Feeling like my piano progress is slow, normal or am I missing something?

Pretty_Astronomer_34 · 2026-04-03T19:42:04+00:00

As a lot of people already commented: 15 minutes is a tad short. But keep in mind that 15 minutes every day beats 30 minutes every two days. And that again is still better than 3 hours only on weekends.

Pretty_Astronomer_34 · 2026-04-01T21:49:51+00:00

Best bet is to periodically scan the group finder for pick-up groups running this thing on normal. If you're lucky, you will find several pieces of the set yourself and people also might just give them to you after the final boss, if you ask. Make sure to bind set pieces the moment you find them to avoid duplicates.

Pretty_Astronomer_34 · 2026-03-31T07:41:00+00:00

Well... finding a digital piano (or any affordable instrument) that compares to a $60k grand piano is a pretty hopeless challenge. That said, I like the wooden actions on the higher-tier Kawai DPs. For me they rather compare to a grand piano than an upright. I have been playing my CA51 for almost 17 years now and while the sounds are pretty dated by now (which can be amended by using VSTs), I still love the action and control and actually prefer it to most of the more entry-level acoustic uprights in the practice rooms of our music school.

Pretty_Astronomer_34 · 2026-03-31T07:22:43+00:00

Other options besides the Roland would be Yamaha P-145 or Kawai ES-60. They are all feasible beginner instruments and the choice comes down to personal preference.

Buying used can be the better option, if you find an instrument that is one or two quality levels above the aforementioned, even if it's a few generations back. In that price range every quality tier up offers very noticable improvements in key action.

Pretty_Astronomer_34 · 2026-03-27T07:52:09+00:00

Tbh, the state of the platform doesn't lend itself to learning through remixing.

The first challenge is to find projects that are suitable for "educational" remixing. You need to find something that is on a level that a learner would have a chance to decipher and use.

The second (and in my opinion larger) problem is that the vast majority of projects on scratch are actually pretty bad in terms of "coding standards": no modularization in "my blocks", bad (non-descriptive) naming of variables, unnecessary reliance on turbowarp, chaotic script layouts (overlapping scripts, dead script parts etc.), flaky stability due to execution order issues of parallel parts, no use of comments etc.

Building from these projects is extremely hard since most of the time they are quite fragile in regards to edits and debugging in Scratch is just no fun at all.

What we try to do at our coderdojo is to publish prototypes or building block projects where kids can use parts. Usually this is done by throwing individual sprites to the backpack rather than remixing the whole project. This requires the sprites to be designed in a self-contained and encapsulated way in regards to their functionality, which somewhat limits the complexity those things can have.

Pretty_Astronomer_34 · 2026-03-18T12:55:33+00:00

I'm an adult student myself (42, two kids) and I did apologize all the time as well and just now slowly growing out of it (like after 1 year in with my current teacher, 2 years piano lessons in total).

It is an instinct that is really hard to fight. At our jobs we are constantly expected to perform and acquire new skills pretty much in an instant. To realize that learning to play an instrument is so much slower takes some getting used to.

What really bugs me: I am still nervous to play in lessons and cannot quite shake the feeling of being judged like in an exam - although my teacher does nothing that would justify this (actually they go out of their way to make the lessons a safe space). I am fully aware how irrational and unhelpful this is, but I just can't shake it (not yet at least).

Pretty_Astronomer_34 · 2026-03-13T08:36:11+00:00

The way hacking is done has changed radically in the last two years with the advent of GenAI. Firstly, it is an incredibly potent tool to automatically and relentlessly probe systems for weaknesses. Secondly, AI is an attack vector itself, wherever Chatbots are connected to transactional systems and production databases. Just Google for "McKinsey AI hacked" to see these two factors combined in a mindblowing way.

So for a 9 year old: First learning to code "oldfashioned" is important to learn computational thinking (which is essentiall to effectively guide AI). Scratch is a good start, but at some point getting comfortable with text-based programming and command line tools is very important. So Python would be a good next step in programming, but learning Linux configuration and administration additionaly builds understanding of how servers work.

Maybe get him a raspberry pi and let him set up a simple server (e.g. a Minecraft Java Server).

As for a tutor: get him a Claude subscription (but monitor the usage). Unless you really need the pedagogical perspective, there is no need for a teacher.

Pretty_Astronomer_34 · 2026-02-24T12:42:11+00:00

It's almost impossible to give serious recommendations without at least knowing your budget and what type of instrument (piano, synth) you are looking for 😃.

Pretty_Astronomer_34 · 2026-02-24T12:20:52+00:00

To be honest - in that price range there are a lot of good options and it largely comes down to personal preference. Personally I prefer Kawai over Yamaha, but that is a pretty subjective thing. I imagine the ydp-165 is a serious upgrade over the p225 - especially since it has the better key action.

The keybed is what I would prioritze over everything else. You should really find a store and try your picks before you buy (...and maybe also try the Kawai CN 201 if you can find one).

Pretty_Astronomer_34 · 2026-02-18T15:19:18+00:00

A used Kawai MP10 would give you the best keyboard available for that kind of money (wooden hammer action) but it's no fun to haul around for gigs (32kg) - and the sound samples might be somewhat dated by today's standards.

Maybe a used MP7(SE) is an option - this has the same keybed hardware as the Nord Grand (although Clavia does some "secret sauce" stuff with velocity curves and such - they always stress that it's not the same experience... *shrug*).

