Alex Rivera

Building a Daily Practice Routine That Actually Sticks

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.

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Buying Your First Keyboard: What Actually Matters

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.

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Your First Piano Songs: A Complete Guide to What to Learn and When

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

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How to Practice Piano: The Complete Guide to Actually Getting Better

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

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The Complete Piano Gear Guide: Keyboards, Accessories, and Everything Else

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

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