Nathaniel School of Music

6 Common Piano Mistakes (and How I Fix Them)

Six common piano mistakes are avoiding the thumb on black keys, ignoring the sustain pedal, relying on left-hand fifths, playing chords only in root position, practising in one key, and avoiding reading; you fix them with a curved thumb, pedal use, spread voicings, inversions, multi-key practice and rhythm reading or sight singing.

Video lesson by Jason Zac · Intermediate · 40 min

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Key points

In this lesson Jason Zac, founder of Nathaniel School of Music, looks back on more than two decades of playing on stage and in the studio. He shares six habits that held him back and the practical changes that fixed them. It suits beginners and intermediate players who want to sound more musical while keeping their hands relaxed.

1. Use your right-hand thumb on black keys

Many students are taught never to put the thumb on a black key. Try switching quickly between D major (D F# A) and A major in first inversion (C# E A) while avoiding the thumb. Your hand soon tires, aches or misses notes.

The fix:

The thumb also stretches well, so it can cover black and white notes alike. Many jazz pianists use it this way.

2. Learn the sustain pedal early

The pedal does more than hold notes. It lets the strings ring together, adding overtones and harmonics so a simple chord sounds richer. It also lets your hands move around the keyboard, for example shifting the left hand between positions, without the sound breaking.

Use it with care. Near middle C, held notes stay clear. Lower down, the frequencies sit so close together that the sound turns muddy. A and Bb played low just sound like noise. Be wary of keyboard buttons that sustain everything automatically, because they blur your playing.

3. Go beyond fifths in the left hand

Many players survive with a left-hand fifth, the root plus the fifth, which has no third and so is neither major nor minor. Others rely on arranger-keyboard buttons. Jason Zac advises against both as a foundation.

Instead, use a spread voicing: play the root and fifth low, then bring the third in on top. For C major that would be C, G, then E above. The stretch is wide, so lift your hand and hold the pedal to connect the notes. This lets you play in the cello and bass register so the sound is rich and full, without playing so high that you crowd the singer.

4. Don't play every chord in root position

D major is not only D F# A. Its inversions, F# A D and A D F#, are just as important, along with spread shapes. This matters even more with extensions. E7 is E G# B D. Rather than learning one fixed shape, find the D (the flat seventh) around whichever E major triad you are playing. The piano is a what-you-see-is-what-you-get instrument, so build chords from knowledge, not visual shapes.

5. Practise in many keys

Most students start with exercises in C major, which creates a bias against the black keys. Relying on the transpose button is risky. Once your ear knows what each key sounds like, transposed notes can throw you off on stage.

Each key has its own feel and shape on the piano, unlike the guitar, which works in movable shapes. Jason Zac finds that writing in G, F, Eb or D pushes his ideas in different directions.

6. Don't avoid reading

If reading and playing at once feels hard, grow as a reader in other ways:

How to practise

  1. Drill the D major to A major first-inversion change with a curved thumb.
  2. Compare one chord with and without the pedal in middle and low registers.
  3. Voice left-hand chords as root, fifth, then third on top.
  4. Play each chord you know in all its inversions.
  5. Learn one song in five or six keys.
  6. Read or sing a short rhythm or melody each day.

Questions about this lesson

Is it wrong to play a black key with my thumb?

No. Curve the thumb slightly, keep your hand straight and move your arm a little inward. This makes chord changes such as D major to A major in first inversion much easier on the hand.

Why do left-hand chords sound muddy on the piano?

In the low register, the frequencies of neighbouring notes sit very close together, so close-position triads clash. A spread voicing, with the root and fifth low and the third on top, sounds full and clear instead.

Should I use the transpose button when a singer wants a different key?

Jason Zac advises against it. Once your ear knows how each key sounds, transposed notes can confuse you on stage. Practising songs in several keys is the safer way.

What can I do if I find sight reading at the piano difficult?

Keep reading in other ways. Read short rhythms and improvise on them, practise sight singing to train your ear and intervals, or use notation software such as MuseScore.

Practise it

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