5 Big Mistakes That a Beginner Learning Piano Makes

When you first start to learn piano it all seems very exciting, however it is easy to slip into bad habits without even realizing it. The difficulty with continuing these habits is that it is like anything. Once you have a bad habit it is really hard to get out of it.

And if you are self taught and are not having any guidance you won't even know that doing something is necessarily the wrong way, so below I am going to talk about 5 main habits that you MUST not try to get into.

The first one is to make sure you have GOOD POSTURE when sitting at the piano. It is so important to have the correct posture being a pianist. The way you sit can really make a difference to your playing skills. If you're sitting uncomfortably, then this can really affect your performance when playing. Make sure your back is straight, and your shoulders are relaxed. A lot of people tense up when playing piano, and the first thing I notice as a teacher is tense shoulders! Your fingers also need to be resting on the keys in a comfortable way.

The second point to remember is to make sure at all times that you hold the notes for their full length when playing your music. Many people try to rush and move on too quickly, so a good way to ensure your rhythm is in time is to practice your music with a metronome.

The third point is to ensure you are using the correct fingering when playing. Many people get into awful habits using the wrong fingering. I always say, use your fingers to their full advantage. Practice and practice the correct fingering until it is stuck in your memory. If you start off using the correct fingering as a beginner you eventually will be able to pick up the right way to play pieces without even needing guidance!

My fourth point is to always make that your fingers are relaxed when playing. What I mean by this is to ensure your fingers are nice and curled, so don't play flat fingered! Its also harder to play like this. So imagine you are going to grab a ball....This is the position you need your fingers to be on the piano. It might take a little while to get use to this but once you are use to it its so much easier!

My fifth and final point is to always follow the musical score and don't get into a bad habit of looking down at your hands. This is really important especially as a beginner, and a mistake so many people do, as by following the music you won't get lost and forget which section you are on. Once you are very familiar with the song, you will find you remember parts by memory. But always remember to look up and not down. Give the impression you are performing to a big audience.

Do you know if you have bad habits when learning piano? If you would like to learn to play piano correctly and avoid picking up bad playing habits then check out A.S.A.Piano! You can also download a FREE video tutorial showing you how to play a beginners piano song step by step by a professional teacher.