One of the most obvious, but often overlooked aspects of learning the piano, or any new instrument is to find a good teacher. You may not think you can afford it, or you think you can learn a lot on your own, but you will be very well served to start with a good teacher. It is true it does cost money, and it is true that you can learn a lot by yourself. However, you can learn so much more in such a short time from someone who has been where you are and knows how to take you where you want to go. One of the most crucial aspects of learning form the beginning the proper way is to not learn bad habits. Bad habits are very hard to break as they become so much a part of how you play. Do yourself a favor and learn the right way the first time.
Practice Regularly
This next suggestion may seem too obvious to even consider, but you need to practice regularly. So many people fail to follow through and they do not make the progress they want to because they do not put in the time. It is better to put in a very little every day or even several times a day than to try a cram it all in just before the next lesson. If you can go over what you are trying to learn a few times a day it is better than practicing for hours on end. Sometimes you get very tired when you practice for long periods of time and your fingers and your mind don't work together very well. In between times you can run over what you are trying to learn in your head and get the most out of your time away form the instrument as well. Don't overlook the mental aspect of learning, especially memorization.
Set Goals
You need to set goals for yourself also. The teacher may set them for you at first of course, but you always need to have a goal in mind. It does not have to be "learn this whole piece by Friday", but it can be broken into several smaller sections a day or lines to memorize at a time for example. I find that by going over in my mind many times a day the part I am working on I am much better able to remember it when the time comes to try and play.
Work on Sight Reading
Always continue to work on sight reading skills, I know it may sound scary at first, but if you make it a habit to simply go through some little bit of unfamiliar material every day, this will lead you down the road toward a better skill level in sight reading. The best advice is never to quit and to realize it will take time and effort, but what that is worthwhile does not? Dedicate yourself, practice and seek a good teacher and will learn piano in due time.
