5 Concepts Piano Beginners Must Understand To Learn Fast

I can't stress the importance of Point 5 enough. I was constantly trying to learn pieces above my level, and that burned me out in the long run. Then I discovered Ludovico Einaudi, and alot of his pieces are quite easy to play and learn. And they are beautiful! So yes, after realizing that I also should "utilize" the progress I've made and just play great music, my motivation for learning harder pieces skyrocketed.

The "AAB" method was what my instructors taught me, and it's AMAZING the difference it makes. Focus on playing it right, no matter how slow you need to go, no matter how tedious it feels or if you think "I should be doing better than this". That doesn't matter. Focus on the speed and rhythm later. Here's why it works: When you play notes together, the neurons for performing that action fire, and stay sensitive for a bit. If you fail, they'll kind of connect together but it won't stick very well. But if you play it RIGHT, the satisfaction basically shoots through all the neurons that just fired, and it strengthens their connection by a lot. So the next time you try, it feels more natural. It just feels like the next thing to do. I like to practice this way at night, because it is when you sleep that it then cleans up and solidifies the connections and they stick around long term. The next day might need a bit of warm-up, but often after just one evening, it can feel natural the next day.

Point #1 is so important no matter what instrument you're playing. I was a self-taught musician for years, and now at 52 I'm finally taking proper piano lessons in order to learn how to read better and improve my technique. I spent 8 years playing bass in a rock band too. The only way I was able to play without formal instruction is because I understood chords. I see the way my kids were taught music in school, mostly as woodwind players, and I knew they would learn better and faster if they understood chords. So many kids are handed a trumpet or a sax and are never taught about chords because they play single-line instruments. But understanding chords puts everything in context. I only wish I'd known this at 10 years old.

0:30 Practice and master chord structure 3:59 Absolute Accuracy Rule - Prioritize practicing correct notes before tempo, dynamics 6:30 Work with metronome 9:10 Practice sight reading 11:37 Set high goals but remember to have fun

The best example I was given for chords is each note is like a letter or syllable whereas chords are whole words or phrases so they are very important, because when you play correctly you are communicating correctly. Great points!

The Absolute Accuracy Rule is in fact a version of the best advice I have ever got about piano practice: never try to solve more than one problem at the same time. Which means that you should not bother about even tempo, rhythm etcetera if you still struggle with finding the right keys. So first you must get the fingering right, then you need to get the keys right - let it take as much time as you need.

A rule that I’ve set for myself when learning a piece is: if I’ve made a mistake at a specific spot 3 or more times, then I circle, write, markup my music at that spot. But if I continue to mess it up, this means it is in my muscle memory. So I repeat that single section 10-15 or even more times in a row, starting slow then speeding up to full speed. This really helps me flatten out the wrinkles in my pieces so to speak

Jaze Lee is the extra teacher I never knew I needed in my piano journey. Thank goodness I have found his channel early on. So much tips and suggestions that have benefited me and helped me to learn faster.

Here's a handy dandy time stamp list 🕘 Timestamps 0:00 Intro 0:30 Priority Number 1 2:57 Priority Number 2 6:30 Priority Number 3 9:10 Priority Number 4 11:37 Priority Number

I agree with focus on chords. I began on organ (contemporary style of music) at the age of 7 and was taught chords from the very beginning. I am so grateful my teacher focused on chords and their structure. Learning theory and chord structures was a game changer for me. I use the same approach when teaching piano and find my students have much quicker and satisfying results. By understanding basic theory and memorizing a few simple formulas for creating chords, any chord is easily executed. It also helps develop improv much easier. Yup…timing is everything! The metronome, tapping, or counting aloud is a must! It is this area I get the most resistance from my students; however, I try to stress the incredible importance of it to them. I am grateful for my teacher, back in the 60’s, teaching me this method as it has truly shown to be an asset to my musical journeys.

