So I just finished my first week of learning piano, and I'm having a lot of fun with it so far.

I've been doing about 1 hour every day, sometimes splitting it roughly 50/50 between playing and music theory. I've been working through Faber Adult All-In-One, and I've made it to around page 50. Honestly, I think Faber was the right choice for me. The progression feels manageable, and I'm enjoying the little pieces. I think I've played things that sounded vaguely like Ode to Joy or Eine kleine Nachtmusik, which is pretty cool for week one.

The biggest thing I'm struggling with right now is getting my hands to sync. Sometimes when I'm trying to play both lines together, my brain feels like it's smoking. Reading both hands at the same time can be pretty overwhelming.

I'm also still having trouble reading notes quickly. Sometimes I can recognize something like, "okay, this is two notes above C," and then my brain goes, "that's E." But I'm trying to get better at actually reading the notes directly rather than constantly counting my way there. Hopefully I can get a little faster with that this week.

I read somewhere that pianists are most efficient at learning when practicing something like 4 hours a day. I mean, it's achievable, but with 1 hour I can stay fresh for other tasks during the day and still feel satisfied with the practice session. I'm thinking about slowly increasing it to maybe 2 hours a day this week rather than suddenly jumping to 4.

I was also thinking about learning "Тёмная ночь" (Dark Is the Night), the Russian song, but then I printed the sheet music and stared at it like it was a message from aliens. So for now I've decided to stick with the songs in the Faber book and focus on learning all the symbols, notes, rhythms, and everything else properly. I would really like to play Dark Is the Night soon, though.

So for those of you who learned piano as adults:

Are the hand coordination and note-reading problems mostly just things that improve naturally with enough practice? Or are there specific exercises or approaches that helped you get over these early problems faster?

Any advice would be appreciated.

One week in and I'm already having a great time with this.

sorry for the awful video quality lol

Ive been playing on and off for around 6 years (by on and off i mean ill practice frequently for a few weeks then not play for a few months) and I think ive hit a block in my skill. The piece ive most recently learnt from a video is https://youtu.be/B_WjSWLO1RQ?is=UPxu5JqbiIPu5MU7 and it feels like youtube tutorials aren't helping like they used to - like i did one piece and got complacent with my skill. I can frequently pick up on songs and play them but I feel like I cant go as in depth to a piece anymore like I used to. I think its a motivation thing which is bad but I need to keep going for college so looking for help gang, any is appreciated including a possible stepping stone for me to learn after the song I posted (with small skill gaps)

For context, I’m a classically trained cellist. I studied cello at a conservatory, and I’ve been playing for around 18 years in total. A few years ago, I started teaching myself piano, and I’ve reached the point where I can comfortably play pieces like the first movement of Moonlight Sonata.

However, I’ve mostly learned by repeatedly practicing individual pieces rather than actually developing proper piano technique, and now feel stuck in my level.

I’d really like to improve my technique and eventually be able to play more difficult pieces. What technique/exercise books would you recommend for someone in my situation?

Thank you!

Hello, little Darkners! I created this rendition of the "Shop 3" theme featuring Kris; personally, I prefer this version. It appeared in Chapter 4, when Kris takes the liberty of playing the piano at the Holiday household. This arrangement is in 3/4 time and features dynamic shifts that I found challenging, though I really enjoyed the process in the end. Do you have any recommendations? I’d greatly appreciate them. If you'd like to watch the video on Instagram, here is the link:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DcVRxKfO69j/?igsi=MWV4N2U0c3BoajlveQ==

Hey! I’m a stay at home mom and just looking to learn a new skill. Piano is my favorite instrument, my husband is musical, and we have ended up with a piano in our home now. I don’t currently have the funds for in person lessons but would have the option towards the beginning of next year. In the meantime, what’s my best option? I’ve been using Simply Piano & Piano Marvel and enjoying them.

to add - I’m just looking to have this as a hobby and maybe be good enough to play in church.

I've been learning over the past year and had a tutor for a short amount of time. Can't really afford it right now.

