UPDATE: 5 November, 2009: I found the time to record a few new videos this past weekend... Only one tutorial this time: the intro to "The Stranger" by Billy Joel. Going down the list, that was the one that most people seemed to be asking for recently.

The others are just some performance videos of Beatles songs that I really enjoy playing. I will post them all together, after I edit the "Stranger" intro tutorial. They should all be up here within a couple of days.

To answer the question ahead of time: why only one tutorial video?? The main reason, as always, is time. Performances are easy; just play the song and upload. The tutorials take much longer, from planning to recording to editing. Doing one or two at a time will allow me to get new videos done without a 6-month gap in between.

***

BrocktonMuzic recently asked if I hate all the requests for songs.. Not at all! I just want to remind the relatively few who are impatient with the long gap between video uploads that I need to block out an entire two or three days from my schedule to produce and edit tutorials. That opportunity doesn't present itself very often with my work and travel schedule. I'm very happy to do the videos, but I can only do them during certain times of the year. Unfortunately, that's the nature of the beast.

Keep making music, and always remember to enjoy your time at the piano!




John

A few of the common questions I get, in case you're at all interested:

Q: I noticed you're not using any sheet music on the videos. Do you just play by ear?
A: I play many songs by ear. I still like to refer to the sheet music chords whenever I can, but I ditch the sheets as soon as possible and memorize all of the songs I play, because I prefer to play what I hear. It's like painting by numbers vs. painting what you see.

Q: Do you have sheet music you can send me for your songs?
A: Generally not, at least nothing I can e-mail. I do have the chords to some of them, though, but you can also get some chords from the videos.

Q: How long have you been playing the piano?
A: I started when I was 3 years old, and I'm 45 now, so I've been at it a long time.

Q: What else do you play besides Billy Joel and the Beatles?
A: I play lots of ragtime, some Elton John, Irving Berlin standards, the Claude Bolling Suite for Flute and Jazz piano, swing tunes, Tom Lehrer, the Eagles, and I also have a huge backlog of "dinner music" songs from my days as a background pianist.

Q: How many YouTube messages do you normally get each day?
A: About 500.

Q: Wow, really?
A: No, that would be ridiculous. Probably around a dozen or so on an average day. And yes, I do respond to all of them, although it may take me a few days if I'm traveling or busy at work.

Q: Hey, I requested a tutorial video a long time ago, but you haven't done it yet!
A: Please restate that in the form of a question.

Q: Ok, sorry. I requested a tutorial video a long time ago, but you haven't done it yet. What gives?
A: That's better. I keep a list of the tutorial requests and try to get to all of them, but some songs are just too complicated to get a tutorial done on them properly. I take great care to make the tutorials understandable to everyone, so chances are that if you requested one more than two months ago and you don't see it here, I probably decided that it wasn't going to work.

Q: When are you going to post your next set of videos?
A: I try to do about three or four per month, depending on my schedule, so look for some new ones in about four weeks or less. I have a real, non-music-related job, though, so that schedule will vary from month to month.

Q: Do you think anyone is still reading this FAQ at this point?
A: It's hard to say. My guess is, no.

Q: Do you play any other musical instruments?
A: I do play the flute, but haven't done much with it in the past 20 years. It's left over from my Jethro Tull / Ian Anderson days. I can also play the xylophone, marimba, and a few other similar instruments, but piano is of course my instrument of choice.

Q: How often do you practice the piano?
A: Well first off, I don't really like to call it "practice," since that sort of implies some kind of labor-intensive chore. But having said that, I play most every night when I'm home.

Q: Do you have any suggestions on how I can improve my piano playing skills, learning, and technique?
A: The best piece of advice I can probably give you is to RELAX while playing. Don't tense up and feel like you have to get it right each time. Remember, you are playing for yourself first, and nobody is going to come in and arrest you for hitting the wrong notes. If you are diligent and play the songs often enough, the notes will come. Be patient, listen to yourself make music, and enjoy your own musical gift.

Q: But why do I hear people performing songs perfectly, making it look so easy, when all I do is struggle and miss keys, hit wrong notes etc.?
A: Keep in mind that you're hearing their finished product, one they may have worked on for weeks, months, or even years. Almost everyone struggles with a new song. They just keep at it until they're satisfied with it.

Q: Do you know where I can find the best ring tones, webcam pictures, or hot sexy dates?
A: No. And if you put a spam message on my comments section I will remove it immediately with a blowtorch.

Q: Do you have any DVDs of your video lessons available for purchase?
A: No, I do everything for free right here. I really believe that music should be shared and learned by everyone who wants to play. If my videos add to your musical enjoyment or help you to become a better musician, then it's worth it for me.