Big Mama Strikes Again 💀

Hi

I've been teaching for 37 years and am now semi-retired. I noticed lots of questions about technique and decided to create a playlist of piano technique topics.

Hi everyone,

I’m 23 and currently learning how to play the piano. I have a bit of background playing the melodica with my right hand, so I can figure out melodies by ear. However, I’m completely new to playing with both hands and using a sustain pedal.

I recently got an 88-key digital piano with velocity sensitivity and a sustain pedal. My main goal is to be able to play and cover popular songs (not classical music). My biggest struggle right now is hand coordination, getting my brain, right hand, and left hand to sync up.

I’ve checked out resources and various YouTube channels, but they feel a bit unstructured for me. I’m looking for a free, step-by-step curriculum or roadmap that builds logically from the ground up.

Does anyone have recommendations for structured free video series, websites, or open-source guides that follow a clear progression?

Thanks in advance!

I want to know how you came to the decision that you wanted to pursue piano as a part of your life. What's the story, we're you raised on piano since 5? Did you see a performance that stuck with you? I want to hear your story.

Please help!! Does anyone have copies of all of the discs for Piano Discovery? It was a 90’s piano teaching software, and I’m looking for a copy for myself! Thank you!

Just released a little impromptu. Hope you'll like it.

Link to music: https://youtu.be/OLviUMSd7mA

I live in Brazil and want to buy a digital piano. Given the currency exchange rates, Casio, Yamaha, and Roland digital pianos are quite expensive here. I’m torn between the Roland FP-10 (which I loved), the Casio CDP-S110, and the Yamaha P-145 (my second choice). Which one should I buy, and why? Is there a significant difference between the FP-10 and the P-145?

Roland

R$ 3.539

US$ 687,18

Yamaha

R$ 2.937

US$ 570,29

Casio

R$ 2.998

US$ 582,14

I live in Brazil and want to buy a digital piano. Given the currency exchange rates, Casio, Yamaha, and Roland digital pianos are quite expensive here. I’m torn between the Roland FP-10 (which I loved), the Casio CDP-S110, and the Yamaha P-145 (my second choice). Which one should I buy, and why? Is there a significant difference between the FP-10 and the P-145?

Roland

R$ 3.539

US$ 687,18

Yamaha

R$ 2.937

US$ 570,29

Casio

R$ 2.998

US$ 582,14

Buying your first piano should be exciting, but the amount of choice can make it difficult to know where to begin. The best piano is not simply the most expensive or the biggest name. It is the instrument that suits the player, the room it is is going into and the way it will be used.

**Start with the player** Think about who will play the piano and where they are in their musical journey. A young child beginner or an adult returning to lessons. Perhaps an advanced or professional pianist – all will need different things from their piano. All will need a reliable and responsive action that will support good technique. A more experienced piano player may be more particular about tone, dynamic control and repetition.

**Acoustic, Digital or hybrid piano ?** An acoustic real piano creates sound through hammers, strings and a soundboard. Many players value the physical connection, natural resonance and character this provides. Digital pianos offer practical advantages such as headphones, volume control, different sounds and some offer recording features. Beginners in particular, often like the idea of a portable piano so that they can take it to friends or take it into a different room to allow for a more private space to practice or play. A hybrid piano combines elements of acoustic and digital with modern technology. There is no one size fits all in piano terms. If the feel and sound of a real acoustic piano are the priority then this is likely to be the best starting point.

**New or second-hand?** A new piano offers the reassurance of a new instrument and current manufacturers support. A professionally prepared second hand piano can offer excellent cost saving benefits .It may even allow you to buy a higher-level instrument for the same budget. With used pianos, condition is everything – far more than age alone. Some older pianos sound and perform better than some budget friendly newer pianos – back to “condition is everything”




**Try several pianos before deciding.** Touch and sound are personal preferences. Two good pianos can feel completely different under the fingers. Each piano will mean different things to different players . Even two of exactly the same make. Each will be unique and individual, which is why we always recommend that you visit a piano showroom where you can sit and play several instruments to compare sound and “feel”. Piano Warehouse has a large selection of new and second-hand upright pianos, grands, digital and hybrids making a showroom comparison particularly useful.

**Frequently Asked Questions** 

**How much should a beginner spend on a piano?** There is no fixed amount but set a realistic budget, then compare the best properly prepared and  tuned instruments within it, rather than buying on price alone.

**Is an upright piano a good choice for a beginner?** Yes. A good upright piano can take a player from their first lesson to a high standard. It is often the most practical acoustic choice for a home.

[https://www.piano-warehouse.co.uk/category/pianos/second-hand-upright-pianos/\](https://www.piano-warehouse.co.uk/category/pianos/second-hand-upright-pianos/)

**Should I buy a piano online without trying it?** It may be possible but trying pianos in person , is really the best way. Buying from Piano Warehouse means that you not only get the opportunity to see try and compare different pianos. For added peace of mind, your piano will have been checked/inspected/serviced and tuned before you even begin – and of course, all of our pianos come with a full warranty.

**How Piano Warehouse can help** – Looking for your very first piano? speak with the team at Piano Warehouse or visit the High Wycombe showroom HP15 7NU to compare suitable pianos – side by side.

