A personal record of my journey learning Piano. My parent's offered to send me for piano lessons when I was a child, but I had other interests. I am now 50+ years old, and have the freedom to do whatever I like with my time, and crucially, am married to a Piano Teacher (Jane Trotter) with 25+ years of experience. Having listened to her students learn to play modern music I like, I asked her if I could join her waiting list, and the time has now come where I can start taking lessons. This channel is PRIMARILY for me only. I'm going to upload videos of my lessons, and sometimes my practice for my OWN PERSONAL benefit. However, I suspect that I won't be alone in encountering issues along the way, and Jane is happy for me to share my lesson recordings, so I'm making the channel public so that others can choose to watch (or not) and perhaps learn something that helps them in their own piano journey. It will also help me achieve my goals and maybe provide some accountability.
Awesomeness. Keep up the work. I also just started learning piano at 43, I started November 23 on a toy keyboard. This week, I upgraded to a Roland Didgital piano because I love piano and wish I would have gotten into it years ago. Thanks for the content.
Thanks for showing us all the books. I just got a subscription to Sight Reading Factory, $35 a year. It's pretty awesome. You can set it on one or more key signatures and a time signatures and start at the lowest level of complexity. My fluency training makes all 24 keys straightforward, but playing the rhythm correctly without hesitation is a test, even though level 0.5 is all quarter notes, half notes and rests, usually finishing with a whole note. You can play two-line pieces till the cows come home. It's got bells and whistles like graduated timed play-along, but I just use the notation to sight read.
You're welcome - to be honest, I've been a bit lax on that front, and I saw your query which reminded me. I'll try to remember to do it a bit more regularly. Re sight reading, that sounds pretty good. Jane has a library for her students to borrow sight reading material from, so they are playing pieces rather than just a couple of lines, but SRF sounds like it's more customizable. At the moment, I'm not up to sight reading a piece, so I use the random selection from the book I displayed today.
Shane, I'm ordering that book from OUP. Was it Jane who said that we usually have to take on a piece three times? Your course inspired me to buy the Burgmuller book. I worked on La Candeur for a while three months ago and now I'm finding it SO much more available to me. Russian Winter is in the same ballpark to my mind.
Hi, I can't recall Jane saying something about taking on a piece three times, so not sure on the context of that comment. Good to know you are making progress and enjoying the process. I've just done my review for last week, and included a list of the books I'm currently using if you are interested.
@lshwadchuck5643 Odd - I'm seeing something from you re Jane pointing you to a place to buy the book with Russian Winter, but I'm also seeing that you have ordered something. Not sure what's going on there. Jane usually points her students to a place called Piano Traders here in New Zealand, but that's probably not much help if you are elsewhere. The book is Piano Time Pieces Book 2, Pauline Hall, Oxford University Press, and it's very popular, so you should be able to get it at most piano music stores, and possibly even directly from Oxford University Press if they have an online store.
@@lshwadchuck5643 I'm sure you will find it a good book - Jane has a few of Pauline's books and I expect I'll be getting more pieces from this one in due course.
Thanks Shane. Today I should have had my twentieth 1 hour piano lesson. The exercises are intensifying and every time I discover something new. Today I discovered the dynamics I should use when playing.
It's always good when you can learn something new, and I think with piano, you will never run out of opportunities, even if it is just learning a new piece or applying a different interpretation to one you already have learnt. Keep it up.
ok, so i thought maybe you enjoyed the lessons because your teacher is so nice, I just read your page and I see she is your wife! This is very romantic!
Thanks Luigi! I typically practice 4-5 times per week (30 minute sessions), and I usually have one 30 minute lesson per week (Jane doesn't teach during school holidays, so there are only about 38 lessons a year). Given you have asked about "time", perhaps you can help me with something - I've been wondering whether statistical info like this is interesting to people, and considered adding it to the start of my performance videos. For example, I'm retiring Arabesque this week, and like all the other performances it's not going to be polished, because that's not why I'm learning the piece. I've had it for 14 weeks, practiced it 59 times, for a total of 7h56m of practice. So, about 8m per practice session. Do you think that kind of detail is useful to viewers?
hi Shane, yes, it's interesting just to understand How many hours it takes more or less to be able to play a song reasonably well. But it could also be useful to encourage other people not to give up at the first difficulty they encounter when playing the piano, and also to dispel the myth that in adulthood it is no longer possible to play the piano. Which is absolutely wrong and not true. I'm currently doing exercises for hand independence And I think it's the fundamental thing and I do study sessions more or less like yours but for an hour each. I'm working on a song called Gnossienne n.3 by Eric Satie. A bit difficult because the left hand has to do a lot of jumps. But I'll try. I hope one day to be able to upload it to RU-vid but I'm not very expert on this platform. bye until next time.
