The Fastest Way To Learn Any Piece 

🕘 Timestamps 0:00 Intro 0:35 The RULE 2:12 Retain it in Your Brain 3:53 Play the Jazer Game 4:48 Game rule 1 6:23 Game rule 2 9:09 AAR is the way to go

As a personal trainer and novice piano player, doing 100 push-ups for a wrong note is genius. I never imagined learning piano could also build muscle mass. Thanks Jazer!

I’m a newly retired early intermediate pianist. I have found that breaking the piece down like you did (smaller chunks, hands separately, etc) works well. One thing I’ve had to incorporate was, if I’m working on just one measure, always play at least one note into the next measure. Otherwise I find that the bar line becomes too visual for my brain and may mess up my phrasing or worse, cause hesitation, which I have been working hard to eliminate from my playing.

I saw an interview once with some famous pianist I don’t recall. When he was asked about why he is so good at the piano he replied “it’s easy, I just don’t practice wrong notes.”

Not playing a wrong note in the beginning is essential and part of The Tradition. What is missing here is that the speed of playing in the end is inversely related to the speed of practicing. The slower you start practicing, the faster you will be able to play it.

I always work with phrases, not measures. When the phrase is long or has a particularly difficult segment, I divide it but I make sure to keep each segment I practice musically meaningful in of itself. That way when I join it back together it's like assembling a sentence from words rath erth anch unks from arbi trar ybar line s.😊

This is the best advice. I also write in the fingerings to ensure I play it the exact same way each time 🎶🎹

“I don’t allow myself to play a wrong note” I never realized this was a choice 😂

Years ago, my piano teacher told me to practice this way. It works! Thanks for the refresher.

Took this lesson over to the guitar... This was the best piece of advice that I've heard in a long time. So simple but yet such a big game changer. Thank you

Your comment about playing a short section 7 times right is a HUGE Game changer for me... I have learned more from you than all the other teachers I have had in the past 50 years....

This is about the BEST advice ever. Of course it’s common sense but also easy to forget. Now I practice this way and the benefits are obvious. What I also practice when I find myself “stuck” is put the piece aside for a couple of days. When I resume I don’t start from the beginning but focus entirely on the bars that have given me grief.

I almost have 2 years playing the piano and since I study with these tips I learn and play much better than before. I'm learning Sonata in C Major and I'm really happy because I progress every week a lot. Thank you so much for the content, Jazzer! Sorry if my English is not so good. A hug from Barcelona!

I'm 64 - brand new to the piano, first instrument I've ever tried to learn. Watched the AAR video last night and tried it out today. This is excellent advice from JL - it made a huge difference to the rate at which I learned. Also felt a lot more comfortable and confident about my playing by the end of my practice session. Can't wait to get going with it again tomorrow.

Brilliant! So well explained. At last, a teacher! Merci monsieur Lee !

I use the pause to think method already, and also hands separately if it really is too much coordination for the beginning. It really works well 👍🏼

I play Celtic harp and learning new tunes can be overwhelming when playing with other musicians. This method of learning a new piece is wonderful. It works!

I tell all of my students that there are three more important things than speed; 1. Correct notes, 2. Correct fingering., and 3 correct timing. I love the idea of seven times correctly, but the fingering has to be exactly the same as well. Just getting right notes isn’t enough. Also, it’s helpful to give your brain a chance to sort things out. Neuropathways take time to develop so that the information going between our hands and brain can flow smoothly (muscle memory). As you’ve stated, your brain gets confused if you do it differently each time.

Agree with all of this. It's tempting to play the entire piece over and over from the sheet music when you still have errors because you have some of it down and it feels good to get that "success" feeling from playing your best measures and phrases. This eats up a lot of time and energy. It's much more efficient to do smaller chunks and memorize/correct as you go.

Jazer, millions thanks ❤❤❤Please, make a video about how to push key for beautiful sound

Absolutely - You're describing Finger Memory. Some people have a greater predilection for this than others - hence how some pianists can memorise with ease - like me. The next issue is technique Oh how I'd love to have both. This is the first time I've encountered my own musical memory possibly explained. - it's a natural talent but only utilised by the 'don't play a wrong note method' which I've done for decades. It's great to see this. My practise method is to 'play the difficult passages first as slow as it takes to eradicate any notational mistakes' - You are training your brain to communicate with your fingers with the correct notes. Every wrong note leaves a memory in the brain and every time you play that wrong note, your brain is memorising it as the correct one. Whenever I've explained this to other musicians my view gets dismissed. Now I know I'm not crazy like they think. And they still perform with sheetmusic, too terrified to rely on their brain and the natural memory due to bad learning habits. Because from the moment you put up a new piece of sheetmusic and play the first note, your brain is memorizing it. It's so difficult to eradicate wrong memory. I have abandoned some wonderful piano compositions because years ago I learnt wrong harmonies/notes and I cant relearn as my brain still had automatic initial memory when performing under pressure - no matter how much time spent re- learning correctly. It's great playing at home, but performing at a concert under stress , the brain reverts back to the previous memory. At age 64, its become easier to learn pieces from scratch rather than try to eradicate deep rooted memory of existing repertoire . I've ruined pieces from ineffective practise 40 years ago- the brain is very powerful and never forgets that initial finger memory. I wish I'd realised what damage I was creating in my 20s for later on. Thank you for this video. I hope my long😂 comment helps someone x😮

