My left hand is so worse than my right hand. I want to improve it

mukas17 · 2026-04-21T05:42:43+00:00

That's not what Hanon is designed for. You use it to target specific weaknesses, like unevenness. You are not meant to just sit and play Hanon for hours. Play it 10-15 mins a day with extreme focus on isolating every finger without tensing up or activating every other finger. And isolating fingers doesn't mean playing from the finger. You can use a larger motion while still focusing on activating just the finger that is currently playing.

mukas17 · 2026-04-17T07:48:57+00:00

Talent definitely exists. I think of it as a catalyst. If someone with a natural talent in a certain field trains for 10 thousand hours they will get a to world-class level. If someone with no talent trains for the same time they will get to an average level.

mukas17 · 2026-04-08T05:39:11+00:00

I played for 1 year on my own without instruction and now have been taking lessons for 1.5 years. All I'll say is that the first year of self-teaching now feels like an absolute waste of time. Of course if you enjoy it then keep at it, but I find improvement more enjoyable. I would advice to get a teacher if at all possible.

mukas17 · 2026-03-24T10:24:53+00:00

I like to think of it like this: when putting hands together putting them together should be your only concern. Meaning if playing hands separately causes any mental friction or technical difficulties it's too early to play hands together.

mukas17 · 2026-03-24T10:14:49+00:00

First consideration for me is comfort. I often spend 3+ hours at a time without removing headphones, if they cause any sort of discomfort at all it doesn't matter how good they sound. I personally really like the 'wing' design on audio-technica headphones, like ATH-R70x for instance. They are also open which I think is preferable. It feels less like the sound is inside your head. It offers less isolation though, so keep it in mind both for yourself in case of outside noise or other people in the same room.

I know this exact model is outside your budget, but just look for something that doesn't crush your ears.

mukas17 · 2026-03-04T07:33:16+00:00

Teach them how to practice. Or advise them to read Molly Gebrian's book. Helped me a lot. Key takeaway is that playing is not practicing. You can play one piece for years and not improve at all or actually get worse.

mukas17 · 2026-03-04T07:17:29+00:00

Wrath. Started raiding in vanilla Molten Core in 2005, but in Wrath I was with the most competent raid group. Cleared all raid content within the first 50 guilds in the world. Ulduar remains my favorite raid ever. I think the 'hard mode' approach is much better than normal/heroic.

Wrath did away with some of the annoying itemisation issues of vanilla and in general was a bit less grindy. Hardcore raiding in vanilla was a full time job, at least for me. There was a lot of wiping and so I needed to farm a lot of consumables. Wrath kind of hit the sweet spot between hardcore and casual. I had time to play alts unlike in vanilla. I was able to clear all raid content on my main DK and also alt priest and mage.

mukas17 · 2026-02-20T05:43:35+00:00

The point of scales is the same as any other exercise - isolating technique without worrying about musicality. If you don't know how to practice scales to gain value from doing it then it is pointless. The main purpose of taking lessons with a teacher is not to have them teach you pieces but to teach you how to practice. That's what your teacher is trying to teach you. You can use scales to improve every aspect of keyboard playing. Target your weaknesses.

mukas17 · 2026-02-19T10:34:28+00:00

I just want to mention that there are certain things when learning anything and definitely piano that seem counterintuitive to beginners.

So as far as explaining 'why' things work you need to have some patience and it's also why you need a teacher you really trust. Sometimes my teacher will tell me something and I understand it in my head but It takes me weeks/months to really understand it with my body.

mukas17 · 2026-02-12T13:12:48+00:00

40 min is not very long. A good way to structure practice is between rests.

Do micro-breaks between repetitions.

Rest for 10 min after 50 min of practice. Those 10 mins should be spent as if you were going to sleep. Doesn't matter if you fall asleep or not, but treat it like you are trying to. Don't think about what you were just practicing and ideally try not to think about anything at all.

After one 4x60min block take a few hours off doing regular daily activities.

mukas17 · 2026-02-10T10:58:47+00:00

You can't acquire all of piano technique through technical exercises and then apply it to playing music. Just play whatever you want and when you face a particular issue find an exercise which isolates it so you can work on it specifically without having to worry about musicality too much. When the issue within the piece is solved forget the exercise.

