Dealing with Plateaus (When Progress Completely Stalls)

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

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YouTube Piano Tutorials: The Good, Bad, and Dependency Problem

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

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What Chords Actually Are (And Why They Stopped Confusing Me)

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

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Finger Exercises That Actually Helped (Not Just Busywork)

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.

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Staying Motivated When Piano Feels Pointless

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.

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Digital vs Acoustic Piano: Honest Comparison for Beginners

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

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