June 2020. Five months into learning piano. Hadn't touched my keyboard in eleven days. Wasn't that I'd quit. Kept meaning to practice. Had this goal – one hour every day – and most days I just couldn't. Too tired after work. Other stuff came up. And if I couldn't do a "real" practice session, why […]
The 10-Minute Rule That Saved My Practice Habit Read More »
A few years in and I'm nowhere near done learning. Not even close. The more I know, the more I see how much there is to know. At first this was discouraging. Now it's the best part. Piano isn't a skill you "complete." There's no finish line. Concert pianists with 50 years of experience are
Piano as a Lifelong Skill (Why This Never Ends) Read More »
I've tried probably 15 piano apps at this point. Some are genuinely helpful. Most are not worth your time. Here's my honest breakdown. Learning apps (Flowkey, Simply Piano, Yousician): These connect to your keyboard and give real-time feedback. They're polished, gamified, and fun at first. But here's the problem: they don't teach you to read
Piano Apps: Which Ones Are Actually Worth Using Read More »
Classical piano has a reputation problem. Everyone imagines dusty old music that sounds like a funeral march. And honestly, a lot of beginner classical is boring. Those simplified Mozart pieces in method books put me to sleep. But there's classical music that actually sounds cool. Pieces that feel alive instead of museum-piece dead. Here are
Classical Pieces That Won't Bore You to Death Read More »
Five months in and I still couldn't read music. Every song I learned was from watching YouTube tutorials, copying finger positions. It worked but I was completely dependent on tutorials. If nobody made a video for a song I wanted, I was stuck. Finally sat down to learn notation. Took maybe three weeks of 10-15
How to Read Sheet Music (Without Losing Your Mind) Read More »
I Googled this question probably 47 times in my first month. Every answer was some version of "it depends" followed by vague platitudes. Super helpful. So here's what nobody would tell me: my actual timeline. Month by month, what I could and couldn't do. Real numbers. Month 1: Chaos. Found middle C. Learned maybe 5
How Long Does It Take to Learn Piano? (My Actual Timeline) Read More »
First time someone asked me to play something, I froze. Could play fine alone. The moment someone was listening, my hands forgot how hands work. Mistakes everywhere. Stopped three times. Wanted the floor to swallow me. Performance anxiety is real and doesn't just go away. But it gets manageable. Here's what helped. Practice performing, not
Playing Piano for Others (Without Dying of Anxiety) Read More »
My first practice headphones were old earbuds from my phone. Tinny sound, fell out constantly, cord too short. Then I bought gaming headphones – comfortable but the sound was all wrong, bass-heavy and muddy. Piano needs different headphones than gaming or casual music listening. Here's what actually matters. Flat frequency response: You want headphones that
Best Headphones for Piano Practice (After Trying Too Many) Read More »
Piano teachers have opinions about this. Strong ones. The classical crowd says you need proper foundations. The pop crowd says learn what you love. Both are right. Both are wrong. Here's the actual difference: Classical piano emphasizes reading music precisely as written. Every note, every dynamic, every articulation matters. You're interpreting a composer's specific vision.
Classical vs Pop Piano: Which Should You Learn First? Read More »
Recorded myself playing around month four. Thought I sounded pretty good. Listened back and wanted to cry. The notes were right. The rhythm was a disaster. Rushing through easy parts. Slowing down on hard parts. No consistent tempo. Sounded like I was having a small stroke while playing. Here's what nobody emphasizes enough: rhythm is
Why Rhythm Is Harder Than Notes (And What Finally Helped) Read More »