Okay. You've got a keyboard. Maybe bought it, borrowed it, found it in your aunt's basement. You're sitting in front of it right now staring at all those keys and you have no idea what to do. Been there. That overwhelm is real. Here's the thing – most "beginner piano" content throws too much at […]
Starting From Zero: What To Actually Do Your First Week Read More »
My first six months were all over the place. Some weeks I practiced an hour daily. Some weeks I didn't touch the keyboard. No structure, no consistency, lots of guilt. Then I built an actual routine. Not a rigid schedule – a flexible structure that worked with my life. Progress accelerated dramatically. Here's what works.
Building a Daily Practice Routine That Actually Sticks Read More »
My first keyboard was a $147 Yamaha from some guy's garage. Sticky D key. Sustain pedal held together with tape. Smelled like cat. I got lucky – it was semi-weighted, which meant it actually worked for learning. Could've easily bought something useless. The keyboard market is confusing. Here's what actually matters. Weighted keys are non-negotiable.
Buying Your First Keyboard: What Actually Matters Read More »
When I started learning piano everyone kept telling me to play "Mary Had a Little Lamb" and I wanted to throw my keyboard out the window. No offense to whoever wrote that song but I didn't buy a piano to sound like a kindergarten recital. Took me a while to find songs that were actually
7 Piano Songs That Are Actually Easy (And Don't Sound Like Kids Music) Read More »
Eight months into learning piano and I still didn't know what "key" meant. Not the physical keys – the other kind. When someone said "this song is in the key of G," I'd nod like I understood. I did not understand. I avoided theory because it seemed boring. Abstract. Who needs theory when you can
Music Theory in Plain English (What I Wish Someone Told Me) Read More »
November 14th, 2019. My 23rd birthday. I'm standing in some guy's garage in Burbank, handing over $147 cash for a Yamaha PSR-E363 that has a sticky D key and smells faintly like cat. He throws in a torn-up sustain pedal. Happy birthday to me. Everyone I told about this purchase gave me the same look.
How I Started Learning Piano at 23 (And What I'd Do Differently Now) Read More »
First song I ever played all the way through with both hands was "Lean on Me." February 2020. About four months into learning. I'd been grinding on it for weeks. One random Tuesday night around 11pm, I played it start to finish without stopping. No mistakes. Both hands working together. Actually sounded like music. I
Your First Piano Songs: A Complete Guide to What to Learn and When Read More »
June 2020. Five months into learning piano. I hadn't touched my keyboard in eleven days. Kept meaning to practice. Had this goal – one hour every day – and most days I just couldn't. So I'd skip. Feel guilty. Skip again because the guilt made me avoid the keyboard. I wasn't lazy. My approach was
How to Practice Piano: The Complete Guide to Actually Getting Better Read More »
My first keyboard was a Yamaha PSR-E363 I bought from some guy's garage for $147. Sticky D key. Power adapter that buzzed. Sustain pedal held together with electrical tape. Smelled like cat. I loved that thing. But I didn't know what I was doing when I bought it. Got lucky that it was semi-weighted. Could've
The Complete Piano Gear Guide: Keyboards, Accessories, and Everything Else Read More »
Eight months into learning piano and I still didn't know what "key" meant. Not the physical keys – the other kind. When someone said "this song is in the key of G," I'd nod like I understood. I did not understand. I avoided theory for those eight months because it seemed boring and academic. Who
Music Theory for Piano: Everything You Actually Need to Know Read More »