Knowing that I would be teaching myself, I knew I would need some virtual help. It’s been 20+ years since I was reading music regularly and it’s not like riding a bike. I am trying out a few free demos from the many apps available. Once I pick one, they vary in monthly subscription cost but are still much cheaper than in-person lessons. The first one I’m trying out is Simply Piano by Joy Tunes. It installed easily onto my iPad and is really cool because it recognizes the notes I am playing and shows me when I’ve gone wrong. I found the instructions easy and the lessons progressed nicely. At the end of each lesson, playing a piece of popular music was included which made my progress quite satisfying. I have learned the first 5 notes: C, D, E, F, G (fingers 1-5 on the right hand).

As I was learning them, I was not paying as much attention to the name of the note, but rather the position of my fingers in relation to the note on the staff, keeping the sound of the note in my brain. The note names will come back to me with practice and in time I should be able to connect the sound with the note.

These notes are treble clef notes, which is my comfort zone. I’ve noticed that a beginner’s book I have gets you started on the left hand bass clef right away and so I will be trying that next. As a singer, I rarely went into the bass clef range and so I am not used to reading it. I’m also aware that my dominant hand (right) is very dominant, and so working with my left hand will be a steep learning curve.

I put these removable stickers on the keys which has already helped! My biggest decision of the day was whether to go with the monster stickers or not!

Photos are my own.