It's lovely to see this. I'm 39 and started piano classes about one year ago. It will surely be fun to follow your journey. Good luck! Btw, Jane's socks are really nice, I've got myself trying to catch the moments they appear :-P
You're welcome. Another channel that I'm sure will be helpful is the one that Jane (my wife and teacher) has: www.youtube.com/@AccelerandoPiano/videos And there's a good video there for the sock fetish :-) ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-T9kU2S00fsc.htmlsi=g_BsY4rVA2ip_ZcQ
Forgot to mention - the socks are by a company called "Happy Socks" if you want to check them out for yourself, and Jane (and I) have quite a selection.😀
You're welcome. Another channel that I'm sure will be helpful is the one that Jane (my wife and teacher) has: www.youtube.com/@AccelerandoPiano/videos The tutorials are mainly technical, but there is one tutorial that covers a complete lesson on learning how to play a piece called Struttin' that may be of interest (I started learning it in Week 28 if you want to see my lesson on it). Incidentally, the sound quality gets better in later weeks, so hopefully that will make the lessons more useful also.
Ist this really the 45th lesson for this guy? I did this piece after my 4th lesson in April this year. Istarted in February with lessons. I am not at alll talented. So I doubt that this is Les🤔
Would probably be helpful to dip yourself into triads a bit to perceive the chords more easily. For example that Arabesque has 4: Am (A minor), Dm (D minor), C (C major) and G7 (G major with an F). It's a bit of work but you'll understand it in a week, and I think it would make the chords MUCH easier for you to see/read/remember. Basically there's a major and a minor triad for every key, so 12 each and 24 total, and they can be in 3 positions. No need to memorize them all in one go but either way it'll save you from a lot of confusion once you "see" it.
Thanks for the advice - I appreciate your interest. If I've been exposed to triads, I don't remember it :-) but I'll pass this on to Jane and see can point me to some material etc. Cheers.
@@ShanesPianoJourney No problem, and I understand both teaching methods - to introduce this system early or not introducing it to keep things simple and focusing on the score solely. Just a disclaimer because the intention isn't to step on your teacher's toes 😂
@@wolfpsx6210 Jane wouldn't be offended, so don't need to worry about that. If she hasn't taught me those at this point there will be a reason and if she has, she will remind me, so all's good 🙂
Hi Luigi - Congratulations on starting your own journey. I hope it's as challenging and rewarding as mine has been. It can be hard at times, but stick at it, and I'm sure you will succeed. If you haven't already seen it, you may find Jane's channel helpful. You can watch it here: www.youtube.com/@AccelerandoPiano
@@ShanesPianoJourney thank you for your suggestion. Right now I have a private lessons with a degree of piano teacher. I’m studying on Hanon and Bayer books just to take a confidence with the keyboard.
This is a really disappointing video. Why are you not letting Celine have her dignity, by having what ever support needed, does it take away from the tremendous courage it took to get to this point? From the degree of her medical suffering, this is a miracle what she was able do.
Sorry, but you are going to need to explain how you link Celine (I presume you mean Dion) to this video which as far as I am aware, has no link to her at all??
@@ShanesPianoJourney im enjoying your videos. And gosh, this comment made me laugh once i realised what was going on! lolol. Keep going, i play violin and my advice is keep on practicing. Well done. I also got a few tips from this lesson :)
@@amandacollecutt2491 I'm pleased you are enjoying the videos - it's nice to know that they are benefiting a wider audience than just me. I'm still not really sure what is going on with that comment, but perhaps it's about a different video. Cheers, Shane
I am working on this piece as well - I have a technical question- I see the description as “lesson 47” Y02W05 - I am just trying to pace myself- are you starting your second year? I think your pace is realistic- so much of the internet seems to be misleading on pace a practice pieces - thanks so much
I hope you're making progress - it can take a while, and but I'm slowly getting it :-) Yep, the naming is a bit confusing, even giving me some trouble about 3 months back, so I understand the confusion. How it works - The Y02 is Year 2 of my journey, and W05 is week 5 of that year. Lesson numbers are as they seem, but the confusion comes in because they don't match the week number. Jane only teaches for 38-40 weeks a year, so that's why I was having my 47th lesson on the 57th week of my piano journey. It it helps with Arabesque, I started it on W55, and I'm about to start W63 tomorrow, and I'm still working on it - All up it gets between 40 and 60 mins practice a week (across 4-6 practice sessions).
