10 Common Mistakes Beginners Make When Learning an Instrument ❌🎼

Common mistakes to avoid

Avoid these common mistakes and speed up your progress when learning an instrument.

Learning a new instrument can be an incredibly challengeing and rewarding undertaking. Beginners can often make common mistakes that can decrease progression which can lead to frustration and ultimately giving up. Below we have listed 10 common mistakes that beginners often make so you can avoid them:

  1. Not understanding Why Musicians Practice Scales And Arpeggios
    Beginners sometimes jump straight into playing scales without properly understanding how they are constructed and how they help musicians understand keys. Scales not only develop technique, finger strength, and muscle memory; but they help musicians gain a deep understanding of which sharps and flats are in all 12 keys both major and minor.

  2. Not Practicing Consistently
    Many new musicians start off motivated and practice intensely and seeing results quickly. Although as they progress the learning material gets more difficult and without consistent practice progress will be slow. Regular practice sessions, even shorter ones are much more effective than inconsistent long practice sessions

  3. Playing Too Quickly, Too Soon
    Rushing through songs before you have deeply learnt the material can lead to inconsistent mistakes within performances. It's important to prioritise proper technique, making sure you use the correct notes, fingering and rhythms.

  4. Lack of Patience With Progress
    Many beginners expect quick results and become discouraged if they don’t progress quickly. Learning an instrument is hard and takes time, and it’s important to be patient with yourself and don’t take shortcuts

  5. Focusing On The Next Thing You Have Seen On Social Media
    It can take along time to learn concepts on a deep level. For example you could spend a year or more just on drop 2 chord voicing. Many beginners see something potentially more advanced than they are ready for and learn it until the next thing comes along. This can really affect progress. Some ideas need to be learnt in all 12 keys and maybe aren’t that applicable in real world situations.

  6. Only Being Able To Play In One Key
    This is aimed at pianists or keyboardists. There is nothing wrong having a favourite key or keys, but one of the most common mistakes beginners make it not taking things through all 12 keys. This becomes slightly more complex for classical pianists as you would take fugues through all 12 keys but you need to find a way to become comfortable in all 12 keys,

  7. Ignoring Basic Theory
    It is true that you can become an incredible musician just by using your ear and not using theoretical knowledge but this is the exception not the rule. Most musicians will reach a plateau without music theory knowledge. Good music theory helps in so many ways, such as being able to decipher chord progressions quickly, sight read faster and so much more.

  8. Inadequate Ear Training
    Improving your ear is just as important as increasing skills and techniques on your instrument. Beginners often skip ear training exercises as they don’t understand how important it is for a well rounded musician. A good ear helps with tuning, improvisation, harmonic recognition and confidence when performing new pieces.

  9. Not Using A Metronome
    One of the most obvious signs of a beginner playing their instrument is inconsistent tempo. Rhythm is effectively fifty percent of all music, yet for many beginners it takes a back seat in their practice regime. Using a metronome when you are playing pieces and performing scale/technical exercises can really improve your rhymical consistently.

  10. Not Taking Lessons/ Seeking Feedback/Recording Yourself
    Beginners sometimes aimlessly practice without direction, purpose and proper guidance. Understanding your goals and getting structured practice routines from a teacher or mentor can help. Recording yourself to listen critically can help beginners understand areas that need improvement.

Bonus Mistake

Comparing yourself to other musicians (especially online). Music is a personal journey that is individual for everyone. There will always be someone better than you who is improving faster and sounds more impressive. It is important to focus on your improvements and try to see other people as inspirations and not put yourself down.

If you can avoid these common mistakes and remain focused on consistent improvement the learning process will be much smoother and more fun. If you want piano lessons with then please get in touch and we can help you on your journey.

Book your piano lessons in our Teaching Studio at Pollard Yard, or at your own home in Manchester, Wilmslow, Cheadle, Alderley Edge, Styal, and online now.


New Video For Major Triads In All Inversions And All 12 keys

Master Major triads with our new video

Use our videos to learn more about the building blocks of harmony. This will give you an amazing foundation to build from.

We have just published a new practice video for major triads. In our piano lessons we explore and explain how major triads are formed and how to best practice them. This video gives support to our piano lessons and allows our students to practice with confidence, knowing everything they play is correct.

This video has 4 play along exercises to will be played through all 12 keys.

