If a child is always wanting to stop practicing after 5 minutes or so, there is another problem at hand that is NOT likely a character flaw in your child. Most often, it is a teacher whose personality doesn't match the student, material that is not at a proper level of complexity or musicality, or fears/ social anxiety about playing the piano in general. Less often, it could be a physical problem with muscles, coordination, or eyesight.

A great way to help you memorize a song is to play it right before you go to bed. You have more chances of it turning into long-turn memory because it will be the last thing on your mind before you go to sleep. If you practice earlier in the day though, it will often turn into short-term memory because of the daily overload of other tasks that are done throughout the day.

Playing something is better than not playing at all. So, yes, if the only thing you can bear to play is "Moonlight Sonata" or "Memories", then go for it.

Try to "underachieve". Got this idea from Robert Kiyosaki who I think got it from someone else. Say to yourself, "I know I should probably play 30 minutes each day, but I plan to do at least 10 minutes a day. I know I can do at least that much. Then, stick to it. You'll find that you practice more than usual!

Be sure to strike the keys fully, creating as much of a full tone as you can, rather than just barely getting any sound.

If you've had any piano lessons, you probably know - play with the tips of your fingers, not the "pads" of your fingers.

Barlines are simply a way to break the piece into manageable rhythmic increments. Don't think of them as a destination. If anything, they are a springboard! (other than a double-bar line at the end of the piece)

While you may think that, like typing, it is best to arrive at the point where you do not look at the keyboard, you can improve your technique by looking at your fingers as they play at times.

When sightreading (reading a piece of music for the first time) - try to play at a slow enough tempo that you can keep going without stopping. That is the goal.

Would you believe that memorizing a piece can increase your sightreading ability? Your brain catalogs the different motives and passages and you'll have a better shot at playing them correctly should you see them again in a different piece of music.

Be aware of the relative strength of your different fingers. You may have to work a bit more with your pinky to match the sound of the notes played by other fingers in a passage.

Be aware of what piano techniques are style appropriate. I once played with a budding jazz pianist who at the time had the odd habit of using a honky-tonk tremolo when we played a blues. He grew out of it, though. : )

What you are sitting on can affect your playing. A padded, adjustable piano bench is wonderful for your playing and your back. At the minimum, try to get something at the right height, not a high bar stool for example.

Lighting can be key to a good practice or performance area as well. It will keep you from bending and contorting in order to see the sheet music.

Don't negate the idea of purchasing a used, older piano, especially one that is pre-WWII. They can have a marvelous sound, and can sometimes be had at a bargain, even after paying for minor or major repairs and refinishing.

True ivory from Elephant tusks can only be found on older pianos as it is now illegal due to poaching. If you can find a good piano with ivory keys, the feel is said to be the best. An alternative would be taking the ivory off of an older piano that will be scrapped.

Keep a fug under your piano. It will dampen the sound a bit and help regulate moisture.

Have people downstairs complaining about the volume of your playing? Try putting casters or rubber pads under the piano legs.

Modulation: moving from one key to another within the same song (not just playing a song in a new key altogether).

Accompaning or playing from a "fake book"/ improvising? Voicings can make all the difference. If you play every chord in root position, your accompaniment will sound robotic. Experiment!

Can you tell the difference when a song is in major versus minor? As a musician, you will want to be able to. It will help you to figure out what key you are playing in from the key signature. For example, one flat in the key signature could mean the key of F Major or the key of D Minor.

To better tell the difference between major and minor, listen to some songs that you have in a fake book. Then, look in the fake book at the chord symbols to see if you guessed correctly. In lieu of a fake book, you can find chord progressions to many popular songs online.

How many scales do you know? Major? Natural Minor? Harmonic Minor? Melodic Minor? You've probably heard of those. What about Whole Tone scales, Diminished scales, or Dorian Minor scales? There are literally hundreds of scales to improve your playing an improvisation.

Whether you play classical, jazz, rock, or whatever, here is a technique that will give you insight into the mind of the masters:

Take a recording of a renowned pianist playing a song you are learning or already know. Now, try to play along with the recording, EXACTLY as they play. You'll have to start and stop, listen and copy, before you can play the entire thing through with the recording.

New to jazz charts and playing in a Big Band or combo for the first time? If you see "hash marks" or diagonal lines in the bar with chords above, it simply means to improvise the accompaniment based on the chords written. In a 4/4 measure, you will have 4 hash marks.

Ever heard of the "two-five-one". It is often typed as ii - V - I. It is simply a chord progression that you will find in almost every jazz standard that is not a blues. In the key of C, the chords of a ii - V - I are D minor, G (or G7), and then C Major. There are many variations on the ii - V - I as well.

Know the song "I've Got Rhythm" by George Gershwin? Know the chord changes? Well, if you do, you also know the basic chord changes of hundreds of jazz songs. Yes, hundreds, albeit with variations. Now, just learn the changes to "I've Got Rhythm" in each of the 12 keys.

You'll need to learn ornaments if you'll be playing classical music. Know what a mordent is??? : )

Being able to hear the distance between any two intervals in your mind before they are played can really open up the possibilities of improvisation. Theoretically if you know what note you just played (F, for example) and you can hear in your mind the interval you want to play in relation to that note ( up a minor 7th for example), then you can figure out what note to strike (Eb in this case).

Even if you can hear and/ or sing an interval from a given note without it being played for you, you'll find that it gets a lot trickier when you have the key of a given song in your mind. For example, if you've been playing in C major and you hear an A, you may think you are hearing a G or a B. Don't necessarily rely on tunes ("Here Comes the Bride" = up a 4th) as they are tied to the tonality of a particular song.

You may hear of playing "suspended" chords. This is simply a chord without a third, and possibly without a fifth. The typical "sus" chord consists of the root, fourth, and fifth, such as C, F, and G in the key of C.

A "closed" voicing has no more chord tones that you could add between the ones you are already playing, while an "open" voicing does!

A ninth chord typically adds the flat-seventh scale tone and the 9th degree scale tone to a major chord. In the key of C = C, E, G, Bb, D

The most common chords used in popular music and classical music from the "Classical" era (not baroque, romantic, renaissance, post-modern, etc.) are the I, IV, and V chords (one, four, and five). In the key of C, these are C, F, and G.

A harmonic interval are two different pitches played together. A melodic interval are two different pitches played separately

If you hear a chord referred to as a "waterfall chord", it is simply an arpeggio being played from top to bottom, descending, over two or more octaves.

Most times, when modulating to a new key, you must first make your way to the V or V7 chord of the key you want to end up in. Church organists are masters of this technique. Listen to a protestant church service to hear this technique in action. Most often, it will be done before the final verse of a hymn.

Learning to transpose on the spot is a valuable tool. You never know when you may be playing with a singer or instrumentalist who can only play the song in a different key due to range or simply the way they learned it. Or, you could be in a group that plays a few songs in non-standard keys.

If you can find ways to enjoy the journey of the learning process, your ability will begin to increase exponentially, assuming you have the time to practice as much as you would like to.

There is nothing wrong with learning a simple riff, passage, or lick that you like. It is musical vocabulary that you can build on. At the same time, try to only use it in a fitting context when performing, even though it can be tempting to play that lick you know so well in Eb in the middle of a solo, even though the chord changes dictate you play in F# minor - it's just not the place for it. That is, unless it sounds right to you!