A Quick Confidence Booster for Novice Piano Players

Someone donated a (piano) keyboard to the thrift store today. I decided to "test it out" amidst the bustle of customers. I tried to play the opening chords for So What but it sounded off. I'm sure it wasn't recognizable to anyone within earshot. It dawned on me I've been learning and practicing music for 18 weeks and still can't play an entire song!

My scattered approach is partly to blame: I've split my limited free time between studying music theory, reading biographies, watching videos and hands-on practice.

Then there's the journalling part. The time I spend writing about a day's practice session is sometimes more than the practice itself!

So today my lack of focused hands-on practice of a single song really showed. To boost my confidence, I sat down and learned the first part of Jump by Van Halen. I've never liked Van Halen or even the song strangely enough, but the keyboard intro is instantly recognizable and dirt simple to play.

The song is also good for practicing comping with the left hand, too.

Here's the sheet music if you want to learn it: