Video of the Day

Major Scales w/ Irregular Fingering


Five 5-Min Videos for Beginners - 1/5

     
For whatever reason, you want to start playing the piano. No matter what music you'd like to play or compose (!), you need to know your major scales and get used to seeing the whole piano as that key. Also, start using your fingers in new combinations immediately. The major scales are a great tool for that due to the variety of back and white notes. This first video of five in this mini-series cover these two extremely important facets of piano playing. Remember, it takes days and weeks, not months and years to get very good at this stuff! Move on to part two once you're comfortable with this part's teachings...





Select Videos by Theme:

Theme: Absolute Major Scale Mastery
This Theme goes from C major and works through the cycle of 4ths. Each video, apart from the intro, is around 7 minutes long and contains the same structure: scale construction, general shape, patterns, emotional connections, then moves to discovering your
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Do Re Mi - My First Piece at 6 - Now a Useful Technical Exercise for You!
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When I was about 6, I learnt this song for fun, not really touching a piano again for almost a decade. It came to me that the left hand accompaniment can be used as a great background to so many
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Theme: Away-From-The-Piano Content
Everybody is on a different musical path but we all need to master the major scales and spend time getting those fingers flexed and accurate at the piano. Here are some videos, updated when necessary, which apply to everybody starting out at the piano. Chromatics, basic chords and precision.

Is It Really This Easy? - Any Notes, Any Chords, Enjoy The Results!
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I found a bunch of chords in my notebook and didn't remember what they were for... then it hit me! Ah yes, I wanted to make a video a few years ago on how you can get into composing (or at
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Theme: Best for Beginners
I have so many videos that it's difficult to find your way through them. I've collected some which I recommend to beginners, no matter your path. We all need major scale mastery, to know at least a few chord
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All Chords Once And For All! - Play Along With Me to Mastery (1/2)
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There are two ambitions I have with this channel: for you to have major scale mastery and know all chord shapes in all keys. I already have a major scale mastery playlist linked below. I also have a chord video in
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Theme: Chords
Your mastery of chords is very important to me and I've made a lot of videos to help you with it: games, different keys, extensions, inversions. Do your best to spend a lot of time of chord mastery once your major scales are mastered.

All Chords Once And For All! - Play Along With Me to Mastery (1/2)
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There are two ambitions I have with this channel: for you to have major scale mastery and know all chord shapes in all keys. I already have a major scale mastery playlist linked below. I also have a chord video in
- Read More ...

Theme: Composition
It's all well and good playing music which has been composed by other people and it's very important indeed to spend time on technical exercises, especially personalising them... but not enough piano students discover their inspirational source and start to write
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Trial & Error Fun Composing Method 2/3 - Melody to Chords or Chords to Melody
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Assuming you've enjoyed and played around on your own what I discussed in part 1 so that you can experience the different feeling part 2 will give you, for which you will remove all restrictions and either play a bunch of
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Theme: Free Podcasts
In addition to the official Water Pianism Podcast Collection available in my online store, I occasionally post free podcasts when the topic doesn't require me to play a lot yet is too much to write in a short article. Listen on the go, use your internal piano and spend some time on your mind with these episodes.

Learn Lots of Jazz Tunes Quite Effortlessly - Multiple Song Analyses - Podcast Episode
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Instead of doing an single-song analysis, of which I have many, I thought it would be a nice change to do a podcast episode in which I show many jazz songs and how you would go about studying the lead sheet
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Theme: General Piano
Sometimes, I can't find a suitable Theme so the videos go in here. Quite miscellaneous but still a useful mix of theoretical and philosophical discussion and demonstration!

Stuff To Do With The Cycle of Fourths - Helping You Become Fluent
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Most chord progressions (80%+) are based on the cycle of fourths. Each new key a fourth up from the previous adds one more flat to the key, until Gb. From Db/C#, however, if you continue in fourths, you will actually start
- Read More ...

Theme: How to
I've made a few videos which fall under this title. They're more 'hold my hand' in nature than other videos but I always encourage personalisation anyway!