You are exactly correct. To speed up, slow down and get it done. Correctly

Id like to add to also always use the same fingers for a section

Great video advice! I’m passing this along to all my students as it confirms everything I tell them. I particularly love what you said about suffering for a few minutes. Although using little pieces of candy to motivate beginners’ suffering does help! They get to pick out several jelly beans or m&ms to reflect the number of times to play correctly. Every time they get the intended passage correct, they get to keep/eat their treat. For every wrong attempt, I eat their choice with great joy and drama. So you better believe they pay attention!!! Lol. May I add? 1 special attention to fingering. Even if you play the correct note but use inconsistent or inefficient fingering it can spell trouble. 2. We do use the correct rhythm so the melody makes sense and starts becoming integrated into their aural conceptions. I don’t allow beginners to gloss over half notes or play eights same as quarters. Yes, that happens!! 🙄Lol. 3. We call your “pause play” stop prepare for difficult spots. Very helpful! 4. And I also stress using proper touches too: staccato, a good firm connected legato, slurs, lifts on rest etc. We use a slow metronome to allow our brains and eyes time to signal our fingers. Except on stop prepare of course. So, the right note at the right time with the correct finger and correct intention. I call this the mechanical phase of learning. Once it’s learned and sped up close to final tempo, we start adding expression: dynamics, balance, tempo bends etc. Thank you so much for addressing and correcting bad practice habits. 😊 it’s great advice and reminders to all of us.

I am a church organist and this is the technique that was told to me by our senior organist and this really works and is very effective.

OMG this makes so much sense, I wish I knew about it 40 years ago! One thing I would mention only hinted at in the video, to aid learning I always play every note using the same finger every time. Usually it’s obvious which finger to use but sometimes it’s not so work out the most comfortable fingering and note those down on the score 1-5. The brain doesn’t actually learn the notes of a piece of music in muscle memory, it only learns the transitional movements between the notes so it’s important to always use the same fingering.

Thanks very much Jazer for your well-produced, consistent and (very) useful content. ❤

Great advice Jazer! As a beginner i must say that your videos are one of the most proffesional but at the same time easier to follow i have seen! Thanks for all your effort in creating these videos for everyone!!

Thank you for your videos and advices!

Excellent video! Another tip (which works for me): start with the last four measures of the piece, perfect those, add the prior four measures, and so on... until you've worked your way to the beginning. This prevents the "ego" from pushing one's way through, errors and all.

Thanks, and very true. Also the small breaks not only give the brain time to process the next move, it also gives the muscles some fresh blood before the next move. playing with a soft touch further relax muscles and speed things up.

You are absolutely right 😊

Folks like to say "practice makes perfect". But it's more that "practice makes permanent". If you practice wrong, it'll be permanently wrong!

Thank you, Jazer!!!!

Thank you so much Jazer for this crucial tip🙏❤

Hi Jazer, I've been watching your videos for quite some time, I'm an Organist and your videos also help remind myself how to practice properly, especially while learning Bach and Widor pieces!

I heard a lot of similar advices from my piano teacher but Jazer, you deliver the same idea the way that is way more convincing. This is what sets apart the best teacher from a good ones. Thanks a huge lot man!

Great advices thank you!

I enjoy watching your videos, Jazer. They're very successful at teaching HOW to practice and you make it fun and interesting. Bravo!!👏🎹

Love this idea, will apply it straight away. Been finding my love for some of the beginner pieces (Diabelli, Attwood, etc) wanes overtime and I believe that it is because of everything you've described in this video. Thanks for the straitening. Cheers!

Awesome. Thank you!

Dear Jazer, I just love what you do and how you do it, and find it incredibly helpful, like this piece too. Thank you!

Thanks for the advice! I find it really accurate. I also like to play my piece rhytmically, but slowly enough to get the notes right. And every trial I can play a little quicker because I get the piece more:)

Thank you for these lessons. Very useful indeed!

