I recently started taking piano lessons again after being away from the instrument for about a year. I’ve played piano on and off for a little over three years, so I would probably describe myself as an intermediate student, although I still have some gaps in my fundamentals.
I’m trying to be diligent about practicing and completing the homework my teacher gives me, but I’m running into a problem: I’m not always sure whether I’m practicing correctly. My teacher gives me exercises and pieces to work on, but when I sit down at the piano by myself, I sometimes struggle to know if I’m playing the notes in the correct order, in the correct octave, or even starting in the right place.
For example, if a piece starts around middle C and moves stepwise up or down, I can usually identify the notes without too much trouble. But when the notes jump around, appear in different octaves, or fall between familiar reference points, I have a much harder time finding them quickly and confidently.
I’ve tried explaining to my teacher that I’m not quite at the point where I can fully recognize all the notes on the staff and connect them to the keyboard automatically. I want to practice consistently, but I also don’t want to spend a lot of time reinforcing mistakes without realizing it.
For other piano students or teachers, where would you recommend I start? Should I focus more on note-reading drills, sight-reading exercises, intervals, landmark notes, or something else? Are there any tools, apps, methods, or practice routines that can help me confirm whether I’m playing the correct notes and practicing the material accurately?
My main goal is to become more confident identifying notes across the staff and keyboard so that I can practice more independently and make better progress between lessons.