Learn Lots of Jazz Tunes Quite Effortlessly - Multiple Song Analyses - Podcast Episode
Watch now... Add to Watchlist   
Instead of doing an single-song analysis, of which I have many, I thought it would be a nice change to do a podcast episode in which I show many jazz songs and how you would go about studying the lead sheet
- Read More ...

Theme: How to Become a Pianist in Ten Lessons
The most famous of my Themes, do enjoy it but be sure to see newer videos because many, many comments helped me over the years to refine content, philosophies, presentation style and recording quality.

How to Become a Pianist in Ten Lessons - Lesson 1 - Becoming an Excellent Adult Learner (Old)
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**PLEASE READ** - Welcome! I apologise for the lower quality of this video - things improve with later videos. I do hope you will consider this video a doorway to my channel and not get caught up in only
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Theme: Improvisation
Many people like jazz but can't improvise because they freeze. I've made many, many videos to help unfreeze you, no matter your level and experience, so that you can discover how You naturally improvise without getting too caught up in theory, or using it as a way to stop using it!

Learn a 12 Bar Blues - Written for Beginners (Choose Your LH Style!)
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I do love a blues. Who doesn't? This little educational piece I wrote years ago but thought it was time to update and present it to you in a shorter, better quality video. It purposefully includes common RH techniques and is
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Theme: Jazz Piano
You may have come to the realisation that your musical personality involves more complex chords, improvisation and blues. With all the aforementioned skills in place, you're well on your way to entering the world of jazz with minimal difficulties. Modal theory? Improvisational layers? Extended chords? 12 bar blues? Target notes? Listening recommendations?

Learn a 12 Bar Blues - Written for Beginners (Choose Your LH Style!)
Watch now... Add to Watchlist   
I do love a blues. Who doesn't? This little educational piece I wrote years ago but thought it was time to update and present it to you in a shorter, better quality video. It purposefully includes common RH techniques and is
- Read More ...

Theme: Most Recent Videos
Videos which have been published within recent weeks that you have probably missed because YouTube never notifies my subscribers. Be sure to have the notification bell selected to receiving all notifications because I upload 3-5 times/week and I'd hate for you to miss useful content!

All Chords Once And For All! - Play Along With Me to Mastery (1/2)
Watch now... Add to Watchlist   
There are two ambitions I have with this channel: for you to have major scale mastery and know all chord shapes in all keys. I already have a major scale mastery playlist linked below. I also have a chord video in
- Read More ...

Theme: Own Composition Tutorials
There are not enough people, of any level, composing piano music. I've taken it upon myself to make a few videos in which I both share how I compose my compositions and how you might go about creating your own. Listen
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Three Approaches to Composition - Trial & Error, Theoretical & Away From Piano
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I wrote quite a few compositions before I started this channel so I thought it was a useful name to it as my name and what I was doing! My compositions are available via the link below. I hope in this
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Theme: Performance Only
People often ask for me to just play without teaching. Over the years, I have done that a few times but I really prefer to teach than perform. However, enjoy the few performance videos I have made in which I do not speak or teach.

Maple Leaf Rag - Performance & Technique - 1/2 - Swing Not Straight!
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First I play the first two parts (you can work out the third on your own if you get that far!) and then I give you the one main right then left hand technique behind all of ragtime so I hope
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Theme: Personal Recommendations
There is a wide variety of pianist types who watch my content so in here are some favourites for everybody, whether you're into jazz or just complicated technical excises; you'll find those, and some surprises, in this Theme.

Learn a 12 Bar Blues - Written for Beginners (Choose Your LH Style!)
Watch now... Add to Watchlist   
I do love a blues. Who doesn't? This little educational piece I wrote years ago but thought it was time to update and present it to you in a shorter, better quality video. It purposefully includes common RH techniques and is
- Read More ...

