YouTube Tutorials: To use or not to use?

    A couple months ago, I blogged about why taking piano lessons is superior to using an app. However, while there are six very good reasons in that post about why you should take piano lessons and not rely on an app to learn piano, there's also a flip side to that coin.

   That flip side is that technology can be a genuine aid to learning. 

   Now, I'm not a high-tech teacher, comparatively. I do offer online lessons, an option which can work really well for some, and that I'm quite comfortable using. But there are other teachers who are way more techy than me. I don't use a lot of music apps... except one. 

   As you might have guessed from the title, that would be YouTube. 

   So, let's explore the pro's and con's of YouTube piano tutorials!

Con's

The biggest one is this: YouTube tutorials, by their very nature, cannot possibly teach you correct technique. 

   And correct technique is crucial to two things: 1) avoiding injury, and 2) being able to play fluently. 

   Another disadvantage of YouTube is that it neither facilitates developing note reading nor developing a stronger ear. In the end, that makes you a weaker musician, not a stronger one. Many people might not care a nickel about their note reading abilities, but trust me: being able to read music opens up so many more possibilities than simply playing by ear. 

   And speaking of ear, you might be wondering how it's possible that YouTube doesn't facilitate playing by ear. Well, to be fair, it depends how you use it. The idea of playing by ear is that you are listening to the song you want to play, then experimenting on the piano to find which combination of notes sounds right. Using YouTube, the experimenting factor is taken out. You're not really using your ear, you're using your eyes -- which can be fine, but you need to realize that watching a piano tutorial of the song you want to learn is not the same in your brain as hearing the song and picking it out without any visual aid. But, if you're watching part of a piano tutorial, and you pause it, put your device on the side, and try to copy what you heard, then that could still be playing by ear. You're not depending on seeing what key gets highlighted next. 

   So, by now you're probably wondering: "Then why would you as a music teacher use a YouTube tutorial?"

Pro's

   I actually think that tutorials are handy -- when they're used in balance with a well-rounded lesson. 

   The main reason is this: A lot of students have songs they want to learn. But they don't always have the right sheet music for the song they want to play, and neither do I. Sometimes the sheet music is out there, but it's at a level that would be too challenging for them. 

   That's where YouTube comes in.

   A YouTube piano tutorial is a great tool for learning a song that you love. 

   Comment below if you agree, disagree, love YouTube tutorials, hate them, or have never tried them!