Pianist

Background, I'm 18 in Uni. I've been playing piano since I was 8 so over half my life, I know plenty about music theory and I'm a grade 8 if that matters.

My friend gave me a classical/acoustic (i cant tell the difference) a few weeks ago cause he moved and I've been playing on and off when I have time. I definitely have improved but I find myself struggling getting used to fretboard, finding and remembering the chords etc. My question is if I just continue watching random yt vids and practice more regularly can I actually get to a very decent level or is there some sort of glass ceiling where very soon I would need technical help from a teacher? I probably don't have the time and money to go look for a teacher so that's not an option rn but ofc in the future I can look into that. Also if you know of any good guitar teachers on yt please share them.

I'm thinking of saving up and buying an electric guitar when (or if) I get good enough cause that's really where my passion for guitar stems from lmao I was just wanna play some rock songs. I'm in UK so if any Brits would kindly share where you got your equipment from + the brand I would greatly appreciate it. I think my cap budget will be £600 (for guitar only not including amp), ofc the cheaper the better but I don't wanna spend some half-assed cash on a low quality guitar. I'm also willing to buy 2nd hand ones so if you know a reputable source please share. I've heard of Facebook Marketplace but is it trustworthy? It feels kinda sketchy meeting up with someone in some alley and giving a stranger some money I've only ever done that for certain special herbs not something so large and expensive.

In jazz circles, the story of legendary pianist Fats Waller's kidnapping by associates of Al Capone in 1926 is often referenced. Capone was allegedly a fan of Waller's music, so members of Capone's gang kidnapped Waller and brought him to play at Capone's birthday party as a surprise gift. Waller played at the party for 3 days before being retuned, and according to Waller's son, he was treated well and generously paid. However, as an African American in 1926, what are the odds that he was actually treated well? If he had been treated poorly, a black man in 1926 would probably not be too keen to speak out about mistreatment from a powerful criminal enterprise of white men. Does Waller's treatment seem on brand for Capone's gang at the time? Thanks in advance.

And it's all from a damn scene in I think Knocked Up where they are discussing the movie and I remember a line where they say something like "Adrian Brody, fucking up Nazis!" also I swear Seth Rogen held up a fake gun when he said it. If y'all could help me verify that I'd like to know for sure. Went into the movie expecting Brody to get so much fucking revenge. Holy shit was I wrong. I actually think that helped me appreciate the movie. It was amazing. I'm very glad I saw it.

Edit: Eric Bana in Munich. Weird how I made that The Pianist in my head.

I'm also the creator of the educational platform FEMME HOUSE, which addresses the lack of representation and equity in electronic music and empowers women to learn the language of the studio. My new remix of Lastlings - False Reactions is out now. https://lastlings.lnk.to/FalseReactionsRMXS

Ask me anything!

www.lpgiobbi.com

www.thisisfemmehouse.com

I just want to know, if anyone here knows where can I find a tutorial on how to play his cover of Seize The Day. So far, I only found a tutorial of his version of Dear God cover. He has a link to all his music sheets but I'm TERRIBLE at reading the notes :(

If anyone happens to find or made a tutorial on how to play it, don't be shy to share the YouTube link to the video or post the video here :)

Thanks in advance!

So the manager takes him up to the piano and says 'OK show me what you can do'

The pianist says

'Sure, but the music might be unfamiliar to you because I only play my own compositions'

The manager says

'That's no problem, take it away'

The pianist begins to play the most emotionally stirring piece of music the manager has ever heard. It's achingly beautiful and almost brings a tear to the managers eye.

Choking back tears the manager says 'That is beautiful, what to do you call it?'

The pianist replies 'I fucked your mother in the ass and she shit on my balls'

The manager is slightly taken aback and says

'Well that is quite the title...Can you play something else?'

The pianist begins to play. Again the music is hauntingly beautiful, it's as though angels from heaven were dancing on the keys

The manager, again holding back tears asks what it's called. The pianist replies

'There's blood on my cock from fucking your slut sister on her period'

The manager is again taken aback and asks him to play a final piece. This piece is even more beautiful than the last, and again the manager asks what it is called. The pianist replies

'You shoved your shit into your grandmothers cunt, while I fucked your grandfather in the mouth'

The manager replies

'Well, I'm going to have to hire you even if your titles are somewhat unusual. You can start this Friday'

So Friday rolls around and the pianist arrives and is seated at his piano about to play when a woman with huge breasts and a low cut top walks by. The pianist is intensely aroused, and quickly runs off to the toilet to masturbate. He quickly finishes and is running back to the piano, unfortunately forgetting to clean himself up properly.

