Tips for Playing the Piano

Life is Not a Competition and Neither is Playing the Piano

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So often in life we consciously or even sub-consciously  compare ourselves to others and think that just because someone is more skilled than us, we may think that we are not able to achieve anything. Take myself for example. I started learning the piano at the age of six and knew by the age of … Read more

How to Kill Off Your Ability to Learn to Play the Piano

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Over the years I have met many people that have always wanted to be able to play the piano and despite their wish to be able to play, there are a few things that can permanently get in the way of mastering the instrument. There are a number of obstacles that can kill off a … Read more

How to Learn to Play a Fast Piece of Music

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There are some absolutely wonderful piano pieces that are meant to be played fast but it can be completely daunting to attempt to play a fast piece of music. So how do you go about learning something that is so fast? The answer to that is slowly. It might appear that my answer makes no … Read more

Forget Practice Makes Perfect, Think Practice Makes Progress

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We have all heard the expression that practice makes perfect, I believe that the goal is not to become a perfect piano player but rather an improved piano player. Sometimes the focus of practicing to make perfect a piece of music should not be the goal because it can induce anxiety and foster a belief … Read more

When Learning Piano Chords, Which Should Be Learned First

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While I have definite opinions on this subject, I fully acknowledge that there could be other writers that completely disagree with what I say. Because I know that this particular subject has no particular consensus, I will endeavour to explain why I have the opinions I do. When learning about chords and how they are … Read more

What Do the Dots Near Written Notes Mean?

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If you look carefully enough at printed music, you will often see dots all over the place. While those dots do look random, they are most certainly not. Every dot on every piece of music has meaning. The dots that are situated near a note can be confusing to some learning to read music. If … Read more

What is the Difference Between a Tie, a Slur and a Phrase?

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A tie, a slur and a phrase all look quite similar and sometimes they can get confused with each other since they look like this: This symbol is typically used above the stave (staff) or inverted and used underneath the stave (staff), depending on which direction the stems of the notes are going. This applies … Read more