The 7 Most Dangerous Piano Myths – Debunked!

Important: the video can be found below the Introductory Article.

PianoCareerAcademy.com. The 7 Most Dangerous Piano Myths – Debunked!Expressionless playing, speed walls, lack of coordination, clumsiness, tension, injuries and frustration… this list of common piano problems can go on and on.

Most players these days blame their poor technique (or bad reading skills) for all their troubles – and keep searching for that perfect ‘finger exercise’ or practice shortcut that will make everything better.

It’s time for a complete change of perspective!

The truth is that your practice will never be efficient if it is based on incorrect assumptions.  Your idea of ‘how piano playing works‘ is the foundation of your entire musical experience. It determines how you practice, what information you search for, how you diagnose your problems – and how you attempt to solve them.

If this foundation is made up of myths that you have unconsciously picked up from society, movies or social media, everything you build on top will collapse. If the path is pointing in the wrong direction, you cannot arrive at the desired destination, no matter how much fuel you burn in the process. Simply put, you don’t need more fuel. You need a course correction!

During more than 30 years of professional piano experience, I discovered that most piano issues are caused, in fact, by myths. The power of a myth comes from its ‘noble’ disguise. Because you mistake it for the truth, you are not even aware of its existence – so how can you get rid of it?

My mission is to show you that there is a door behind the sturdy-looking camouflage wall. Once the illusion is gone and you know that the door exists, opening it is not hard!

This is why I created a 7-episode video series where I mercilessly debunk the most dangerous modern piano myths.

I decided to share all 7 videos for free. The 1st episode can be found here (and also on my YouTube channel). The remaining 6 episodes are available for my newsletter subscribers (find the sign-up form below the video).

Enjoy! ;)

Myth No. 1: You Can Become a Piano Virtuoso in 3 Months!

Video highlights:

00:02. Did you know that more than 90% of piano players don’t move past the beginner stage?
00:41. Introducing the new Myth series!
01:25. What is a myth? My mission and the purpose of this series.
02:33. The structure of each video.

02:43. Myth No. 1: You Can Become a Piano Virtuoso in 3 Months! The ‘piano hamburger’.

03:33. Myth Origin. Desire, superheroes… and a Tom & Jerry illustration!
04:59. Reality. (Spoiler: no magic pills have been harmed in the process!)
05:37. The maximum we can learn in a couple of weeks/months.
06:09. Information is not enough: we need transformation! The ‘teamwork’ involved in piano playing.
07:16. Why it takes time to form serious skills.
07:55. How much time do we really need to form good piano skills?
08:41. Why do you play music? Real love is for life – so time is not an issue!
09:17. Let’s take a look at a related myth: Learning the notes equals mastering the piece! A ‘Moonlight Sonata’ illustration.
10:19. Why is learning the notes not enough? A Hamlet illustration.
11:57. Is note-only playing really satisfying? The facts tell us otherwise.

12:23. Myth Dangers.
13:06. Time and effort waster.
13:49. Technical/muscular problems.
15:15. Aural problems.
16:19. Expressionless playing.
17:21. Poor analytical skills, insufficient knowledge.
18:17. Inefficient practice habits.
18:43. Frustration and disappointment. What is the real purpose of practicing an art?
20:00. A few words on freedom.

21:27. Solutions.

24:44. Where to find the next 6 episodes from the Myth series.
25:34. Conclusion.

The other 6 episodes from the Myth series are available for FREE as well! Simply enter your name and email address in the form below – and each episode will be delivered to your inbox! ;)

Make sure you enter a valid email address and confirm your subscription in order to get access to the Myth videos.

It’s time to hear your playing come alive and shine! 8)

Recommended free tutorials:
Piano Playing is a Lifetime Commitment!
Video Course for Beginners. Lesson No. 1.

Are you ready to debunk the next myth? You’ll get instant access to the 2nd episode as soon as you sign up by filling in the form above! ;D

Practice with awareness,
Ilinca

P.S. Many new online piano lessons and video tutorials are coming soon on PianoCareer.com! Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Pinterest to get instant updates, support and motivation! ;)

19 Responses to “The 7 Most Dangerous Piano Myths – Debunked!”

Read below or add a comment...

  1. adrian says:

    nice site!

  2. Constancio Maldoando says:

    Muy profesional y claro.
    gracias profe.

  3. James Smith says:

    Seems like a good series that can prevent people from giving up the piano.

  4. adrian says:

    I have not received the link, yet

    • Ilinca says:

      Hi Adrian!