1. Playing the major triads in all inversions one after the other whilst playing octave root notes in the left hand.

2. Playing the major triads in root position whilst playing octave root notes in the left hand.

3. Playing the major triads in 1st inversion whilst playing octave root notes in the left hand.

4. Playing the major triads in 2nd whilst playing octave root notes in the left hand.

The aim is to be able to play through these exercises with ease and fluidity. This will allow students to incorporate them into their playing, becoming more comfortable in keys they aren't as familiar with. These are all extremely helpful for students who are struggling to play in all 12 keys and need to establish better fundamentals to build from.

Book your piano lessons in our Manchester Studio, Manchester, Wilmslow, Cheadle, Alderley Edge, Styal, or online now.


Launch of our new YouTube channel.

Lots of free resources to help improve your piano playing

Use our videos to learn more about harmony, sound design and piano playing. The videos will be amazing to use a supporting material for in person or online lessons with us.

We have just launched our new YouTube channel which you can find at https://www.youtube.com/@PhillipsMusicTuition.

Here we will have lots of videos ranging from: using complex harmony, keyboard tutorials, music theory, ABRSM grade support and much more. You can use these free resources to support online or in person piano/keyboard lessons with us.

Here are the titles of the first 3 videos posted:

Understanding the role of tritones in V7 chords

Using drop 2, secondary dominants and triads in C major

Learning Position 1 Minor II-V-Is

These are all extremely helpful for students who are studying Jazz/Pop/Gospel with us and are used by students who study with us.

Book your piano lessons in our Manchester Studio, Manchester, Wilmslow, Cheadle, Alderley Edge, Styal, or online now.


Learning Sound Design on Keyboards

Korg Kronos + Yamaha MODX8

Learn how to improve your sound design and sound layering skills to improve your performances in a band setting.

Sound design, programming and arrangement is a very important part of playing keyboards/piano in a band. In the video above our piano tutor Ryan demonstrates playing a groove in the key of A. There are 4 sounds being used Clav, Pianet, Organ and Brass. On the Yamaha MODX8 the keybed is split into 3 parts, In the lower register Clav the mid register Pianet and the upper register organ. The organ is controlled by the sustain pedal whilst the other 2 parts aren’t, allowing it to play throughout. These sound all have effects such a phaser, chorus and reverb which are all programmed on the YAMAHA MODX. On the top board (Korg Kronos 2 73) you can hear the brass section. This has been created using 3 layers to help thicken the sound and make it more authentic.

If you are looking to gain a better understanding on how to use sound design on your keyboards then please get in touch as teaching slots with Ryan are filling up quickly.

Book your piano lessons in our Manchester Studio, Manchester, Wilmslow, Cheadle, Alderley Edge and Styal now.


Arrival of our upright piano

Upright Piano

Gain experience playing an acoustic piano when taking lessons with us.

Piano lessons in Manchester, Wilmslow, Cheadle

We have just taken delivery of our new upright piano at our Manchester studio. This an amazing sounding antique piano by Collard and Collard. For more information about this piano brand then you can visit Antique Piano Shop. A big thanks to Mark Goodwin Pianos for their great friendly service.

Piano Lessons in Manchester, Wilmslow, Cheadle

Having lessons on a digital piano or keyboard is fine but gaining some experience on an upright or grand piano can be extremely beneficial. This can be before taking an ABRSM exam where students will have to perform on a full size piano and the transition from a smaller keyboard can be very confusing.

Piano Lessons in Manchester, Wilmslow, Cheadle

Book your piano lessons in our Manchester Studio, Manchester, Wilmslow, Cheadle, Alderley Edge and Styal now.


Scheduling Practice for Success (Part 5)

Piano Practice

How to structure a successful Jazz piano practice regime

When studying piano with a focus on Jazz it is extremely important to have an in depth knowledge of harmony and their different applications. In the images below you can see the lesson notes that I sent to a student after their first lesson with me. This student had a good knowledge of harmony and studied music at university in the past. As you can see we covered a simple 12 bar blues progression, with worksheets on the left hand rootless voicings and two blues scales that you can use to improvise over the chord changes. We also covered Position A major II-V-I rootless voicings in all 12 keys. Finally we covered major triads in all inversions and drop 2 voicings. These concepts are something that can take months, even years to gain mastery over and require patience and consistency to achieve results. Therefore when planning practice sessions it is important to set goals that are achievable over the long term. For the work set in this lesson I would say 20 minutes on each subject per day would be a great start. Then in further lessons we can see where this student has any difficulties or needs further explanation.

Book your piano lessons in Manchester, Wilmslow, Cheadle, Alderley Edge and Styal now.


