Your Honnest Opinion - Revolution in piano teaching!

[onlinepianist]

Hello PianoStreet Users,

We are a new and innovative company in the field of Piano Teaching.

Recently we initiated our revolutionary piano website, which includes a unique application

for learning how to play specific Modern & Classic songs.

It will be great if you, professionals and beginners, could

give us a feedback on the website - https://www.onlinepianist.com

Looking forward to hearing from you,

OnlinePianist crew

[thalbergmad]

Three posts, three adverts and three different threads.

I think you might want to read the forum rules about spamming and advertising.

That is my "honnest" opinion.

Thal

[ahinton]

"honnest"

Short for "hornet's nest" in this particular context, perhaps...

Best,

Alistair

[perfect_pitch]

Well done - another idiotic web-site trying to teach music by rote - instead of teaching the students the fundamentals to learn any piece they want by helping them learn basic rhythms and note reading skills.

Considering you're basing all your files off badly played midi files... That's *** pathetic.

Well bloody done...

(Where's the 'slap face' icon when you need it)

[Bob]

[scottmcc]

one could also comment on the use of copyright-protected materials with no evidence of permission from the artist, but that would seem rather obvious.

what's so revolutionary about this "method?"  I don't see anything new or different about it at all.  there's free ipod apps that do essentially the same thing...

[Bob]

I thought it was about the etude.

[onlinepianist]

Hello,

First, I would like to thank all of you for your attention and remarks, although I thought that
your criticism should be a bit more constructive... But thanx again anyway, I accept all of them.

There are two, rather than 3 posts, and they were both posted by me. I posted them on two different forums as I naturally believed that not all users visit all forums, If i violated the forum rules, I appologize.

Second, please bare in mind that most users of this website are proffesional pianists, as oppose to the target audience of my website.. The website is targeted for those who learnt from a very young age but stopped, and want to learn how to  play specific modern songs.

I am aware to the fact that this "method" of learning is not popular among proffesional pianists and especially among piano teachers, but I also think you should respect those who find this method usefull for themselves, and dont have the money to spend on private tutoring.

With regards to copyrights, my website is an educative one, and as such does not violate copyrights. I dont sell the songs, but rather only teach our version to it.
The piano sheets section will change soon to a new platform as well in order not to violate the copyrights of the artists in this regard..

Again,

I truely appriciate all your remarks, and Im sorry that some people decided not to write a real and constructive criticism, as my intentions are good.
Millions of people watch these type of tutorials on video websites such as youtube, all I wanted to do is to provide those people with a more convenient way to do so.

Thank you,
www.OnlinePianist.com
 

[ahinton]

I appologize.

You mean that you "apologise".

bare in mind

You mean "bear in mind".

proffesional pianists

You mean "professional pianists" in this and subsequent instances).

as oppose

You mean "as opposed".

to  play specific modern songs.

You mean "to play specific modern pieces".

usefull

You mean "useful".

dont

You mean "don't".

truely

You mean "truly".

I'm sorry to appear pedantic but, in addition to your "honnest" opinion", that really is a rather large catalogue of errors for someone involved in a project that purports to be "educational".

With regards to copyrights, my website is an educative one, and as such does not violate copyrights.

On what grounds do you conclude that the purportedly educational purpose of your site "does not violate copyrights" purely because it is an educational site? A publicly available website is, by definition, available to the public and, in publishing material on that site, you are subject to copyrights just like everyone else, most especially if you are publishing music that is not in the public domain; even published music that is itself in the public domain will likely be subject to publisher copyrights if you publish it on your site. If you do not have relevant permissions to publish that material, you may be infringing composer and/or publisher copyrights.

I dont sell the songs, but rather only teach our version to it.

Whether or not you "sell" them for money is not the point; you are still publishing them, presumably without the necessary written permissions to do so.

The piano sheets section will change soon to a new platform as well in order not to violate the copyrights of the artists in this regard.

What changes are you proposing to make in order to avoid such copyright violation and on what grounds do you assume that such violations will indeed thereby be avoided?

Best,

Alistair

[mistermoe]

You are asking for constructive criticism, so here we go:

I listened to 2 Pieces on your website:

Artist:  Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Composition :  Flight of the Bumblebee

Your Version is not the original Rimsky-Korsakov, but a (in my opinion) rather bad jazzy Version of it. 


