One of the hardest things to do when playing the piano is to correct old mistakes. When I started playing, I wanted to get fast results, so I skipped everything I thought wasn't important. As a result, I got into bad habits that I had to correct later, not with little difficulty.

Try not to fall into my own trap! Below you will find my personal list of the 5 piano mistakes you make when starting to learn, in the hope that you will do differently than I did:

Mistake # 1: Bad Posture:

When I started playing I didn't give too much importance to the way I sat at the piano. Now, however, I know that posture is one of the most important elements. Sitting too low or too high, too close or too far can cause sore shoulders and tremendous back pain.

Avoid one of the most common piano mistakes. Pause for a moment and pay attention to how you sit down. Start by keeping both feet firmly on the floor, parallel to each other. Sit in an upright, comfortable position. Think of having to balance a book on your head (or a crown, you choose).

Then drop your arms and elbows to your sides. Place your forearms parallel to the floor. This way you should get to the keyboard without leaning forward or lifting your shoulders.

General rule:

1. If your belly touches the piano when you inhale, you are definitely too close.
2. If you have to stretch your arms all the way to reach the keyboard, you're probably too far!
3. If a cat could sit comfortably on your lap while you are playing, then the distance between your body and the keyboard is almost perfect.
4. Your position is now correct! But before you start playing, position your hands correctly like this: place only your fingertips on the keyboard. Try to arch your hands by curving your fingers slightly. Imagine holding a ball in your hand.

Mistake # 2: sessions too long:

When I started learning a song I liked, I always started with a lot of enthusiasm. I tried to learn as much as possible in one session. Unfortunately, it often ended in deep frustration and tremendous hand cramps.

In the beginning it is enough to practice 10 minutes a day. Your muscles have to adapt to the new movements and this is not easy at all! It is better to train your fingers with daily "jogs" rather than "marathons" only once a week.

As you improve you will also be able to practice longer. However, remember that even professional musicians need breaks when practicing. In general, try not to exercise more than 40 minutes at one time. For adults, 30 minutes a day is a reasonable amount of time. For younger people or children, on the other hand, 2-3 sessions of 10-15 minutes each are recommended.

Mistake # 3: not establishing a schedule:

In other words: if you don't get into the habit of practicing, you will never become a good pianist. We often tend to start with big ambitions and also invest a lot of time in it. After a few weeks, the practice sessions become less frequent, until you get to the point where you don't touch the piano for weeks.

In order not to miss training, make exercise a constant part of your daily life (like brushing your teeth). After a couple of weeks, you will be looking forward to exercising at that particular time of day. It only takes 10 minutes a day. Time for two TV commercials! Why not invest this time in something more useful?

Mistake # 4: using the wrong fingering:

Another thing I didn't pay much attention to when I started playing the piano was the fingering. Basically, I wanted to learn the notes as fast as possible, taking the easy way out. So I played using the easiest and, in my opinion, most obvious fingering.

However, often the fingering that seems most obvious isn't always the most sensible. Sometimes, we don't realize it until we realize that the fingering we have adopted makes it difficult to play the piece at the right tempo. Also, changing it later is quite difficult. Because? Because our muscles are used to playing notes in a specific way. The only solution is to start all over from the beginning with another fingering and repeat all the phases of the exercise again. This can take weeks and can be highly demotivating

So, in summary, when you start playing a new piece, take a moment to consider which finger that particular note is playing from. While practicing with flowkey video tutorials, pay attention to the fingers our pianists use. They are professionals and have invested some time trying to adopt the ideal fingering for each piece. If you are a little more experienced, you can also quickly scroll through the song and note your custom fingering. Looking for the Digital Piano Read the Review First

Mistake # 5: Relegating the keyboard to a corner:

You're probably familiar with the saying "Out of sight, out of mind". This also applies to the piano. The more the keyboard is hidden in your room, the less you will sit down to practice. Try not to relegate the keyboard to hidden corners or even inside the closet.

Put it somewhere where it is visible. If you feel like it, you could turn your practice space into the showpiece of your room so that you feel like practicing the piano every time you pass by. Alternatively, at least try to put the keyboard in a good, bright and comfortable position. Nobody likes to sit in a dark corner of the cellar, between old shelves and boxes.

I hope these tips will help you get started on your piano journey in the best possible way. If you feel like reading more tips, check out our guide 4 Tips for Playing a Piano Song or find out why it's never too late to learn the piano with our article Getting started playing the piano as an adult.