Learning how to practice properly is one of the most important aspects of playing any instrument. Some people sit at the piano for hours and accomplish very little due to poor practicing habits.

 

The quality of time spent at the piano is at least as important as the quantity of time spent.

 

As an example, let's say that we have two students: Student X and Student Y. Student X has the same amount of activities after school that student Y does and therefore spends about the same amount of time at the piano. To make things more interesting, let's say that both students are playing the same music. Student Y practices slowly and carefully and, at first, does not make as much progress through the music as student X. Before long however, student Y notices that repetition of good habits is paying off and that the music is getting much easier without mistakes. Student X, while through the piece and playing close to performance tempo, notices that their playing is filled with small errors. Worse, student X is tense when they play and doesn't understand why.

 

Please trust me. Develop good practice habits. You will not be sorry. :)

 

There are 7 steps to learning piano music with success:

 

1. You must be sitting properly at the piano (hand position, height, distance from keys).

2. Your feet must be on the floor, on the pedals or on a solid platform.

3. You must play the correct notes

4. You must count the correct rhythm

5. You must play correct dynamics and articulation

6. You must repeat the music numerous times

7. You must practice slowly on a daily practice schedule

 

If you put the above seven steps into practice, you WILL see results. I often get questions about repetition (step 6). You should practice slowly with complete accuracy in small sections. In addition, you should repeat each section until you can play it three times in a row without a single mistake. Don't worry about getting faster until you have achieved perfection of an individual section.

 

I wish success to all of my students and am always available to you by email or phone. Feel free to call with any questions or concerns.And ALWAYS remember that YOU CAN DO IT!!