The Quickest Method to Learn Fast Notes 

Do you think slow practice is useful? 0:00 Intro 0:57 Key Concept: Slow Practice 2:10 Notes 2:31 Connection Points 4:19 Autopilot Mode 7:40 Practice Slowly

So true this auto-pilot concept. Once I've learnt a piece well, if I actually try to think about what note to play next while playing it I almost always mess up, while if I let the AP run undisturbed and concentrate on expression all is generally fine.

100% agree with the autopilot concept, and then suddenly "forgetting" how to play the sequence of notes leading to mistakes. Unfortunately for me, I'm at a point in my piano progress where I can grasp the basic structure of a sequence far too quickly, or in other words, ' going into autopilot' far too quickly before actually understanding the sequence at a fundamental level. I will definitely keep in mind to practice slowly for as long as possible. Thanks for the tip :)

Jazer, you're such a smart and rational guy. So much great advice and it's all free, thank you very much!

Your tutorials are so valuable and to the point. You don’t waste one minute of skill development. Your 5 minute tutorial yields hours of valuable practice content. Thank you so much.

So basically: If you can play it slowly, you can play it quickly...

Yes, this works. I'm too impatient in practicing sometimes and those are the bits I can't play well in my lessons.

I have been playing piano for 50 years, ok with a break of 30 years. Jazer, you are the first to teach me how to practice correctly. I admitt, that my first teacher very often urged me to practice more slowly, but I ignored it. Especially your advice to do two bars seven or more times until proceeding to the next two ones is extremely helpful. At last I get into it and I enjoy playing my Yamaha grand piano much more than I ever did. You are doing a great job, Jazer. Thank you so much for your tutorials!

Yes! I’m constantly teaching my students how to practice well. Slow it down. Take it section by section. If you can do that, and your fingers know where they’re going, you can add speed later. You won’t sound like a great pianist just playing fast, out of control, slowing down, stumbling. The agility and speed comes later.

Absolutely spot on. I wish my pupils would always do this. I TELL THEM AGAIN AND AGAIN ! The trick is to spend 2-3 weeks on the hard bits slowly and play them exactly the same, no mistakes and no bad technique. If you learn it incorrectly, it will take far longer to fix it and you will waste a load of time in the process. Do it slowly, do it right, and in three weeks time you'll have learnt it correctly in a fraction of the time practising. If I'm performing, I write a list of the bits I might struggle with, and target them separately.

One of the best recommendation videos I have seen. The autopilot comment is spot on. Notes, connections and slow playing while focusing. As a self-taught person I am reviewing my entire practice time to incorporate those things.

This video was incredibly insightful! And I was very happy to hear that apparently kind of "losing" a piece after having played it for a long time is a common thing (and how to fix it :)

I'm only playing piano on my phone and i'm so passionate to the point i have experienced the things you said, the autopilot mode, and starting slow and ending up fast, damn

The “connection” tip is so true ! Since I’ve tried to apply it I feel I progress much more than before, thanks !

Good advice, will try to implement it. Something I do is I try to make myself believe the song is actually this slow so I can trick myself into enjoying the slow playing. Sometimes it works.... Unrelated, but I had a piano teacher who showed me a technique where you subtly curl in your fingers as if towards the centre of your hand when you press the keys, kinda like how a spider walks. I think she said it was a Japanese technique. I can't find anything about it. Anyway it works helping to play smoothly and soft, especially with chords and where you're hand is spread out and it's hard to be delicate.

You are absolutely spot on on everything you say. For example the connection points are fundamental for a correct execution. I realized by myself that very often in a passage there are some connection points that are easy, others that, if not performed (or 'tailored') properly, can lead to a flawed execution. Often we tend to play fast, we notice that something is not working, but we don't understand where, and we continue to repeat and repeat without improvement. Also playing slowly, as you say, lets you absorb the 'meaning' of each note inside the score and avoid going into autopilot mode. I know an international concert pianist (I don't name her here) that is renowned for her incredible touch and articulation: her motto is your same: 'Practise slow!'

I’ve been learning piano via Simply Music, which is terrific. Neil frequently talks about to learn quickly we need to practise slowly,and I’ve seen that in my progression. Thanks so much for all your videos, very helpful.

I totally agree. An important thing too is, to practise relaxed. This way you train yourself for better performance.

I'm so happy I figured this out on my own. But I'm 42 and just learning. So I guess general age and life experience helped me know in advance that mastery and speed come from slow practise. Hearing you say it though means a lot coz now I know I'm doing the right thing.

