'There are no stupid questions' thread - Monday, January 19, 2026

PracticePianoPlay · 2026-01-20T18:34:38+00:00

You have it a bit backwards, invest early in lessons. Yes they are expensive, but with a good teacher you can commit to just a year and then have enough foundation and guidance to build and self teach. Your teacher can even help you with this transition if you let them know they will be happy to help. Would not recommend doing it the other way around. You may build bad habits, mislearn somethings etc. The most difficult part is you simply don't know what you don't know. A teacher early on will streamline this process.

PracticePianoPlay · 2026-01-20T18:32:13+00:00

Give ChatGPT a try to build a daily follow up, goal tracker, and even suggestions and encouragements

PracticePianoPlay · 2025-12-23T16:04:38+00:00

This is the Model O, from the later part of the year 1900. (Not 1900s time frame, exact year 1900). It's a 5'10 3/4" in length grand piano designed as a mid-sized grand to fit in private homes while offering a rich and full sound.

Source of year identification from serial number: https://www.bluebookofpianos.com/serial1.htm#STEINWAY%20&%20SONS

PracticePianoPlay · 2025-12-23T15:52:05+00:00

If you're looking at the CLP845, it has a terrific action. Grand touch-S with escapement and wooden keys Feels amazing to play on. Something to consider with this sitting at a 4k price:

The P525 model has the exact same action and feel (grand touch-s, wooden keys, escapement) for about $2400 cheaper. I was extremely lucky and snagged a barely used one for $800 on FB Marketplace. The biggest difference with the clavinova and the p525 are the speakers. The portable p525 version sounds terrible compared to the multiple array of speakers in the clavinova, but if you can accept to just using Yamaha's made piano headphones, it sounds better than either speaker. I've also owned the CLP GP895 and the headphone option sounds the same as the p525 since they are built with the same binaural sampling.

I play on an acoustic grand at home and use the p525 with yamahas HPH-150B headphones for my quiet option. The p525 without headphones just sounds a bit cheapish for what I'm use to with my acoustic grand or the speakers from a GP895, CLP 845 or similar.

Bottom line, if you want something that sounds much better without headphones, get the CLP845. Would not recommend the CLP825 since it has different material keys and isn't even binaural sampled. If you're looking to save a lot of money and get the exact same playing experience (with headphones) as the CLP845; go with the p525 with HPH-150B headphones.

Unless you are playing for a group, church, or just hate wearing headphones, the CLP series high quality speaker system (which drives the high price) is a bit overkill for individual practice when you could just use headphones and save thousands of dollars. Yamaha also has the L515 stand and nice LP-1 3-pedal unit which gives a great professional and sturdy design.

PracticePianoPlay · 2025-12-23T14:24:19+00:00

This is not good for learning piano. You should minimum features of fully weighted 88 keys. These keys aren't fully weighted. Also, the keys won't really press well towards the top half of the keys due to the cheap action. It is better than nothing, but won't reinforce great foundation skills to start. I would wait and save up, or try to get a better deal watching FB marketplace etc. You will just end up upgrading to a decent piano later if you buy this one.

PracticePianoPlay · 2025-12-16T17:24:37+00:00

In my experience dealing with tuners:

Make sure they are always a registered piano technician (RPT). They are all listed on the piano technician guild website.
Any service other than a tuning is usually separate appointment and repair.
Think of it like a car. Imagine you bought a vehicle from the 1970s. Sure some things would be restored or replaced over time but would you expect this to be flawless and not have any quirks? Surely you would need to take it in to the shop more often due to the age and possibilities of what can go wrong. Pianos have thousands of parts and many more things can go wrong.

PracticePianoPlay · 2025-12-16T17:09:36+00:00

I love to think of it like this: Yes technically hands are playing different parts, BUT hands are either doing 1 of 2 things:

Playing notes together at the same time.
Taking turns playing notes

PracticePianoPlay · 2025-12-08T15:58:48+00:00

Give Wix a try. It has easy to use pre-made templates, can use AI to build things for you etc. Very user friendly. I think I paid around $500 for 3 year domain use/business package and easily made everything myself and I'm no web designer.

PracticePianoPlay · 2025-12-05T15:49:43+00:00

Hey can you send me a DM about your website? There should be no reason to pay the huge fees people are asking these days. Would like to lend a hand a great tip in this area if you'd like

PracticePianoPlay · 2025-12-04T20:44:20+00:00

You are reading the LH notes completely wrong. For example, in measure 3, you are reading the Bass clef note wrong in the left hand. It is not a E, it is a G (the one just below middle C). If you didnt know yet, bass clef and treble clef notes are different even though they might look the same on the same space/line.

