Hi. I've just picked up piano playing after like a decade (and only having a few lessons then anyway). Recently I've tried playing some intermediate (i guess) pieces (moonlight sonata). But my friend pointed out that I've been playing the wrong keys on my left cuz keys are supposed to be 2 keys higher than if they were written on a treble staff. For example, I played moonlight sonata starting with 2 A keys, but its supposed to be c's. But when i tried this it sounds kinda... off. I've also tried it with some other pieces, and sometimes it sounds more accurate and sometimes uh, not. Am I missing something ? Am I tone deaf ?

Also, I noticed some of the music i have has a c-like cymbol after the key signature. What does it signify ?
Thanks.

Kinetic, the treble and bass staffs are not read the same.

Starting from the bottom in the bass clef, the white spaces between lines are A, C, E, G (All Cows Eat Grass), with the five lines are G B D F A

Starting from the bottom in the treble clef, the white spaces between lines are F, A, C, E, and those five lines are E G B D F.

See http://www.dolmetsch.com/musictheory1.htm
for more on this.

See http://www.dolmetsch.com/musictheory4.htm
(about 3/4 of the way down) for the two C symbols for Common Time (4/4) and (with vertical line through it) Cut Time (2/2) time signatures.

That is a great site, has about everything, but it is in the UK, and uses UK nomenclature for notes, crotchet for quarter note. See the Part 2 for what that is about.

Lightnin,

Wow! - Great site, thanks much.

Thats a big help. Thanks for your time.

Since you are having some difficulty with some of the very basics, it may be best not to jump to a piece like the Moonlight Sonata so you don't get discouraged.