Theme: Piano Game Content
We need to make playing the piano as fun as possible so instead of just doing technical exercises or playing repertoire, I like to challenge you via a game. Often you can personalise them but don't be fooled: it may
- Read More ...
Helping You Stay a Few Steps Ahead - A Scale & Chord Challenge
Watch now... Add to Watchlist   
You don't necessarily stumble because you're not technically good enough. You stumble because you don't know what's coming next! Why does this happen? Because you get too caught up with what you're playing at the very moment and your brain just
- Read More ...

Theme: Progressions Mastery
Jazz is about 'playing the changes' but how can you do that if you don't know how to memorise progressions? I have made many videos on mastering progressions away from the piano and thinking numerically. This requires major scale
- Read More ...
251-4 Fluency Once and For All - Follow Along w/ Me
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To get by with jazz repertoire, you need to know the 251s instantly in all 12 keys (just because a song is not often in C#, for example, doesn't mean you shouldn't learn its 251 because it still appears in 'floating
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Theme: Sorted Song Analyses
I receive many repertoire tutorial requests and I use them to teach some musical or pianistic element rather than spoon-feeding the notes. This is a very useful playlist not only because of the variety of tunes but the technical ideas and philosophies presented.

Moonlight Serenade - The Sweet Chords of Section B
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One of the first songs I ever learnt, Moonlight Serenade is a lovely Glenn Miller tune I play in F (but the original is in Eb if you go and listen). After a quick performance of both A and B sections,
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Theme: Subscriber Requests
This Theme provides videos in their own Theme which have been recommended and which are not from my own video choices... however, happily made for my subscribers-in-need!

Hand Independence in Boogie-Woogie Piano - Dissection Philosophy
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It's hard, I get it. Herein, learn the process of achieving total hand coordination in boogie-woogie. First, get the LH down so well that you can talk to someone or watch something while it's happening. This is removing all conscious interference.
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Theme: Technical Exercises
Repertoire is difficult to perform with pleasure if you can't tackle some technical requirements. Technical exercises are also good for patience and eyes-closed precision practice. Don't aim for speed, aim for consistency and endurance. I have many, many
- Read More ...
Stuff To Do With The Cycle of Fourths - Helping You Become Fluent
Watch now... Add to Watchlist   
Most chord progressions (80%+) are based on the cycle of fourths. Each new key a fourth up from the previous adds one more flat to the key, until Gb. From Db/C#, however, if you continue in fourths, you will actually start
- Read More ...

Theme: Ten Mins @ The Piano
This Theme forces me to make 10-12 minute videos. The first 10 or so are in order, then they become a little more random but always involve knowledge you have already acquired from previous episodes. Enjoy internal philosophies, technical exercises, chord content and many other pianism concepts. They are based heavily on the Water Pianism philosophy.

Ten Mins @ The Piano - Part 28 - Two Lisztian Exercises | Endurance is Key
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You really need to spend more time doing one technical exercise to get the benefits of it. Consistency is also important. I don't want you to be playing lots of repertoire without making progress with dexterity, precision and fluency. Endurance is a very powerful way to develop these pianistic elements

Theme: Video of the Day
I have selected a set of videos you may enjoy watching which have probably never been suggested to you by the YouTube algorithm. This is an ever-involving playlist so you'll never see the same video twice but feel free to add it to your Watchlist for later viewing!

Major Scales w/ Irregular Fingering - Five 5-Min Videos for Beginners - 1/5
Watch now... Add to Watchlist   
For whatever reason, you want to start playing the piano. No matter what music you'd like to play or compose (!), you need to know your major scales and get used to seeing the whole piano as that key. Also, start
- Read More ...

Theme: Water Pianism Philosophy
All these videos involve the foundational principles behind all my teachings. Water Pianism is the path to your own method, self-mastery and internal philosophy mastery. Spend as much of your time with these videos as possible because playing the
- Read More ...
Helping You Stay a Few Steps Ahead - A Scale & Chord Challenge
Watch now... Add to Watchlist   
You don't necessarily stumble because you're not technically good enough. You stumble because you don't know what's coming next! Why does this happen? Because you get too caught up with what you're playing at the very moment and your brain just
- Read More ...