Gear and Setup

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 […]

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

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

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

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.