Artist:  Frédéric Chopin
Composition :  Minute Waltz

It's full of mistakes. At 0:06 min it's a flat not natural! please! it sound horrible! That's when i stopped listening.


Those two pieces are rather advanced ones, and you play them very sloppy. It lacks a lot of technical precision and musicality, and even if it's a website for people who just want to play for fun, it should have a certain quality (that is definatly missing here)

[pianisten1989]

Honnest and classical piano songs?
First of all: Mace schure yow spell al zhi worlds write!! It's look wery an-proffesional too spell worlds rong.
Second: IT'S A FREAKING PIECE! A song is something you sing, it's not that difficult!

Third: I looked up some "Classical songs" and I found Alicia Keys..?! What the hell is that?!

4th: Your playing is really bad. Plenty of wrong notes, and it's just... sucks, sorry.

5th: This shows nothing on how to play anything. You're one of those "No, piano is the easiest thing in the world! You just press on some keys! Voila!" and if you're professionals, you should know better.

6th: Oh.. and this is clearly no "Revolution" in piano playing. I had this keyboard 6 years ago, which had the exact same idea (but better playing, from a Keyboard! 6 YEARS AGO), so...

... not many good points there, I'm afraid...

[onlinepianist]

Thank you again for your comments.

We don't take any of them for granted and we will try to implement most of them in the next version of the site.

We are aware to the fact that professional players & teachers find the site wrongful, and we took
it under consideration before we started the project.

I truly apologize for the grammatical errors, I am not a native English speaker(the website as oppose to my forum posts go through a intensive spelling check).

 The bottom line is that you need to understand that some people look at piano playing as (god forbids)  pure fun, and so do we.

Not everyone can be the best footballer or pianist and some people just like to play for fun.

With a lot of respect,

OnlinePianist.com

[perfect_pitch]

The bottom line is that you need to understand that some people look at piano playing as (god forbids)  pure fun, and so do we.

Not everyone can be the best footballer or pianist and some people just like to play for fun.

You see... that implies that if you want to learn piano, even for fun, then it's not worth paying a piano teacher.

We know that not everyone will reach the Brahms-ian level... but we believe in teaching students properly even if they only ever get to Grade 1 or 2. We don't try to rip people off - we're being paid to give them the best quality education and teaching on the piano - even if their only ambition is to play JLo songs or Metallica transcriptions (or even Disney songs).

What we DON'T need is piss poor attempts to cheapen the profession... especially from web-sites like yours.

With a lot of respect

Somehow - I doubt that!!!

[pianisten1989]

I really couldn't care less about peoples ambitions, though I don't think it's fair to have that attitude as a teacher. If you offer any kinds of lessons, you should At least play the right notes. 'Cause now you're just disrespectful.
It's like.. You know your "audience" probably wont aim for perfect piano playing, so you don't care if your playing is bad. And that's wrong. So check the notes, and start over...

[mistermoe]

The bottom line is that you need to understand that some people look at piano playing as (god forbids)  pure fun, and so do we.

But there's always a chance that some of them one day take the piano seriously and then, getting rid of bat habits or a bad technique will be a huge problem.

The problem i have with your site and its presentation is the following statement you do in your first post:

We are a new and innovative company in the field of Piano Teaching.

Being a piano teacher takes a lot of knowledge and experience of your instrument, you definitively haven't. Even if the students play just for fun, being a piano teacher is a profession and must be taken seriously! And that's the least i expect from a company in the field of piano teaching.

[mistermoe]

What we DON'T need is piss poor attempts to cheapen the profession...

Thanks! That's exactly what i was trying to say! (have read your post to late  )

[pianisten1989]

One idea is to use music notation at the same time.
I don't like your idea of teaching, though there are many who do. So for those people, make an effort.
Though, I think it's good that you have a tempo...-changer. But then it's even more important to play the right notes.

[nanabush]

This makes my head hurt.  This type of teaching (original post) is like getting a beginner to memorize the answers to a physics test then getting 100%!

[pianisten1989]

This makes my head hurt.  This type of teaching (original post) is like getting a beginner to memorize the answers to a physics test then getting 100%!

But memorize wrong answer, so he only gets 20%...

[thalbergmad]

I truly apologize for the grammatical errors, I am not a native English speaker

Being a native English speaker is not a requirement, but being a pianist is.

Thal

[pianowolfi]

You see... that implies that if you want to learn piano, even for fun, then it's not worth paying a piano teacher.

