My name is Daniel and I started learning to play the piano on 29 December 2019. I started this channel to provide another example of practising the piano for an hour or less, most days.
The pieces I upload to this channel are intended as a personal record of what I believe I am capable of at a given time. As such, I may record up to 20 takes of a particular piece before I get one that I am happy with. Each piece should be considered my peak performance, not how I play generally, though this is what I strive for when I sit at the piano.
I am not alone in uploading regular piano progress updates, I would highly encourage beginner pianists to follow as many others on this journey as possible to provide a broad range of abilities and expectations.
Really informative video, thank you. I’m in a similar position, in my forties, used to play guitar, combination of metal and finger style acoustic and it’s been such a long break that my fingers don’t remember much anymore and it’s too frustrating. I’m hoping that learning piano will help me reconnect with music and that I won’t mind being a beginner again 😀 if my progress is anything like yours I shall be very happy!
This is realist and still think your progress is impresive❤,most people does vidéo where they play fantaisie impromptue in 3 day and hungarian rhapsody in 1 month
I notice that you love classical. Foremost, you reached a 3 year level in 1 with little practice. Insane progress my man! Here’s my suggestion: go another year or two, then get a teacher. You have good natural sense of piano foundation. You’ll reach a point where you can learn the art of classical perfection. Endeavor in a video👏 Edit: I just saw when this was posted😂
Yeah, this is an old video. You also appear to have missed the part where I explained I had a former concert pianist as a teacher since about 3 months in. My progress has slowed significantly since this mainly due to my lack of time practicing but I’m still playing almost daily.
@@DanielLearnsPiano That's great! It's no easy task - you're still progressing very well. The top priority is to enjoy what you do especially in music. Sometimes we forget that
I love your 1 year and 2 year progress video. In september 2022 i got my 10 years old some piano lesson and he had quit by december. In january 2023 i took his lessons over till june. I have been on my own since then. My progress has been slow and i would love to have a teacher to select pieces and guide me to make my progress more interesting.
It’s exactly as it happened. Compared to pretty much all other videos of this nature I progressed extremely poorly. So don’t watch them if you can’t believe this.
How much daily practice are you doing? Lessons aren’t practice they just keep your practice moving in the right direction. I was practicing for an hour a day back then. I’m not suggesting this is you, but if someone did weekly lessons without practicing between then 3 months of weekly lessons (~12 hours) is likely to have similar results. Hours spent doing deliberate practice is probably the single biggest determining factor in progress.
I like the tempo you play at. Other performances I have heard remind me of a horse race--out of the gate too fast. Yours is a continuous flow but there is still a kind measured infinitesimal slowing which just seems to savor the music.
You should be happy with your progress, at day 10 (in the evening, I have a small child and other commitments during the day) I still struggle playing Incy Wincy Spider and recognising the notes/not having weird brain farts so I'm envious of how well you played the first piece you show!
This is amazing. I bought a digital piano in the middle of the pandemic but until now I didn't seriously got to learn how to play it. Just this week I started my classes with a classic pianist here in my city. If in two years I play this piece as beautiful as you are playing in this video, I will be absolutely satisfied. Well done.
Lovely performance. As it happens I recently picked up that book but haven’t gotten to that piece yet. I’ll definitely give it a try now - it’s very pretty.
Dies blocking mean that you don't play it immediately as it is written, instead you take it step by step as you show us in the video? Thanks btw, I'm learning it as well, the left hand in the first bars isn't a problem for me, but the jump in the right hand is for example. Also, I've watched you playing it and I like how you keep the left hand quiter than the right/the overall dynamic :)
Yeah, you’d play any arpeggiated chords as block chords. It just allows you to get used to getting your hands in position. It’s like a rough version and as you get used to it you can add more detail.
Oh, thank you for admitting the very thing I've always suspected - 20 takes for one video. I recently saw the advice from a pro that "Amateurs practice until they can play a piece…Professionals practice until they can’t play it wrong".
You hear that advice all the time. Maybe it’s correct. But the way I play I feel like I’d still be working on my first piece. I can make a new mistake anywhere and any time.
@@DanielLearnsPiano I think it's really kind of dismissive. Of course pros have to be 100% to include a piece in a performance. When I dip into playing from scores, once I can play through without hesitation, I'm ready for a new piece. My long term goal is to be so fluent with rhythm structure, the keys and reading that I'll be able to sight read. (Not fast pieces. I'm old already!) I see this as a choice apart from progressing to more complexity.
Very nicely made video and a standout against all the fake progress videos on RU-vid. You clearly made a good choice with your teacher. I reached a plateau after two years of self-teaching with an adult course, Hanon and Czerny. If I'd watched this video at that point, I might have sought a traditional teacher via Skype from my isolated home. Instead I googled Play Piano Fluently and instantly found the coach I've now had for four years. He puts rhythm first. It's a radically unconventional path that's working for me.