Scheduling Practice for Success (Part 4)

Piano Practice

How to structure a successful Popular Music Piano practice regime

Popular Music can be difficult to organise an effective practice schedule for. Playing piano in a popular music context usually requires less technical proficiency than classical but more emphasis on harmony and having a well trained ear. Much more time needs to be invested in understanding the nuances of different genres within the popular music space. This involves listening sessions, practicing sound design, manipulating harmony to evoke certain emotions and learning common chord progressions in all 12 keys.

As a student first learns piano everything will look very similar regardless of what they are wanting to acheive. As students progress that is where their practice session begin to specialise.

Beginner Student Practice Schedule

20 minute session

5 minutes - scales and technical exercises

10 minutes - repertoire (Popular music song)/ Chord practice

5 minutes - Try to learn the chords of a simple song by ear

Advanced Student Practice Schedule

60 minute session

15 minutes - scales and technical exercises

30 minutes - repertoire (Songs for a Gig/Performance) Advanced chord practice

15 minutes - Try to learn the chords and melody of a song by ear

These timings are a very broad and basic outline for a well rounded practice schedule and can be changed to fit a students individual needs. For example some of our advanced students will split an hour session into 2 30 minute sessions. One of which is scales, technical exercises and sight reading, whilst the other is just repertoire. This can help students who have a busy schedule with lots of extra curricular activities and shorter attention spans.

Ideally beginner students should be practicing 4-7 20 minute sessions a week, intermediate students 30 - 60 minutes 4-7 times a week, and advanced students anywhere from 1 hour daily as a minimum to 3-4 hours daily.

In our next blog post we will discuss how to construct an effective practice session for students who are studying Jazz in piano lessons.

Book your piano lessons in Manchester, Wilmslow, Cheadle, Alderley Edge and Styal now.


Scheduling Practice for Success (Part 3)

Piano Practice

How to structure a successful practice regime for ABRSM exams

An effective practice regime is essential if you want to progress when taking piano lessons. A practice schedule will look different for all types of students. For example a beginner piano student shouldn’t have the same practice schedule as a student studying for ABRSM Grade 8.

Firstly, students/parents need to assess how much time is available to commit to piano practice. At Phillips Music Tuition we would suggest that if a student can not commit to 15-20 minutes 4 times a week then it will be difficult to see consistent improvement. This often leads to stagnation and boredom, culminating in stopping playing the piano entirely.

For ABRSM exams these are the time percentages which work most effectively for most students practice sessions. 25% scales and technical exercises, 25% sight reading 50% repertoire. Obviously, as students progress these percentages may fluctuate, with more time being allocated to weak areas. Below you can see how these timings would work.

Beginner Student Practice Schedule

20 minute session

5 minutes - scales and technical exercises

10 minutes - repertoire (ABRSM Graded Pieces)

5 minutes - sight reading

Advanced Student Practice Schedule

60 minute session

15 minutes - scales and technical exercises

30 minutes - repertoire (ABRSM Graded Pieces)

15 minutes - sight reading

These timings are a very broad and basic outline for a well rounded practice schedule and can be changed to fit a students individual needs. For example some of our advanced students will split an hour session into 2 30 minute sessions. One of which is scales, technical exercises and sight reading, whilst the other is just repertoire. This can help students who have a busy schedule with lots of extra curricular activities and shorter attention spans.

Ideally beginner students should be practicing 4-7 20 minute sessions a week, intermediate students 30 - 60 minutes 4-7 times a week, and advanced students anywhere from 1 hour daily as a minimum to 3-4 hours daily.

In our next blog post we will discuss how to construct an effective practice session for students who are studying Jazz and Popular Music in piano lessons.

Book your piano lessons in Manchester, Wilmslow, Cheadle, Alderley Edge and Styal now.


Scheduling Practice for Success (Part 2)

piano lessons in Wilmslow & Manchester

Piano Practice

Learn The Importance of Goal Setting to Measure Improvement

At Phillips Music Tuition we often get piano students who have reached a plateau and stagnated. This can happen whether students are learning independently, using YouTube videos etc or have lost motivation with a different piano teacher. Consistent goal setting and an effective practice schedule can all remedy a lack of progress.

An example of an ineffective 30 minute practice session would be as follows:

  1. 5 minutes of mindlessly playing through scales (usually the ones students already know) without focusing on dynamic control, utilising a metronome to maintain a consistent pulse and scale shaping.

  2. Playing an ABRSM grade piece from the beginning until they make a mistake then going back to the beginning and repeating this process. Usually without a metronome and relying on memory rather then using the sheet music to help.

