The Effects of YouTube
So I'm no stranger to YouTube. Recently I've been watching everything from clips of the Emmys (Check out John Stewart and Steven Colbert) to card tricks (which I'm happy to say, Matt and I figured out after a few viewings). So naturally one day I did a little browsing to check out some piano videos. The results definitely had an impact on me.
On the first search all I typed in was "piano" which ended up with a lot of piano renditions of video game themes. Some of them pretty interesting. But not really what I was looking for. So I decided to limit my search a little more and typed in "clair de lune" which is a piece I played in college, but never really mastered. These results interested me for 2 reasons. 1- There was one guy who played amazingly well, although the video camera was positioned in such a way that you couldnt see his face or hands at all. 2- There were lots of videos of people in the "still learning" phase. Which really surprised me. I cant figure out why on earth someone would record and share things that werent 100% correct yet. I know I could never do something like that. But what also surprised me were the comments for these videos. Nothing like "here are the 487 notes you played wrong" or "you suck, give up." Most of the comments were supportive and helpful, even if they were critiques. I remember one said something like "you have a good start here, it would be even more effective if you gave some thought as to dynamics." What... no rulers smashing down on poor piano students fingers? What a foreign concept to me. I guess I'm too used to the blunt criticism of my former teachers.
But anyway, one thing all this YouTubing has got me doing is playing piano again. My shoulder still isnt healed up (that's another issue), so I can't really play like I used to. But I can't stay away anymore either. I've been trying to get Clair de Lune up to 100% and I've come a long way. But I dont know if I'll ever think it's there. I guess it's the perfection curse most musicians deal with. I'll work on getting one section to flow better. Then I soon as that's right, I'll be like "oh now I need to get the voicing correct," then once that's done I think about the dynamics, then phrasing, then the tempo, etc etc etc... There's just too much required to make it perfect. I think I'll always be thinking about what layer of musicality I can add on. I think this is why it takes me so long to learn pieces, and also why I can play a piece for like 5 years and not get tired of it. It's constantly evolving into something better than it was and yet never achieving the greatness I know it should.
Huh... I just realized that last sentence pretty much sums up my playing.
Anyway, the point I was going to make was that YouTube has made me realize that I am far better than the average Joe Shmo when it comes to playing piano, so I need to stop being afraid of it. But I guess I made a different point instead.
On the first search all I typed in was "piano" which ended up with a lot of piano renditions of video game themes. Some of them pretty interesting. But not really what I was looking for. So I decided to limit my search a little more and typed in "clair de lune" which is a piece I played in college, but never really mastered. These results interested me for 2 reasons. 1- There was one guy who played amazingly well, although the video camera was positioned in such a way that you couldnt see his face or hands at all. 2- There were lots of videos of people in the "still learning" phase. Which really surprised me. I cant figure out why on earth someone would record and share things that werent 100% correct yet. I know I could never do something like that. But what also surprised me were the comments for these videos. Nothing like "here are the 487 notes you played wrong" or "you suck, give up." Most of the comments were supportive and helpful, even if they were critiques. I remember one said something like "you have a good start here, it would be even more effective if you gave some thought as to dynamics." What... no rulers smashing down on poor piano students fingers? What a foreign concept to me. I guess I'm too used to the blunt criticism of my former teachers.
But anyway, one thing all this YouTubing has got me doing is playing piano again. My shoulder still isnt healed up (that's another issue), so I can't really play like I used to. But I can't stay away anymore either. I've been trying to get Clair de Lune up to 100% and I've come a long way. But I dont know if I'll ever think it's there. I guess it's the perfection curse most musicians deal with. I'll work on getting one section to flow better. Then I soon as that's right, I'll be like "oh now I need to get the voicing correct," then once that's done I think about the dynamics, then phrasing, then the tempo, etc etc etc... There's just too much required to make it perfect. I think I'll always be thinking about what layer of musicality I can add on. I think this is why it takes me so long to learn pieces, and also why I can play a piece for like 5 years and not get tired of it. It's constantly evolving into something better than it was and yet never achieving the greatness I know it should.
Huh... I just realized that last sentence pretty much sums up my playing.
Anyway, the point I was going to make was that YouTube has made me realize that I am far better than the average Joe Shmo when it comes to playing piano, so I need to stop being afraid of it. But I guess I made a different point instead.
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