How to Learn to Play the Piano from Scratch in 2025

What You Need to Know if You Want to Become a Pianist. Is It Possible Without a Teacher?
Together with experts, we explore how to start playing the piano from the ground up in 2025, discussing whether you can master it independently and what essentials you need to understand.

Traditionally, children are taught piano playing at music schools from a young age. However, adults can learn to play this instrument as well. Below, we provide a step-by-step guide on how to learn piano from scratch, how many years it might take, and whether you truly need a professional instructor. Along the way, we will discuss how to choose the right materials, such as easy piano sheet music, piano sheet music for beginners, and even more advanced piano sheet music, to streamline your learning process. Over time, you may even explore a broad variety of piano sheet music music resources to expand your repertoire.

Useful Information About Playing the Piano

You Can Improve Your Mental Well-Being and Skills
Playing the piano helps you relax, calm your mind, enhance coordination, and develop fine motor skills.

Long Fingernails Can Be an Obstacle—Especially for Women
If you have long nails, they can interfere with your ability to move your fingers across the keys and can negatively affect the sound of your melodies.

You Can Save on the Instrument Itself
If budget is a concern, you can opt for a digital piano as a practice instrument. It’s much more affordable than an acoustic piano while still providing a suitable learning platform.

Step-by-Step Instructions and Lessons for Learning to Play the Piano

For anyone deciding to learn the piano, both practice and theory are equally important. In addition to working through exercises designed to improve fine motor skills, develop musical ear training, and maintain proper posture, you should also become familiar with reading easy piano sheet music and gradually move on to more challenging pieces. Below is a step-by-step guide for complete beginners who want to acquire piano-playing skills in 2025.

Studying Music Theory
First and foremost, learn to locate the “C” key on the keyboard, as it serves as a reference point.
Observe the pattern of black keys—they alternate in groups of two and three. Starting from the leftmost black key in a pair, move down to the nearest white key to the left. That note is “C.” There are multiple “C” keys on the keyboard; try to find them all.

The systematic arrangement and alternation of fingers on the keys is known as “fingering.” Counting starts with the thumbs as “1,” then the index fingers as “2,” middle as “3,” ring as “4,” and pinky as “5.” In musical notation, these finger numbers guide you on how to execute a given passage.

While studying theory, invest time in learning musical notation—the language of musicians. It is crucial to understand concepts such as rhythm, tempo, harmony, keys, intervals, scales, chord construction principles, melodic embellishments (melismas), and the fundamentals of tonal gravity.
Here are some key terms every beginner pianist should know. They are interconnected, so skipping the theoretical part is not advisable.

• Tempo: The frequency of rhythmic pulse in a piece.
• Meter (Metrical Structure): The organization of beats in a given tempo.
• Rhythm: The pattern of sounds of varying lengths.
• Beat: A consistent unit of time measurement in a composition.
• Melismas: Melodic ornaments that decorate the main tone.
• Scales: A sequence of seven notes forming a key or mode.

Hand Gymnastics

A critical aspect of playing any musical instrument is finger dexterity. You must be able to quickly and confidently change fingers on the keys, move between octaves in the higher and lower registers, play scales, and form different chords.
To alleviate physical discomfort, loosen muscles and ligaments, and warm up your wrists and elbows, perform special exercises before each practice session. These exercises also help develop fine motor skills in the fingers.

All exercises for beginner pianists can be categorized into several groups: those aimed at improving keyboard orientation, “finger independence,” finger agility, hand synchronization, ear training, and so forth. Pianist, educator, and composer Semyon Krivenko-Adamov shares three useful exercises:

Exercise “Rainbow”
In this exercise, you designate a specific note of an octave (e.g., C, D, or E), find it, and then play it from the bottom to the top and back again in every octave. While doing so, maintain proper posture and correct hand position. As you move to each new octave, imagine drawing a beautiful rainbow arc in the air.
This exercise serves multiple purposes: it enhances orientation across octaves, improves speed in finding the right keys, and helps maintain correct posture when playing peripheral octaves. You can increase the difficulty by adding a second note per octave or by playing with both hands simultaneously.

Exercise “5 Notes”
With one hand at a time, play the five adjacent notes C, D, E, F, G, and back again. Change your execution technique each time. For example, first play these notes in sequence, using one finger per note—C(1), D(2), E(3), F(4), G(5)—then go back in reverse order, maintaining correct hand positioning and ensuring each note sounds clearly.
Next, try pressing all five keys at once, then releasing them one by one starting with the thumb, and play them again. After that, imagine the keys are burning hot metal—play them staccato, or pretend they’re sticky with honey—play them legato. There are numerous variations, and an experienced teacher will adjust them depending on the student’s situation and skill level.

Exercise “Mirror”
Place the thumbs of both hands on middle C. Then move outward in opposite directions, playing the adjacent keys with each hand. The right hand might play C(1), D(2), E(3), F(4), G(5) and then return. The left hand would mirror this with C(1), B(2), A(3), G(4), F(5) and back. Continue for several minutes. If you feel confident, gradually increase your speed within reason.
This exercise focuses on hand synchronization, so ensure that both hands play simultaneously and that each note sounds with clarity.

Proper Posture

A pianist must sit correctly at the instrument. Practice sessions can last for hours, and without proper posture, you risk back pain, tired arms, and negative long-term health consequences.

To train your posture, place a chair in front of the keyboard’s center. Sit up straight without leaning against the backrest. Keep your shoulders open, and position your legs firmly in front of the pedals. If done correctly, your thighs will be nearly parallel to the floor, forming a 90-degree angle with your torso. Your arms should rest relaxed and free on the keys.

Your elbows should hang slightly downward but remain at the same level as your wrists and forearms. They should be aligned with or slightly above the keyboard, but never touching your body.

Fingers should remain relaxed, even while playing. Position them half-bent above the keyboard. Press each key with the fingertip, pushing it all the way down, while the other fingers rest gently nearby, not hanging in mid-air. To help your hands adapt, consider holding small balls in your palms—this can speed up the learning of proper hand position.

If you feel tension anywhere in your body, your posture is incorrect. According to Semyon Krivenko-Adamov, students involved in sports or activities that include elements of gymnastics quickly grasp the basics of proper posture. The expert advises students to do morning exercises, engage in physical activities, and stay fit to support good piano posture.

Ear Training

In addition to studying the practice and theory of piano playing, it’s important to develop your ear, even if you believe you have no natural talent for it. Listen closely to your favorite compositions, ideally classical pieces, and identify the instruments used. You can even attempt to recognize particular notes. Over time, training your ear will significantly improve your ability to interpret and perform from piano sheet music accurately.

Consistent Practice

Regular practice is equally important. In the beginning, just 15 minutes per day may suffice. When you sit down at the piano, look up the piano sheet music for beginners, easy piano sheet music, or familiar favorites online and work through them until you can play confidently without guidance. Gradually increase your practice sessions’ duration as you progress, and explore more complex piano sheet music to continually challenge yourself. Over time, you can expand your repertoire to include a wide variety of piano sheet music music, ensuring steady growth in your piano-playing abilities.