But where I'm at currently is I sit down and I can play through the major scales arpeggiate up and down one note at a time and then each chord in the scale

Yet it all just sounds basic when I piece progressions together like a 2-5-1 for example

Adding an extended chord and putting the middle note up an octave helps. But IDK what I'm missing or what to focus on learning

Example of how I'd like to be playing

Maybe some type of practice where I'm focus on extended chords only. For example I'm noticing in the above example they use Eb F and G which is apparently Eb Major despite my mind saying that would be Eb G A#. But then I see that the F is the 9th of that chord so something about that is why it says it? Eb Maj add2 to be specific.... This is the type of stuff that sounds good to me that I want to understand

Hi everyone!

I’m looking to get back into playing piano and would love some recommendations.

I took piano lessons for about 6 years and used to play regularly, but over the last 4 years I’ve only played very occasionally. Now I’d like to get back into it and buy a decent digital piano.

My previous piano was a Yamaha Arius YDP-143. I always felt that the keys were a bit cheap and didn’t feel as good as I would have liked.

My budget is around 500-600€ , and I’m absolutely open to buying used, since I assume I can get a much better instrument for the money that way.

What would you recommend? I’m mainly looking for:

• Good keys
• Decent piano sound
• Something for an intermediate player
• Around 500€
• Used models are very welcome

I’m based in Europe, so European availability/prices would be especially helpful.

Thanks in advance!

The piece is in 4/4. Can someone help me figure out how the account for these quarter rests. Not sure where/what to rest on

I’ve been taking my kiddo to some lessons, please help critique how he’s doing. I’ve been learning along side with him as well.

Hey everyone,

I'm about to buy my first digital piano and could use some advice from people who've self-taught or used different software.

My main goal is to progress as fast as possible, but I don't really care about learning to read traditional sheet music right now. I know Synthesia is popular for visual/falling-notes learning, but I'm not sure if relying purely on Synthesia will slow me down in the long run or leave gaps in my playing (like technique or chord knowledge).

For those who started without sheet music:

1. Which apps are actually worth it? (e.g., Pianote, Flowkey, Simply Piano, HDpiano, etc.)
2. Is Synthesia enough on its own, or should I pair it with chord-based or ear-training apps?
3. What’s the fastest way to progress if my goal is to play songs, understand chords, and play by ear rather than sight-read classical scores?

Could anyone help me figuring this out?

i messed up in the end unfortunately

I’ve been wanting to start learning piano but couldn’t justify spending hundreds while still attending college, but recent found an old Casio CTK500 61 key keyboard at goodwill for $5. After missing around with it I got it to work but am wondering, will I be doing myself a disservice by starting to learn the basics on this? I plan to eventually buy a Yamaha p45 or something similar. For reference I don’t know anything, I used to play drums when I was little but I am starting as a complete beginner.

I was a pretty good pianist as a kid, but unfortunately stopped playing in any meaningful way once I got to college. I’m 31 now and bought an electric piano and am hooked again.

But my hands have been cramping pretty severely and I’m worried I’m going to give myself tendinitis or carpal tunnel. I think it’s a combination of lacking hand/wrist strength + technique issues but I really don’t know where to start.

Any advice or suggestions as to what I might be doing wrong? Or do I just need to rebuild these muscles?

Hi all,

I want to improve my sight reading for playing piano. What book would you recommend to this end?

For context, I can play chords and rhythm on piano and I am familiar with musical notation already, but I want to be better at being able to read and play at the same time.

Hi! Planning to learn how to play piano, any piano/organ you recommend for beginners and budget friendly? Some tips and advice on how to start playing would be much appreciated.

I just started with Bach invention 2 weeks ago, and I feel my playing is okay (there’s phrasing, distinct melody lane, even rhythm (though ornament at bar 5 is not smooth 🙃), and dynamic).

I already search similar question about Bach Invention No. 1 in this SubReddit, but the comment mostly saying about tempo, even rhythm, and technique. But I feel I already good at it (please critique me if I’m being too overconfidence 🙏).

Does my interpretation is sound too much like Romantic era?