      As I explain in my post above, in order to get access to episodes No. 2-7 from my Myth series, you need to enter your name and email address in the sign-up form that you can find below the video highlights. After confirming your subscription, the remaining myths will be sent to your email address, one per week. You will receive Myth No. 2 immediately after subscribing :). The email subscription is absolutely free.

  5. John says:

    Hi Ilinca,

    Unfortunately the link to the other 6 myths does not work. I have tried several times but I do not get the confirmation link. This is only a minor detail, so I would like to thank you for all your good work :o)

    Kind regards,
    John

    • Ilinca says:

      Hi John!

      Thank you very much for your appreciation!

      The link does work – its role is to take you to this post :).

      If you read the post, and watch the video, you will discover that you need to subscribe to our free email newsletter in order to get the remaining episodes from the Myth series.

      I just checked our subscriber list, and noticed that you have successfully subscribed (and confirmed your subscription). This means that Myth No. 2 has already been sent to your inbox. If it’s not in your main folder, please check your spam folder.

      Myths No. 3-7 will be sent automatically once per week.

      Thank you very much, and I hope you enjoy this series! 😉

  6. joseph keefe says:

    i am 94 yrs old and have had some piano training but am still at the elementary level i hope to continue studying for as long as I live. WHERE DO i START?

  7. rachel says:

    Hello! I am going to be doing my grade 1 ABRSM piano exam this week and I’m really nervous! It’ll be from online of course, but I have a question. I’ve been using an electric piano and I’m worried about my dynamics mostly. Even when I try playing soft it sounds the same most of the time. Any advice? Thanks! Love your site by the way – keep going!

    • Ilinca says:

      Hi Rachel!

      Thank you very much for your appreciation!

      I’m afraid that your question is a bit off-topic here :). Generally speaking, I can see two issues that you need to be aware of:
      1. Is your electric piano touch-sensitive (in other words, does it respond to the intensity/pressure of your touch)? If it’s not touch-sensitive, there’s sadly nothing you can do about it.
      2. If your instrument IS touch-sensitive, can the microphone of the device you will use for the online exam pick up different dynamic intensities? If it can’t, you might need to do a bit of research on this topic, and find a recording/streaming solution that allows for better dynamics.

      Good luck,
      Ilinca

  8. Dorothy Kaufman says:

    Greatly enjoy your piano lectures. Thank you for giving us free tutorial which benefit for our life time. Greatly appreciated your contribution for piano lovers

  9. Vikie says:

    Hi! I have been learning piano on my own for about 4 years now, and just wanted to thank you. From time to time, when I feel I am not progressing in my practice, I watch your ”Developing a brilliant piano technique- a holistic approach” video, and it always gives me a bit of a mental boost to keep working at it.

    I’ve just watched your piano hamburger video, and feel rather guilty of the ”picking advanced pieces” part
    The very first piece I learned is Polovtsian Dances by Borodin, and after about 12 more pieces in 4 years, I am now (struggling but slowly advancing) through Rach’s Prelude in G minor and Scriabin’s Etude op 8 12.

    Although I embarked on this piano journey for a lifetime, your video did give me a bit of a pause as to my choice of pieces. Looking forward to the next episodes.

    Thank you kindly from Canada for your wonderful approach to music. I am fascinated by Russia for it’s contribution to music and litterature.

    🙂

  10. Ann Grogan says:

    Every myth reinforced things I learned in my prior two-years of individual piano lessons, or clarified questions remaining in my mind! I especially resonated to myth no. seven on the proper use of the metronome. Even my former teacher, a well-known online vlogging concert pianist and teacher, could not adequately define or demonstrate for me on zoom, the meaning of “phrasing” or how and when to use my metronome — but you did! I could both see and hear it in your focused demonstrations and verbal explanations. I love seeing you apply what you are discussing, to playing an example. That makes your verbal point absolutely clear to my eye and ear. I used to feel trapped and boxed up when my teacher would insist I apply the metronome during the week in order to regiment my tempo and rhythm. I felt imprisoned and not well educated as to how or when to use my metronome. Initially I hated it because it seemed so mysterious to me. He did not even explain what he meant by “set your metronome at 45”. But “45” what? He assumed I knew what value note to set it to click on! Amazing…my other two teachers had also not explained that, or “pulse” or “phrasing” to me. You gave me more clues than he ever did in 7 months of lessons until I finally asked him “where do I set it to click?” Reading the comments of the pianist with 20 years of experience who started from the ground up in your Basic class, those motivate me to consider the same and I shall shortly do so. (The only thing I do not like for any purchase I make, is your website “automatic annual re-enrollment.” Might you change that policy?)

Leave A Comment...

*