5 secrets to learning the piano that no one tells beginners!

Learning to play the piano can be an exciting yet overwhelming journey, especially for beginners unsure of where to start. Whether self-taught or enrolled in a music programme, many new learners face common hurdles that aren’t always addressed in traditional lessons.

Are you starting to learn piano?

Here are five little-known piano learning secrets to help beginners build confidence and improve their skills more effectively.

1. Invest in Your Hands—Your Best Tool for Communicating with the Piano

In piano playing, your hands aren’t just tools—they’re your personal connection to the music, the bridge between what you feel and what the piano sings. That’s why nurturing them isn’t just about technique; it’s about letting them develop strength for effortless expression. When your hands are at their best, they can glide across the keys with ease, breathing life into everything from fiery, dramatic passages to the gentlest, most sorrowful melodies.

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To cultivate strength and fluidity in your fingers, spend 10–15 minutes warming up with scales and etudes, letting your fingers move freely while keeping a relaxed, natural arch. This not only builds dexterity but also helps prevent fatigue. And as you read the music, let your eyes follow the finger numbering right from the start. It’ll save you time and keep you from second-guessing where to place your fingers. Think of it as a built-in shortcut—less thinking, more playing.

2. Learn to Feel the Music—Develop Your “Inner Ear”

For instrument players, having a good sense of hearing is an indispensable skill, but developing a perfect pitch can be challenging. It is the ability to recognise, distinguish, and remember notes, chords, and melodies by ear. While some may have a natural aptitude, most people need consistent practice to improve their ear over time. It may take a little effort at first, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll connect with the music on a whole new level, making your playing feel more natural and expressive.

At its core, ear training is the best way to have a good perfect pitch. It is a journey of exploration and experimentation. As you listen to music, getting familiar with the basics of music theory—like chords and the circle of fifths —will give you a solid foundation to work from.

Start with something simple—pick an easy piece of music and really listen to it. But don’t just let it play passively; think about it and analyse it in terms of pitch, tempo, and structure. Stop Googling the sheet music before challenging yourself to write down the chords that you think make up the melody, then play and sing them on your piano. Don’t stress about making mistakes—there’s no such thing as perfect music. Feel the music, sing along to the notes, and you’ll quickly see if you’re on the right track. Don’t be afraid to check the original score or compare other versions—who knows what new ideas they might bring?

Ear training isn’t something you can rush—it’s measured in years, not hours. So don’t worry if you hit the wrong pitch at first. Be patient, and over time your perfect pitch will get better.

3. Don’t Become a Piano Machine—Start with Music Theory

These days, the piano is a popular instrument for both professionals and hobbyists alike. But with that popularity comes a tendency to focus on quantity over quality—rushing through lessons without truly absorbing the music.

If you want to play with real expression and confidence, you don’t need to jump into anything overly complicated. Simply taking the time to explore the composer’s intent, understand the story behind a piece, or get familiar with fundamental concepts like rhythm and dynamics (p, pp, f, ff, etc.) can make a huge difference. The more you absorb the music, the more naturally it will flow through your fingers.

4. Chords Are Everything—Unlock the Foundation of Music 

You heard that right—chords are the foundation of almost every piece of music. They provide structure, harmony, and the backbone of a song. Whether in pop, jazz, or classical music, chords always play a crucial role in shaping the way a piece sounds and feels. Once you understand how they work, playing becomes much easier, and you might even start improvising or composing your own melodies effortlessly.

Chords are more than just groups of notes played together—they’re the foundation of a song’s emotional impact. Each note and chord brings its own unique emotional tone, and the way they’re arranged can shape the entire feel of a piece. This arrangement creates harmony, which drives the song’s movement and direction, influencing the melody and giving it depth. In pop music, for example, many hits rely on just a few basic chords, but it’s the creative arrangement of those chords that gives each song its distinct flavour. The same principle applies across genres like jazz, blues, and rock, where classic progressions like the 12-bar blues provide the backbone of those genres’ signature sound.

But there’s more to chords than just theory. The best way to really understand them is to get hands-on and experiment on your keyboard. Get a feel for how they work, and you’ll start to hear and understand the magic behind the music.

5. Master Tempo—Don’t Let It Control You, Control It

If chords are the backbone of a song, then the beat is what keeps that backbone strong and steady, ensuring the music stays on track.

As a solo pianist, you have the freedom to be more flexible with tempo, allowing for expressive movement. However, if you’re playing in a band or an orchestra, maintaining the correct tempo is essential for keeping all instruments in sync. Playing off-tempo in an ensemble can throw the entire piece off balance, disrupting the harmony and flow of the music.

But don’t worry—there are plenty of tools to help you develop a strong sense of tempo. One of the most effective is the metronome. Rather than rushing through a piece from start to finish, which can easily lead to losing control of the rhythm, break it down into smaller sections. Practice each phrase carefully, using a metronome to internalise the tempo. Start slowly and build up to the correct speed—remember, the goal is not to let the tempo control you, but to master it yourself.

With patience and practice, keeping the beat will become second nature, making your playing more confident and expressive!

Found these tips useful? Put them into practice and take your playing to the next level. You can also have some fun and check your own hearing for perfect pitch here.