While this looks cool, it would only work with pre-composed music.

I think „pre-composed” is a bit misleading here. “Pre-recorded” seems to be more exact: MidiVisualizer needs a midi-file as input and generates the video of the “drops” as an output file. It can do this with a transparent background. Hence, if you play a song and record the audio, you can simultaneously record the midi file within PianoTeq (…or another tool). Afterwards you feed this midi-file to MidiVisualizer and finally you mix the video with the overhead camera.

In MidiVisualizer, you will find a lot of options for modifying the style of the “drops”. Yet, I find it relatively easy to use. The entire process does, however, take some time.

A video with only the score playback (e.g. using MuseScore) and the PianoTeq keyboard could be an alternative.

In my experience, however, students (...like me...) are interested in how the player is placing the hands on the keyboard. In many cases, the single notes and the fingerings are given in the score, but it’s a bit unclear how you “travel” to the “target” positions and how the hands are oriented, curved, etc.. This is where the overhead camera is useful. For me, recording with an overhead camera is more complex, because you might need no video editing if you have an accurate setup, but it requires that you play each piece from start to end with (mostly) no mistakes. As for me, I typically activate the “automatic fail somewhere” option in my brain in parallel with hitting the record button, so I have to do it over and over again.

Focusing the overhead camera on the keyboard and the hands and improving the lighting requires some work either in the setup (= accurate camera angle, good lighting) or in video editing (e.g. for stretching the keyboard, adding some contrast). In the very basic example given here I stretched, clipped, and contrasted the video in the editing software. As an advantage, this angle can be fun if you want to show supplementary voices.

If you want to add a “piano roll” effect instead of the score or a digital keyboard, I can recommend the free MidiVisualizer wich can give results like this.

While this looks cool, it would only work with pre-composed music.

@MC_Pete

How do you match real hands and keys with these ”dropping notes” (MidiVisualizer)? This is very typical and popular way of doing piano tutorials but I’m am not sure that this is the most helpful for a student to see what is being played.

In my experience, however, students (...like me...) are interested in how the player is placing the hands on the keyboard. In many cases, the single notes and the fingerings are given in the score, but it’s a bit unclear how you “travel” to the “target” positions and how the hands are oriented, curved, etc.. This is where the overhead camera is useful. For me, recording with an overhead camera is more complex, because you might need no video editing if you have an accurate setup, but it requires that you play each piece from start to end with (mostly) no mistakes. As for me, I typically activate the “automatic fail somewhere” option in my brain in parallel with hitting the record button, so I have to do it over and over again.

Focusing the overhead camera on the keyboard and the hands and improving the lighting requires some work either in the setup (= accurate camera angle, good lighting) or in video editing (e.g. for stretching the keyboard, adding some contrast). In the very basic example given here I stretched, clipped, and contrasted the video in the editing software. As an advantage, this angle can be fun if you want to show supplementary voices.

If you want to add a “piano roll” effect instead of the score or a digital keyboard, I can recommend the free MidiVisualizer wich can give results like this.

Modartt could help with an alternative virtual keyboard animation, that not just shows the active keys in red, but also the note name inside the red area (e.g. C4, G#5). An abstract 2D keyboard animation could save place for these letters and it would show the same 2D view as the filmed keyboard.

This reminds me of video conferences, where the "talking-head" is embedded in an artificial background in realtime. I imagine your playing-hands being embedded in Pianoteq's animated virtual piano with a similar futuristic technology ...

The main Idea is to shoot short instructional videos to my students with simple just ”hit record” way. Further idea is to use notation software playback instead of this overhead camera (student hearing song, seeing notes and PTQ keys simultaneusly).

What do you think?

Yes to the score + piano notes played — that works really well.

About the camera angle: the “piano sandwich” setup is clever, though the movement of your head in and out of frame is a little distracting. You might get even more clarity by adding a small banner above the lower keyboard in a complementary colour with helpful cues or directions. That way they see your hands, the added text / music, and the notes you’re striking all at once.

Just a thought that might make an already good setup even stronger ...

i think overall it looks excellent.  only suggestion i have is to improve the lighting if possible.  the actual keyboard feels a bit dark, especially at the extreme ends.  but otherwise it seems great.

Thanks!

I definately agree about the lightning. But for this first video I did it on purpose to not look so much like educational video. Moreover this darkening of the extreme ends was made with iMovie effect. Overall brightness was also darkened.

This weekend I spent some time to make a new recording setup for mainly pedagogical purposes:

Overhead camera (Zoom Q2n)
Yamaha CP88 as midi source
Pianoteq (sound + keyboard visualization)
OBS studio for streaming and video

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DeFcNnyv...15ejJoaw==

The main Idea is to shoot short instructional videos to my students with simple just ”hit record” way. Further idea is to use notation software playback instead of this overhead camera (student hearing song, seeing notes and PTQ keys simultaneusly).

What do you think?

Nice playing and great sounds!

Overhead camera (Zoom Q2n)
Yamaha CP88 as midi source
Pianoteq (sound + keyboard visualization)
OBS studio for streaming and video

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DeFcNnyv...15ejJoaw==

The main Idea is to shoot short instructional videos to my students with simple just ”hit record” way. Further idea is to use notation software playback instead of this overhead camera (student hearing song, seeing notes and PTQ keys simultaneusly).

What do you think?