Find a piano tutor for the music you want to play

Your goal need not be an exam. A favourite piece, the confidence to play for someone else or a return to a neglected instrument can give lessons a clear direction. The starting task should reveal what needs attention, rather than simply following the last book you used.

Try this simple constructed exercise in 4/4: four steady beats in each bar. The right hand plays C–D–E–G as four crotchets, one note on each beat. The left hand plays a lower C for two beats, then G for two beats: two minims. A minim lasts as long as two crotchets.

To locate the notes, C is the white key immediately to the left of a pair of black keys. The next white keys to its right are D, E, F and G. Use a lower group for the left hand and a higher group for the right. Choose comfortable fingering before combining the parts.

A possible difficulty is that the left hand copies every right-hand movement, striking again on beats 2 and 4. Both hands may seem busy, but the held notes have disappeared. The correction is to give each hand its own rhythm while sharing the same count.

Once both hands stay together, playing the correct notes is only part of the work. In a piece with a right-hand melody and left-hand accompaniment, listen for whether the accompaniment masks the tune. Higher-stage piano work can require independence and control of the balance between parts.

For example, take a short phrase where the tune becomes hard to hear as a left-hand chord enters. Play the melody alone and decide how the phrase should sound. Then add the chord more quietly while keeping the melody and pulse steady. A useful improvement is that a listener can still follow the tune when the accompaniment returns.

This is a listening task as well as a finger task. It gives a developing player a specific next step beyond playing the passage faster. The melody can also move into the left hand in other music, so follow the musical parts rather than assuming one hand must always be louder.

A practice instruction should name the passage, the action and what to listen for. “Practise the piece” gives less help than “play these two bars slowly and hold the left-hand note while the right hand changes”. Agree work that fits the learner’s access to an instrument and time between lessons.

Latimer provides online-first one-to-one tuition. Microsoft Teams is the default lesson platform, with alternatives by agreement. Put the device in a stable position beside the instrument, with a view of the keyboard and hands, and check that the tutor can hear both your voice and the piano. Have the agreed score or exercise within reach.

Use the introductory conversation to discuss the piano or keyboard you already have, the space available and how you will practise between lessons. A useful setup lets you look between the score and the keys without having to keep moving the camera. Test it before paid teaching starts; elaborate equipment is not the first decision.

If you want in-person piano lessons, these require an individual arrangement with the tutor. Include your location when discussing that option.