Secrets For Playing Pop Music On Piano

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This is precisely why I always advocate all piano students, learn your chords (not from written notes, learn the structure) and then train your ear. This is critical. Listen and transpose to your instrument then you are unshackled from the chains of terrible sheet arrangements. A little bit of work and I promise you that you will be able to listen to a song, sit down, figure it out and play it in no time. Your style, your way.

I’m a professionally trained pianist but have wondered my whole life how to approach popular music. This video summed up all of the issues I’ve had with popular sheet music and provided solutions to them. I owe you a subscription to your school! Thank you immensely for taking time to post this and answer my questions!

I really think this is the single best video on piano playing I have come across, and I have seen a lot. So much valuable information here. Thanks doesn’t cover it.

I have been playing piano for my whole life. You have taught me some great things at age 63. Thank you.

That was GROOVY. KIller arrangement on Hotel California

I don’t think there is anyone else out there who touches how to create pop music on piano like this. Thank you for this understandable explanation! So good!

This is exactly how I’ve been thinking for years about playing pop music on the piano, but I’ve never heard anyone explain it so clearly. I’m very happy with this video, thank you.” 😊

That Hotel California arrangement was epic.

That melody in Chopin's style sounded really cool.

As a classical pianist, this is outstanding

You are a teacher for teachers

This is pretty much exactly how i've been teaching piano for many years, and it's amazing how few adults and even kids today, still are not taught these essential skills, so many teachers out there ONLY teaching classical technique, and reading treble and bass clef.... GREAT SKILLS for sure to have, but not as useful for playing contemporary pop music, as one might expect. Thanks for spreading the word.

I'm a bassist and when learning a song by ear I listen until I can sing the bass line in my head. Knowing the chords allows me to have a good idea of the notes that would fit within a given key centre. I learned before the advent of YouTube so repeated dropping the needle on vinyl or rewinding a cassette was the only way to learn a song without sheet music. Even then the sheet music only had chords & the melody but no bass clef. Ear training is a must.

I started piano lessons at the age of 9 and wrote my first song the same year. I'm 59 now. It's beyond me how people can play the piano and not play by ear. How can you not learn where those sounds are on that keyboard? I understand I may have a better ear than average but I firmly believe if you practice it, any pianist can train their ear. It opens up SO much more enjoyment.

What a great video. Former HS piano teacher here. I was given a method book to use, filled with public domain tunes like "When the Saints Go Marching In." Kids weren't digging it, shocker. Next year, 6 weeks to learn the treble clef for the RH, then on to lead sheets & pop tunes. Always asked them, What song do you want to learn, and made lead aheets for them, rarely more than 6 triad chords. All as you say here, I confirm.

you are spot on here - I was classically trained in a conservatoire but assure you the skills I learnt playing in bands as a teenager are every bit as useful in the high school classroom I teach and helping young people form bands etc. It's all about chords, being able to voice the melody at the top by using inversions which gives your left hand freedom to create rhythm through octaves, 5ths and passing notes etc. When you get into playing with vocalists and other musicians your job is then to actually play less and add more to the groove picking out lines in the spaces etc. Great video mate.

I thought I was doing something wrong that when I tried to learn my favorite popular songs from sheet music, 99% of the time they don't sound or feel right. This video confirmed that I wasn't just out of my mind. I can figure out chords but not the rhythm so what you said about groove is so helpful.

Lessons from a Real PRO..😍🙏⚡️⚡️💜

the majority of the "sheet music" available on line is garbage. it's not even close to correct.