PIYW #6: "Play 'Lean On Me' Your Way" is Now Live! (March 2026)

rsl12 · 2026-03-15T13:00:00+00:00

PIYW #6: Play "Lean On Me" Your Way (March 2026) Play It Your Way is a quasi-monthly event for beginners, professionals, classical, jazz, or pop pianists and everyone in between! Since January 16, participants have been working on "Lean On Me" by Bill Withers (1972). Enjoy their performances below. More information about Play It Your Way and about how participants prepared this piece can be found in the Meta Feedback discussion. There is still plenty of time to participate in Play "Over The Rainbow" Your Way, which will go live on April 15. ALL comments must be polite and supportive, even when the performer has stated that any comments are allowed. "How to Give Criticism in a Nice Way: A Comprehensive Guide". Thanks for helping us to keep things friendly! Suggest pieces for future "Play It Your Way" events by using the suggestion box. We need suggestions for all genres of music, but particularly for the "Blues or Traditional" PIYW which will be announced on April 16. (Ideally, the Play It Your Way piece will be playable by many different skill levels, but it doesn't necessarily have to be.) If you are still working on Lean On Me, you can submit your recording here at any time. Click for the submission template: **Performer:** Name or Alias + Location + Experience **Comment Policy:** Feedback type desired (see below) Put the link to your performance here (see below for details). **Source of music:** ... **Instrument:** ... **Recording method:** ... **Additional info:** Tell your story or share any interesting details related to your performance! if(window.hljsLoader && !document.currentScript.parentNode.hasAttribute('data-s9e-livepreview-onupdate')) { window.hljsLoader.highlightBlocks(document.currentScript.parentNode); } You may use the following to specify the Comment Policy: No Comments Please! Positive comments only (no criticism or suggestions for improvement please). Positive comments and suggestions for improvement (no direct criticism please). All comments; anything goes! Link To Your Performance: If you have a video, that's great! Otherwise, audio-only is fine. Upload your performance to YouTube, Vimeo, Rumble, SoundCloud, or Google Drive. Your media may be public or unlisted but private will not work. The direct link needs to be posted so that the performance is embedded on PT. Dropbox option: If hosting your performance using YouTube or other service is not possible, then we will provide an upload option. Submitters are requested to keep their performances up for at least a period of 30 days and as long as possible after that.

diretonic

I've got something to upload , is the submission link all-purpose? It's dated jamuary so I wondered if there's a specific link for LoM upload?

Nightowl

keff What an interesting combo of two great songs from the 70s (a decade which produced many fine singer songwriters). There were some nicely played sections in your performance, I think if you work on the tempo/rhythm issues you could improve the piece and make this something special. 🙂

rsl12

diretonic this is the right discussion! You can just post it here, or as a private message to me, and I'll take care of the rest.

Nightowl

WieWaldi Easy to listen to, but not as easy to play.

You said it all right there, my friend. 🙂 Yet you played it with a confident manner in the style of a seasoned pianist - this was a great performance! The drums were a perfect addition and it seems that the addition of a second Bavarian blue wristband increased your playing skills further. My theory is that wearing Bavarian blue strengthens the wearer... I may buy several more items in this colour! 😄🙃

WieWaldi

Nightowl You don't understand. It's like the belt-system in Karate:
Bloody Beginner™: No wristband
Total Beginner™: One
Absolute Beginner™: Two
Complete Beginner™: ...

WieWaldi

@"diretonic"#p42783 Last but not least
Is just wonderful, how you turned a boxy pop song into a bar-piano cover. Very lush, warm and jazzy. And still you kept some of the more aggressive parts aggressive. Loved it from top to bottom. 👍

Nightowl

WieWaldi Ah, that makes sense! It's a bit like Liberace with his rings... over the years he increased the number to reflect his growing skills! 😃

Sophia

keff Respect keff! There was reason I decided to cop out of LoM - I started practising and know just enough to know how to hard it is 🙂 Everything else has already been said by others, so let me add to all the comments that I think it's wonderful the way you did a lot of fun things with it! And no, I still don't want to learn it 🤣

Sophia

Nightowl Well, well, look at all the talent in this thread 🙂 Keff combined two songs, you combined two arrangements. What next, free improv? 😃

All jokes aside: that was remarkably well played! The first part was absolutely rock solid - I agree with others that you definitely have a good feel for the syncopations etc 🙂 I noticed you rushed a tiny bit through the part from 1:11, but then you reverted seamlessly back to the original tempo. You continue to play with relaxed fingers and increasing confidence. Well done!

