Learning Piano – Why Practice Makes Perfect
Like any sport or hobby, the more you practice the better you become. That is why parents harangue their children to practice, practice, and practice. Practicing piano is no different – in order to become a proficient piano player, you must practice on a regular basis. For many, practice is too much like work and students tend to put it off.
However, there are tips to help students get into the mode of practicing regularly. Such as:
- Keeping a log of practice time as a motivation factor.
- Place a jar on the piano and each time you practice drop a quarter or two in the jar. When you practice regularly and keep saving the money for practice, then you’ll eventually have enough to buy additional music or a metronome or whatever else will help you in the piano playing.
- Start with small goals, such as ten minutes at a time; then increasing every few days by ten minutes until you reach at least 30 to 45 minutes a day.
- Set a time each day for practice, say 5:30 each evening and make it part of your daily routine.
- Begin each practice session with scales to warm up fingers and get you in the right state of mind to practice.
- Play each hand separately at first on a new piece of music in order to get the “feel” of the flow. When you think you have the melody, then put the parts together.
- When you hit a trouble area, keep working on in until you get it. Don’t just play through the piece thinking you’ll eventually get it right. Don’t finish the piece until you overcome the troubled area. If needed, work on these parts at a slower pace than indicated by the music. Then work up to the correct speed of the piece.
- Using a metronome will help to determine if the speed at which you are playing is correct. Either borrow a metronome, or see if you can purchase a used one if cost is an issue. However, a metronome is an excellent investment for the serious piano player.
- Keep a positive attitude while practicing. If you are getting frustrated with the piece, then put it aside and play something familiar and fun so that you don’t just walk away in resentment. This is the number one reason that people quit the piano.
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