I am a retired executive (69 years old) who returned.to piano lessons after a 50 year break. My young Teacher is great and I am slowly relearning all that I have forgotten. Your videos have shaped my practice and playing for the better. Wish you were around 55 years ago. Thankyou
So happy to hear I’m not alone. I am 67 years old and although I played extensively before college, I have hardly touched the keyboard in 47 years. Started back a little over a month ago, and am really struggling. The online community has been the most amazing help for me, but I realize the return back to playing decently is going to be challenging. Trying desperately to find a teacher who is a good fit. Not so easy! But I am heartened to hear someone else out there is returning to piano after so many years..
Very useful advice. I'm glad I went to regular university, though. They didn't expect me to learn new stuff over the summer holidays. In fact, I think it's very healthy to take a complete break from what you're usually doing for a few weeks. In fact, the professor who supervised my PhD recommended a three week break every year and I was his 40th PhD student.
Years back, I was on the board of my local city orchestra, which I was simultaneously playing Violin I in and I was in charge of securing the sheet music for our performances. We went through Boosey & Hawkes for Bernstein pieces and I believe Schirmer for an Ives symphony. The rush delivery was very opportunist and I had to temporarily fork over hundreds of dollars of my own money to get them in on time because our board meetings were so sporadic (no fault of my orchestra or conductor). Music publishers these days SUCK and I don't feel sorry for them on account of IMSLP's existence. They're just like the record companies, outdated, completely unaware of how they fleece musicians and how we're not taking their shit anymore.
Totally agree on buying editions, I also always make a point to buy the collection that the piece I'm playing is in, I almost always find other pieces I want to learn from either sight-reading or score-reading the rest of the book. Plus it makes a cleaner library too when you don't have 100 single-piece henles.
Very excellent point about learning the Codas first. Likewise, I realized, while studying a piece in sonata form, it would serve well to study the development section first.
Thank you Dr. Mortensen, for ten minutes of invaluable advice. Do you have any suggestions for an older student with no formal music training, or access to formal music theory training, on how to learn the nuts and bolts of harmonics?
Dr Mortensen, I think your approach to piano, in general, is excellent and I’ve learnt a great deal from you. I would be very, very interested in how you approach learning a fugue. I’ve considered the “voices apart” approach, but I’m not convinced. How about some ideas? Thanks
I would love to see the harmony of a piece analyzed as an example. Can you do one from Bach's WTC? I have asked a handful of piano teachers (somw are at the University level) about analyzing the harmony and that's just not how they teach, at least not to an amateur like me.
Watch his videos on learning to improvise in baroque style, basically all the preludes are based on these improvisation techniques. The preludes themselves generally follow certain chord progressions that can be easy enough to figure out, the preludes from WTC 1 are easier to figure out at first. Try to find the chord within the repeating pattern/figuration. Also, for harmony try reading Practical Guide to Harmony by Tschaikovsky, it's a great initial run down if you have enough familiarity with reading music. That's what I've been doing, I'm self taught so my skills are a complete mess, but I've found these to be useful.
Great! Thank you for this precious advices, for me it s a light in music, even I m not a pianist. And I will buy vocal stuff, much better as you said. Thank you for all!
yeah its crazy because when people play an instrument they are so caught up into so many things in the piece instead of putting thought into the music its self
Great video! Thanks a lot for suggestions. You inspire me to listen all Beethoven's symphonies! "What key am I in? What chord am I on?" - it's time to be more professional!
06:00 Why study tonal harmony (ie the roman numerals) to learn a piece if a piece (like Partimento) was not written from the standpoint of harmony? Also: the first college piano instructor I had a few years ago, in the stupidly dumbed-down "Piano II for music majors", abusively yelled "don't ever write chords above the notes! erase that C/G mark you wrote above the staff! we play based on reading the notes! No theory! Read the notes!" She graduated from Juilliard... and forced us to learn from the equally stupid & dumbed-down "Bastien Group Piano for Adults Book 1" . So apparently she taught from the perspective & insisted on students remaining harmony-dumb even for simple "intro to piano book 1" "C, F, G" tunes. ..and she's still teaching there.
