vivid recollections was, as an 18 year old student, my piano teacher asked in frustration: “don’t you hear that you’re speeding up?” My blank stare in response was met, by her, with this look of silent, expressionless, but unmistakeable horror. Funny how these moments stick with you. Excellent excellent excellent video!
Very Helpful. I wish the online piano community would spend more time with rhythm and overcoming rhythm problems. Thank You.
I remember, in the last piano exam I gave, one had to beat time to whatever the examiner chose to play to you, for that specific reason.An age ago, of course. But it has been so helpful. My teacher Ethel also used to say play a wrong note but dont break the rhythm! Thank you
Thanks, Leah! Your instructions and advice are “spot on”! Terrific teaching…
As usual, full of great advice, its like you were looking over my shoulder
I do hope they didn't give up!
I was fortunate that bass guitar was my first serious instrument and it's primarily a rhythm instrument. That helped me enormously when I took up sax and then later piano.
Great Lesson - as always! 😊 Thank you so much! 🥰
Thank you Leah, a great additional lesson. 😊
Thank you so much. Much needed advice.
I love your videos!! I'm guilty of so many of these bad habits! Its like you saw into my soul lol thank you for all your tips and encouragement
Great lesson. I am guilty of adding an extra beat hear and there. I'll watch out for it more now thank you.
I started taking piano lesson with a teacher one year ago, and I thought I was doing okay. Recently I switched to a new teacher and her very first remark of my playing was that "Your rythm is all wrong", and the second one "Why no expression at all?" . She asked if I knew how to count beats and read expression marks, and I said no, because the previous teacher didn't teach me those things. She was so surprised and now she ask me to count while playing as well as to follow the expression marks, which I found really hard to do because I am really not used to and not taught of since the very beginning. I feel so stressful at the moment, I can't even read the notes right.
You'll get there! It sounds like your new teacher knows where you need help.
So sorry to hear that, Nadia! If you watch the rhythm video I linked to at the end of this one, it'll definitely help you, and you might also want to watch my video on reading music that'll also make things a bit easier: th-cam.com/video/3A6NcbSJpHU/w-d-xo.html Best of luck! 🥰
Never fear. You WILL play beautiful music. Just take it as it comes to you. Good luck.
Thanks for the input.
I love love love your videos lol
You keep me inspired to keep going!
That being said, as a beginner, how would you approach learning a song that doesn’t have guitar tabs or music out there easily obtainable?
It’s not even a song it’s just an interlude of a album I’m trying to learn but it’s hard to figure out the exact chords. The melody part I’m sure I could sit down and over months figure out myself but the chords are hard for me
This might help: Step by Step Guide to Playing Any Song by Ear
th-cam.com/video/2TohoVTsGDU/w-d-xo.html
Good luck! 🥰
@@LeCheileMusic watching now! Thank you very much
I've been paying a teacher for a year to ignore her because I 'knew' that reading notes and fingering were the way to go. They are important but if I trusted my teacher more and not clung rigidly to my own idea, I would be a better player.
She says the same things you do, I feel so dense as though I needed to hear it from someone else.
When you know you know. It's been a month or so since I finally 'clicked' and suddenly my family notice I'm making progress.
Don’t feel bad, personally I need to hear things 6 or 7 times before I get it! 😄
When the focus is on rythmn, as in being taught it, I can't help thinking of Grace Jones's performance of "Slave to the Rythmn" at the "Night of the Proms"....
If you look closely Ms Jones is spinning the hoola hoop to the rythmn of the song - very impressive, if a little bizzare...
On a serious note (excuse the pun) I always try to "feel" the rythmn of a piece. 'Difficult to explain in words but an example I can try to give is when I try to play a new piece raw, without preparation - sort of sight reading it.
Then after making a complete mess of that, I play a soundtrack of the piece or get my wife to play it (if available) to listen to it played properly i.e. rythmn, expression, tempo etc;
Once assimilated, I then try to 'mimick" or "feel the memory" of the rythmn, expression, tempo etc; when I go to attempt it a second time and third and forth and x100 times!
All of this helps greatly in getting the piece under wraps a lot more quickly. Therefore, having access to the reference track helps bring rigour to the attempts at practicing it. This, however, doesnt mean I can play it at all well, it just means it sounds better by being able to compare against the original when learning it and practicing with it.
Meanwhile, I'm very close to signing up to your online lessons as I find your content always very pertinent and timely..
Thank you.
You’d be very welcome, Marc, but be warned I put a lot of emphasis on learning to read rhythms! 😄
Have you got any strategies for learners with combined dyspraxia-dyscalculia?
You might find some useful tips in this video: The ADHD Strategies You Need to Know to Learn Piano!
th-cam.com/video/DYi4fEwtyx4/w-d-xo.html but aside from that, your best approach is probably to work on small sections at a time to avoid overwhelm - 2 to 4 bars - and focus on different elements initially: rhythm first, then notes, articulation, dynamics etc. Then you can start to combine them. Make copies of the music and use different colours to highlight any patterns, like chord progressions or repeating rhythmic or melodic ideas. For the dyspraxia, you will need to be patient about developing your coordination. Simple technical exercises like the ones in A Dozen A Day are good, but work very slowly at first to help your brain understand the movements you want your hands to make. Say out loud to begin with what you’re doing, e.g., “my right hand is playing g and my left hand is moving down an octave” etc and be prepared to do many repetitions for it to stick. Good luck, wishing you every success! 😊
Alfred's level 1 adult "The Entertainer" had me confused. Each half beat had to be clicked on the metronome. It is coming along now.
Thanks for your videos and can I ask a question please. Ive been learning piano by going through Alfreds Adult all-in-one Course Level one which I have almost completed. Could you recommend a piano book of Irish songs (Im Irish living in UK) that i could start on which I could do in parallel with the Alfreds Level 2 book? Many thanks !!!
If you could recommend a book with good finguring I would really appreciate it.Many thanks !!
There are a couple of books that I like to dip into, which might be a little challenging to begin with but I’m sure you’ll get a lot of use out of over time. One is “Tranquility: the Piano Solos of Phil Coulter”, which includes a lot of his arrangements of well known traditional tunes, and the other is “Traditional Slow Airs of Ireland” by Tomás Ó Canainn, which just gives the melody line of many songs, to which you add your own chords (great for developing your knowledge of harmony). I’m sure there are others but I enjoy these two. Best of luck with it 🥰
@@LeCheileMusic That's really appreciated....many thanks! :)
LeCheile is a G
G for…? 🤔😊
@@LeCheileMusicg is slang for a “cool person”
@@vortex8988 Thanks! 🥰🥰
When I am being lazy and not having the metronome on and count instead , I count a half note faster than counting individual quarter notes 😩 .
Your a g
I think I’m guilty of all of these errors 🫣😬. I will take your tips on board! Thank you x