I've been playing piano for nearly 30 years, still study under an amazing teacher.. .. and your talking point on "Autopilot" and eventually losing the sure footed feeling one has when playing a piece that was once very secure under your fingers is SO TRUE. This would happen to me quite often after having spent months learning a piece. When playing repertoire pieces, I'd only play at "performance speed", never going back to slow, methodical and even hands separate practice. Once I forced myself to go back and practice the piece slowly (with a metronome.. to your point), AND having the music in front of me actually looking at and reading the music, I found that the piece was more secure in the long term; I am able to restore the "foundation" if it was lost. As a side note, forcing myself to look at and read the music during practice sessions (after having learned a piece) has also saved me from playing wrong notes that somehow just found their way into my muscle memory over months of practicing..... Thank you for taking time to create and post these videos.

I am a self taught beginner student and I am most grateful for this tip which I will unfailingly put to practice.

You really a good teacher. I have been playing piano for 12 years, I always practise slow.I agree your suggestion :: practise slow ,so that you can play fast later. I would play slow for a few times then a fast for one or twice ,see if I can manage fast play ,if I can’t that means I need to do more slow to consolidate that part.

My teacher said ' PRACTISE SLOWLY" It's nice to hear it again! Thanks Jazer.

I am in the beginning of my journey but yes, I recognize the part of going faster and faster. I wasn't even aware of it until my teacher pointed it out. So a metronome seems like a good idea. Will check out the watch. Thanks for good content.

Slow practice is my default because I'm slow at sight reading. 😊 Started learning a new piece yesterday and I'm practicing the first page over and over. I love when AP mode kicks in. One thing i wish sheet music would have is finger placement numbers for each note.

I love practicing slowly..... i used to use metronome in 40, for example, and everytime i did right, i add the tempo gradually: 42.... 45.... 47..... 50.... and so on.... And it helps me a lot, even though sometimes it hurt my fingers..... 😁😁

I've been using slow practice since I started playing again a few years ago. I realised the importance of what you call connection points. I struggle when the distance of a connection point covers several notes. For example, the first couple of bars of the piano solo for Coldplay's "Everglow" and jump from Gbm to Cb in Lewis Capaldi's "Someone You Loved". It's easy to switch to autopilot with a song like this which is so repetitive

At last I understand the real reason for slow practice! I’m always rushing to get my piece up to speed and am willing my fingers to get to the auto pilot stage. It’s true that one day that AP let’s me down! I will try and keep the practice slow for much longer. Thank you.

Thanks for the tip! Very important to play slowly and pay attention to the connection points! I am learning so much from watching your videos. Thanks again.

This is such a superb tutorial Jazer. I have watched many of your other videos and have been integrating many tips into my practice…like chunking down difficult parts and getting the right notes while slowing it down really makes such a huge difference. I have begun to notice that slow deliberate practice builds deeper connections and let’s you learn much more than just the notes on the page. I am deeply grateful for your lessons and you passion for sharing. Deepest thanks!

I just wanted to say thank you soooo much. I really understood the Autopilot mode and then eventually loosing the notes. I’ve been learning Für Elise and have been playing the fast 16th notes without really learning them. I’ve recently “lost” the notes and gotten really frustrated and confused and unmotivated, but now I understand why and will definitely go back and “build a strong foundation” for the fast notes.

Hi Jazer, you know truly what you say, n it is the fact that we have to try learning so slowly so that our memory knows what is the right...

I found your video very helpful and yes you described about the figures suddenly forgetting the notes happens to me and I have to go back and slow it right down.

I have watched 2 of your videos this evening and there are very few people on this platform that teach so well. I hope and know that i will learn a lot from you. I will check your older videos and learn somethings there as well when i have some free time. Your one in a million man. I dont finally have to hours searching for videos to make me better. ❤

I totally agree on your suggestions. I would add a third step for preparing you to play fast which is play slow acknowledging how you are supposed to do it while you are playing fast and always be musical while doing so. The last part serves you to not sound mechanical and the first is the difficult one to master. When you play fast, movement must be short and fingers have to be extremely light and as close to the key as posible. Fast means finger speed and the sound will be produced by speed not by weight. The shorter the path between finger and less movement and more relaxed hand and fingers is the hardest part I had to understand from this

I am just starting to learn and what I really want is to play the really hard pieces. Not because they're hard, but because they are cool and genius. And since I have no background nor skill, what I got to do by myself was to play it slowly, making sure I got all the notes right. Now, watching your video I know for sure I'm on the right path!

