Learning any instrument is no mean feat. It takes dedication and time. The piano is no different. You need to put your all into mastering it.
For a beginner this can feel like an uphill battle. It could be month’s before you start to notice any real improvement in your playing. Don’t give up! It’ll be so rewarding when you master the songs you’ve been working on for months.
You must be careful not to fall into any ‘beginners traps’ though. These traps are mistakes that many people starting out make and here I’m going to help you avoid them.
Neglecting practice
Every great musician made their success through practice. These people loved what they did. As Albert Einstein once said “That is the way to learn the most, that when you are doing something with such enjoyment that you don’t notice that the time passes.”
If you’re truly interested in mastering the piano you have to give it 100%. There should never be a day where you say “I can’t be bothered practicing.” If you want to be good you must practice.
Posture is important
Believe it or not, the way you sit at a piano is hugely important to your style of playing. Many beginners pick up bad habits in their playing to start with, and most of the time, these bad habits include their posture.
You should always sit with your back straight and learn how to correctly position your hands on the keys.
Going over what you already know
It’s easy once you’ve mastered something to play it over and over and over again. You think it sounds brilliant, you show off to all of your friends but what are you actually gaining from it?
If you feel you’ve mastered certain chord progressions or a song, and then move onto something new. You should always be looking to test yourself in the initial stages of your development.
It’s all very well and good that you know how to play that one thing very well, but you aren’t going to be the piano player you want to be if you don’t learn new things regularly.
Not practicing slow enough
I know you want to master the instrument as quickly as possible but don’t practice too fast. This is where you’ll start to pick up little mistakes or habits that aren’t good for your playing. With every new piece that you learn you should start slow. Study each note carefully and then progress onto the next.
Learning this way will help you remember each note and master how it should be played.
These are some of the most common mistakes in learning piano out there. Make sure that you don’t fall into that beginners trap and take your time.
It’s slow to start with but I promise you’ll eventually start to see your improvements.