Wow' at first i was like : seems asking for a bit to much. But all those stuff like harmony. Grouping.. you are very différent from majority of teacher on internet..they adress easier and more basic stuff.
Instead of 'argument,' I prefer 'story.' Music is storytelling. Every music piece takes you on a journey. The musician is a storyteller who's not trying to "prove" anything but rather paint a picture/scenario with vivid convincing detail and feeling. Every piece has a plot, mood, character and arc. At least that is how music has always struck me. "Argument" to me seems too rational. Rationality is a great way to analyze a piece, but too limiting - I feel - to fully encompass the experience of performing and experiencing art which exists for me at a gut/emotional level first and foremost. If you don't connect emotionally, then its useless, which is a trap I feel many extremely technical classical musicians fall into. (Not to be confused with sentimentality, which is to err too far in the other direction.)
Thank you for explaining that. After watching that section again now it makes more sense - to understand the harmonic theory underlying. Just discovered your channel, and am learning so much. It's a real treasure trove. Sincere THANKS!
Thanks for this very good pieces of advice. I would like to know what you all think about studying scores away from the keyboard. The comments on imslp are well taken; I love my Ürtexts too, but I can carry about 600 scores right now in my iPad...
Sorry about the audio level. I will fix it tomorrow if I have time.
I am a retired executive (69 years old) who returned.to piano lessons after a 50 year break. My young
Teacher is great and I am slowly relearning all that I have forgotten. Your videos have shaped my practice and playing for the better. Wish you were around 55 years ago. Thankyou
So happy to hear I’m not alone. I am 67 years old and although I played extensively before college, I have hardly touched the keyboard in 47 years. Started back a little over a month ago, and am really struggling. The online community has been the most amazing help for me, but I realize the return back to playing decently is going to be challenging. Trying desperately to find a teacher who is a good fit. Not so easy! But I am heartened to hear someone else out there is returning to piano after so many years..
I enjoy your videos. I'm an "elder" learner, started in my 40s. Lots to learn. Thanks for teaching me the pronunciation of Debussy :D
Good scores and quality listening make SUCH a difference, you’re right. I love your teaching videos from this era, so many great points. London
Very useful advice.
I'm glad I went to regular university, though. They didn't expect me to learn new stuff over the summer holidays.
In fact, I think it's very healthy to take a complete break from what you're usually doing for a few weeks. In fact, the professor who supervised my PhD recommended a three week break every year and I was his 40th PhD student.
Years back, I was on the board of my local city orchestra, which I was simultaneously playing Violin I in and I was in charge of securing the sheet music for our performances. We went through Boosey & Hawkes for Bernstein pieces and I believe Schirmer for an Ives symphony. The rush delivery was very opportunist and I had to temporarily fork over hundreds of dollars of my own money to get them in on time because our board meetings were so sporadic (no fault of my orchestra or conductor). Music publishers these days SUCK and I don't feel sorry for them on account of IMSLP's existence. They're just like the record companies, outdated, completely unaware of how they fleece musicians and how we're not taking their shit anymore.
Totally agree on buying editions, I also always make a point to buy the collection that the piece I'm playing is in, I almost always find other pieces I want to learn from either sight-reading or score-reading the rest of the book. Plus it makes a cleaner library too when you don't have 100 single-piece henles.
Thanks for the suggestions.
Very excellent point about learning the Codas first. Likewise, I realized, while studying a piece in sonata form, it would serve well to study the development section first.
I have missed your videos, sir.
Thank you Dr. Mortensen, for ten minutes of invaluable advice. Do you have any suggestions for an older student with no formal music training, or access to formal music theory training, on how to learn the nuts and bolts of harmonics?
Search on youtube: Dr B.Harmony. You will find 47 lectures. Starts at basic level, and gets to college level. The best Harmony lectures I ever found.
Timea Bor, thanks very much!
I like the brutal honesty. You sound less fake compared to other youtubers on the same topic
Thank you. As usual so full of good information. You are the best.
