Month two. Trying to play a simple song – melody in right hand, basic chords in left. Right hand doing fine. Left hand just… sitting there. Like it forgot what hands are for. I tell it to play a C chord. Nothing happens. I look at it. It looks back at me. Eventually it plays […]
The Left Hand Problem: Why It Feels Impossible (And How I Fixed Mine) Read More »
Month three. I'd been practicing the same piece for two weeks. Not just no progress – it was getting worse. Mistakes I'd fixed kept coming back. Passages that were smooth became choppy. I thought I was broken. This is a plateau. They're completely normal. Everyone hits them. Understanding what's happening makes them less terrifying. What's
Dealing with Plateaus (When Progress Completely Stalls) Read More »
First three months I practiced at my kitchen table. The keyboard was too high. My wrists angled up. My back hurt constantly. I thought this was normal – "piano is hard on the body." Then I got a proper bench. Adjusted the height. The pain disappeared in a week. Turns out I was just set
Piano Setup at Home: The Stuff That Actually Affects Your Playing Read More »
For my first six months, YouTube tutorials were my only teacher. Those falling-bar Synthesia videos where you just copy what you see. Felt efficient. I was learning songs! Except I wasn't really learning. I was mimicking. The moment I tried to learn a song without a tutorial, I was completely lost. The dependency problem is
YouTube Piano Tutorials: The Good, Bad, and Dependency Problem Read More »
Month three. I could play C, G, and F chords. But I had no idea why those notes went together. Just memorized finger positions like phone numbers. Then someone showed me the formula and everything clicked. A chord is multiple notes played simultaneously. Most basic chords have three notes – these are called triads. The
What Chords Actually Are (And Why They Stopped Confusing Me) Read More »
Three weeks in, I realized something embarrassing: my ring finger and pinky were basically useless. Like genuinely couldn't move independently. I'd try to lift my ring finger and my whole hand would tense up like I was making a claw. Thought something was wrong with me. Turns out it's normal. Those two fingers share tendons.
Finger Exercises That Actually Helped (Not Just Busywork) Read More »
Month seven. Hadn't touched my keyboard in two weeks. Kept walking past it feeling guilty. The excitement from early months was gone. Playing felt like a chore. I was seriously considering quitting. This happens to everyone. The honeymoon phase ends. Progress slows. Real life gets busy. The thing that once excited you becomes another obligation.
Staying Motivated When Piano Feels Pointless Read More »
The piano purists will tell you acoustic is the only "real" option. They're not entirely wrong. But for most beginners, digital makes way more sense. Here's the honest comparison. Acoustic piano: The sound is produced by hammers hitting strings. Nothing digital can fully replicate that resonance and complexity. The key feel is what all digital
Digital vs Acoustic Piano: Honest Comparison for Beginners Read More »
First time I tried to figure out a song by ear I spent 45 minutes hunting for the first note. Just randomly pressing keys hoping one would match. It was painful. Now I can figure out most pop songs in maybe 15-20 minutes. Not because I have magical ears but because I learned some tricks
How I Figure Out Songs By Ear (It's Messier Than You'd Think) Read More »
First month of learning piano, someone told me to "play in the key of G." I nodded and played random notes. Had no idea what they meant. The problem with most theory explanations: they assume you already know things. They use terms to define other terms. It's circular. Let me try differently. Starting from actual
Notes, Keys, and Scales: The Stuff Nobody Explains Well Read More »