Best YouTube Piano Lessons
Thinking about learning piano from YouTube?
While nothing can really compare to the effectiveness and efficiency of learning alongside a teacher, learning piano on your own from lessons on YouTube is a perfectly viable way to begin learning this instrument. There are certain users who teach by showing you how their fingers lay on the keyboard and recording their fingers as they play. The student can then copy what they see and learn this way.
Surprisingly, this is quite an effective system. If you’re trying to just learn one particular piece or song, it’s definitely the way to go. Nothing beats free, after all. But that’s really only one aspect of playing the piano. There’s a lot more than knowing which keys to press.
With a teacher, you can learn about music theory and how to read and comprehend sheet music. But YouTube lessons can certainly be a highly effective way to begin. The key to becoming a good pianist isn’t in lessons after all; it’s in the practice. As long as you’re actually following along with these online lessons, putting in your hours and studying, nothing will stop you from learning a great deal about music and playing piano from online lessons.
So what are the top sources of YouTube lessons out there?
1. Piano Hero
The first YouTube teacher is Piano Hero. This channel was started by a French music producer known as “The Gadget.” He describes himself on his Facebook page as a “dreamy-catchy-punchy melodic bass music producer.”
These videos primarily focus on teaching individual songs. Each video is ranked on a difficulty chart, ranging from “easy” to “legendary.” He also provides sheet music in the video descriptions, while the video itself contains an animation of the song being performed on a keyboard while the song you’re learning in that lesson is played over the video.
Some of the videos contain original compositions, while others will have modern music from various different genres. The channel creator, The Gadget, doesn’t directly appear in any of his videos, and aside from the animation illustrating the song being played, there isn’t really any instructional component to these videos. It’s mostly a “watch and copy” type of learning style, better suited for intermediate-expert piano players just looking to add a new specific song to their repertoire.
2. Instant Piano Genius
Instant Piano Genius is a channel run by Tim Gross. Its purpose is to cut out all the “unnecessary and confusing typical ‘piano teacher’ curriculum.” This is done by teaching you how to “play chords and songs immediately without all the memorization and frustration,” according to the description on the channel.
He doesn’t cover any music theory and is focused more on teaching his students the style of piano used by popular rock musicians. There’s a lot of focus on chords and harmonious improvisation. He also charges a subscription service to access a lot of his lessons. There are quite a few lessons already on his YouTube channel, but you can visit his website to request access to more content.
This channel would be best suited for those who aren’t so interested in the intricacies of music and how it works and just wanna get right into brass tacks and get to playing.
3. Piano in 21 Days
Jacques Hopkins founded Piano in 21 Days. He claims his method is perfect for “regular people who want to learn to play popular songs on the piano as quickly as possible.” There’s a heavy focus on chords and improv, but he also does incorporate some traditional elements of piano instruction.
Like the previous entry, Piano in 21 Days has paid courses, but there’s already quite a generous amount of free content on his YouTube channel. More than enough to decide if you’d like to pay for further instruction. A great start is the playlist on his channel, which teaches you how to play virtually every possible piano chord.
This channel will be best suited for people without a lot of time to dedicate to extensive lessons, studies, and practice. You can quickly learn modern songs easily and chords for improv.
4. Josh Wright Piano TV
Josh Wright is an American pianist, a Billboard #3 artist thanks to his classical music albums. His passion and love of teaching are clear, as he holds a doctorate in music and uses this extensive knowledge to help more people learn about music and how to play.
This channel is a nearly invaluable resource for those of you out there looking to learn more about classical music. Your level of mastery doesn’t matter; beginners to hardened pros can learn a lot from Josh Wright. There will be something there for every skill set. He teaches all levels with the same level of nuance, whether you’re learning to properly position your fingers for chords or analyzing the most complex of Chopin nocturnes.
Alongside his generous number of free videos and resources, he also offers private online lessons. There is an optional ProPractice course that is constantly being updated with new videos and resources.
This content is aimed more toward general piano theory and technique and will match up with any skill level. No matter if it’s your first day playing, or your 1000th, there will definitely be something you haven’t learned yet from Josh.
In Conclusion
While it’s true there’s no substitute for an in-person lesson with a professional piano instructor; there are still a lot of options on YouTube. With determination, spreading your lessons across many different online instructors, and taking the time to practice what these lessons are trying to teach you, there’s no reason why you can’t pick up a good understanding of the piano and how to play. If YouTube is your only option, it’s definitely a good one.
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About the Author Linda Ritter
Linda Ritter is a passionate pianist and a songwriter for more than 7 years. With a Masters in Music, she has explored the world of music and has collaborated with several musicians and brands like Roland, Tune Core, and plenty of blogs.