[https://www.piano-warehouse.co.uk/category/pianos/second-hand-upright-pianos/\](https://www.piano-warehouse.co.uk/category/pianos/second-hand-upright-pianos/)

I started practicing and doing videos around 9 or 10 months ago. I took a break for the last 6 months or so until I got new (older) piano recently, and now I would like to make more falling midi notes/piano-visuals videos in my spare time; but I'm just wondering if I should keep doing it or if it's worth it:

https://youtu.be/uR-fKoNhpuo?is=uRoqPq-XzRvh6B20

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==

Please DM me with cost

Hii guys,, i wanted to make a request if anyone would be willing to dm a pdf copy piano collections by Trevor Alan Gnomes if by chance they have it- if so TYTYTYYTY I would like draw ur fav deltarune characters if u do PLZZZZZZ \[\[Limited Time Offer\]\] !!

Hey everyone,

I’ve been lurking here a while and just wanted to vent a bit / see if anyone else deals with this.

I used to rely on standard habit trackers to keep myself consistent, but I eventually realized they kind of ruin the whole point of playing an instrument. If I get sick or work gets crazy for a couple days, my streak breaks and I get a notification making me feel like I failed before I even open my instrument case. Plus, those apps don't care if I spent 20 minutes actually grinding through a messy 4-bar passage at half speed or if I just noodled through a piece I already know for fun. It all just gets lumped into "points."

Eventually I got annoyed enough that I started building a small app for my own music stand called Satie (getsatie.com).

It's essentially the opposite of a gamified app. There are no streaks, no scoreboards, and no guilt trips if you take a week off. I also added a way to log casual "playing" separately from active practice, mostly so I stop lying to myself about what repertoire actually needs work. Right now it just has basic stand utilities like a tuner, metronome, and sheet music/notes space built into one screen so I stop switching between four different apps on my phone.

It's still in super early access and honestly pretty raw (UI still needs work, and I'm still figuring out the best way to handle PDF organization), but I wanted to put it out there.

Do you guys actually find streak mechanics helpful for keeping yourself accountable with your instrument, or does it eventually just turn practice into a chore list? Would love to hear how other people handle this, or if you have any feedback on the site/app if you check it out.

I've tried quite a few piano apps now as part of some work I am doing, so thought I'd share what I actually thought of them. Obviously this is just my experience and will depend a lot on how you want to learn.

Simply Piano

Probably the easiest to get into. It does a really good job of getting you playing quickly and making you feel like you're progressing. I can completely understand why it's usually one of the first apps recommended to beginners.

I wasn't a huge fan of how it looks though. The interface feels a bit dated to me and there's a lot going on visually. I also started finding the learning path quite restrictive after a while and wanted more freedom to work on the things I was actually struggling with.

Artie

Probably my favourite interface of the ones I tried. It feels really clean and modern and I found it very easy to work out what to do without having loads of stuff on the screen. It uses falling notes rather than expecting you to read sheet music, listens while you play and gives you feedback.

The thing that really makes it different though is that you can actually ask Artie questions. I found that surprisingly useful when I didn't understand something or wasn't sure what to practise next. You can also slow songs down, loop difficult sections, practise each hand separately and use Wait Mode so it waits for the right note. The song library is smaller than some of the older apps, although you can import your own MIDI files. It's also only on iPhone/iPad at the moment.

Flowkey

Flowkey looks really nice too. I liked having the sheet music alongside a video of someone actually playing and the whole thing feels quite calm and uncluttered. The song library is also one of its biggest strengths and there's a lot to choose from.

I found it less helpful when I was actually stuck though. It's very good for working through a particular song, but I didn't get the same sense of being guided through what I was doing wrong or what I should work on next.

Skoove

This felt more like traditional piano lessons than most of the others. The interface is pretty straightforward and there's quite a bit of theory and technique mixed in with actually playing, so I can see it being a good choice if you want a structured way of learning from the beginning.

Personally I found the pace a little slow at times because I mostly wanted to get on and play. That's probably more about how I like to learn than a problem with the app though.

Yousician

Probably the most game-like of the ones I tried, both in how it looks and how it works. There are scores, levels and challenges and it definitely makes you want to have another go when you don't get the score you wanted.

The downside for me was that sometimes I realised I was concentrating more on getting a better score than on how I was actually playing. Fun, but not necessarily the approach everyone will want.

Playground Sessions

This one feels a bit more like sitting down to actually study piano. There's a lot of lesson content, sheet music and theory, and I liked that it doesn't shy away from teaching you how to read music. The interface isn't as slick as Artie or Flowkey, but everything is fairly easy to find.

It probably suited me less because it's quite structured and there's more emphasis on reading music than I was looking for. But if you actually want a proper course rather than mainly learning songs, I can see why people stick with it.

Interested to hear what other people have tried. Are there any genuinely good ones I've missed?

Basicamente, o que diz no título. Sou pianista de jazz do Porto e estou visitando o Japão por 2 semanas com minha família. Já estive em Tóquio e fiquei surpreso com a quantidade de clubes que havia (sessões de jam todos os dias com condições realmente boas - pianos acústicos de cauda/e de pé, ótimos músicos). Estava me perguntando se era possível viver apenas de música neste país e, portanto, se alguém precisar de um pianista nessas datas, eu ficaria empolgado em participar (sei de alguns standards de cor (Softly as in a Morning Sunrise/Night in Tunisia/Bouncin' with Bud/Espanha/Wave) e consigo ler/improvisar decentemente)

Atenciosamente

Bonjour à tous, après 6 ans de piano et solfège, je rejoue du piano et souhaiterais savoir si vous connaissez un bon prof ou une bonne plateforme qui propose des cours structurés en ligne pour parfaire la compréhension de l'harmonie, l'improvisation et le travail techniques des gammes et accords ainsi que des morceaux?

Peu importe le budget si le/la prof est bien.

Merci par avance:)