You are a wonderful educator. We are very lucky to have access to your talent.

I love when you talk about getting a 'better return' from your practice. I agree I think it is very easy to waste a practice session by just motoring through pieces. I have recently started practicing my scales very slowly and carefully aiming for evenness and smoothness - and it has improved my playing much more than trying to play scales fast.

I am learning to play by ear. Already catching myself about this auto pilot situation you are talking about. Thanks for the heads up :)

This is so fantastic. All of your videos on slow practice are just the best. My playing has gone through the roof in a relatively short time from implementing the various aspects of slow practice you talk about. Thanks again.

Hey Jazer, can you make a video on proper hand posture/or reducing tension on the wrist when playing piano. Every time I play big chords or jump around with big chords my hand and wrist start to hurt a bit. Thank you if you can do this!!

I started reviewing finger number positions this year for the same reason- I was starting to forget pieces I had played hundreds of times. The combination of slow play and choosing the ideal finger for each note really helped.

Thank you for validating my slow practicing. I will do more of this and take note of connection points. It is an odd feeling when muscle memory takes over but when I think about it a lot of what we do involves this.

you def listen to your viewers, you fine gent. Wholly appreciated and big thanks once again xoxo

Really helpful innformation. Mentioned before in videos to slow down, but a good reminder, also for me as an absolute beginner, finding myself sometimes going too fast!

Hey Jazer. Thanks to this tip my confidence playing piano is now more relaxed and more focused as compared to previous times when I was mostly on autopilot. Looking forward to more tips from you. Best regards

Really love the way you communicate. I've played piano for 10 years from 13 to university. Then kind of lost interest during my twenties. Fast forward 15 years with a young family and inherited my old piano back after my parents downsized to a condo recently. I'm back at it again... My goal is to be able to teach my wife and kids so they can play a few pieces and also for myself to become a better sight reader (i am definitely a memorizer :) I watched your other video) and also learn some simple pieces I never learned when I was young.

Absolute genius. Mini brains in finger tips! You are an inspiration for me - Thankyou xxx

Exactly my problem. Glad I’m not alone in this 🤗 I have a Yamaha digital gp so there is a metronome build in. Will use it more as I tend to rush during slow practice too. So nice I have the same pieces I like to play as you showed here. My practice at learning Clair de Lune is going so much better allready 💪🏻🤞🏻

Hi Jazer Lee. My name is Luis. I started playing the piano since I was 9 and stopped at age of 18. I resumed playing the piano last year. I’ve recently been watching and playing synthesia piano videos from my favorite movies and there a few of them that have very fast tempos. I would like to learn more on how to master them. I often messed up in them. 😂😂😂 That being said, I find this video very helpful.

Totally useful insight and i agree with this guy views. When i self learned fantasie impromptus op66 also was very slow and totally noob on the rhythm and everything else. But after sometimes progressing i was able to play smoothly and bit faster legato with moderate tempo but hardly get the wrong notes hit. So practice slow is beneficial and less stress too haha

Thank you for this practical advice. I’d like to add that the worst thing one can do is to practice a mistake which is what slow practicing can help avoid. That said, slow practicing is a very demanding task as it requires the utmost concentration on what one does at every instant. You also mentioned the unreliability of muscle memory, and I think that uncertainty of fingering, which goes along with your explanation of the connection between notes, is the answer. Teaching oneself the notes isn’t enough - the fingering and hand position must be just as secure to render fast passages accurately. I encourage students to write down fingerings that work and commit to them in their slow practice. Another concept I learned as a student was to practice slow and mp despite the dynamics in the score. It’s normal to easily get caught up in the powerful sensations of loud volumes that our concentration and focus are compromised. I found these ideas to be real game changers in my ability to play difficult passages that would otherwise be impossible to realize at any speed.

My piano teacher always encourages me to practice slow and it works. Thank you teacher

Thank you for this advice. My 11 year old daughter has a piece to learn for an upcoming exam, if she passes it with a score of 57/60 she has a chance of a scholarship in a music school. I didn't know how best to help her since I don't play music myself. I can now encourage this method of practise. Its quite a long piece, but breaking it down like this seems more achievable.

I am grateful I am getting all this great teaching now when I am just learning to play. Now I won't have to undo a lot of bad habits.