We know that not everyone will reach the Brahms-ian level... but we believe in teaching students properly even if they only ever get to Grade 1 or 2. We don't try to rip people off - we're being paid to give them the best quality education and teaching on the piano - even if their only ambition is to play JLo songs or Metallica transcriptions (or even Disney songs).

What we DON'T need is piss poor attempts to cheapen the profession... especially from web-sites like yours.

Somehow - I doubt that!!!

I agree completely.

[lostinidlewonder]

Revolution is strong word I was expecting something exciting but struggled to find any useful teaching concept or method in the entire website. I think it is wonderful that people have access to the pieces you are providing however;

...you may be infringing composer and/or publisher copyrights.

This is what I immediately thought when I saw some of the songs offered. For instance I had a look at Imagine from John Lennon, what we see at the bottom of the page: Copyright 1971 Lenono Music. Administered by BGM Music Publishing Company Limited. Better not scan and offer these things for free, if you live in some distant overseas place it might be hard to prosecute but removal of your downloads will be applied for as soon as they realize you are ripping them off. (This is not to say there are thousands of other places which are ripping off this song)

[honeywill]

Any genuine piano teacher would be ashamed to promote this rubbish. There is no 'teaching method' here at all - or am I missing something? 

[Bob]

[honeywill]

Ha ha, that's me, second from the left at the bottom....

[gene2701]

hi, what kind of a feedback would u require?

honestly, its quite a intesting way (ALTHOUGH unprofessional) to spread music to pple around.

not everybody wants to be a concert pianist. some just want to play the piano for the sake of it.

guys, chill man.

i know u guys value ur 'traditions' but really, dont 'shoot' the innocent.
if u shoot them, what makes u any different from 'them'?

[perfect_pitch]

i know u guys value ur 'traditions' but really, dont 'shoot' the innocent.
if u shoot them, what makes u any different from 'them'?

Easy - we value good quality teaching - they don't!

Any other questions?

[birba]

loved that!!!  God knows how many times that could have been used on this site!

[perfect_pitch]

Erm... It's a bunch of fish... what's so funny about that???

[gene2701]

to perfect_pitch. r u that sure YOU ALL offer quality teeaching?

and besides...trust me..THERE R pple who has ultimate potential to become a concert pianist who wishes to keep a low profile and CHOOSE to just teach the piano FOR FUN

by that insensitive statement of urs, i seriously doubt if u hv seen the world?..
if u had, i m sure u would really know what i m talking abt.

[honeywill]

PP - it's a bunch of sharks (feeding frenzy?)

G - the bozos who set up this website asked for honest feedback. They got it.

[perfect_pitch]

Ahhh - got you honeywill.

And Gene... I'm pretty sure that everyone who damned that web-site cares about quality teaching, myself included.

Gene - I'm pretty sure you don't know what the hell you're talking about - I've been teaching for years and teach kids and adults alike - grade 1 through 8 with no problem, so I don't need to worry about my teaching methods.

[pianisten1989]

to perfect_pitch. r u that sure YOU ALL offer quality teeaching?

and besides...trust me..THERE R pple who has ultimate potential to become a concert pianist who wishes to keep a low profile and CHOOSE to just teach the piano FOR FUN

yes, there ARE peOPLE who CHOOSE TO teach PIano FOR fun. BUT thIs GuY makes them PICK, not CHOOSE. NonE of HIS students "" "" will be GooD ehougH to ChOOsE to BE teacHers for FuN  : ThEy Have to, SinCe they ARE to bad to beCOme concert pianists. Therefore  THeY don't CHOOSE.

[perfect_pitch]

PiaNIstEN - I tHInk it's tiME to BUy a NeW keYBoaRD!!

[gene2701]

to pp - "Gene - I'm pretty sure you don't know what the hell you're talking about - I've been teaching for years and teach kids and adults alike - grade 1 through 8 with no problem, so I don't need to worry about my teaching methods"

i do know either. well...tell me abt it, whats do YOU PERSONALLY meant by 'quality teaching'?
i assume ur a classical piano teacher then?

well..our conversation can stop IF you would choose to 'reveal' ur teaching methods only if i 'sign up' for ur classes.. HAHA :p

honestly, i dont care what grade u teach...thats beside the point here

[honeywill]

Don't feed the troll.