Jazer, one year ago when I took up the piano, I looked up Piano tutorials and I came across yours, Your tips are just simply amazing, I really find slow practice, non-gambling, daily consistent very effective. They're not only for beginners, but intermediate players could also apply this method. From your Self-taught Beginner's Pitfall video, I got myself a teacher, and he just advised me the same tips you provided. I am now also quicker at sight reading. Now i'm practicing Chopin Nocturne Eb major, and maybe more difficult pieces in the future, thank you for the first step. You inspired me !

Love this! I am a flute player and vocalist who dabbled in guitar and piano. I always approached the piano intuitively because I never had time or money to formally learn it with lessons. I would say that he is EXACTLY right about hitting a cap. I could play more beginner/intermediate pieces but then when I went to sit down and learn a new one I had to read each note individually and it took ages. I always knew chords was my next step and I’m so happy that this validated that! Gotta learn those building blocks if you are going to be a smart piano player! I’ve been interested in getting back into it and this gave me a great starting point! Thank you!

Been playing for 9 years, and I must say, everything the video creator says is true, I was lucky to be taught by my uncle who follows these rules, this video is very informative and I will refer my students to this video in the future.

1. Chords are everything. 2. AAR - Absolute Accuracy Rule (slow but accurate) 3. Use Metronome 4. Sight Reading (start small but start)

Hello Jazer Lee! Thank you for this video lesson and making it available to all! I’ve been doing all the mistakes you point out, trying to learn piano with YouTube tutorials that let me avoid the terror of trying to learn to site read sheet music again, like the soul crushing lessons from my middle school years which sent me riding my bicycle home in tears and shame…. Now i see why I’ve stalled in my improvement- thanks to you! Here you are endowing your students and subscribers with the very techniques and helpful methods you were deprived of. Thank you for your work, and your generosity! Play On!

Just want to say, I've been studying music for 12 of my 20 years on this earth. I started with violin for about 8 years before I expanded to guitar and eventually singing and piano. Violin became part of my nature and I didn't have to think too much about theory or the little things to play. My older brother played guitar all of my living years so when I picked it up It was like second nature to me. Moving onto singing and piano, I met a wall of learning and plateaued with my learning in these domains due to my prior knowledge inhibiting me to some extent. This video really helped me conceptualize things in a palpable way in relation to my prior conditioning in music. Immediately I found myself improving in both singing and piano due to these tips that can benefit any aspiring musician. Thank you for this video, and I could not recommend it more to both new piano players, and new musicians in general. You have earned my subscription with this video alone, and have proven you are better than most teachers I have paid in the past to improve my videos.

i just wanna say, i recently found your channel when trying to continue the piano. i stopped playing after my dad passed away 5 years ago, but honestly it was one of the only things that gave me enjoyment in life. ive realized that my life has been really lacking without it, and im pretty tired of living like that. so ive dusted off my piano and i think im ready to further myself with it, properly this time. Thank you for your videos, and for all the effort and care you put into them!

W o O w ! Jazer, I noticed the more relaxed delivery in your teaching videos. You've taken the time to identify and relate to your subscribed audience and I love it. Yes, that's me the senior, self taught partner in your audience speaking. I am at the 1.7 year mark in my self taught journey and, just now, "clicking" on how the chords relate and create a foundation for the musical piece I'm playing. I now, in most cases, know the next key or chord that will fit in the piece I'm playing when I lose my place on the sheet music (laughing). I sight read all my pieces and I add a new piece every month. I have progressed on to more complex songs and find sight reading allows me to understand music theory. Thank you for your hard work. You are appreciated.

Dancing has given me an amazing sense of internalized rhythm that has helped me greatly in learning my instrument (guitar). I use a metronome more to push my comfort in technique rather than learn rhythm… knowing that I have a fixed period of time helps me focus. But once that has been smoothed out, no need for the metronome for performance.

7:08 YES!! That's great! Feeling the rhythm is so important! I've never understood why some teachers will have their students count alone as you're not actually teaching rhythm by doing so