I’m your host, León Olguín. (lay-OWN ol-GEEN) My young students often call me “Mr. “O”.
I started At Home With Music as a way to help homeschool parents teach all things music to their children.
As this channel has evolved, I have discovered another audience, folks of all ages from all over the world who are just getting started learning piano or keyboard, and those who are picking up their music education again, maybe years after they first took piano lessons.
Here you can learn (or review) basic keyboard, music reading, music theory and playing by ear, presented in a systematic, step-by-step approach. You can also study music history, and other music related subjects.
There’s no hype here, just solid information presented in a calm, conversational style.
Thanks for stopping by! I wish you all the best in your musical journey!
Support the channel - become a Patron! www.patreon.com/leonolguin
Sounds better. Maybe better gain structure. This is listenable and interesting. Valuable information is made interesting that might otherwise be overlooked.
Thank you sir for helping me to netter understand the circle of fifths! This is the first usable explanation because of which I do not feel overwhelmed. Practical examples. Right on!
Something I am struggling with is how to change harmony-colors in song form. An example of what I am trying to do would be having a verse in harmonic minor, going to the relative major in the pre-chorus and then having the chorus in some closely-related frigian mode, then back to the verse. I find it difficult to coordinate this within the song form, to prepare the transition at a moment of the music that feels meaningful, transitioning and then establishing the new key area. Like for example to take the music somewhere else in the second repetition of a chord sequence without it sounding forced or awkward, just surprising. I hope I could explain what I mean! Maybe this is something worth considering for a tutorial of yours anytime in the future.
Thank you ! Brilliant and crystal clear,😊. I learned something. Especially the clockwise going with 5th steps, and anti-clock with 4th. Also seeing the 251 is naturally or easily visible in the circle, to say so. Thx again 😊
I’m the most beginner any beginner could get when it comes to theory. I literally just make my music by ear using standard chords that I change a bit… I don’t even play an instrument 😭. Where would I start since I rlly wanna use theory for my regular music skills.
You can check out my "Music Basics" playlist, which will get you started playing keyboard. Other playlists build on that one, including "From Ears to Fingers," and "Music Theory Review."
This is so helpful! I could do this on a car ride or while watching a video. I can already think of lots of other different exercises you could do to have better finger coordination and strength! I also love the fact that you read and reply to every single comment, there are over 600 comments on this video and most channels won’t reply to any of their comments. Your amazing keep up the great work! 😁👍
Thank you for your kind words. The first thing I do every work day is read and respond to the comments. I place a high value on the feedback I receive. I hear the concerns my viewers have about learning piano and about music in general, and some of the comments give me ideas for future videos, as well as being a source of encouragement to me. Thanks for watching!
The PDF of the Prelude is available at the AHWM website: img1.wsimg.com/blobby/go/9259686b-5106-47eb-9183-298d67294a9c/downloads/Prlude_No._1_BWV_846_in_C_Major.pdf?ver=1727190331231
I see people who are 20 or 25 asking this stuff, and it makes me so sad. If you start when you are 70, can you hope to win an International piano competition? Probably not! But you can get pretty good, and have a wonderful and fulfilling time doing so. One type of self-defeating belief is that if you can't be the best, there is no point.
I like your graphic of the circle of fifths. However it really should be set up to align with a clock face with C major in the 12 o’clock slot. Students understand it better that way. Also you forgot to add the key of Cb with seven flats next to B. And you forgot to add the key of C# with seven sharps next to Db.
Your comments are quite valid! In my more recent videos on the circle of fifths, I have used a more accurate picture of the circle (with C in its proper place at 12 o'clock, and the keys of Cb and C# included). There are definitely times when I look back at an older video (this one being a year old) and think "I can do better."
Thanks so much for this series of videos. I am a music hobbyist who retired a few years ago. Several years ago, I took a correspondence course where I learned to play piano from a lead sheet. I’m not very skilled, but I’ve derived a lot of joy from playing. These days, I am working towards arranging and recording my own song ideas that have been bouncing around my head for the last 20 years. Your videos have unlocked a door for me in each of these areas. I had watched numerous other videos about the circle of fifths, but none of them really explained what the darned thing was useful for, other than providing a quick reference for some things like the number of sharps and flats in each key signature. Your teaching inspires me. Critical to both my playing and composing is the ability to craft chord progressions that sound good with a given melody. Again, thanks.
Thank you for your kind words. I'm glad to learn that my videos on the Circle of Fifths have proved helpful to you. Discovering how the great songwriters have used this amazing tool can certainly be inspiring. As a fellow songwriter, I certainly know how much this knowledge has helped me, and that's why I felt compelled to freely share it. I wish you well in your musical journey. Thanks for watching.
Another way to think about this lesson is to consider these as borrowed chords. The three borrowed chords in the lesson are ordinarily minor chords in the current key, and they simply are designated as major chords, often with a 7th thrown in for flavor. For example, in the key of C, the chords of E, A, and D are within the key of C but as minor chords, and this lesson simply plays them as major chords, where the root and fifth of those chords are the same and the only change is that the third of each chord is sharpened to make them a major chord. Jazz songs do this borrowing all the time, not only on the chords to the right (the related minor chords used as major chords), but also those to the left that step more significantly outside the root key. Thanks for this lesson, very helpful as I begin to work out these very complex Jazz standards that utilize borrowed chords extensively.
Thank you for your wonderful description of the majority of the difficulties that any music student faces while trying to learn, specially those that dare to do it after growing up. It is so nice to know that we are not alone!
I'm glad you found the video relatable. Learning music as an adult can be challenging, but it's so rewarding too. I've had the privilege of teaching many "grown up" students!
I started piano 3 years ago just before turning 71. I have learned a lot, and friends are impressed. Then again I had played guitar for 60 years when making the switch due to progressinhg arthritis. Piano is a lot easier on the fingers than the guitar. Since my retirement last year I have played piano about 2 hours daily. I am addicted to playing a musical instrument.
Thank you for sharing your musical journey! It’s encouraging to hear how music continues to bring joy and fulfillment into your life. Your story is truly inspiring.
I am 45 semiretired, I bought myself a epiano at the start of the pandemic. I am devoting my best hours each day to composing, producing music and playing the masters of the past, and through it all, committed to learn.
I am 67 this month. I started self-learning piano from 1st March 2023. Till date, I have learned the scales, major and minor, chords C, A, F, G, playing with both hands, some odd songs, fur elise etc. Thanks for your encouragement.
Really brilliant stuff! Tritone substitutes. Reminds me of Charlie Parker’s “Blues for Alice”, in which a 12 bar blues is taken to its logical extreme by chromatic II-Vs.