[pianisten1989]

Obviously none of you understood my hilarious joke! Or maybe I didn't understand the answer.
 
Anyhow!  Gene, the thing is: I don't think pp has got some "revolutionary" way of teaching, but I am very sure he teaches his students to play the right notes in a good way. In that way, the students can choose. Either they spend time on playing that way, or they don't. Then they've been able to choose.

The way this fraud teaches makes the student play the wrong notes a bad way. So the student is forced to become a crappy pianist, and can't choose profession.

[pianist1976]

@Gene2701. It's easy: great pedagogues such as Dalcroze, Orff, Kodaly and Willens (some of them also were great composers, so I guess they know what are they talking about...   ) said that music is an art that is taught with music. Even for beginners or amateurs, if the model they are following is bad and inaccurate, they will never make good music. Who said amateurs cannot make beautiful music? I think that examples such as that disturbing reading error in the Chopin waltz are unacceptable (but that is only one detail, there are many other things that are terrible in those renditions, in rhythmics, dynamics, etc.).

[birba]

I looked at your site and it's nothing like I imagined.  I don't understand where you learn anything.  You have this keyboard in front of you that lights up the keys as they are being played and the learner is supposed to imitate it?  How does he know what fingering to use?  Some of the those pieces are complicated - even greensleeves (which I really found difficult to follow and hear the melody) - not to mention dizzy fingers and kitten on the keys - and are difficult to approach even if you know basic piano.  basically the learner doesn't really "learn" anything.  Even if you go at 25% speed, how does he acquire any sort of technique to learn those pieces?  Maybe I didn't delve deep enough, but there isn't any sort of verbal explanation of anything.  MAH! (Italian expression indicating perplexity and bewilderment)

[perfect_pitch]

whats do YOU PERSONALLY meant by 'quality teaching'?
i assume ur a classical piano teacher then?

I am a classical pianist sure... but as for teaching - I teach whatever the student wants. If they want to play a rag-time or blues piece, I'll help them. If they wanna learn Disney songs - who am I to deny them that.

What I DO TEACH however is how to play the piano properly... I help ensure that they play with the best fingering, proper notes & articulation and understand the pulse and rhythm of the piece.

Every single good teacher does these things... so if you thought I was some pompous dick who tried to shove Bach down every students throat - then you don't know me...

Wait - what am I saying - you DON'T know me... so I guess I have nothing else to say.

r u that sure YOU ALL offer quality teeaching?

First of all - "teaching", learn to spell.

Second of all - I may not be able to speak for the others, but yes I do offer good quality teaching. I don't cut corners when I'm teaching anything and I'm sure that many of the other people on this site don't do that either.

How old are you by the way - because your grammar and spelling lead me to believe that you're probably 12???   

[birba]

 I think we scared him off...

[Bob]

Does that mean the revolution was put down?

Will there be any pillaging?

[perfect_pitch]

Will there be any pillaging?

If there's any looting... then I got dibbs on the big-screen TV's.

[pianisten1989]

I want heads to roll!

[gene2701]

haha..oh gosh do i sound tat young? m 23 this yr.

a pianist like u.

ya 'teeching'...teeee teeee... lol

glad to hear that ur so confident..

fingering...hmmm...i dont usually prescribe fingerings. we r probably different.

[perfect_pitch]

we r probably different.

You've made me a happy man by confirming that! Whew.

[gene2701]

y would that make u happy? lol

ya. i aint a believer in fingerings. there is more to piano playing than just fingers and hands.

there is this unknown element which we r all strivin towards.

[gyzzzmo]

Cant anybody change that title into normal english? 

[perfect_pitch]

y would that make u happy? lol

ya. i aint a believer in fingerings. there is more to piano playing than just fingers and hands.

there is this unknown element which we r all strivin towards.

Your comebacks are pretty lame... I'd spend more time working on your english and your comebacks before commenting further - now you're just annoying.

[brahms4me]

Everyone tries to reinvent the wheel.  How exhausting.   Nothing new has been intorduced, in professional opinion.  Again, this is a site that is trying to appeal to those who do not want to seriously work at anything.  Besides, the examples are so fraught with mistakes that if a person wants to "learn" through this method that person will never be taken seriously - even if it is done for fun.  There is a reason that the "old method" of teaching has lasted over the centuries.

As far as copyright issues - I'd take a long hard look at it again.  You are treading into dangerous waters.