I've tried to transfer this concept to my way of learning tennis - yes tennis!! And guess what, I think it works! Thanks a lot

Bravo...many great musicians work using those concepts....good to see a great class.....

I’m glad I came across this video. This explains what happened to me and the last page of fantasie impromptu. I finally learned it but afterwards lost it. I will definitely follow this lesson to regain the ending of this piece. Thank you. You are such an effective teacher.

Great Advice ! I like playing piano, however, it is difficult for me to master the fast notes or complicated notes. I think your idea of 75% slow & 25% fast will be good suggestion for me. Appreciate your teaching !

My autopilot mode is highly aided by the memorisation of the melody as well. I don’t think I remember each visual note on sheet music but I definitely need to memorise all the tunes and be able to sing in my head before playing.

I agree. Slow practise. Even if it sounds boring. Increase by 2bpm or 1bpm until at the desired speed. I enjoy my slow speed. What you attain is worth it eventually.

i already knew i was needing this, but only you convinced me , i went from very basic piano, to 12 years without it, to try to play Ballade Nº1 of Chopin, yes it may sound crazy but i am that kind of persorn and i'm about 40% of the song, the autopilot is real, i figured out when trying to play to others, as soon as i think about the notes i fail badly , specialy on the very fast parts

I am now practising very slowly and am benefitting. Thanks Jazer !

This is so accurate! I also have this bad memorization problem. It seems like I can finish and play pieces in relatively short time according to my level, but in fact it turns out I never learn the piece and forget it after several weeks. The memory stops working and I have those weird moments you demonstrate in the video where I completely forget a part and retry mindlessly hoping that the fingers will remember. This is a very dangerous way of learning which is enough to avoid any kind of stage performances. What I wonder is, in addition to slow practice, should one know every single note by heart to be completely safe in stage performances? Because, well, even with slow practice, one may still forget the note connections.

Some of the pieces I know are fast, and you know you're in autopilot mode when you can no longer play them slowly. I think I'll go through those pieces to "mend" them; go slowly and relearn various parts.

I’ve been a guitarist for over 30 years and I’ve made most of these mistakes on that instrument that are incredibly hard to undo. Being brand new to the piano I want to make sure I don’t repeat myself with the same bad habits, so these video lessons are golden!! Thank you

I’ve been practicing Moonlight 3rd… and I’m starting to get this “each finger has their own brain” feeling. It’s taken ages to get there and I’m still a long way to go…. But I recognise exactly what you’re talking about. Just subscribed.

Great video. Neuroscience supports the idea that writing the motor script in the cerebelllum correctly by playing slowly, because writing the wrong motor script in the cerebellum by playing it fast wrong enough times is VERY HARD to undo. BTW, love the copy of Outliers and MBA book in the background.

This is really useful for fast pieces like moonlight sonata 3rd movement, when you practice enough to the point your in auto pilot mode, you will play good some days and some days you will play fast with wrong notes. This is where practicing and learning the basic foundation comes in handy as practicing slow for only a minute a day will resolve your issues

Thank you Jazar! Your diagnosis and insight into the roadblocks of fast playing is explained perfectly. I can’t agree with you more. I simply wanted to add to your insight two things. Firstly, one really should practice with a metronome because at some point, you’ll probably be playing with other musicians and you need to be able to play with the pulse of the group spot on. Not only that, but you will feel much more comfortable developing the skill of being able to play behind the beat or ahead of it depending on the style of music. Secondly, I find there’s lots to discover about a piece playing it slowly as there is playing it fast or up to tempo. It stands to reason to find its artistic merits at any tempo.

Thanks Jazer. The most significant concept I have picked up from videos on You Tube

Great point, and we generally learn this the hard way! As you said, in a piece we 'knew' well, we suddenly get stuck. Another point with fast playing is that it often becomes uneven. I find this particularly noticeable when playing Bach, or in particular Baroque music. With music from the Romantic period it is easier to get away with not 100% evenness in fast passages.

I'm a big fan of slow practice, I learn every piece slowly first, gradually building up the speed to what it should be !! Thank you Jazer another great lesson 😀😀😀

I’ve learned so much from you. Thanks for sharing.

Anyone ever find themselves playing a measure so many times it starts to remind you of the scene from Tommy Boy when they are pronouncing the word "roads" so much it becomes a complete unravelling. haha. That's when it's time to step away, but magically when I come back there is def improvement.