Love to follow your explanations! So great!👏

Extremely good advise. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks a lot for this good info!!👌👌

Wonderful advice!

I love this!!! Thank you

I really needed to hear this. Thank you for your valuable insight.

Love this. Thank you!

Very helpful!!! Thank you!!

I watched this about a week ago, and it's really stuck with me. I feel like I already knew that stumbling along (particularly when "learning via sight reading") would mean I wouldn't retain what I was playing. But actually being strict as you suggest has worked amazingly. Thank you Jazer :)

It works…I can’t believe it and it’s totally memorized….Thank you…The piece is Bachs French Suite no 5 The Allemande..Now working on speed and rhythm…I love practicing without the music…I am not quite an intermediate player but I only want to leafnclassical pieces that I love. I am 74, playing a few years but only recently found my musical path. Life is wonderful, with music in it.

Thank you for sharing your knowledge with all of us, Jazer. Thanks, master.

Thank you for this 🙂⭐❤🙏🏼

As a piano teacher myself, this is EXACTLY how I tell my students to practice !! 😀 This method is soooo efficient ! (I say « 5 times in a row » for complete beginners or young children and « 10 times in a row » for more advanced students, but the idea is the same).

I love finding new ways to help support my brain 🧠 to be and do it’s best. This is really an overall life lesson that many should be following on a daily based. There are other things that I am working on that I will for sure be applying this practice to, because it’s unacceptable at this point for me to continue experiencing errors if I am aiming for perfection. Thanks a ton.

The key you mentioned about not to confuse the brain by making errors (variations) makes a lot of sense ! It also gives peace of mind, and could be applicable to all learning: never rush when learning ! Small steps...

Great video ! Thank you!

Great advice!

Very cool! thanks

What I like about your lesson is your confidence and enthusiasm on the positive outcomes. Will try it out. Thanks!

This is exactly what I needed. Thank you

Great advice, thank you!!

Thank you so much for this video!

Brilliant. Thank you so much!

super and clear. thank you.

Love the way you expain everything! Truly enjoying your lessons and already looking forward to my next practice session! Keep 'em coming, Jazer!

I was just starting to apply this method, but this video helped crystalize the purpose in my head so i could pass it on to my students with confidence. Thank you!

Thank you Jazer. I like your quiet and assured way of putting forth important matters. Learnt something good today.

Thank you for sharing this video, well explained. ❤

You're a good guy! I appreciate these motivational videos. They help us "beginner-intermediate" piano players that need motivation.

Thank you, Jazer!

Thank you for the lessons and your enthusiasm, it is a real pleasure!

Thank you for your wonderful piano lessons. They make sense, and they work! Best wishes, Sheila ❤

Thank you! Very helpful, as I seem to have issues on change of position in a piece I'm learning I'm going to use the stop and thing part

Thank you Jazer. I've learned a lot from this lesson. Great and clear instructions. Hope for many more

I'm so glad that I found your yt channel. I play the piano for so many years now and I struggle to improve at a sertain point. You really helped me out! 🙏🏻💪🏻

Great guidance! Thank you!

Useful! Thank you!

Thank you for this tip!

Thank you for sharing this great method! I will definitely try

Hi, I have started playing the piano on my new Alesis Recital 88 keys about a week ago and have adopted straight away your rule to avoid bad habits when playing wrong notes and it's working really well for me, so thanks for sharing this great tip 😊

Thank you sir, I've been struggling to learn a few songs and have been trying to brute force them. I'll definitely have to work at them with this method.

It makes perfect sense, i was given similar advice for large hand movements: do the move but only play when hand and finger positions are all correct.

Very good insight!! Thanks for this

Excellent advice.

You are a fantastic teacher !! That's definitely the way.

YES!!! Thans for reminde me.

I have been trying to slow down and go over the difficult parts with accuracy. It is amazing how quickly I am improving with this one change in one week. Thank you for the amazing lessons.

this actually makes so much sense

Amazingly helpful video, thank you!

Thanks for this advice. I have been struggling with a piece for a couple of weeks and kept repeating wrong notes. I used your method for an hour and I seem to have solved the problem. I am a late beginner. My brain must have been confused because of conflicting input of information but was surprisingly generous when I treated it with a bit of respect. I liked your analogy of a dance teacher not being consistent and confusing the students. Amazing !!

I am a guitar player but your advice is always spot on!

Very good tips! Thank you.

GREAT advice for anyone on any instrument. Well done!

Best advice I received. Thanks a lot!

Great advice!! Thank you. I will be mindful about it and “pause to think” 😊

Thanks a lot for the advice. Is so logical