Find Your Piano Level - From Beginner to Advanced

Ever wondered where you stand on the piano proficiency scale? Are you a late beginner? Or intermediate pianist? How are you supposed to know what level of piano music to play?

No more guesswork—let's find out what level you are today! I'm breaking down each level to shed light on where you stand: Beginner, Late Beginner, Early Intermediate, Intermediate, Late Intermediate, and Advanced.

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Chapters:
0:00 Intro
2:06 Beginner
2:23 Late Beginner
4:12 Early Intermediate
6:14 Intermediate
8:23 Late Intermediate
10:27 Advanced

[embrown]

Early intermediate pianist (now I know!), but advanced video producer. Compliments to your beautiful lighting!

[MoiAujourdhui]

Self-taught here, and I’m working through your Major/Minor scale challenges right now. I really appreciate this breakdown, even if it sets me back around late-beginner, early-intermediate. 😂 Hope your health improves quickly! Thanks so much for your teaching, I really appreciate this channel. ❤

[svn]

I love watching piano vids on YouTube, but few people actually know something about music. And you are damn sure one of them!! First off: you know that Etude/Prelude in G wasn’t written by JS Bach but by Petzold, and you knew that Für Elise and Moonlight Sonate (movement I) aren’t pieces for beginners. You earned a sub, keep up the good work!!!

[Zagginair]

As a fellow teacher, I find it fascinating to hear what other teachers use to measure “levels.”

In my opinion, I feel like there’s a big jump from the skills described from Late Beginner to Early Intermediate. I might split the Beginner levels into 3 parts as well, Early, Mid, and Late. And then I might use your description for Late Beginner as a Mid-Beginner and bridge the gap a little better to Early Intermediate.

All that being said, I do agree with quite a few things mentioned here! I just wish there was more technique addressed than just balancing hands or voicing to mark levels.

[JD-]

I am early intermediate with some intermediate skills (2 years in). I practice about 2 hours a day. My goal is not necessarily to become an advanced player but just to be able to enjoy playing pieces that make me feel happy. I am in my 50s and retired early and decided to learn piano as my new “job”. Really like your teaching style.

[harrok]

😮😢 oh my, not very encouraging, this being my third week, but I am enjoying just my simple exercises, enjoying the journey rather than an end goal at my age:86

[jeffwhite]

get well soon Susan, I always look forward to your post, it's very true that it's difficult to find what level your at, for me i went to the abrsm books and then used that to find the right composer, so far it has worked fairly well. At the moment i use the grade 4 pieces which to take me around a couple of days to learn and then a couple more days to nail, practicing around 2 hours a day. I am shortly going to step it up to grade 5 pieces 🤞🤞

[lalitgidwani]

Thoughtfully done and very informative.

[Hollycb]

I 10000% agree with you about Gymnopédie! I tried to learn this as one of my first pieces a few hundred hours ago, and I gave up primarily because of the leaps not sounding musical at all (hahaha). I will probably revisit this piece again soon! (I have about 450 hours total practice time right now, self taught/youtube).

[dgiamp]

Thank you for always posting very informative videos. I hope you feel better soon :)

[dunnkruger]

FINALLY- I’m self-teaching wandering-around aimlessly- your experience gives guidance goals.
THANKS ❤

[ztwcuhl]

58 yo here. Started on piano at age 12, then quickly moved to acoustic guitar, then onto bass guitar semi-professionally for decades. Eventually picked up some mandolin. Now I got myself a nice Roland synth and I'm back to learning keys. I'm a rocker so I'm working on things like Toto's Hold the Line, BOC's Joan Crawford, Zep's Trampled under Foot, Yours Is No Disgrace by Yes. I suppose I'm a mix of early through late intermediate. Music theory skills are there, I know all the chords, scales, I can read music etc.. I know how to construct something like, an Ebmaj7. It's just...making my fingers go there, and quickly is the challenge. My hand independence needs a lot of work. I guess I should focus more on finger exercises. I try to get in 20-30 min at least a day - many sessions go longer. Thank you for the breakdown. It makes me feel good that if I keep on this, I'll be getting close to advanced in another year or two.

[RedWaveComing]

always wondered about my level....self-taught, retired and at 68yrs old....been playing piano on/off since my teen years....this is my second coming year of constants playing with close to three hours a day practicing....now i'm starting to play Chopin Aeolian Harp and besides others....i think the one that really help me is Czerny op 740....i tackled that constantly....its like a marathon on steroids for your fingers....if i can play three Chopin Etudes or Liszt Un Sospiro before the year is over, i'll be very don't know any thing about scales, don't use metronome and don't know anything about sight-reading....i don't follow the dynamics but i do my own interpretation....my only obstacle now is memorize a score...i just don't have that talent...also have small hands....can't extend to the10th keys....i don't have the right speed yet...i figure that it'll eventually come within two more years....they say it'll normally takes 8yrs to be proficient in playing a piano....i think i can do it in 5yrs....thank you for the summarization on skill levels....i have ONE question though: can you call yourself a pianist if self-taught?

[tonimariegarcia]

Susan, thank you so much for making the levels clear. I’m working through your Piano Roadmap, and it’s so helpful to me, since I’m doing this on my own. I’m at the beginning level. 🥰

[orchestrainkeys]

Definitions of levels are clear and make complete sense. Thank you.
Wanted to know which levels the following pieces correspond to:
1. Chopin waltz in C# minor (op 64 no 2)
2. Sibelius Etude (op 76 no 2)

[linyoung]

Thank you for this "know thyself" video😢. I studied (struggled with reading the music) piano when I was 9 and havnt played at all for 50 years. Been re learning for about 6 month now and today aftee watching your "late beginer" 'tests" I know my level ..😢😢😢😢 😅. Your video is very helpful. Thank you!❤

[akashp]

Few days ago i started playing stardew valley.. i was not getting any progress so i watched some yt videos..i realised many mistakes i made..so i had to start a new game to play it right..


Somehow i am getting the same feeling while watching this video

[ashtonhunter]

First video of yours I've seen and it was fabulous! Will definitely check out more

[marjoriesell]

I restarted playing the piano after years without one. I took lessons as a child and a few years as a teenager. I never learned chords. Mostly learned from Thompson graded books. I started working on Poet and the Peasant as a teen, but never could play the last several pages. 55 years later I finally can play the whole thing! So I figure without knowing chords I'm still a beginner? But Poet and Peasant Overture is no cakewalk! I'd like to know where you think I stand. I can play 13 of 15 Scenes from Childhood by Schumann. Woo!

[vgx]

Late beginner for me. I have a few of the skills in early intermediate, but have gaps in skills that my teachers never told me to practice, like scales lol. But I am good at sight reading easy beginner pieces and lead sheets. I wish I had access to online resources like this channel when my teachers were not very thorough and didn't tell me what to practice aside from repertoire (which was usually above my level). Thank you!