I played gospel music most my life , but information is so helpful! I’m going to use it ! Thank you 🙏🏾

I agree with your approach of slow practice, practice hands separate, and recording your practice. I’ve used all the techniques over the past 18 months. As an adult learner when is it a good time to pivot from self study to pursuing a music teacher to advance my progress. Maybe a topic for another video 😉

Perfect!!! I agree with you about slowly practice. In our country we say "Slow but sure wins the race" and this is really big truth 👍. I like All of your videos, keep go ahead 🙏👍😉

Thank , your lessons make sense and they are free For a beginner , your wisdom counts for a lot.

A simple, very old truth, but very explained in a very smart and friendly way. Mr. Lee, that was nice, and very helpful! Unfortunately, the ones who need this advice the most, will ignore it. Thank you for your effort and time.

Thanks for this! I seriously thought I was losing my mind but it’s just the autopilot thing and I need to do more thoughtful practice!!! Maybe I’m not going senile just yet!

Thank you so much for this tip 😊, I will use with it

You're right ... I need 6 months to practice piano solo for the song november rain from GnR in B major ... sometimes it makes me frustrated..analysis to catch every sound and tone from the song and practice slowly like you said is true...

Well i didn't practice slow at all but now i will i think in the same way about finding the connection between note and i love to analyse the sheet and not just learning with memory

You nailed it! The autopilot is called system 1 and being conscious is called system 2. It's like having two different brains. The thing is that system 1 only learns through system 2 and never by itself. So you have to keep system 2 engaged the longer you can, and in order to do that you have to always go unconfortably slow. Once you get confortable you know system 1 has taken over..

Absoluteeeeely true what you said that "One day, you will lose that autopilot and wonder i used to be able to do this"...lol

THANK YOU. I have wasted so much time by not practising properly. I crawled through the piece ignoring timing working each note and chord out. Today I played SLOWLY but to a beat and the difference was amazing.

Such a great teacher! Thank you

I’m 48 now. I played the piano when I was in grade school and into high school. Took lessons and all of that. I became fairly advanced even though I wasn’t gifted , I had to practice a lot to master difficult pieces. My teacher back then made me do a lot of slow practice which I hated. I was impatient . I stopped playing for almost thirty years. I found new inspiration and want to play piano again. And I have been. Needless to say, I am extremely rusty on the pieces I was able to perform as a teenager. But now , I have to relearn a lot of those pieces. But so many parts of them I have to practice slowly. And I hate it, but I really need to do it in order to regain the muscle memory. But also, my focus and concentration has been put to the test. Not only that, but on new pieces I want to learn, I have been needing to practice slowly with the metronome (I still hate it, as it still is a test of my patience). But I know its extremely necessary. When I would practice fast and keep making the same mistakes or even inconsistent mistakes , I need to “go back to the drawing board”. And practice ever so slowly . It requires a lot of self discipline . But with the metronome , I have to start slow and ever so slowly , build up to the required pace . On another note, I am noticing that the slower played pieces (Moonlight Sonata , Gershwin’s Prelude #2) can be particularly difficult because I need to concentrate on every single note and every nuance . Any lapse in concentration can blow the whole thing apart with one mistake

You're Absolutely Right Sir Good Information Video 👍

I’ve watched a few videos now, and they are all so helpful! You’re right on! Thank you!

This method works on pretty much any instrument, very good advice!

You are right, that's why I'm messing upmoonlight sonata 3rd movement!!!

Thank you. This will improve both my piano & cello playing. I'm very impatient with both.

Thankyou for this advice. I feel now, when l'm playing l'm looking at the interval pattern. It is slowing me down but it is teaching me to choose the correct finger. I like going into auto pilot but it also worries me that l'm not always understanding what l'm playing. It amazes me how many things are learnt while playing the piano.

Thank you Jazer 🎹🎼

I heard about micro movements (Adam Nealy I think) that get exaggerated if you just play things fast causing mistakes or a ceiling of speed. If you slow down your body will eventually get rid of them as you get more efficient at playing. Playing slow also forces you to know the notes fully. I used to fudge my way through some rag time but just a few hours of slow practice I was way better and more confident. Greats Vid/s Jazer. Thank you.

Your piano lessons are legit. Very helpful! :) DAMN BRO KEEP IT UP MY G

Spot on. Very helpful indeed. I can identify with this. I have fallen into the pitfalls a bunch. I am a slow learner. Keep up this advice. Great work.

Thank u🥰🥗🪐