Learn piano or keyboards - The best way to structure your piano practice
Posted by Kay Stanford Jr Kastum at 10:17 PMTrying to learn piano can be a bit disappointing if you work on your playing for weeks on end only to find that you do not seem to be getting anywhere. The reason most people give up the piano, particularly in kids is a noted lack of progress. These are some tips that could help you with your own home practice sessions which should help you to progress quicker.
Structure your practice sessions, make a little routine of your practice sessions. This can be subtley different for each individual depending on the kind of music they're learning and the style they are trying to play in.
Generally to learn piano you have to start your practice sessions by warming up. This can be done truly effectively by playing scales and arpeggios which apart from limbering up the fingers also serves in becoming proficient at playing in all keys.
Once you've limbered up then you can go on to practicing your pieces. You really should know after the first few times of playing a new piece where the difficult sections are. Go straight to these sections at the beginning of your practice sessions. Separate the hands and spend some time playing each hand on its own. Keep changing hands though so as not to let the other hand get cold. Now play the problematic passage with both hands together.
Now you can go onto playing the whole piece and feel more assured when it comes to that scary part you have just gone over.
Try to use a metronome if you can, both for your scales and for any pieces you are learning too if they permit. Initially set the metronome at a slower velocity so you can play the piece more correctly. When you've the piece nearly under control then you can over a period of a few days start to slowly rack up the speed until you are practicing the piece at its correct speed. You may even benefit from playing the piece quicker than it should be just to get your fingers really working and used to the piece.
An important aspect about practicing that will help enormously in getting notable results is to relax while playing. Relax your fingers, your back and in reality your entire posture. If you are tense whilst you play then you will find it much more difficult to control your fingers and for your playing to flow. This is a little like learning to ride a cycle or drive a car. At first there are so many things to consider that it is all so labored but after you can begin to trust and relax then you'll find that everything begins to flow a lot simpler.
To learn piano effectively, the key to becoming a good player isn't just daily practice but a structured daily practice routine that is suitable for you.
Structure your practice sessions, make a little routine of your practice sessions. This can be subtley different for each individual depending on the kind of music they're learning and the style they are trying to play in.
Generally to learn piano you have to start your practice sessions by warming up. This can be done truly effectively by playing scales and arpeggios which apart from limbering up the fingers also serves in becoming proficient at playing in all keys.
Once you've limbered up then you can go on to practicing your pieces. You really should know after the first few times of playing a new piece where the difficult sections are. Go straight to these sections at the beginning of your practice sessions. Separate the hands and spend some time playing each hand on its own. Keep changing hands though so as not to let the other hand get cold. Now play the problematic passage with both hands together.
Now you can go onto playing the whole piece and feel more assured when it comes to that scary part you have just gone over.
Try to use a metronome if you can, both for your scales and for any pieces you are learning too if they permit. Initially set the metronome at a slower velocity so you can play the piece more correctly. When you've the piece nearly under control then you can over a period of a few days start to slowly rack up the speed until you are practicing the piece at its correct speed. You may even benefit from playing the piece quicker than it should be just to get your fingers really working and used to the piece.
An important aspect about practicing that will help enormously in getting notable results is to relax while playing. Relax your fingers, your back and in reality your entire posture. If you are tense whilst you play then you will find it much more difficult to control your fingers and for your playing to flow. This is a little like learning to ride a cycle or drive a car. At first there are so many things to consider that it is all so labored but after you can begin to trust and relax then you'll find that everything begins to flow a lot simpler.
To learn piano effectively, the key to becoming a good player isn't just daily practice but a structured daily practice routine that is suitable for you.
About the Author:
For full information on the best way to learn the piano check out the piano basics web site