My Favorite YouTube Piano Channels: 70 People Playing at Home for Fun
I have a YouTube playlist called Living Room Piano. It has about 70 channels so far -- one video from each -- of people playing piano at home. Most are amateurs, though some are or were gigging musicians. I started collecting these about 8 years ago but only recently created this playlist.
Watching these videos motivates me to practice. They give me a vision of the piano player I want to become.
What's in the Playlist
There are uprights, grands, and digital pianos. Spacious living rooms and tight bedrooms, and occasional rooms devoted to music.
I like non-classical repertoire best. Showtunes, traditional songs, hymns, pop ballads, old-timey songs, Great American Songbook stuff. I especially like it when someone plays a song I know but have never heard on solo piano before.
I like finding other people with small hands or short or stout bodies, and watching how they position themselves.
I love the older players who have played their whole lives and in retirement have piano as a source of enjoyment -- and maybe, since they have YouTube channels, a source of extra income.
My earliest favorites were Edward Tarte, PSearPianist, and Harry Völker. It's interesting that piano channels featuring women are comparatively rare.
Lately I find new additions by searching YouTube something like this: solo piano beautiful dreamer
For my searches, I pick song names that fit the categories I like, or sometimes just the name of a musician like Elton John or Alejandro Sanz. I used to search for the names of books that were anthologies of piano music, or sometimes the name of an arranger like Denes Agay or Frank Metis or Cindy Berry.
How to Use the Playlist
The playlist is meant to include one video from each channel. Start with that video, then explore their channel by clicking the channel name or avatar and then the Videos link. See what other songs they play.
I had guidelines when making the list, based on my personal preferences. I only included channels with home recordings, not studio or stage performances. Adults, not children. People playing for enjoyment, not professionals selling piano instruction. Channels with a decent number of videos. One pianist per channel.
I wish I could have a channel like these myself someday, but I predict I'll never put in the work it would take.
