Piano Tunes

All the Questions you have. All the Answers you need

The left hand is extremely important when playing the piano because it provides the foundation for everything you play. The left hand not only provides harmonic and rhythmic support, but often has a melodic role as well. That’s why it’s extremely important to know your left hand well and play it in a way that properly supports, and even guides, the melody in the right hand.

First; when you play the left hand from for example a waltz (Waltz Op. Post. in a-minor by Chopin) you can start with playing only the 5th finger in the whole bar, so if you play the musical staff play only the a and play the A of the chord on the second and third beat. This is how you learn the distance of the leap and so your hand will learn that distance too.
That means also the leap from the last chord in the bar to the lower bass note on the first beat of the second bar!
You can always use this method in the left hand when you have to play larger leaps. Next step will be to play them faster and play the whole chord. You'll find the free sheet music wals of Chopin on our Free Sheet Music Page.

(That’s why you will always read chords starting from the lowest note. See ‘how to read chords’)

A good hand position on the piano should feel relaxed, natural and flexible. There is no single position that works for everything. Everybody has a different hand, but the relaxed position is the best starting point. See video: Hand position.

The right sustain pedal on the piano is used to connect chords and create a fuller, richer sound. This is because the pedal allows the overtones to continue resonating.

You play a C major scale using the same finger, for example, your middle finger. Press the pedal down, then play the next note while simultaneously releasing the pedal and immediately pressing it down again. Your foot stays in contact with the pedal the whole time.
Next step can be that you play different chords and connect them with your pedal. Listen carefully, then you will know if you changed the pedal the right way. Then start playing short pieces with pedal. Here a video to watch.

Learning to read music opens the door to a whole new world of music. Just like a language, music has a universal written form that allows musicians all over the world to understand and share music.
Reading music is also a lot of fun. It gives you access to an enormous library of written music and allows you to discover and play pieces you might never have found otherwise.
You don’t need to read music to be able to play the piano. However, your possibilities are much more limited and learning to play (written) music will take more time, as you must learn and remember everything by ear.
For classical music, reading music is practically essential. But it is just as useful for many other styles of music. Once you can read music, a whole world of musical possibilities becomes much easier to explore!

You always start with the lowest note of the chord you are reading and build the chord from there. This is because the lowest note indicates the position of the hand. This often means the little finger for the left hand and the thumb for the right hand.

First: Start very easy. Choose music that is clearly below your current playing level. This gives you enough mental space to look ahead and read the notes while you are playing.
- Take a quick look at the music first
Before you start, check the key signature, time signature, tempo, and any difficult rhythms or large leaps.
- Don’t stop!
This is probably the most important rule. Make a mistake? Keep playing. The goal of sight-reading is to keep the music moving and stay with the rhythm.
- Look ahead
Try not to read only the note you are playing at that moment. Try to look a few notes ahead.
- Look at your hands as little as possible
Put your hands in the correct position and then try to keep your eyes focused on the music as much as possible.
- Practise for 5-10 minutes every day
A few minutes every day is much more effective than half an hour once a week. Try to use new music every time.
- Play slowly enough
Choose a tempo that allows you to keep reading the music comfortably. Speed will come naturally later.
- Gradually increase the difficulty
Start with simple melodies and rhythms, and gradually introduce more challenging music: larger leaps, more accidentals, different rhythms, and eventually polyphonic music.

The rhythm is the most important thing when you are sight-reading a piece for the first time. The structure and overall idea of the piece will become clear, and you can fill in the notes you missed as you play it more often. Try to keep the rhythm and simplify the melodic and harmonic notes if necessary, but keep playing in time. Also, when you are playing with someone else, it is most important to keep the structure and tempo clear. You can work on the details and play the notes more precisely later.
Play more slowly if necessary, but always keep a steady rhythm.
For rhythms practice you can view the video and download the ‘Rhythm Practice’ page here.

It is important to practice without looking at your hands, especially when learning to read music and play from sheet music. This helps you develop several important skills at the same time:
- You develop muscle memory. Your hands learn where the keys are without having to constantly check with your eyes.
- You learn to feel the distances between the keys. Your fingers gradually learn to recognize the right movements and positions.
- You can read ahead. Your eyes stay on the music instead of constantly moving back and forth between the sheet music and your hands.
- You become more confident when playing. When you are not dependent on looking at your hands, you can keep playing more easily even when you make a mistake.
- You develop a better sense of the keyboard. You learn to feel the position of chords, leaps, and patterns under your fingers, ‘the landscape of the keyboard’.
- It makes playing with others and performing easier. You don't have to constantly watch your hands, so you can focus more on listening, timing, dynamics, and expression.
Important is that the goal is not to never look at your hands. Looking can be useful when making large leaps, changing hand positions, or playing certain technically difficult passages. The important thing is that you don't become dependent on looking at your hands.

You can start with a very simple melody or chord progression that you already know well. First, play it in its original key and make sure you understand the intervals between the notes.
Then choose an easy new key and try to play the same melody. Try to play and correct the wrong notes with your ears! It is best to trust your ears to know whether you are transposing correctly.
So, start very easy, when you play scales you are already transposing. You can also start transposing with a simple exercise you already play easily. For example when you already practice e Hanon you can start with the first Hanon exercise.
Question ; how can you start practicing with the metronome?
Answer ; When you find it difficult to follow the metronome and play at the same time, start with playing a note on each beat.
The next step is to vary the rhythm using quarter notes and eighth notes. Start simple. After that, you can, for example, play triplets on one beat.
Play very easy pieces you already know well with the metronome.
Gradually increase the difficulty.
For rhythms practice you can view the video and download the ‘Rhythm Practice’ page here.

The rhythm is the most important thing when you are sight-reading a piece for the first time. The structure and overall idea of the piece will become clear, and you can fill in the notes you missed as you play it more often. Try to keep the rhythm and simplify the melodic and harmonic notes if necessary, but keep playing in time. Also, when you are playing with someone else, it is most important to keep the structure and tempo clear. You can work on the details and play the notes more precisely later.
Play more slowly if necessary, but always keep a steady rhythm.

The best way to practice broken chords is to start slowly and focus on keeping your hand relaxed.
First, practice the chord as a block chord, playing all the notes at the same time. This helps you learn the shape and position of the chord. Then, play the notes one at a time, slowly and evenly. Try to keep the same hand position and avoid unnecessary movements. Make sure each note sounds clear and that your fingers stay relaxed.
IMPORTANT : immediately after playing the first of the three (or four) notes and leaving the key, bring your thumb (or finger) to the next key you will play when you start the next chord, as you can see in this video. Video broken chords practice!
Once you are comfortable, gradually increase the speed. You can also practice the broken chord in different rhythms, for example using long and short notes, or playing it in groups of three.
It is also useful to practice broken chords in different inversions and in different keys. This will help you recognize the shapes more quickly and make your hand movements more natural.
Finally, practice them without looking at your hands. This trains your fingers to find the correct positions by feel.