r/pianolearning

Hey everyone!!
So I’m kind of in a weird spot with my piano journey. I took classes for a couple of months (intensive classes) a while back, but they were super expensive and honestly felt like a waste of time (i don’t even know what the hell is major and minor, which shows that i really was wasting time there), so I’ve been teaching myself since, although i only just realized i’ve been missing the basics i thought piano was just about learning new songs and finger positions until recently)
I’m currently confused about where I actually stand. I see people online talking about "scales" and "arpeggios", I’d never even heard of those until I looked them up on YouTube recently to start practicing them on my own
(I think I’m around an intermediate level, but honestly I don't even know what “grade” I'd be)

Also, I have a major hurdle: I learned everything using Solfège (Do, Re, Mi...) instead of the A B C system😭
Should I force myself to learn the letter system, or does it not matter?

Most importantly: I really want to level up and become genuinely skilled. Like, beyond just memorizing a song, I want to actually build proper technique and sound like a pro

If you're an advanced/pro pianist, what are the absolute MUST-knows I should be focusing on right now? What drills, theory, or habits made the biggest difference for you?

How many of you can reach a 10th? X

Hey guys, piano player here and I’m kind of disappointed in myself lol
It’s been a really long time since I last read sheet music. I’ve gotten super lazy lately, so instead of actually reading the notes for a new piece, I just end up watching those YouTube tutorials online to learn it

I really want to change this and actually learn how to sight-read properly
Back when I used to read music, I had this habit of writing the note name under literally every single note. It made the page look so messy, and honestly, it felt like a total waste of time idk
Long story short... how do y’all genuinely sight-read? Is there a better way to learn without writing everything down, or any tips for breaking the YouTube tutorial habit?

In two weeks i'm starting music/pianolessons at the local academy.

Two years ago I started playing on my own with Simply Piano. Is it a good idea to pick up again, to prepare?

I'm afraid it learnt me some "bad habits" (not the "standard" chords, for example). Will it do more harm than good?

Hi! I am a big fan of house (and techno) music and would like to create my own or at least trying to reproduce what others are doing. I have some foundational knowledge of synthesis and sound design. I just got my first MIDI controller and would like to learn some piano skills, so I can incorporate easy and basic piano chords in my work. I am NOT trying to learn piano in a "classical" sense, meaning that I want to be able to operate a synth or MIDI keyboard with more confidence and use it creatively, but there is no need for me to play complex piano songs. Do you think teaching myself with youtube, books, etc. on the basics of piano would be sufficient for this level? Happy to hear your opinions. Thanks!

Hi! As the title says, I (32F) am looking for advice on how to learn piano as an adult. I was taking lessons before I started my masters degrees but I was definitely struggling to get the hang of it. I’ve recently finished with my program and am really hoping to get back to it but I’m definitely on a budget so I’m looking to do as much on my own as possible before getting a teacher again.

Were there any apps that were helpful in learning notes or reading music? Do you have any suggestions for things to do to practice on my own?

I was starting from scratch when I took lessons and I never progressed particularly far so I’m basically starting from scratch again. I have never played an instrument successfully. I was the singer for my high schools jazz band so I have some familiarity with music but that was a lifetime ago! I have an electric keyboard but no books or anything. Any advice is welcome! Thank you! 🫶

EDIT: Thank you so much everyone for your responses!! I’m going to start working on responding. I’m definitely going to get a teacher again I just wanted to start learning the basics on my own :) I felt like when I was taking lessons before I hadn’t learned any of the basics on my own so I felt like I didn’t know how to practice. So this is all super helpful information! Thanks again :3

for me it’s a few things but one of them is that i’m excited to learn everything that i dont know now. everything im currently learning, i just can’t wait to reach the part where i know it. especially since i’m self taught.

I've noticed that sometimes when shifting my hand to a different position (especially my left hand), I sort of stick my fingers straight out and feel the black keys in order to move to the right spot. For example, in one piece when moving from an Am chord down to Emaj, I feel for the black keys with my extended fingers and I think I feel where I am with my thumb, too, lightly dragging it along the white keys. (or maybe I'm just dragging it, no idea.)

Is that a bad habit or is it not a big deal? I'm not sure how often I do it, it could be frequent, I'm really not sure, but every once in a while I become aware that I'm doing it.

I’m not sure how I should approach this. I’d like a keyboard, but I’m not sure if piano will be my thing. Ive had the urge quite a few times for periods of one month but it went away when I failed to commit to buying one. Ive heard a lot about touch sensitive ones with weighted keys but I’m just not sure if I should commit this much when I’m not even sure about this. maybe $200 or under, but I’m completely new to this and unaware if thats a good price range to have.

EDIT: this is both completely my fault for posting to the digital piano subreddit and not specifying, but i would prefer one with some other sounds (like synth) more like a keyboard

Hello, I have been playing piano for seven years yet I have never been great at it. When I was younger I had regular piano practices but never really tried to learn anything. My piano teacher basically gave up on me and suggested I use YouTube or any other easy methods to pick up songs quickly, therefore I never learnt keyboard geography. When I play i memorize easily so I usually just look at my hands but now I actually want to become a good pianist so im looking for any tips or advice to improve my technical skills.

Hello, I'm posting today both to ask for a second opinion but also to vent a little bit. I'm 27, and play the piano as a hobby, strictly only for myself, for fun, since six years ago. I was initially self-taught (big mistake) but currently on my fourth teacher, weekly lessons, daily practice. Initially decided to look into lessons because playing most music would result in various kinds of pain.

I've developed tenosynuvitis the last couple years (wrist, thumb, and elbow) and it's only getting worse. We've made numerous attempts to fix technique and posture. We've stopped practicing music, lessons now resemble physiotherapy and consist only of warmup excercises. I feel like I haven't made any progress. The pains are getting bad enough that they hurt while trying to fall asleep. My doctor insists that it isn't necessary to stop piano but I'm not convinced of this. This pain is partly due to bad piano technique but also from the nature of my day job which involves lots of typing.

After four months of lessons that consist only of hanon 2, scales, finger isolation excercises, wrist rotation all at slow speed, I'm still feeling pain, unable to understand what's wrong about the movements. Whenever we introduce more difficulty, the pain comes back even worse, so we abort and return to the same warmups (and don't even get me started on octaves, those hurt just thinking about them). According to my teacher, I'm unable to feel tension and awkwardness in technique, which is causing the lack of progress. I feel like I've said "No, I don't understand, I don't see what's different or wrong about my technique" way too many times. I can sense my teacher is starting to get frustrated of this situation. He's the best teacher I could've ever had but I'm sure even his patience has limits, not to mention my own. I'm afraid to even look at the instrument; it's a net negative on my quality of life. Even my therapist has raised concerns.

I've learned that piano is deeply tied to body control. My conclusion right now is that I am unable to control my body as required for this activity and that while I could possibly learn, it's too much effort and not worth it anymore. I'm just not built for it. I was also quite bad at the musical part of it too (dynamics, phrasing, rhythm) and had a poor understanding despite repeated attempts from my teacher to rectify this. Every week I get my hopes up only to sit down at the piano and come out defeated. I feel like I'm only sticking to it because of sunk cost fallacy.

Have you overcome a situation like this? I'm still debating whether I should quit, and would like some opinions. Thanks in advance!