As he is just about to sit back down at the piano a woman comes up to him and says,

'Excuse me sir, do you know your cock is hanging out and there is semen all over your pants?'

The pianist replies,

'Know it?...I fucking wrote it!'

"A scout was told by enemy soldiers that they’d shoot him as soon as he stopped playing the piano …"

He wasn’t paying attention to anything else; he was too busy trying to figure out just how out of tune the piano was and how much he would have to tighten every loose string to correct the pitch. Which didn’t spoil his enjoyment in the least. It was unfortunate that the first piano he’d seen since the war began was this shabby, but it was a real piano, and all the notes played sharp and clear like tiny daggers in the frosty air, and that was all that mattered.

The first indication he had of their presence was a sharp jab in the back. It drew blood, which became a wet trickle that streamed down his shoulders and pooled at the base of his spine. He instantly forgot his place in the song and the music stopped.

“Don’t turn around,” said a harshly accented voice.

Something cold brushed against his shoulders, and he stiffened.

“Keep playing,” the voice continued. “If you stop again, we’ll kill you.” Laughter, innocent and amused, like children at a playground, echoed around the room.

That accent.

He’d heard it once before, but only from prisoners of war - never from anyone he'd known personally. His friends were supposed to be guarding his back, but these voices weren’t theirs – where had they gone?

His hands shook as he reached for the pale white keys. Warm orange light, perhaps from a lantern, reflected off the piano in his face and threw sharp shadows over his fingers. His vision blurred. His hands were cold, and he couldn’t reach his coat.

These soldiers wouldn’t listen to any pleading. He wouldn't either, if he had been in their shoes. If he wanted to live, he had to impress them, which meant he had to play. On and on, forever. His life would only end with his music.

Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata came to mind first. The tension in the room dissipated as the first notes rang out, clear and strong and confident. He’d been playing this song since he was a boy, and his mother had played it before him. Just as it had lulled him to sleep in the evenings, he prayed it would lull these soldiers, whoever they were, to let him live.

“What’s your name?” a voice asked.

He paused and started to turn around. “It’s –“

“Don’t stop!” they warned in unison, jabbing him again with their bayonets.

He slammed the next chord a split second off the beat, terrified of dying before he’d even started, and kept right on going as if he hadn’t stopped. The laughte

I'd be interested to hear your stories and how you adapt, whatever the disability might be.

I have dyspraxia and ADHD (among other things that don't affect my piano-playing directly, like autism and a wonky heart, lungs, and spine), so for me, the big impact has always been on practice time and focus.

Dyspraxia is basically clumsiness that's so intense that it's diagnosable. For me, it means that I have trouble with motor planning, especially on the fly. I don't drive because I can't react fast enough to anything unexpected. Luckily it affects gross-motor skills more than fine-motor.

When I was a kid, my piano teacher said I should practice fifteen minutes a day, but I never could improve in that time; so I practiced an hour or two hours, and that was enough time for my fingers to get used to the pieces and for me to improve. Taking extra time was never a burden to me because I love the piano so much, and over the years I have gradually gotten better at fine-motor skills to the point that I honestly think my hands are just as good as anyone else's now, even though the rest of me is still clumsy. (If you have a kid with dyspraxia and they love music and have the patience to practice, maybe they would have similar results. At least they would enjoy themselves, so it's worth a try.)

The ADHD has been a bit more of a bother. For me, ADHD means that I have trouble directing my attention where I need it to go, especially to things that don't fully occupy my mind. In the early stages of learning a piece, I am often very focused; but once it takes less of my concentration, my mind will drift and I'll make mistakes. I honestly can't say I've found any answer for this, except to stay on my meds and maybe drink a little coffee to help me keep my brain from wandering away. At least it doesn't keep me from enjoying the music.

How about you? Does your disability affect the way you play the piano? Do you play one-handed, or use Braille music, or work around cognitive or neurological issues? Let's give each other tips and figure it out together!