top of page
Search

Effective Piano Practice

Writer's picture: Myles TyrrellMyles Tyrrell

The hardest thing about any instrument, in my experience as a teacher and a learner, is practicing. We often talk about the frustration and stress that comes from practice, which can lead into a bit of a vicious circle for students looking to move forward with their piano playing.



But there are a lot of things we can do to avoid this entirely. Practice doesn't have to be hard all the time!


We're going to split this topic into two sections; motivation vs discipline, and practice techniques. Because before we work out the 'how', we've first got to sit down with the instrument.


 

Motivation



Let's be real for a second. Motivation helps, right? Whether it's practice, exercise, cleaning, and so on! Yes, there is definitely an element of discipline that goes into practice, which takes time to build, but let's work with ourselves for a second before we get into that.


1. Avoid the should/must/ought

Creating a feeling of obligatory practice tends to build more walls than breaking them down. In the long run, you might end up resenting the instrument and losing sight of the fun feeling that it gives you.


2. Remember why you want to play this beautiful instrument

What piece was it that got you here? Would you love to be able to improvise? Compose? Don't lose sight of what connects you, what gives you that rush and joy musically.


3. Be kind to yourself

This instrument, in short, is not the easiest thing to learn in the world. So, yes, there are going to be sessions when it just feels like nothing is going in, or you just can't get to that speed. Don't let yourself sit in the feeling of annoyance or anger, especially at yourself. Take a breathe, take a step back. You will get this. There could be a different way to approach the problem, or maybe you just need a tea break.


 

Discipline






As we said before, there is an element of discipline that does come into practice. This isn't just the 'getting it done' element, but more about what you do within the practice.

This means, if you wish to progress effectively, there are more and less effective ways to go about thinks. Sometimes, it requires discipline to make sure you do it the easier way, which may not be the most intuitive. So, here are some things to remember:


1. Hands separately first!

Give yourself a chance to work out what each hand is doing (notes, rhythm, fingers) first before you stick it all together. This will help in the


2. Go slow

Probably in the top three things I regularly say in a given week, but many people don't realise just how slowly you may need to break something down in order to get comfortable with it. You might even have to subdivide your counting into quavers, semiquavers, or even demisemiquavers! Remember that your metronome (which, yes, should be ticking away!) can measure anything you want it to; so use it to measure the small subdivisions to keep you slow and steady.


3. Accountability

It can be useful to have some accountability when you're working towards a target and want to make sure to get it done in a reasonable timeframe This can take the form of a particular date or event to work towards, or having someone like a teacher to keep you on target. My students work with me using a variety of tools, including countdown calendars, workshops and planned performances with friends and families.


4. Realistic Targets

If you're busy with work, or homework, or anything else, it's important to not set targets which would simply be unfeasible; aspirations are important but it can be really demoralising to feel like you're climbing a mountain the whole time. So make small, easy targets. Many small achievements add up into much greater accomplishments!




 

Let's talk a little more about the how. We've alluded to the big M, the Metronome before, and this is indeed an important part of formal practice. But before we get there, let's be SMART.




SMART targets are a great way of focusing yourself towards a goal. It stands for:


  • Specific

  • Measurable

  • Achievable

  • Relevant

  • Time-Based


How can we use this for piano? Let's take a piece of music, for example Beethoven's Bagetelle in G minor, Op 119 No. 1, and let's focus on the first page:





Specific: Choose what element to tackle first. It could be:

  • Pitches

  • Fingering

  • Rhythm

You also need to be specific if you're practice is going to tackle it hands together (HT) or seperately (HS).


Measurable: Choose how much you're going to tackle and to what standard you want it, i.e bars 1-4 HT at crotchet = 60bpm. Start at the slowest safe speed and gradually increase increments.


Achievable: Do I have enough time in my practice session to achieve this target, or do I need to break it down further? Can I extend my target if it's completed?


Relevant: I need to make sure I'm not going over areas I already know well - my practice needs to be relevant to what I want to improve for the most part. A performance runthrough is an entirely different style to a practice session.


Time-Based: How long is my practice going to be, at least? Do I need to assign extra time, and when do I want to have my targets with this piece completed by? The latter might be in time for a concert or an exam date.


Once you're comfortable getting into this habit with practice, you'll start to reach a point with your sessions that allows you to think about the bigger picture, such as phrasing and the overall musicality of the piece in terms of its character, and so forth.


This is a jumping off for practice, but there are so many different ways to do it. It's important to make practice fun where you can by varying what you do and finding new ways of engaging material, such as playing around with rhythms, or even practicing a piano piece with a drum backing track (imagine a Bach invention with that in the background!).


So with that, happy practicing!






0 comments

Comments


bottom of page