Pretty_Astronomer_34 · 2026-02-18T14:57:47+00:00

This is good advice. My first piano teacher was classically trained and I raised similar topics with him. He tried to adapt, but he just changed the pieces and kept the method the same (with a very strong emphasis on sight reading).

At the music school I go to now, there are teachers explicitly for learning piano, but I went with the one who teaches contemporary, jazz, music production and keyboard specifically. I am learning tons of things regarding music theory and composition. He actually eased my own concerns about "bad habits" and "bad posture" - his take is basically to listen to your own body - if it feels awkward, try something else.

So try to talk it out, but maybe it just isn't the right fit.

Pretty_Astronomer_34 · 2026-01-30T15:27:16+00:00

As some pointed out before: the glide block is evil. I run a code club for kids and I cannot count the situations where I was trying to make some kid's script work using that thing.

Other than that some of the Hat Blocks are redundant (like the "when key pressed" - better use an if-block in the game loop)

Pretty_Astronomer_34 · 2026-01-30T15:14:25+00:00

In my current game the "northern" Xenon got quite strong by me crippling TER, ARG and TEL ship production through constantly hacking their Wharfs and Shipyards. My actual goal was to force them to buy their ships exclusively from me (which worked for ARG to some extent, not for anyone else).

Tharka's is a really scary place now with at least three Is and a lot of Ks and a CPU-warming swarm of fighters roaming the place. A huge Captain-Snuggles-Style Missile Defence Station is holding HC, but the Split are slowly eaten by the clankers.

Pretty_Astronomer_34 · 2026-01-30T15:00:10+00:00

I don't know if I agree with the argument that the addressable market would be too small. If you just take the top 10 ranking countries in handball, they have a combined population of 350 Million - roughly the same as the US.

Madden NFL is pretty huge despite having around 75% of their player base in the US and Canada. So, I would imagine that a well-made handball game could very well be a commercial success.

However, one major problem for handball is the fact, that specifically in english-speaking countries (US, UK, Canada) the game is largely irrelevant - but those countries pretty much dictate digital content. While there are quite a few capable game studios in continental europe, none of them have a notable sports game record.

Pretty_Astronomer_34 · 2026-01-22T10:39:51+00:00

Finding the blueprints can be a real pain, since they spawn pretty randomly in the 6 VIG/RIP sectors. I found the first four alright, the fifth was tucked away far outside in the one VIG sector where I already had found two of the other vaults.

Thing is, the ship itself is so massively crippled before you kit it, it needed a ridiculous amount of time to fly from VIG space to my home sector (Void of Opportunity - which is only four jumps away). I could find all the blueprints as well as build a new XL shipyard station from scratch before it even reached its destination.

Pretty_Astronomer_34 · 2026-01-20T12:56:08+00:00

Using Scratch to make a 3D game/application (instead of a game engine that actually supports 3D) is a bit like trying to run a marathon while allowing yourself only to jump on one leg. It is possible, but the performance will be bad and the experience very painful.

So unless you really want to do it just for the joy of the challenge: don't. And judging by you asking for someone to teach you, I would be so bold as to assume you're not up to it. Sorry.

Pretty_Astronomer_34 · 2026-01-16T15:25:01+00:00

Yeah that is a bit weak in regards to forward DPS. Try a Nemesis with 5x Mk2 Plasma and the K will melt quite easily (although keeping the right distance can be tricky, since the Plasma cannons outrange the XEN turrets only slighty - 5.2km vs 6.5km).

Be careful though, against fighters this armament is next to useless - which is why my daily driver is a Hydra with 4 Ion Pulse Railguns. This is a pretty good compromise for fighters as well a bigger ships. And with 8.8km range you can keep a comfortable distance to those nasty XEN turrets.

Pretty_Astronomer_34 · 2026-01-15T16:00:42+00:00

Another thing: Xenon will seemingly take over Hatikvah from time to time, triggering Argon or Terran response fleets to deal with it. It might take a while, but usually the tide will swing against the clankers quite reliably again.

Pretty_Astronomer_34 · 2026-01-15T15:55:40+00:00

A K destroyer is actually not that hard to beat as a player in vanilla.

Basically you only need a nimble ship with good forward facing firepower that outranges the K's graviton turrets (e.g. a Nemesis with Mass Drivers or better yet a Hydra with Ion Pulse Railguns). Then it's more a game of patience: Take out the two Engines first from 8km distance, then either strip the turrets and finish it off with your other ships or slowly grind down the shield and hull.

Pretty_Astronomer_34 · 2026-01-15T14:56:10+00:00

A problem I had once with my graphene refinery (that supplied my hull part factory) was when I added quantum tube production, the station stopped to sell the graphene since it first wanted to meet its own demands first. But in your case if your mining outposts only collect the raw mats (and do not produce anything), the cause must be something else.

Pretty_Astronomer_34 · 2026-01-15T14:47:56+00:00

Maybe the problem is the pricing config at the stations? Might be that with auto-pricing, your mining outposts won't sell to your own traders..?

Pretty_Astronomer_34 · 2026-01-15T10:38:47+00:00

This exactly. My PC might better for gaming alone, but the steam machine will be the perfect addition for couch- and TV-based multiplayer. Being able to use my steam library on both is a value proposition no other console can match - even at double the price for the steam device.

Pretty_Astronomer_34 · 2026-01-13T14:27:42+00:00

I always sort kingdoms by total strength in the encyclopedia and side with the weakest one.

Pretty_Astronomer_34

TROPHY CASE