Bad Habits to Avoid when Learning Piano
Everyone has the potential to develop bad habits when learning a new skill or hobby. Learning to play the piano is no exception. By thinking about these few bad habits, considered a piano’s worst enemy, you should avoid doing them while you are learning piano.
Banging away at the piano without regard to the music is bad – not only on the listener’s ears but on the piano. Playing loud does not equate to excitement. The player needs to listen to the sounds coming out of the piano – listen to the way they play. If the student can’t listen and play, then record it and listen later. Loud playing can ruin one’s sense of music.
Most piano banging comes from those with weak fingers. These folks tend to play harder to compensate for their weakness. However, the weakness comes from tensing the arms while playing and not letting gravity take over the hands and fingers. Finger exercises, conscious efforts at posture and arm/hand placement can help to overcome this considered weakness.
Poor tone quality is another bad habit. If the student is allowed to just play to be playing without thought to the tone, then a habit is formed by not correcting the problem. “No one is listening” is not an excuse – the student should be listening. The quality of the piano comes in to play here as well. It is important to have the piano tuned and maintained on a regular basis in order to keep the piano in proper playing condition.
Stuttering – stopping to replay a section every time a mistake is made – is a bad habit as well. It is best to try to play through an entire piece at once – mistakes and all to get in the habit of continuing. A recital or concert will not go well if the player keeps stopping to correct mistakes. Most audiences don’t catch a mistake if the piece is continued without interruption.
Yet another bad habit is playing at the wrong speed – too fast or too slow. During a performance, it can be caused by anxiety or nervousness and is to be expected on occasion. But if this is happening during practice, too, then it can be detrimental. You can get through a piece faster, but at the cost of mistakes and the sound of the music.
These are just a very few bad habits that can develop while learning to play the piano. The worst thing about developing these bad habits is that they take a long time to eliminate. Most can be overcome as a beginner with proper training, but if allowed to progress even the smallest amount can be a challenge to overcome. Repetition of good habits is the best way to retrain the mind into doing the right things all the time. |
