Not looking at the keys, when to start?

[Mycroft]

I did a search, but didn't find exactly what I was looking for.  Tempo asked the question https://pianoforum.net/smf/index.php/topic,1392.0.html, but the replys focused on sightreading.

As a beginner, I should look at the keyboard while learning a piece to prevent errors from entering into my finger memory.  But I also want to be able to play the piece without looking at the keyboard.

Should I wait until I have the whole piece "mastered", meaning able to play it in its entirety at tempo with no errors, before worrying at all about not looking at the keys?  Or should I incorporate not looking while I'm mastering the piece?

[timothy42b]

I try not to look at the keys at all.

I still have to, for starting position and changes of hand position but I'm getting better at not needing that quick glance. 

Bernhard's black key feel method seems to help. 

I'm a beginner like you, but I think you need to get away from finding keys by sight, and find them by distance and feel instead. 

[mound]

Yes, definitely get a tactile sense of the keyboard layout as soon as possible, but not at the expense of blatantly wrong notes (in case you can't yet "hear" when a note is wrong).. Don't feel afraid to look at the keys, but have an understanding that your longer term goal will be to be able to find your way around the keyboard by feel alone.. Maybe alternate between practicing with looking, and then closing your eyes.. you'll get it wrong, so look and try again.. don't worry *too* much about it just yet but keep it in mind.. Read up on Bernhards thoughts, about knowing notes by their relationship to black keys.

-Paul

[Daniel_piano]

Since you're a beginner you should focus more on learning your pieces instead of practicing and performing them without looking at the keyboard
When I was a beginner I was so obessed with not looking at the keyboard that I learned my pieces at a very slow pace
Of course, a little effort not to always stare at the keyboard is okay especially in the form of keyboard orientation exercises, but don't be too obsessed with it

Every concerto pianist look at the keyboard and there are pieces where having a glance at the keys now and then is far more better than struggling to learn them without never looking at the keyboard

Now, the real problem is not looking at the keys per se, but "moving your head"
This is where your effort should be focused the most
The problem with looking at the keys is that by moving your head you keep losing your place in the score and you mess up the whole piece
So, learn how to look down at the keys just using your eyes, moving them down instead of moving your head

As a beginner you should focus on not looking at the keys most of the time, especially when you have legato notes or short intervals
You can however look at the keys when you have large leaps or large wide intervals but you should just move your eyes to have a quick glance at the keyboard coming back to your sheet afterward

And you're right, you should worry about not looking at the keys only when you've your piece half ready
When you're "learning" a new piece you can look down at the keyboard anytime you want as you want to make sure that all the notes are correct

Teachers themselves are not obsessed with not looking at the keyboard and it's okay with them when a students look at the keys
When you heard about teachers always telling their students not to look down or covering the keys with a book so that the students can't look at them, it's always from someone that keep his/her head bowed down and never look at the score
Now, they don't want their students to get a stiff neck 

Daniel