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Piano practice, in plain language

Short, practical posts for people learning from a lesson book: how to practise between lessons, read the page, and fix the bar that keeps going wrong.

• Faber, Alfred, Bastien or RCM: which piano lesson book is yours?A short, plain guide to the four lesson book series most piano teachers use, and how any of them can be practised with a digital piano and an app.
• How to connect a digital piano to your iPhone (Bluetooth or USB)What Bluetooth MIDI is, how to tell if your keyboard has it, and the two ways to connect a digital piano to an iPhone for practice apps.
• How to practise piano between lessons (without a teacher watching)A simple routine for the six days between lessons: what to play, in what order, and how to know you are actually getting better.
• How to read piano sheet music: a beginner's guide to the staffTreble clef, bass clef, note names, and how to find any note on the keys. The reading basics for lesson-book students, with no jargon you do not need.
• Sight reading for beginners: a five-minute daily routineSight reading is playing a piece you have not seen before. Here is a five-minute routine that builds the skill without making practice feel like a test.
• What to do when one bar keeps going wrongFour steps for fixing the bar you keep tripping on, from slowing down to isolating the one note that causes the problem.