YouTube piano tutorials - great or not great?

[kawai_cs]

Somebody here mentioned that they are feeling bad for people who take YT tutorials seriously and believe they can actually benefit from them.
I watched many tutorials and master classes on YT and at that time I thought they were teaching me something. However, over the time I recognized that there are certain dangers related to teaching yourself basing upon those videos only.
I think odds are pretty high that the concept presented in the video may be misunderstood or used in the wrong way - and instead of making progress one enforces bad habits or the least harmful - wastes their time. I believe the concept may also be simply, bad or at least does not work for everybody.
I feel like I wasted many hours of practice throughout weeks by trying to implement some pieces of advice heard in those tutorials.
For instance: never practice for speed, practice for comfort and accuracy. Always practice slowly and perform fast. Seriously?? Never practice for speed? How should that work? One explanation and advice from my teacher and I was able to finally make progress in building speed within hours than working my a... off practicing slowly for months before. 

I have more examples but I would like to hear what you folks think? What experiences have you made with video tutorials. What was helpful, what was unhelpful?

[diomedes]

Everyone is different. And going to a video like that for help with your playing is like going to a book for advice. We're all looking to improve our playing but in the end it's how you solve problems, time and work your ass off like you said.

In my experience these "tutorials" always try to sound appealing in the title. One in particular was some asian guy and a "how to play scales fast" video. I'm not sure how he sleeps at night, if i was him i'd hide in a closet.

The masterclasses can be interesting, however. I've seen some by Schiff and Berman, but those were stylistic commentaries in a sense. Not how to play piano better.

One explanation and advice from my teacher and I was able to finally make progress in building speed within hours than working my a... off practicing slowly for months before.

As long as your mind can keep up with your fingers, you're good to go.

[dcstudio]

I feel sorry for narrow minded people who take lessons from arrogant teachers...lol...   

it used to be that your piano teacher was your only source of information---he was really the only one whose approval meant anything when it came to your performance... Only the sheet music he assigned was "worthy."   Only his method book--his fingerings--his opinions--were important.   Mom and Dad always backed him up..  at least that's the way it was when I was young.   

Now--there are others with his credentials--or better--right there on YT--not to mention all the performance vids--interviews--analysis---beneficial???  I don't know how I learned to play without it..

[michael_sayers]

There are a lot of books on piano playing.  With Y.T. one can see and hear things demonstrated - you can't get that in a book.


Mvh,
Michael

[dcstudio]

 
I feel like I wasted many hours of practice throughout weeks by trying to implement some pieces of advice heard in those tutorials.


For instance: never practice for speed, practice for comfort and accuracy. Always practice slowly and perform fast. 

practicing the piano is never a waste of time... period..  some time may have been better spent--true--but that doesn't mean that time was wasted.


never practice for speed...      I could never follow that rule either-- I took the opposite approach and threw my hands out there--I learned the motion first and the accuracy followed...  it worked for me...and it was FUN, too.   

[kawai_cs]

I took the opposite approach and threw my hands out there--I learned the motion first and the accuracy followed...  it worked for me...and it was FUN, too.    

That is exactly what I mean and what we actually know - motions and touch in slow play are different than at fast pace. It happened a lot that I had to completely re-learn some passages, even change fingerings, which is all hassle and costs a lot of time, because what was practiced slowly for accuracy just did not work at fast tempo.

[bronnestam]

My own simple rule of thumb is that you should always humbly listen to advice, no matter where it comes from, and you should never do it uncritically ... no matter where it comes from.

There are so many methods, ideas, interpretations ... evaluate them carefully, ask yourself if you like this, if this makes any sense to you, if this feels good or not - then use it or disregard it after your own taste. Or be like my old boss (note: at a telecommunications company) who snapped: "You found it on the Internet? Oh, no such sh*t here, please."

 

[ted]

Tutorials no, particularly the ones about improvisation, which usually involve pretty technically slack players going on about vocabulary, "what" notes to play; never a word about "how" to acquire general idea flow regardless of idiom, which is the main block for beginners. I have picked up one or two really good practice tips from the classical brigade in their masterclasses on youtube, but it's like looking for small diamonds in an ocean of mud.

Nowhere near the class of personal, interactive discussion at the instrument with a talented player I'm afraid, at least not for me. However, if these clips stimulate someone to explore further, then they have a positive function.

[dcstudio]

never a word about "how" to acquire general idea flow regardless of idiom, which is the main block for beginners.

that is the hardest part--really.   It's scary at first--painful even... it's because you have no reference--that file is empty.   You acquire general idea flow through "hit and miss" melodic experimentation.   You are going to have to find out what sounds bad to find what sounds good to you. Once you accept that you are going to play some sour solos until you have this down--once you can be at peace with sounding less than perfect and you fearlessly attack the keyboard--that's when your brain starts putting things together...it takes a little while...but it happens.  Start with just the black keys--you really can't play a bad combo of black keys--it's a pentatonic scale..

It's about using that "play by ear" way... and combining it with a rock solid grasp of chords, inversions and ext,--an ability to sight read lead sheets--and most important of ALL --an unwavering sense of rhythm.

first you must believe you can figure it out... otherwise forget it...

I hear ya though--that made me so angry when I was learning--"geez, can't they just TELL ME HOW TO DO THIS???"  don't give up--you will get there.

[visitor]

i find that the better i know the piece the more i can get from it if i am not doing certain things already. i have not found, and don't think they are particularly helpful- earlier int he learning stages, some things just have to be hammered out at the keyboard in practice, careful score study, listening, and guided instruction (individual/live). but one you have something down really well, it's like observing a masterclass on a piece you studied, you may get some new concepts to go back and try.