Luca Turner

Hi Braxton, I got past the first month by making a 20 minute template and sticking to it. Do 5 minutes of five-finger patterns in C, G, and F with a metronome at 60 bpm, right hand 1-2-3-4-5 then back, then left hand, then both hands at 50 bpm. Spend 10 minutes on one piece, hands separate first, aim for 8 clean reps, then together at a tempo where you make zero mistakes for two runs before bumping the metronome by 5 bpm. Finish with 5 minutes of chord work and for example C–G–Am–F in the left hand as whole notes while the right hand plays the melody from your app. On most digitals there is a Metronome button and a Tempo or +/- control and and if not, put your phone by the music stand with a free metronome app. The milestones that kept me motivated were small and weekly. Week 1 was posture and a complete eight bar tune like Ode to Joy hands separate, Week 2 both hands at 60 bpm, Week 3 a recorded clean take, Week 4 one playthrough from memory. Recording helps a lot because you hear progress even when you feel clumsy, and many keyboards have a Record or Song function in the Function menu, but if yours does not, use your phone voice memo. Names vary by model. I also tracked a tiny daily checkbox like 5 clean reps or 5 minutes with the click, and I stopped the session as soon as I hit the target rather than grinding on and burning out. With a small budget and limited time, keep one slightly too easy piece and one stretch piece, and alternate days so you feel a win every session.