I love the dynamic between you and Jane, it strikes me as the ideal student/instructor relationship as there's no animosity or bravado, just a student willing to learn with an instructor happy to teach without being overbearing.
Thanks - that's a lovely comment. Jane's like that with all her students - I imagine it's a little different with me, but based on what I hear from her sessions with other students, it's similar. It probably comes down to the student really - some are more relaxed, and she's taught them for years, some are newer and more self conscious.
I can't tell you how valuable this type of content is for a pianist who has never taught lessons before but would like to! I did not go down the traditional path of learning piano and didn't have a teacher until I understood a lot of the basics. So it's helpful to see how to really start from scratch with a new student! Thanks🙏
You're welcome. I'm not sure if you are interested from the perspective of "You're now a teacher yourself, and looking for ideas on how to teach others" or "you're a fellow learner who is wondering if you missed out on some things". If the latter, you may also want to take a look at Jane's Accelerando Piano channel and website (you can find links under my header), which has tips and tutorials based on her teaching over many years.
Well done! Congratulations on reaching the 1 year mark - it's not always easy to keep going and many adults don't. Great you've had these goals, a clear sense of direction and a great working relationship with your teacher. This all seems to be working very well for you. All the very best with year 2!
@@ShanesPianoJourney Thank you! Yes, I can do it. It's a lot of work though. Now I’m confidently playing Adagio BWV 974, practicing the strokes and intonations. True, I haven’t learned it by heart, I play it from notes. And I set about analyzing the second part of BWV 1056. Greetings from Russia.
Thankyou - and likewise, greetings from New Zealand. I have to confess I don't recognize those pieces you mentioned, but you are a year ahead of me on your journey, so perhaps I'll encounter them as I progress.
@@ShanesPianoJourney Adagio, BWV 974 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-2x-OHljZzHQ.html BWV 1056 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-zc5lhK00GSg.html This is me playing the notes. I also learned and play without notes BWV Anh. 126 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Fa8Wqn2fDaA.html BWV Anh. 114 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-RC8Kn88_L8Y.html BWV Anh. 115 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-35zbDdK-kwk.html BWV 846 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-iWoI8vmE8bI.html Tchaikovsky ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-dbsJKyb5m9w.html Korovitsyn ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-T9kqWPU4EuM.html Of course, I don’t play as beautifully as pianists who have more than 10 years of experience.
@@mrsmokpiano Thanks - it's also possibly the post processing that gets done. I didn't intend to do any on that video (quick and dirty was the plan) but it turned out that I needed to process it, so I just did my normal processing which focuses on speech rather than on piano given it's the instruction I'm interested in.
What a gift to every adult beginner cruising the internet looking for truth about what it's like! I feel like the year I spent with the Alfred's book, Hanon, and Czerny; then the second year when I also learned pop songs... not so different from having a teacher. I live in the bush so I couldn't see myself hiring a local teacher. But part of that decision was a feeling of "Who do you think you are, starting at 68?" The coach I've had for these last four years was like a therapist, unlocking my musicality by getting me past this self-doubt. 6 1/2 years in, I feel safe expecting that I'll be sight-reading quickly and playing pretty rhythmically by the ten year mark. If I'm spared.
Thanks - sounds like the coach is really working for you, so perhaps it's time to revisit the idea of a local teacher - the right one won't push you beyond what you can achieve, so you will move forward in a positive way
I see now why Jane chose Arabesque from the Burgmuller book. I've spent about eight hours on La Candeur, the first piece, and now it's clear that Arabesque doesn't have the small subtle shape changes I found in La Candeur. But anyway, thanks for the inspiration to buy the book! My teacher approves my doing this outside his fluency training, so all good.
You're welcome - Jane may well have given me the La Candeur option - she doesn't as a rule say "this is what you are learning". It's a process where she selects some pieces she thinks may appeal and which will serve to develop skills she wants me to work on at an appropriate level, and then she lets me choose. I pick the one(s) I like the sound of, and Arabesque fit the bill this time round.