  3. Avoiding doing any sight reading as it is too hard.

  4. Clock watching to see when 30 minutes has passed.

Practice sessions should be consistently evolving depending on the needs of students. For example, a student studying Jazz would focus on learning major and minor II-V-I progressions in all 12 keys, learning some simple jazz standards such as Autumn Leaves, Misty etc. Working on a swing feel and practicing improvisational techniques using scales and arpeggios etc. Then as a Jazz student becomes more advanced they may focus in on more complex skills such as drop 2 voicing, using tritone substitution, and using modes to harmonise a melody differently. Some of these topics can take months of consistent practice to understand on a deeper level.

In our next blog post we will discuss how to construct an effective practice session depending on a students level or interests.

Book your piano lessons in Manchester, Wilmslow, Cheadle, Alderley Edge and Styal now.


Scheduling Practice for Success (Part 1)

piano lessons in Wilmslow & Manchester

Piano Practice

Learn The Importance of Practice For Your Piano Lessons

There are many obstacles that can prevent students, of all ages, achieve consistent progression in their piano lessons. Lack of discipline, extracurricular activities, work commitments and school exams are just a few examples. Before starting piano lessons it is important to assess whether you or your child has enough time to commit to regular piano practice. At a minimum, a beginner piano student should be aiming for 10 - 20 minutes practice, 5-7 times a week. As students advance and the subject matter in piano lessons becomes much more complex this will need to increase to between 1- 3/4 hours daily. Students need to practice practicing, becoming an advanced pianist takes time, dedication and perseverance. In the coming weeks we will discuss how to organise practice, what to practice, setting goals, measuring improvement and much more. Good quality practice is an essential part of successful piano lessons.

Book your piano lessons in Manchester, Wilmslow, Cheadle, Alderley Edge and Styal now.


Piano Lessons in Alderley Edge

Piano Lessons in Alderley Edge, Manchester

Pop, Jazz or Classical piano lessons for all ages and skill levels.

If you are looking for face to face piano lessons in the Alderley Edge area then Phillips Music Tuition is perfect for you. Our tutors can deliver piano lessons in the comfort of your own home. Our Piano Tutor Ryan teaches piano lessons to numerous students throughout Alderley Edge, Wilmslow, Cheadle, Didsbury and Styal. He has a 100% pass rate, over 12 years teaching experience and delivers fun and engaging piano lessons. He can teach in any genre and is well versed in Pop, Jazz and delivering the ABRSM syllabus for all grades.

To book piano lessons in Alderley Edge please fill out our contact form.


Book a Free Consultation Lesson Today

ABRSM Piano Performance or Practical Grades?

ABRSM Grades

Should you take Performance or Practical Grades?

Over time students can become overwhelmed with the ABRSM practical grades. Once they have passed Grades 2-3 and reach the intermediate grades they can become overwhelmed with piano lessons. A lot of students struggle mastering key signatures up to 4/5 sharps or flats and their sight reading skills don’t match their technical ability. We also have numerous students who feel extremely uncomfortable throughout the aural test section of the practical exams. In addition, we have numerous students who suffer from performance anxiety and find the traditional exam process extremely unpleasant and traumatising. Since the release of the performance exams we have had numerous students transition to performance grades. In our piano lessons we feel it is extremely important that students studying for performance exams continue studying sight-reading , scales and technical exercise etc. Without learning the foundations students just learn how to repeat pieces, cannot self learn and once stopping lessons its like they never had piano lessons at all. Therefore both avenues are perfectly fine and you should pick whichever path best suits you or your child. Just remember, choosing performance exams isn’t just an excuse to take the easy option and only play 4 pieces. Without learning the fundementals you will never become a well accomplish pianist or musician. Our Piano Tutor Ryan teaches piano lessons to numerous students throughout Wilmslow, Cheadle and Styal. He has a 100% pass rate, over 12 years teaching experience and delivers fun and engaging piano lessons whilst delivering the ABRSM syllabus for all grades.

To book ABRSM focused piano lessons in Manchester please fill out our contact form


Book a Free Consultation Lesson Today

Piano Lessons in Didsbury

Piano lessons in Didsbury, Manchester

Piano Lessons in Didsbury, Manchester

Pop, Jazz or Classical piano lessons for all ages and skill levels.

If you are looking for face to face piano lessons in the Didsbury area then Phillips Music Tuition is perfect for you. Our tutors can deliver piano lessons in the comfort of your own home. Our Piano Tutor Ryan teaches piano lessons to numerous students throughout Didsbury, Wilmslow, Cheadle and Styal. He has a 100% pass rate, over 12 years teaching experience and delivers fun and engaging piano lessons. He can teach in any genre and is well versed in Pop, Jazz and delivering the ABRSM syllabus for all grades.

To book piano lessons in Didsbury please fill out our contact form.