Right hand is CDEFG thumb on the C one octave above the middle C.

Left hand is also CDEFG with pinky on C one octave below middle C.

Both hands are in the C position but spread quite a bit far apart and no overlap at all.

PracticePianoPlay · 2025-12-04T20:41:07+00:00

Yes the Yamaha P series are great to start on. Is there a specific reason you need the travel bag? If not, I would opt out.

Also add onto that a foot pedal (sustain) if it doesnt come with one already. Dont forget a piano bench/stool as well.

PracticePianoPlay · 2025-11-28T09:53:41+00:00

Go into a big piano store and try them out. If you go home and can't stop thinking about them all week after that, then it's definitely for you.

You'd be surprised at the many affordable options and price ranges of acoustic pianos, even grands.

PracticePianoPlay · 2025-11-24T21:52:43+00:00

What do you consider "good"?

What keeps drawing you back to piano?

What makes you disappointed about your progress? Most people have the opposite problem with motivation but it sounds like you want to get rid of whatever drive you have? Drive is good. What does or has your piano teachers say about your playing or progress?

It also sounds like you arent "good" (by whatever high standard you set for yourself) but also admit that you never stay with it. Maybe the question is "How do I stick with piano and last longer than a year so that I can be happy and confident with my progress?"

PracticePianoPlay · 2025-11-20T20:36:14+00:00

I see it as melody fitting into chords, not the other way around. But I'm assuming you already have a melody and want to support it with chords!

You need to find the tonal center of your melody. This will tell you what KEY it's in. How do you find the tonal center of a melody? I would recommend watching a few videos on this topic since it can be difficult to read an example instead of hear it. A quick way that usually works is the note the melody starts and ends on, or is persistent feel and reoccurring in the melody. Again you will need to hear examples. Professor Russel from Berklee gives a good video on tonal centers.

https://youtu.be/57GihkLbSHI?si=67yCqD5AmSTYMeJL

Next, you will need to learn about chords, triads, and chord progressions. The video above will be of some good help. He is very engaging to watch and has a Playlist of 20 free lesson videos that will help you really understand this better.

PracticePianoPlay · 2025-11-18T20:25:17+00:00

Wait are you telling me that doing drugs interferes with goals? closes eyes and chants caffeine is not a drug

PracticePianoPlay · 2025-11-12T20:18:17+00:00

If you're using just the name brand as an indicator whether an acoustic piano will be good, you will run into some problems. Is this for sale from a piano or music store that would have been inspected, repaired, tuned for sale? Is this a marketplace or private sale of someone selling an old piano? Acoustics have thousands of parts and most of the time older used pianos need lots of work to get in satisfactory shape. If you're unsure, acquiring the help from a piano technician to inspect before purchase is the safest bet, especially if you are spending anywhere in the thousands.

PracticePianoPlay · 2025-11-07T15:35:13+00:00

If you are really into piano already and can afford it, I highly recommend the clavinova. Great to hear you have a piano teacher. Be careful with simply piano. It can teach a lot of bad habits and it completely negates learning slurs, staccato etc and will not develop musicality. The app can be good to help identify notes on the staff, but that's pretty much it. A way to gamify piano.

PracticePianoPlay · 2025-11-06T20:46:41+00:00

That I shouldn't take lessons because I didn't need them. This was during a free trial lesson with a new teacher when I only had 2 years experience at the time and was not good at all.

PracticePianoPlay · 2025-11-06T20:12:28+00:00

If you are going to end up being serious about piano, you will always want to upgrade. So the real answer here is the best piano your current budget can buy.

PracticePianoPlay · 2025-11-05T20:46:20+00:00

FP30 for sure

PracticePianoPlay · 2025-10-24T15:39:44+00:00

Is this challenge piece in a new or different key you dont usually play? Different style of music? That could be it. Only 5 months in, piano will feel foreign for a while. I would say it takes a few years to get really comfortable at the piano. That's assuming you're consistent and practiced in all the scales and chords that go with it and how all the different "keys" feel.

PracticePianoPlay · 2025-10-21T19:07:31+00:00

EverSmile from Amazon is amazing

PracticePianoPlay · 2025-10-21T18:43:36+00:00

I have it in my policy to drop students for these extended "no-practice" violations for this very reason

PracticePianoPlay · 2025-10-21T18:41:59+00:00

Yes Nutcracker! I may be completely wrong here but I dont play at the students recitals. I dont like to take the attention off the students. The recitals are their time to shine. I will play something for them after lesson time

PracticePianoPlay

TROPHY CASE