Sophia

WieWaldi Ooooh I love the backing track! Nice surprise how that cut in. Lots of adorable embellishments and intricate patterns. I can definitely see how this is NOT easy. It sounds lush and full, but... I will still add I think it can use a bit more pedal in places to tie it together a little more. But honestly that is super high level nitpicking! You fly so high now that you get noticed by skyscrapers, obviously 😃

Sophia

twocats I am wildly jealous of people who sing 😃 Because that is a talent I don't have. Or rather, if such a thing as negative talent existed, my singing would qualify 🙂 And here you are, singing. And accompanying yourself. Utmost respect - and I agree with everyone else that next time, we want to hear more of your voice 👍

WieWaldi

rsl12 Thanks, I disputed the same way, now. This was also the recommendation of Google AI. I don't get money from YT, but also I don't want to be the food of the vulture companies.
Still, there is a bad feeling because YouTube had a checkbox, saying I am the owner of both the composition and the sound recording. And obviously, I am not the owner of the composition. I watched a video by David Bennett, who said as well the language of the YouTube dispute process is indeed very intimidating. But with the dispute alone, you can't lose anything. Only the next round, if the dispute is rejected and one appeals it can get dangerous by getting a copyright-strike. 3 strikes and the channel will be deleted. Luckily, after 3 months, those strikes disappear automatically.

WieWaldi

rsl12 did a good job not getting lost with the rhythm.

Thanks a lot.
The backingtracks helps. It was actually easier to play with, than with a metronome.

Sophia I will still add I think it can use a bit more pedal in places to tie it together a little more.

Thank you, you pedalholic. But. No. I don't miss the pedal here. Maybe two or three notes in in the intro could have been pedaled, but that's it. The note that gets my most pedal attention, is the last note: It allows me to take the hands off.

Sophia

rsl12 I had deliberately not listened to any of your trial recordings, to go into this one with a fresh mind and ears 🙂 It must be so difficult to sing a note that you're actually not playing! I mean, most of us can sing as long as there is an EXACT version to follow (either another singer or instrument), but you reached that stage where you don't need the crutch any longer. Progress! 🙂 I still think that Major General was your masterpiece - that kind of whimsical happy tune seems to suit you. But respect for trying other genres, even the ones you struggle with 😃

Sophia

WieWaldi Thank you, you pedalholic

Super proud pedalholic here! 😋

Since you asked. Ok, you didn't ask, but you'll get it anyway 🥰 The spot where I miss the pedal: right at the start 😃 I miss it in the first note. Proooom <abrupt stop> proom-preem-praam-pruum (no issues there) PREEP PROOP <abrupt stop> pruum-praam-preem-proom <abrubt stop> --> then somehow you manage perfection from 0:14 onwards (honestly!). Because your fingers don't need to jump as much, and you hold the notes perfectly long for a perfect sound. And of course at the 1:14 mark, it decidedly should not have a pedal because the dooh-dah-dooh-dah-dooh-dah (LH) would sound ludicrous pedaled 🙂

Of course the last note (pedaled) was sheer perfection. I believe I heard some clapping overhead when that happened and world piece was established for just a split second. I hope you now realize what actually using the pedal can accomplish 😃

Sophia

diretonic What a lovely, delicate touch! I enjoyed everything about your submission, such beautiful harmonies and contrasts. Very exciting to listen to, glad you decided to submit yours after going live 😃 Was this your own arrangement?

Simonb

Hi @"diretonic"#p42783

Superb - I've waited a long time to hear you play.
It was worth the wait.

Cheers

KevinM

@"diretonic"#p42783

I adored your playing.

The lighting of your keyboard, everything else in black making your hands and the keyboard the absolute visual focus. I've never watched someone's playing with so much interest before. I am going to think about this aspect of piano videos for myself.

Nightowl

twocats You played this piece pretty well but sadly your voice was barely audible, even on full volume. I got the impression that you recorded this in a bit of a rush and didn't quite polish your playing or take time to adjust the microphone position, which is a pity because I think with a little more practice and minor tech adjustments this could be really good. If you ever have time to sort out those small things I'd love to hear another rendition from you.

Nightowl

@"diretonic"#p42783 This late submission is the very definition of "last but not least" - it's amazing! 🤩 You're in a different league to many people on this forum - actually, you're in a league of your own. You've probably clocked up many thousands of hours of playing over several decades to reach such a high level of proficiency and you could probably play any piece you set your mind to. It must be awesome to be so accomplished in your chosen field.

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