Book a Free Consultation Lesson Today

Piano Lessons in Cheadle

Piano lessons in Cheadle, Manchester

Piano Lessons in Cheadle, Manchester

Pop, Jazz or Classical piano lessons for all ages and skill levels.

If you are looking for face to face piano lessons in the Cheadle area then Phillips Music Tuition is perfect for you. Our tutors can deliver piano lessons in the comfort of your own home. Our Piano Tutor Ryan teaches piano lessons to numerous students throughout Wilmslow, Cheadle and Styal. He has a 100% pass rate, over 12 years teaching experience and delivers fun and engaging piano lessons. He can teach in any genre and is well versed in Pop, Jazz and delivering the ABRSM syllabus for all grades.

To book piano lessons in Cheadle please fill out our contact form.


Book a Free Consultation Lesson Today

Popular Music Piano Lessons in Manchester and Online

Popular Music Piano Lessons

Pop Harmony, Improvisation, and Accompianist Skills.

If you are looking for popular music focused piano lessons in the Manchester area then Phillips Music Tuition is perfect for you. Our Piano Tutor Ryan studied Popular Music and Production at Leeds College of Music earning a bachelors degree. Ryan has over 15 years experience performing popular music at luxury venues across Manchester, Leeds and NorthYorkshire. He is a professional musician who performs multiple times every week in a band, as a solo pianist and as an accompanist. He helps students use advanced harmonic techniques in real world scenarios. For example in pop focused piano lessons he will cover how to use support a vocalist with secondary dominants, how to tastefully use tritone substitution and which scales and modes for improvisation etc. To find out more about Ryan please visit our piano lessons page.

To book popular music focused piano lessons in Manchester or Online then please fill out our contact form and we will be in touch.


Book a Free Consultation Lesson Today

Piano Lessons in Wilmslow

Piano Lessons in Wilmslow

Piano Lessons in Wilmslow

Pop, Jazz or Classical piano lessons for all ages and skill levels.

If you are looking for face to face piano lessons in the Wilmslow area then Phillips Music Tuition is perfect for you. Our tutors can deliver piano lessons in the comfort of your own home. Our Piano Tutor Ryan teaches piano lessons to numerous students throughout Wilmslow, Cheadle and Styal. He has a 100% pass rate, over 12 years teaching experience and delivers fun and engaging piano lessons. He can teach in any genre and is well versed in Pop, Jazz and delivering the ABRSM syllabus for all grades.

To book piano lessons in Wilmslow please fill out our contact form.


Book a Free Consultation Lesson Today

ABRSM Grade 5 Music Theory Lessons in Manchester

Music Theory Lessons in Manchester

Music Theory Lessons in Manchester

Elevate your musicianship to the next level

In Music Theory lessons, our skilled tutors will help you learn the specialist knowledge you need to pass Grade 5 Music Theory. We offer music theory lessons both online, at our Manchester Studio or in the comfort of your own home. Our tutors have years of experience delivering high quality Music Theory lessons and we have a 100% pass rate.

Achieving ABRSM Grade 5 Music Theory is an essential foundation for advanced study. Students may only take Practical or Performance Grade 6, 7 or 8, on any instrument, if they have passed Grade 5 Music Theory. This ensures that students have the knowledge and understanding needed to perform and interpret music at the advanced grade level. Therefore to keep progressing through the ASRSM grading system Grade 5 Music Theory Lessons are a must.

The concepts learned when taking Music Theory classes will greatly enhance your musicianship. Understanding how music is composed enhances how well musicians interpret pieces. The syllabus covers an extensive selection of topics, such as, intervals, chords, rhythm, music in context, and cadences. Understanding these concepts helps build a strong foundation for advanced study.

If you are interested in Music Theory Lessons or need Grade 5 theory as you have practical/performance Grades 6-8 then please contact us.


Book a Theory Lesson Today

Piano Lessons in Manchester or Online

Piano Lessons in Manchester

Piano Lessons in Manchester

Pop, Jazz or Classical piano lessons for all ages and skill levels.

If you are looking for face to face piano lessons in Manchester then Phillips Music Tuition is perfect for you. We are based at Pollard Yard which neighbours hip Ancoats and New Islington. Phillips Music Tuition is only a 20 minute walk from the city centre along the canal and a 10 minute drive. Our Piano Tutor Ryan has over 12 years teaching experience and delivers fun and engaging piano lessons. He can teach in any genre and is well versed in Pop, Jazz and delivering the ABRSM syllabus for all grades.

To find out more visit our Piano Lessons Manchester page


Book a Free Consultation Lesson Today