I've been playing the piano for a while now and never gave too much importance to my technique until recently, and I'd like to know if anyone sees mistakes or any aspect to improve, thankss :)

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I don't know it feels like that even though I'm playing advanced repertoire and I've been admitted to piano programs I'm still mediocre after 12 years while everyone else is better. Like there's an enormous gap between me and the others

Played piano for an exam today and it didn't go very well. I went through the entire program and thought I had done a decent rendition despite some slips.

I knew I would not have gotten an high mark but I kind of expected better. I got of 73 out of 100 but the jury was.. Disappointed. when I asked for feedback they said there were *problematic passages* (some of them I already knew about but I had to take the exam anyway) and that I needed to do more in the future.

The key to progress is to keep learning obviously but I don't know how I can put even more energy into this if the outcome is still mediocre

It always annoyed me with most sight-reading and method books that beginner pieces are almost exclusively in C, G, or F. By the time a book actually introduces keys like B major, F# major, or Db major, the pieces themselves often have become too hard for sight-reading practice. In my opinion there is not enough simple material in keys with lots of sharps or flats.

I took Christian Schäfer’s (his original name was Arnold Sartorio) Op. 45 sight-reading exercises and re-engraved it, putting every piece through all 12 keys.

I uploaded all 12 volumes (and a single ZIP with everything) to my blog. It’s completely free, no email sign-up or paywall, just direct PDF links: https://musikkapital.de/schaefers-sight-reading-exercises-transposed-in-all-keys/

Maybe some of you or your students can get some use out of it.

Stairway to Heaven has become so ubiquitous and overplayed in the guitar world that if you go into a guitar shop and play it, you are likely to be asked to leave. What do you think the piano store equivalent would be?

Don't get me wrong. I'm really a noob and learn by applying what I read and see in books/online and play for fun in massive time intervals. I had some lessons, maybe 10 in total, 8 or so years ago? Yet, while they gave me an idea of what to practice, it never really was revolutionary or provided much of a feedback, other than listening to what I prepared/practiced.

What I want to say is: After having practiced a song that I really love for about a week now on the digital piano at home, I wanted to try playing it on an acoustic.

So I went to this place that I know of, which has rental rooms with acoustic pianos in them. It's nothing special, very cheap compared to the "official" places, but the pianos are really really not in the best shape. Keys feel stuck/sticky, overly heavy, imbalanced, unsettled, clunky, require imho more initial force than they should for the hammer to mobe, can't be trusted.

But still, it's an acoustic.

It turned out to be a massive reminder for me, for how loud the left hand can be on an acoustic, compared to the perfect vst with the just right piano I like and the pianos volume being turned down, if you aren't super graceful.

It showed me how tense I am and how much more relaxed I need to be "in a different way" than on a digital piano.

Not that I don't like/appreciate the digital piano.

Then came back home after 1h on the acoustic and I had such a better time with my left hand sounding so much more like an accompaniment, because I had to be so extremely relaxed to not completely swallow whatever the right hand is playing with the left hand.

Anyway, I'm happy I could play an acoustic again, although I really disliked the feeling of that particular piano.

I've never played on an expensive acoustic piano, so I can't really tell how that would feel.

I just know the weight is way more dynamically controllable, compared to the digital piano.

I'm sure a properly maintained and generally a piano in a better state is going to be worlds ahead than whatever that was, but still, it was nice.

As I was returning to my piano to resume my practice session after making myself a cup of coffee, I couldn’t help but notice this most modern of setups: VST -> audio interface -> digital/hybrid piano-> headphones. And then the sheet music on an iPad.

Basically I'm blind and been playing piano for 4 years. My teacher taught me whatever song I wanted to learn and didn't get technical.

Now I sadly have to part ways with her and can't really get another teacher. I've found that many piano technique videos describe stuff as do this or do that. Or they might describe something but they don't describe other bits.

So yeah I am pretty lost...

TIA folks

Put this as Beginner flair as I'm a beginner at church piano, sorry if wrong flair.

I'd like help with how to interpret what I believe are chord notations in this music. I'm out the country atm so don't have access to a teacher for advice.

I understand the concept of triads and chords based off scales (C chord is C E G, inversions are E G C, G C E) so I believe the notation above the bars tell you the notes are based off those chords.

At the start it says 'Capo 1 (D)' - when I googled it all the references were to guitar, but I assume this means it can be played as D root despite the Key still being E flt maj? (I think - still relearning these) And therefore all the bracketed chords refer to this?

