Adult Beginner Piano Progress (3 Years/1,000 Hours)

Not sure if YouTube needs another progress video, but I wanted to show what's possible to achieve in 3 years with practicing around 1 hour per day. I also wanted to give a few pointers to those starting out so that they don't make the same mistakes I did.

I wish I had started recording sooner - I only have a few recordings from the first year and no recordings of me going through method books, learning to read music, etc. You'll just have to trust me that I started with zero piano experience and had to learn everything from scratch. In my second and third year I recorded and posted every piece I finished, so it's a much more complete record of my progress.

I tried to get each piece to performance level (my definition is no major mistakes in notes/rhythm and some semblance of musicality). This would typically take me a few hours of practice for the simpler method book pieces and as long as 20 hours for the more difficult ones (e.g. the Chopin preludes). It also often took many takes to get a good recording. So you're getting the best version of each piece that I could do at the time.

Looking back, I wish I had not wasted so much time in my first year learning pieces that were too hard for my level. Also, I wish I had started taking lessons sooner. Otherwise, I'm pretty happy with how I structured my practice and with consistently putting in the time.

I am looking forward to continuing my journey for many years to come and will continue to post my progress for those who care to see it. Please visit my channel for full recordings of all the pieces (links below) and subscribe if you'd like to follow along.

0:00 Introduction
0:14 YEAR 1
0:41 Chopin - Prelude No. 7 (   • Frédéric Chopin - Prélude in A major (Op. ...  )
1:14 Clementi - Sonatina in C (   • Muzio Clementi - Sonatina in C (Op. 36, No...  )
1:33 Chopin - Prelude No. 20 (   • Frédéric Chopin - Prélude in C minor (Op. ...  )
1:53 Beethoven - "Moonlight" Sonata, 1st mov't (   • Ludwig van Beethoven - PIano Sonata No. 14...  )

2:48 YEAR 2
2:59 "Russian School of Piano Playing" (   • Russian School of Piano Playing (Nikolaev)...  )
4:30 J.S. Bach - Minuet (   • J.S. Bach - Minuet (Anh. 116)  )
4:48 Tchaikovsky - Sick Doll (   • Tchaikovsky - Sick Doll (Op. 39, No. 6)  ), Doll's Funeral (   • Tchaikovsky - The Doll's Funeral (Op. 39, ...  ), and New Doll (   • Tchaikovsky - New Doll (Op. 39, No. 9)  )
5:27 Schumann - Melody (   • Robert Schumann - Melody (Op. 68, No. 1)  ), Soldier's March (   • Robert Schumann - Soldiers' March (Op. 68,...  ), and First Loss (   • Robert Schumann - First Loss (Op. 68, No. 16)  )
6:10 Chopin - Preludes No. 4 (   • Chopin - Prelude in E minor (Op. 28, No. 4)  ) and No. 6 (   • Chopin - Prelude in B minor (Op. 28, No. 6)  )

7:00 YEAR 3
7:11 "Classical Piano Method" by Heumann (   • The Classical Piano Method (Heumann) - Boo...  )
8:18 J.S. Bach - Minuet (   • J. S. Bach - Minuet (Anh. 132)  ) and Prelude (   • J. S. Bach - Little Prelude in C Major (BW...  )
8:53 Tchaikovsky - Morning Prayer (   • Tchaikovsky - Morning Prayer (Op. 39, No. 1)  ) and Old French Song (   • Tchaikovsky - Old French Song (Op. 39, No....  )
9:43 Burgmüller - La Candeur (   • Friedrich Burgmüller - La candeur (Op. 100...  ), Arabesque (   • Friedrich Burgmüller - Arabesque (Op. 100,...  ), and Pastorale (   • Friedrich Burgmüller - Pastorale (Op. 100,...  )
10:24 Beethoven - Sonatina in G (   • Beethoven - Sonatina in G (Anh. 5)  ) and Bagatelle (   • Beethoven - Bagatelle (Op. 119, No. 9)  )
10:54 Gillock - Sarabande (   • William Gillock - Sarabande  ) and Moonlight Mood (   • William Gillock - Moonlight Mood  )
11:25 MacDowell - To a Wild Rose (   • Edward McDowell - To a Wild Rose  )
11:45 Schumann - Traümerei (   • Robert Schumann - Träumerei (Op. 15, No. 7)  )
12:10 Chopin - Waltz in A minor (   • Chopin - Waltz in Am  )
12:30 Vince Guaraldi - "Christmas Time Is Here" (   • Christmas Time Is Here (Vince Guaraldi)  )

13:10 ADVICE