Highly RecKIMmended

Benjamin Zander has two infectious passions: classical music, and helping us all realize our untapped love for it -- and by extension, our untapped love for all new possibilities, new experiences, new connections.

 "Everybody loves classical music -- they just haven't found out about it yet."

"I realized my job was to awaken possibility in other people."

"I've never subscribed to the idea that you can't find the time to do something like this..."
 

The pianist explains how just 20 minutes of practice a day can improve your technique.

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-playing...

When you listen to music, multiple areas of your brain become engaged and active. But when you actually play an instrument, that activity becomes more like a full-body brain workout. What's going on? Anita Collins explains the fireworks that go off in musicians' brains when they play, and examines some of the long-term positive effects of this mental workout. 

Lesson by Anita Collins, animation by Sharon Colman Graham.

Like an actor's script, a sheet of music instructs a musician on what to play (the pitch) and when to play it (the rhythm). Sheet music may look complicated, but once you've gotten the hang of a few simple elements like notes, bars and clefs, you're ready to rock. Tim Hansen hits the instrumental basics you need to read music.

Music and science: one and the same? Concert pianist Jocelyn Swigger illustrates the behind-the-scenes process of memorizing at the piano, revealing surprising parallels between practicing music and science. 

Find out which piano is better, an upright or baby grand grand piano. There are many different qualities that separate these two types of pianos.