With more than 30 years of running the EverestMusic music store and school, I’ve noticed that beginner students—regardless of age or skill—tend to make similar mistakes when learning piano, guitar, ukulele, and other instruments. Mistakes are normal. However, spotting and fixing them quickly can really help a musician grow. This can make the journey to free playing quicker and more enjoyable.

I would highlight five typical mistakes that students encounter when playing the piano or guitar. Of course, for each mistake, I have compiled short tips on how to correct it.

Spoiler alert, so you understand the basics: even a small change in habit can make a big difference in sound.

Top 5 Mistakes Beginners Make When Learning a Musical Instrument

1. Constantly looking at the keys or strings

I think this is a classic mistake. I have observed how almost all beginners watch their hands too closely, afraid of pressing the wrong key or touching the wrong string. Yes, this is quite understandable in the early stages. But if you keep looking down at the keys or strings, you lose the ability to see the overall musical picture, and worse, you don’t learn to read music. I can warn you that this will greatly slow down your progress in the future.

What I recommend doing about this:

Train your touch, not your eyesight. Develop your muscle memory. Practicing scales, arpeggios, and simple pieces without looking down at the keys is a great way to do this. Start at a slow tempo and gradually increase the speed. Make this skill automatic, at least for scales. Then, practice each part of the piece separately. Of course, it will be difficult at first, but eventually your fingers will “memorize” the location of the keys and strings, and you will play confidently, as if blindfolded. Additionally, I recommend paying attention to keyboards with hammer action, they promote proper hand and finger positioning.

2. Neglecting the correct positioning of the hand and fingers

Wrong hand positioning can cause tension and pain. Over time, this leads to bad technique, making playing hard and increasing the risk of injury. Let’s examine mistakes in hand and finger positioning on the piano and guitar. Each instrument has its own unique differences.

Piano:

• My students often “drop” their fingers or press the keys too hard. To get rid of the habit of always pressing the keys hard and tensing your hands, I recommend playing with relaxed hands. Your fingers should be rounded, and your wrists should be level with the keyboard; it is important not to raise them upward. Make sure your fingers do not sag and your elbows do not rise too high. 
• A straight back, relaxed shoulders, and elbows level with the keyboard — comfortable playing = better sound!
• Learn to shift your weight; this will make your playing smooth and natural. I also recommend practicing scales and technical exercises before playing, paying close attention to your hand position.
• Another important point: some people focus only on the right or left hand, which later complicates playing with both hands. From the very beginning, it is important to train both.

Guitars:

• Play with your thumb on the bass strings and your index, middle, and ring fingers on the others. The main thing is not to play the same string more than once with the same finger.
• When playing with your thumb, avoid gripping the neck too tightly with your other fingers. This creates tension all the way up to your elbow and can cause pain. Keep your fingers in a semi-bent, relaxed position.
• Another common mistake: pressing the edge of your hand against the soundboard. It may feel comfortable at first, but it will limit your development later.
• Also, avoid always using rest strokes with your thumb. Place your thumb on the bass string and play without relying on the next string.
• Keep the phalanges of your left-hand fingers bent; this gives you better control and prevents muscle cramps.
• And finally, don’t let your left-hand thumb stick up above the neck. Keep it behind the neck, slightly bent. This small correction often eliminates forearm pain.

3. Skipping the basics of theory and not understanding musical notation

This applies more to self-taught musicians, because in courses or individual lessons, the teacher will not allow you to skip this important step. Many students, especially in the early stages, focus too much on the mechanical reproduction of notes, “just to make it sound right.” But playing without understanding what you are performing is like repeating foreign words by ear without knowing what they mean. You will be able to say something, but you will hardly be able to communicate freely. Music is a language, and like any language, it requires knowledge of “grammar” — theory.

What I recommend doing about this:

Spend at least 15–20 minutes a week reviewing the basics: start with note values, rhythms, rests, and time signatures. Then move on to intervals, chords, scale construction, and simple harmonies. With time, you’ll notice more than just single notes. You’ll begin to see musical structures. This change will transform your sight-reading, improvisation, and overall growth. Musical literacy is the foundation on which your freedom as a performer is built. So don’t skimp on theory, it will pay off handsomely.

4. Ignoring solfeggio (ear training and intonation training)

Solfeggio is the foundation of musical literacy. It helps you recognize pitch, intervals, and rhythms. Often, students focus only on pressing the right note instead of learning to hear it.

What I recommend doing about this:

Spend at least a few minutes each day doing ear training exercises. Sing individual notes, simple melodies using solfège syllables, and identify intervals and chords by ear. Play a simple chord and try to hear and sing all the notes individually.

5. Not using a metronome

Without a clear tempo, it’s easy to get used to speeding up or slowing down your playing, which is especially problematic in ensembles or on stage.

What I recommend doing about this:

To get rid of the habit of playing unevenly, use a metronome from day one and in every practice session. Start slowly and gradually increase the tempo. First, play with each hand separately, then together. Make the metronome a natural part of your daily practice, and your sense of rhythm will become much more reliable.

Final thoughts

Mistakes are an integral part of every musician’s journey. But recognizing and correcting them in a timely manner can significantly change your progress. It is important not to get used to playing incorrectly, because it will be much harder to correct later.

Published by HOLR Magazine.