I said I was going to try Arabesque, but when I received the Burgmuller book, I decided to start at the beginning. I'm really enjoying La Candeur. I'm old and retired, so I can practice for as long as my focus holds. Josh Wright has a good lesson on Arabesque. You Tube is bizarre. I'm sure Jane is right about the piece being popular. Thanks for doing this work.
In terms of dynamics, it seemed like this is a piece that should mostly exist between mp and mf, but to me it seemed you mostly played it around f. I do understand that might be quite difficult when a lot of your brain power is being focused to purely getting the notes right - it'll come with practice 🤣 You might be interested in trying to play just the right hand and try and introduce some dynamic phrasing into melody. Imagine where the emphases and rolloffs a beautiful singer would use when shaping how they sing the melody.
Hi Matt, thanks for watching and commenting. Yep, we've talked about dynamics. At this stage I'm just happy to get the notes right, my foot coordinated, and it sounding somewhat reasonable. I will be adding it to my sight reading rotation, so I'll try and apply some of your tips then.
---Shane, it is really nice for you to have decided to share your piano journey with others. It is especially interesting to see how you progress because of your age, as you are an older student of the piano I could say and therefore it is always harder for older students to learn the piano I have been told. I can assure you that you did the right thing to make the channel public. It will help other people. ---I have not yet had the occasion to see these videos but I will. Make sure you mention the books that you use during your piano journey. Clearly mention how long every day you practice. A piano journey is not a sprint, it is a marathon and you probably planned it this way with a focus on say 8 to 10 years to reach the level of being able to play piano pieces at grade 8 of the ABRSM piano examination. ---Enjoy your piano journey, Shane, never get discouraged when it gets hard as it will inevitably will and to have such a knowledgeable and skilled teacher is certainly all great for you. ---In a piano journey, everybody progresses differently depending mostly on the time you have to practice. So do not compare yourself to others, you have your own pace according to your own circumstances. ---To see that you are from the famously beautiful New Zealand gives it another special touch.
Hi @MichaelJustGreat and thank you for the very thoughtful comment and support - I really appreciate that. On the subject of "harder for older students" that is the general consensus, but Jane's experience having taught quite a number of older students is that it's variable. There are a lot of factors at play, including how much time they have to practice, any prior experience on perhaps a different instrument etc. She has students that learn fast, and students that learn slow, and age doesn't seem to be a contributing factor. Midway down this page trottermusic.com/adult-piano-lessons/ you can see testimonials from some of Jane's adult students - I'm obviously biased, but the teaching process (teacher, material choice) may also be a contributing factor in how hard or easy the journey is. As for myself, I would say that had I taken up my parents offer as a child, the dexterity I had then would probably have helped technique wise (I'm a bit old and creaky now), but perseverance also works 😊 Yes - I have planned for this being a long but enjoyable journey, and although I'm not aiming for any particular grade level, the pieces which I heard Jane's students playing and want to play myself, are G8+ level. I'm quite experienced with long term goals and projects, but know I need some intermediate goals, as well, and fortunately Jane has a few books she's written that have pieces I also want to learn to play, and those will help as milestones along the way. I see you've got investigative talent 😁Jane and I are both Kiwi's and live in Dunedin which is in the South Island of NZ, near the bottom on the East coast. I'll take on board the books suggestion - it's more a case of remembering to do it. We have in earlier videos shown the book to the camera, but it's not a natural thing to do when you are having a lesson, so it's easy to forget about. I do try and include that info in the description but you've given me an idea that perhaps I can just add a fixed slide with the book pics to the end of the video as I process it for upload. As for practice, my target is 30m per day, 6 days a week for a total of 3h. I rarely hit that target, but I also rarely do less than 4 sessions so my average would be around the 2.5h per week mark. I usually cover this off in my review of the previous week where I look back and consider what went well, what didn't etc. Thanks again for such a thoughtful comment, and I hope you enjoy the journey with me.
I watch these for the same reason I'm in facebook groups for knitting, spinning and weaving. To my knowledge you're the only fellow adult piano beginner online who records actual lessons. This is no small thing!
I'm trying Arabesque, but I'm transposing it into all other minor keys. I am doing the same with La Candeur and La Petite Réunion. The Major key pieces are easier, since I haven't been doing much with minor songs. My piano teacher is happy that I'm doing the transposition.
