How to Practice the Piano Effectively
The most important skill I can pass on to any student of the piano is how to practice effectively. There are many techniques, opinions, and issues connected with this subject, but there are several basic principles that I think most all piano teachers would agree are vital to a successful practice session.
SET A SPECIFIC TIME FOR PIANO PRACTICE
The time of day you choose for practicing may vary from day to day, but as either a parent or student, consistency is an important key to success. Parents who insist on regular and consistent times to get up in the morning for their children, when to eat, play, take a bath, and go to bed, should certainly see the value in treating piano practice as another part of the daily routine. Set a time to practice in which you (or your child) will be fresh, alert, and able to focus for a good 15-20 minutes. The first thing in the morning can be good for some, but not if your morning routine is generally rushed and unpredictable, or if you are one that has a tough time with the snooze button on the alarm clock. Night owls are better off practicing in the late afternoon or evening when things quite down and before you get too tired to maintain concentration. For young students, parents should consider incorporating piano into homework time, allowing piano practice to serve as a break time or change of pace halfway through the homework scene. In any case, consistency is again the key and understanding that practicing the piano needs to be a committment and an agreement accepted by both parent and/or student alike.
SET A SPECIFIC PLACE FOR PIANO PRACTICE
This may seem an obvious point, but with so many portable keyboards out there, and even 88-key full keyboards that weigh a mere 25 pounds, it can be tempting to slap the keyboard up on a bed, on the floor, or on table in a noisy room with the TV blaring and others in the room making noise, talking loudly, etc. Practicing the piano is most effective with the piano set up in a quiet, private room, or at least in a room where people are willing to be sensitive that practicing requires others to keep noise to a minimum. Since being in a room where someone is practicing can be both enjoyable and annoying, and produce every other emotion in between, you will need to consider finding a good regular location for that keyboard or piano. Be sure the piano is set to the correct height with the stool and stand at the correct ratio. The standard height of a piano keyboard from the floor generally varies from 27.5 to 30 inches. The standard height of the piano stool should be 19.5 inches. Most pianists and teachers ask the pianist to sit with the elbow at the height of the keyboard when in playing position.
SET A SPECIFIC GOAL FOR PIANO PRACTICE
Now we come the most crucial part of the practice session. What is your goal for the next 15-20 minutes? Supposedly it is to practice the assignment, right? Well yes, but that is more fitting for a weekly goal. In the piano lesson, the student is assigned a weekly goal with assigned pieces, scales, written assignments in the book, etc. But when the student gets home, and sits down for the first practice session without the teacher sitting next to them, it’s time to set some daily goals. A daily goal might be to play one line of a piano piece, or to play the right hand alone through the end of the first section. Whatever the case, you need to realize the achievement of small goals by the end of every session, or you will not feel any sense of fulfillment from practicing. Setting and reaching goals is far more important than time spent. It is better for a student to practice 10 minutes and then be able to demonstrate skills acquired through goals that were reached, rather than practicing for 30 or 40 minutes having spent most of that time daydreaming or sight reading through a piece once. So how can goals be reached in such a short time?
SET A SPECIFIC PROCEDURE FOR PIANO PRACTICE
First of all, goals need to be challenging, but small enough to be reached in the allotted time for practice. If you have a tight schedule and need to stop practicing after a specific time limit, then you may want to keep those goals extra short. Without goal setting, students will tend to meander their way through a practice session, spending most of the time playing pieces they already know, or having their minds wander. Saving some time for playing fun music and pieces already learned is good, but should be reserved for the end of the practice session. Your mind is the most sharp and ready to process new information at the beginning of the practice session. Set your goal and then establish and define your procedure. Keep a notebook and right it down if you find it helpful. If your goal is to play the first line of the piece perfectly by the end of the session, then you must now define a plan for doing so. First, right or left hand alone should be mastered, keeping a careful focus on playing with a steady rhythm (rhythm is king!), correct notes, and fingering. Then do the same with the other hand. If you can’t play perfectly with each hand separately, you are not going to be able to do it hands together. You will find that putting hands together after this, may require some more practice techniques. Always slow down the tempo when first attempting to play hands together, and then work to achieve a note and rhythm perfect performance of the one line. When you can play it perfectly, Repeat it again. Then, repeat it again! Playing is once perfectly could have been an accident, so you need to say, “can I play it five times in a row perfectly?” Then you can say you have got it! I will end with a good practice quote I saw recently that really sums things up for me:
”Don’t practice until you get it right,
practice until you can’t get it wrong!”
Happy practicing!
- Steve Tedesco