Great thoughts!
Dr Mortensen, I think your approach to piano, in general, is excellent and I’ve learnt a great deal from you. I would be very, very interested in how you approach learning a fugue. I’ve considered the “voices apart” approach, but I’m not convinced. How about some ideas? Thanks
Thank you, this is good stuff
I would love to see the harmony of a piece analyzed as an example. Can you do one from Bach's WTC?
I have asked a handful of piano teachers (somw are at the University level) about analyzing the harmony and that's just not how they teach, at least not to an amateur like me.
Watch his videos on learning to improvise in baroque style, basically all the preludes are based on these improvisation techniques. The preludes themselves generally follow certain chord progressions that can be easy enough to figure out, the preludes from WTC 1 are easier to figure out at first. Try to find the chord within the repeating pattern/figuration. Also, for harmony try reading Practical Guide to Harmony by Tschaikovsky, it's a great initial run down if you have enough familiarity with reading music. That's what I've been doing, I'm self taught so my skills are a complete mess, but I've found these to be useful.
Great! Thank you for this precious advices, for me it s a light in music, even I m not a pianist. And I will buy vocal stuff, much better as you said. Thank you for all!
Hello Dr.Mortensen, Could you modify the audio??? It isn't listen very well, Thanks, Regretting
"Playing the piano distracts us, actually, from what's going on musically." So, it's not just me!
yeah its crazy because when people play an instrument they are so caught up into so many things in the piece instead of putting thought into the music its self
Hello Dr Mortensen, the audio is very low on this video. Can you correct it?
6:10 How should one start though? I do not know where to start
To be frank, recognizing the chords are harder than saying the what key im in. :/
Thabks for the tios m8.
Great video! Thanks a lot for suggestions. You inspire me to listen all Beethoven's symphonies!
"What key am I in? What chord am I on?" - it's time to be more professional!
What is score?
06:00 Why study tonal harmony (ie the roman numerals) to learn a piece if a piece (like Partimento) was not written from the standpoint of harmony?
Also: the first college piano instructor I had a few years ago, in the stupidly dumbed-down "Piano II for music majors", abusively yelled "don't ever write chords above the notes! erase that C/G mark you wrote above the staff! we play based on reading the notes! No theory! Read the notes!" She graduated from Juilliard... and forced us to learn from the equally stupid & dumbed-down "Bastien Group Piano for Adults Book 1" . So apparently she taught from the perspective & insisted on students remaining harmony-dumb even for simple "intro to piano book 1" "C, F, G" tunes. ..and she's still teaching there.
Wow' at first i was like : seems asking for a bit to much. But all those stuff like harmony. Grouping.. you are very différent from majority of teacher on internet..they adress easier and more basic stuff.
Instead of 'argument,' I prefer 'story.' Music is storytelling. Every music piece takes you on a journey. The musician is a storyteller who's not trying to "prove" anything but rather paint a picture/scenario with vivid convincing detail and feeling. Every piece has a plot, mood, character and arc. At least that is how music has always struck me. "Argument" to me seems too rational. Rationality is a great way to analyze a piece, but too limiting - I feel - to fully encompass the experience of performing and experiencing art which exists for me at a gut/emotional level first and foremost. If you don't connect emotionally, then its useless, which is a trap I feel many extremely technical classical musicians fall into. (Not to be confused with sentimentality, which is to err too far in the other direction.)
"Argument" is a technical term used by professionals to denote the relationships, tensions, and resolutions that exist among themes, key areas, etc.
Thank you for explaining that. After watching that section again now it makes more sense - to understand the harmonic theory underlying. Just discovered your channel, and am learning so much. It's a real treasure trove. Sincere THANKS!
Hi
Thanks for this very good pieces of advice. I would like to know what you all think about studying scores away from the keyboard. The comments on imslp are well taken; I love my Ürtexts too, but I can carry about 600 scores right now in my iPad...
Caan barely hear you, sir. Need a closer mic.
Pro
Audio level totally unintelligible.