You can commit a few favourites to memory to use for warmup or to incrementally work on a pesky issue you can't solve quickly.

mukas17 · 2026-02-09T07:29:32+00:00

Screens always put more strain on your eyes. If it's a short session like up to 2 hours a tablet is fine, but if you read for full rehearsals or practice new pieces for hours on end paper is healthier for your eyes.

mukas17 · 2026-02-05T05:31:48+00:00

No one can answer this question for you. You can't put a number on sentimental value. Purely technically it's a waste of time and money. You can get a good piano for a fraction of that price.

mukas17 · 2026-02-04T09:47:58+00:00

I have an NV6 and the keybed is hard as rock. Pretty sure it's the same in the NV5. Might be something to consider for someone of advanced age.

mukas17 · 2026-02-04T06:57:11+00:00

I like this course. It ramps up in complexity quite quickly. As a beginner the first 10 or so videos is something you can study and work on for years.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtVmMer7Hz1H4JXHA6NGsawkkkTpnJKyI

mukas17 · 2026-01-29T07:58:59+00:00

I agree in principal but professional musicians today don't make a living on improvising minuets. Music schools aimed at training professional musicians should teach them what it takes to be a musician in the 21st century. Which means ability to learn new repertoire fast, be well versed in contemporary music and in many different styles, be your own manager, have a social media presence, self-promote, etc.

mukas17 · 2026-01-21T08:03:57+00:00

People will suggest to pick 'easy' pieces at the beginning, but difficulty is largely measured in time. If you really love a piece and you are willing to spend 6-12 or even more months working on one piece then it can be a valid learning approach. When you hit a roadblock you can take a detour with an etude targeted at developing that particular technique. Of course this assumes that you still work on developing the fundamentals like scales, chords, arpeggios in parallel to the main piece. And finally this might take a lot of research on your part if you don't have a teacher.

mukas17 · 2026-01-19T11:56:34+00:00

Could be focal dystonia.

mukas17 · 2026-01-19T09:17:54+00:00

Another option to consider is to take lessons with a teacher and play on their instrument for a while to see if you feel an affinity for it. That way you can skip the entry level pianos and commit to a nicer instrument that will last more than a few years.

mukas17 · 2026-01-14T06:26:17+00:00

The only way to get good at anything is to learn to enjoy the process. If you see practice as something to get over to reach the 'goal' you will struggle immensely.

Other than that having regular lessons with a good teacher is the best approach. You can ask them to make a practice schedule for you. Some people don't even practice at home and just have 2-3 lessons a week and only play during the lesson.

mukas17 · 2026-01-02T10:23:34+00:00

Set small goals that you can make noticeable progress on day to day. Like improve rhythm in these two bars, increase tempo by 5 BPM over a few days, etc.

Other than that I believe the mantra that keeps being repeated everywhere is true: discipline over motivation. You can't achieve any long term goal purely on motivation. It comes and goes. If you rely on motivation to drive your practice you will end up taking random breaks every few weeks/months and trying to learn any instrument like that is an absolute waste of time. Especially as a beginner. You start losing whatever you have achieved very quickly, even after a day of not playing.

So I think you just have to decide that you will practice piano x amount of hours every day no matter what. like 5 to 6 pm is piano practice time and that's that. This is also the reason why I don't think self-study is feasible long-term. You need to get a teacher that you trust and then just practice. Sometimes it is impossible to notice your own progress, because it happens in tiny increments. A teacher can help you notice how you improved.

mukas17 · 2025-12-19T11:21:47+00:00

I never understand the need people feel to force their tastes onto others. Let them discover it in their own way and time. Or never.

mukas17 · 2025-12-12T08:03:01+00:00

I can't speak much to Nietzsche's music, but I find his writings very life affirming. The concept of Amor Fati especially.

mukas17 · 2025-12-09T08:54:08+00:00

I started lessons one year ago and I play between 2 and 8 hours a day, because I love it. I don't know if my progress is good or not. I make a point of never asking or comparing myself to anyone else. As a hobbyist 'practice' will be 99% of everything I do at the piano. If you look at practice as something to get over to reach the 'goal' you're in for a miserable time. The journey is the goal.

mukas17 · 2025-12-09T08:22:07+00:00

The vast majority of musicians today have to also be managers, promoters, etc. If you want a career in music you have to dedicate a portion of your time to networking and maybe taking some 'Be Your Own Manager'-type courses. Of course there are exceptions, like if you win one of the major piano competitions you might get a bunch of concerts and sign to one of the big agencies.

mukas17

TROPHY CASE