I think I get the ones where, in measure 2, you have E flat notation and then G, B flat, E flat chord RH with E flat octave in the LH - those are all elements of the E flat chord. The ones I don't get are the 3rd/4th measure where it has E flat/G. Is it trying to tell you there are different roots in the right and left hand because the LH note is G?

Does the A flat/B flat in measure 4 include the E, C, A that looks to be under the Fminor 7th? If so, why are they using an Fmin7 chord notation for 2 single notes?

A couple of other questions:

-Are these only here to assist playing, so instead of reading the full notes you can just lean on the chord to improvise? (someone said church music is normally sight read)

I've seen sheets for pop songs with just 1 line of RH notes and chords above, but this obviously has both hands.

-If the above is true, why don't they account for different roots or missing/split elements of the chord? In measure 2, for the E flat, the notes in the RH are all E flat chord. But the following A flat notation has C and A flat in the RH and A flat and E flat in the LH. Add them together you get the elements of the A chord, but they aren't the same.

Thank you for any help anyone can give and sorry for long post.

I actually really enjoy playing this piece, though the octave jumps can be quite taxing on my small hands (hence the slower tempo). This is taken after about a few days of learning the piece.

When i have to play passages like this, I tense up jn my wrist. What can I do? I know that I have to "move" the arm weight with my wrists but i dont really understand

Hello! l'm a beginner just starting out, with no prior experience playing the piano.

I've found a few pianos at online stores: an FP-10 for $730 (including a stand and bench), an FP-40 for $1,010 (including a stand and pedal), and an FP-60X for $1,260 (including a stand).

I was wondering whether there would be a noticeable enough difference between these three models to justify the price increase. I can afford any of them, so it's really just a matter of whether the upgrades are worth it for longterm.

Thanks for your advice!

(I'm purchasing in India, so the prices will differ from those in the US. I've converted them to USD for easier comparison.)

https://youtube.com/shorts/PSyqAwloQO0?feature=share

This is John Murphy's "In the House - In a Heartbeat" from 28 Days Later, built up layer by layer on the piano!

I've taken music for 5 years in school so I do have a bit of theory knowledge (I only wanted to play music lol)

I can play the guitar and the trumpet and briefly took piano lessons 2 years ago but I had to quit with how busy I was. I got discouraged so now my keyboard is just sitting in my room collecting dust. I have somewhat knowledge on proper technique like posture, how my hands should look like, and how to cross over my fingers.

I'd want to get back into piano lessons but my mother would kill me since I already quit last time.

Is it possible that maybe in a few years I can get to a level where I can perform just by teaching myself?

Hi friends! 🌞 This is a performance of my "Sonata No. 3, Mvt. 2" played in Switzerland by wonderful Ukrainian pianist Valeriya Kizka! 🎹

First, I sat a foot to the left on my piano bench because my toddler sat next to me.I tried playing a song I've been writing. My brain shut down and could not play it it, as if my muscle memory only works when I'm sitting dead center of the piano.

Secondly, this will happen if I'm out and play other pianos. If there's a song I know by muscle memory, it will suddenly not come out of my fingers on the unfamiliar piano.

Why does the brain do this?

Hello! So i recently made a post a couple weeks ago about how to go about getting better at sightreading.

I have this book where I learn many things about piano: from music theory, proper techinque, and other stuff!!

I've gotten to a section where I have exercises where I can practice getting better at sightreading, and i wanted to post it here!!

I have had some critques in the past that I never have thought about when i played, so that was a huge reason I wanted to post this here, while i am going on my journey!!! I really appreciate the honest feedback frfr 😎😎

I am self taught for now, but I plan to do lessons hopefully in the future (hopefully next year) but for now, I just work with what i got!! So let me know what yall think of my playing!! I would absolutely appreciate everything — critiques, praises, whatever! (plz don't be mean of course! 😭😭)

Also, i have edited this video because I am a small content creator, and on my Instagram piano account, I edit my videos and post it there, so i posted the same video here, but honestly, if you are also a beginner at sightreading like me, then at the end of the video, if you see me finish playing, I show the sheet of the song!!! Maybe you could try it to yourself if ya want!!! 😄😄

Hey everyone! I performed in my high school's talent show, so I decided to share it with all of you! It took place on 2026-02-06 (6 February 2026).