Hey, thanks! It really doesn't feel like it sometimes though. It's taking me longer and longer to learn pieces. Sometimes my piano lessons feel more like a therapy session. HA!
Compare it to your older videos though! Maybe it's taking longer because the complexity increases (ofc lol), but grade 1 or 2 pieces would be much easier now than Idk three years ago
Beautifully played I sometimes have hesitations and non-sensical muscle-memory blocks when playing piece ive played hundreds of times. You saved it cleanly mate
Thanks. Isn’t it frustrating? I don’t really know how to practice to avoid this. I can play all the parts on their own, or play a couple linked together. But when it’s the whole piece there will be random brain farts. It’s never a particular spot or else I’d do isolated practice and resolve it.
I want to say thank you, thank you, and a huge thank you for this video. I have been looking to see if I could find a progress video that seemed "realistic" . I have been spending so much of my time just bogged down trying to get my fingers to stay down on the keys like I see so many on the videos that I have watched. I kept thinking to myself how do they do that. I have made progress keeping my fingers closer to the keys after watch Jazer Lee's 5 finger exercise video where you hold your fingers in a 5 finger scale position and press all the keys all the way down then playing each finger separately 4 beats up and down the scale. It did help but to move to other parts of the keyboard my fingers still become airborne at times. I am so happy to see that your fingers were not resting all the time on the keys. So maybe this just takes patience and time. Not just a quick thing. You have uplifted my spirits with your video. Thank you again!
Hey Daniel nicely done！bravo！ just want to know is the link of the community group still works？ I tired and it did not work, hope to join you guys and meet adult piano learners around the world!
Yes, it’s nonsense. For sure, people could play way better than me after one year but I’m dubious of the sheer number of adult prodigies that appear on RU-vid.
I am a piano teacher and you have made very good progress for a year, I am going to give you some advice, use your free arm more and its weight so that it rests on the wrist. Congratulations
Love it... I just bought a piano and tried a song. Thought it went well until I was going to record it to send it to my wife who's traveling. Weird how recording messes with my brain.
Yes. Recording really does highlight all the issues. I’ve realised that I mostly try and record things before I’m ready. I really need to be much more comfortable with the pieces otherwise recording is a horrible experience.
As a piano beginner years ago I learned "Chopsticks" and "Hot Cross Bun". Over the years my playing improved and I've added many more pieces to my repertoire. But I still enjoy walking up to a piano casually at a gathering and play Chopsticks or Hot Cross Bun for fun. "Mary Had a Little Lamb" & "Lightly Row" is also fun pieces on my list too...
I love your progress. It looks so much more like the average progress a normal person would do (dont want to say you didnt make good steps, just normal once) and I hope that your steps will be for me possible aswell. I'll start in February with lessons! ❤
Thank you. My progress is definitely more average than your typical progress video. I’m glad that my videos can be viewed as something that is attainable.
Hi Daniel & happy new year ! This is really A M A Z I N G progress considering you're working and running a family and walking your lovely dog ! :) I thus warmheartedly congratulate you for so much solid music progress since your video on your 1 year progress that shows how "bad" and slow the beginnings are ... it has encouraged me because it is so realistic and honest ! Thank you for the great effort and expense of filming and publishing all this so nicely with your Sonys !! You much deserved to treat yourself to the wonderful CA99 (top of the line E-piano). and I'm sure it motivates you to play. "It’s never too late to start learning" you stay.... well at 60 I'm a complete begginer the way you were 4 years ago. Like you I watched some videos on the matter and I'm realistic about the hard work and slow progress I will make... (I'm not like those talented exceptions or 'fakes') . My ears and brain would want to play Chopin, Bach, Elton John or a Jazz riff... but it ain't going to happen in the next year ! SO thanks for showing the way... Il'll try to do 30 min.'s a day... then I drift away as it's to frustrating to play so "bad" ! Looking forward to seeing other pieces and keep inviting your dog please... editing a new 4 year progress sumarry would be cool to see and show yourself the amazing progress made over all that time. For higher ambition stay patient... you're still young ! ;- ) Best wishes for 2024 ! Mike Inspiration from a pro for you : J.S. BACH : -------------------------------------------------------------- ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-dQgzdeX6kjY.html
Probably one of the better and more realistic progression videos I've seen and it gives me hope for (re)starting my own piano journey. I played for a few years as a kid and wish I had kept it up. I was playing some fairly difficult pieces for a child of 8 or 9. I played trombone for several years until I graduated high school and then stopped. Now in my 40's I'd like to pick up an instrument again. I tried guitar a couple years ago, but the fingerings were a fumbling and uncomfortable mess. Just not for me. We have a nice Yamaha electric piano that has collected dust and sat unused by my wife for 10+ years and I think it's time to put it to use.
