Last Updated on July 10, 2022 by Rebecca

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Will Piano Key Stickers Help Me Learn to Play Piano?

The short answer? No.

The long answer? Under no circumstances should you EVER use piano key stickers to help you learn to play piano.

Seriously.

Just. Don't. Do. It.

I know, the stickers feel helpful and they ease your stress as you learn a new instrument. And I'm sure if you look hard enough, you'll find some teachers out there who recommend using them. But in my opinion, labeling your piano keys with stickers ultimately just hinders your learning.

There are 2 main reasons I feel so strongly about this.

(No time to read now? Pin it for later!)

Reason #1: Labeling your piano keys actually prevents you from learning the keys.

Think about it. If you lost your cell phone today, how many friends and family would you be able to call? I bet you don't know any of their phone numbers, do you?

I sure wouldn't. And it's because I don't have to! My phone knows them for me!

I remember when I was a kid, I had all the important phone numbers memorized. My house, my mom's work, my aunt, my 3 best friends. I knew them all!

Now, I know none of them.

If I got locked out of my house without my phone, I wouldn't even be able to borrow my neighbour's phone to call my sister-in-law for the spare key… because I don't know her number!

So let's say you put those evil little stickers all over your beautiful piano keyboard. They're all lined up perfectly, and each sticker is on the correct key. When you glance down, it's so easy to find whichever letter you are looking for.

Then you spend a month practicing piano every single day. (Because you're dedicated, and you're having so much fun learning to play!)

Now let's say a piano elf snuck into your house while you were sleeping and stole all your stickers.

Would you still know how to play your piano?

Odds are… probably not.

Reason #2: Labeling your piano keys makes it harder for you to master every other piano skill.

Still not convinced the stickers are a bad idea?

Let's go back and think about high school… when the basic things you learned in elementary school started to get more complex:

• Solving complex mathematical equations is hard if you don't have your multiplication table memorized.
• Writing essays is hard if you struggle with spelling and understanding what sounds different combinations of letters make.
• Doing a basketball layup, a volleyball bump, or a football play is hard if you still have to think about how to walk.

I could go on and come up with an example for every subject imaginable, but I think you get the idea. Learning anything new is hard if you don't take the time to master the basics first. These basics are the foundation your new learning is built on. If your foundation is shaky, everything will fall apart later on.

I'll say that again, in case you were skimming and scrolling… 😉

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Learning anything new is hard if you don't take the time to master the basics first. These basics are the foundation your new learning is built on. If your foundation is shaky, everything will fall apart later on.

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It's the same with piano.

You need to know your keys.

You need to know them fast, with your eyes closed, while under pressure.

Without that solid foundation, every new piano concept you learn will be built on shaky ground, making everything that much harder to understand, that much harder to implement, and that much harder to master.

But it's HARD without the stickers!

I get it. There are a lot of new concepts you have to pick up all at once when you start playing the piano.

You have to learn where the keys are, what the keys are called, how to play them, which ones to play, in what order, how long to hold them, how hard to press them…

It's a lot.

And you have to think about all these things at the same time!

It can be very overwhelming.

And putting those stickers on your piano keys means one less thing your brain has to think about.

That right there is what this whole blog post is about!

What need are you fulfilling when you put those stickers on your piano keys? The need to have one less thing for your brain to think about.

And there is a better way to fulfill that need!

Memorize your piano keys before you start trying to play anything. Give yourself a solid week or so to really focus on just memorizing the keys.

By focusing on only one thing (memorizing your piano keys), you'll give your brain a break, increase your chances of success, and speed up your progress.

If you hold off on learning to play music until after you've memorized your piano keys, you'll pick things up a lot more quickly (and with less stress!) because you already have a solid foundation of excellent keyboard awareness!

Your brain will have one less thing to think about!

(“Keyboard awareness” is the term piano teachers use for “knowing where the keys are and what they are called.”)

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How to MASTER Keyboard Awareness… WITHOUT Piano Key Stickers

The good news is, there is a simple and effective way to memorize your piano keys!

The answer is… FLASH CARDS! (And you might also want to check out my free online piano course, Confused Beginner to Creative, Confident Piano Learner!)

Get your FREE Piano Keys Flash Cards!

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These flash cards and their accompanying tracking sheet are just the tool you need. And the best part? They're a 3-in-1 DEAL!

1. PLAY THAT NOTE: Use the side with the letter names to challenge yourself to find the appropriate keys on the piano.
2. NAME THAT NOTE: Use the side with the keyboard diagrams to challenge yourself to recognize the keys when you see them.
3. TRACKING SHEET: Challenge yourself several times a day, time yourself, and record your best times each day. With either challenge (Play that Note, or Name that Note), your goal is to get all 7 cards, in 10 seconds or less, with 100% accuracy. Once you can consistently achieve this goal, you are ready to start playing piano!
   

TIP: If you print them double-sided, each side provides the answer for the other side, so you can confirm your accuracy! (It also means less cutting, and fewer cards to risk losing!) Just make sure you do your double-sided printing manually instead of using the double-sided print feature on your printer. This ensures both sides will align properly. And it's a good idea to double-check that the letter on each card matches the diagram on the back, just in case your printer flipped them.

BONUS TIP: Use these flash cards on the go! Because of the way our brains work, simply visualizing the piano is just as effective as actually using a piano with these exercises. So take these flash cards with you and quiz yourself on the train, on your lunch break, while you wait in line at the bank… the possibilities are endless!

TROUBLE-SHOOTING: If you're struggling with the memorization process, try breaking it into chunks:

• First, focus only on C, D, and E until you've got those memorized.
• Then focus only on F and B until you've got those memorized.
• Then focus only on G and A until you've got those memorized.
• Then combine F, G, A, and B and focus only on those until you've got them memorized.
• Finally, put them all together and focus on the full set of 7 cards.

Using these flashcards just 10 minutes a day will quickly and dramatically improve your keyboard awareness and key recognition skills! Why every day? Click here to learn more about how and why daily piano practice helps your brain learn!

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But wait! I don't know know which keys are which yet!

No problem! Head over to my previous blog post for a quick visual tutorial all about keyboard awareness. You'll learn how many keys are on the piano, what each key is called, and the best way to instantly identify each one!

Related Posts

• Learn to Read Piano Notes: A Beginner's Guide to Reading Sheet Music
• How to Practice Piano Chords [5 EASY Techniques + 3 FREE Resources!]
• How to Build Any Piano Triad… in Seconds! [An Illustrated Guide]
• Piano Buying Guide: How to Choose the Right Piano for YOU!

You might also appreciate my FREE online piano course, Confused Beginner to Confident, Creative Piano Learner.