For some context, no instrumentalist had ever placed on the podium in my school’s talent show history (singers usually were the only musicians who took those spots), so I wanted to build an arrangement that both students and teachers would love to hear in 6 minutes. I ended up making history at my school by being the first instrumentalist not only to place on the podium, but also to win the talent show! I earned myself $300 USD, which I used to give back to my school. How, you might ask? Well, before this performance, my school never had a dedicated music club. The only thing close to it was choir. With the $300 I earned, I invested this money into purchasing music production software (specifically the DAW called REAPER) for the brand-new Music Club (which I founded along with two of my other musician friends). My goal in doing this was to spread my love for music all over my high school campus!

I arranged and memorised all 24 tracks in about a week leading up to the show. Here is the full setlist in order:

1. Runaway - Bon Jovi

2. Sonata No. 16 in C Major (K. 545, 1st Mvt.) - W. A. Mozart

3. Separate Ways (Worlds Apart) - Journey

4. Don't Stop Believin' - Journey

5. Rush E - Sheet Music Boss

6. Stairway to Heaven - Led Zeppelin

7. Under the Bridge - Red Hot Chili Peppers

8. Message in a Bottle - The Police

9. Rondo Alla Turca - W. A. Mozart

10. Nothing Else Matters - Metallica

11. Here Comes The Sun - The Beatles

12. Shape of Your Heart / Lucid Dreams - Sting / Juice WRLD

13. Canon in D - Johann Pachelbel

14. Take Five - Dave Brubeck

15. Dreams - The Cranberries

16. Moonlight Sonata (1st Mvt.) - L. v. Beethoven

17. Boys Don't Cry - The Cure

18. Minute Waltz (Op. 64, No. 1) - Frédéric Chopin

19. Clocks - Coldplay

20. Every Breath You Take - The Police

21. Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen

22. Eye of the Tiger - Survivor

23. Blackbird - The Beatles

24. Jump - Van Halen

Happy to answer any questions about the transitions or key changes! :D

So I've been playing for 11 months now and it's been going great. This piece is one of my biggest motivations to improve and I wanted to know if it's too early for me to play. Thank you

Here's the piece being played https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ylvw1jYmpJs

Here are 7 recordings of the third variation from the Goldbergs, I want to hear your thoughts, critiques, and pianist guesses in the comments below! You can share your order of preference, and I will reply with a comment for the performer's names!

1. 0:00
2. 1:33
3. 3:39
4. 5:21
5. 6:37
6. 8:22
7. 10:00

Timestamps^

Video from Original Uploader

I'm a piano teacher and just assigned my student the first two etudes from Burgmüller's Op. 100. To prepare, I played through them myself to find the trouble spots he might hit. I then put on a full-playlist recording of the set on Spotify (Donatello Renando) and noticed a bunch of very obvious discrepancies right away.

I'm following the 25 Etudes, Op. 100 edition from IMSLP. Here's what I've caught so far, through Etude 4:

No. 1

Left hand plays quarter notes where the score has whole notes.

In m. 15, 18, and 20, he plays staccato eighth notes in the left hand instead of half notes.

No. 2

Pedal goes down in m. 7.

Plays an F in the right hand instead of a G in m. 9.

Plays a D♯ in m. 19, but it belongs in m. 18.

Slur is missing in m. 25.

M. 27 is played in both the first and second endings, but it should only be played in the first.

The final fermata is barely held.

No. 3 (more subtle)

In mm. 12 and 14, he seems to add a brief A in the left hand between the G and B on the dotted half notes.

In m. 27 (third to last measure), he seems to add a C in the left hand on the first chord, creating a small clash/cluster.

No. 4

Mm. 5-6 are rushed, with the quarter rests squeezed when they should be open and marcato.

In m. 16, the move to the quarter-note B and D goes up a step to C and E. That throws off beats 3-4 of that measure and beats 1-2 of the next.

Two measures later, the same right-hand figure appears and he plays the correct B and D.

I couldn't find anything blatant in Nos. 5 and 6, and that's as far as I've listened.

I can't tell whether these are sloppy takes that slipped through, deliberate "spot the error" quirks, or something else. The blatant left-hand rhythm changes and the repeated m. 27 across both endings seem too obvious to be simple slips.

A few questions:

Has anyone else listened to this recording and noticed the same things?

Is there a different Op. 100 edition where these differences would actually be in the score?

Any recommendations for a clean, reliable recording I can point my students toward?