At the start of the New Year, everyone is making resolutions. I have noticed that these usually have to do with self discipline – not eating or drinking so much and exercising more seem to top the list. Piano practice, in order to be effective, must be disciplined. If there is no thought or organisation behind our work, it will be hard to find the impetus to make a regular commitment. With the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics just round the corner, I think of the time and energy the athletes have to commit to each day in their training regimes. We pianists have to train also – countless hours of dedication. We had better know what we are doing, though! It seems timely to republish one of my most popular blog posts, so here are a few tips (in no particular order) that will help you get the most out of your practice time.
- A Teacher. Find a qualified, professional piano teacher to help and support you. Use professional bodies such as EPTA or the Incorporated Society of Musicians to locate teachers in your area. There are teachers who specialise in teaching children, others who have more experience with adults. If you are an adult beginner, or a restarter, your teacher will appreciate the courage it takes to come for lessons.
- Commitment. Keep to a regular daily practice schedule come what may, even if you are tired or don’t feel like practising. It is the commitment and the regularity that matter, not the amount of time you spend. “Little and often” will help you achieve FAR more than overdoing it one day, and then doing nothing for the next few days. You might find it more convenient to put a little time in at the beginning of the day, and again later – whatever works for you.
- Organisation. Divide up what you have to do into compartments, such as scales and technical work, pieces, sight reading, etc. You may find it helpful to keep a practice diary, and a scale chart is also a good idea. Concentration is the key! Scientists have discovered that we learn most efficiently when the full attention of the mind is present on the task at hand. Free your space of noise, disruption and distraction, remembering to switch off your phone.
- Craftsmanship. Learn to practise methodically and to make progress one step at a time. Think of practising as saving or investing, and performing as spending. There has to be a balance between the two activities. Even a piece you have perfected will need constant care and attention. I like to use the analogy of a brand new car from the showroom: when you drive it off, it will be gleaming and shiny, the engine finely tuned and all the tanks full. After a short time, you will need to refill with petrol, polish your windscreen and have the engine serviced. So it is with our pieces, they require constant tinkering. If you develop a sense of craftsmanship, you will relish this work and take enormous pride and satisfaction in it.
- Fingering. Write in a fingering and stick to it. Try out a few possibilities and then choose the fingering that best suits your hand, remembering that the fingerings in printed editions are just suggestions. Keep a pencil by the piano and write the fingerings in your score. If you stick to the same fingering each and every time you practise, you will eventually form muscular habits – reflexes that won’t need any conscious thought. Your fingers will go where they should, automatically!
- The Three S’s. If I had to recommend one formula for success, it would be this one: “Slowly, Separately, Sections”. Practise at a snail’s pace, if not slower, and start off in small sections which you repeat. Repetition will form habits. I like one bar plus one note, repeated at least three times. Then start from the next bar (from the note you have just ended on) and repeat that three times. As you get more familiar with the notes, you can increase the length of the sections. Practising with each hand alone is also indispensable, especially the left hand. When you work like this, you need to listen intently and constantly evaluate your results as right or wrong, even or uneven, comfortable or uncomfortable, and so on. Learn to be your own teacher.
- Practising v. Playing Through. Remember that “practice makes permanent” – any wrong notes, bad fingerings, and stumbles you make repeatedly will soon become ingrained and will be next to impossible to correct later. Try to resist the temptation to play through your pieces until you have dug firm foundations. Wait until you have done enough of “The Three S’s” and then alternate playing through your piece with returning to slow, careful practising. Have other pieces you play through – pieces you have already learned, or simpler music you can manage quite easily.
- Isolate Problem Areas. There are often one or two troublespots in each piece that need special care and attention, and extra practising. Identify these and mark them in your score (I like to use a square bracket). As you master these places, you can erase the markings. I suggest starting your practice session by working on these bars in isolation, before you start from the beginning. Go back to them at various points in your practice session, maybe even making a special trip to the piano just to play these passages (TV commercial breaks are good for this!). Another thing – don’t always start your pieces from the beginning. Divide the music into sections and begin each day’s work from a different section. Otherwise, you will always know beginnings of pieces better than endings, and first movements better than last movements.
- Set Goals. These might be short-term goals (what you want to achieve in this practice session, what you want to achieve by the end of the week, and so on). You may want to consider working towards an exam (ABRSM, Trinity Guildhall in the UK) or participate in a music festival. It is helpful to set deadlines to perform for other people (this could be your teacher, a friend) or even a date with a tape recorder. Listening to yourself is a real eye- and ear-opener and an extremely useful exercise, once in a while.
- A Balanced Diet. Choose pieces from different periods and in different styles, also consider pieces in more popular idioms. Exploring unfamiliar territory can be very inspiring, and it is good to challenge ourselves and play music outside of our comfort zone. Playing the piano can be an isolated pursuit – teaming up with someone to play duets can be an extremely rewarding activity.
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Excellent advice (as always!), Graham. This term I will be encouraging my students to “practise smart” – intelligent, focussed practising which should lead to well-learnt pieces played with confidence. Quality not quantity!
Dear Graham,
Wonderful way to begin the new year! As
I have come to expect from you, SUPERB ADVICE!
Leon
Spot on, as always, Graham! But you have created so much work for me! I am “re-learning” many pieces I had learnt previously with a constant,close eye on the wisdom you so generously impart to anyone who is willing to listen to you. And teachers, too, listen to Graham: teach your students “How to Practice” not just “how to play”. If you do not have the time, direct them to Graham’s eBooks (so much advice, so much information, for so little cost!; and test them on their knowledge found in them. In many respects I regret not having a teacher who actually taught me “how to practice”; all assumed I did know!
Len
Dear Graham,
Your practice tips have been a complete revelation to me – so much more can be achieved by focused practice. I only wish the piano teachers I had as a child and in my teens had taught me how to do this; I might have stuck at it. I’ll be passing these tips on to my own children and hope they follow them!
You are so correct in saying that it takes discipline and dedication to learn an instrument. It is too easy to let practice fall by the wayside. I also think it is important for music to be fun and exciting – I would encourage teachers to help their students find the joy in music. Discipline sounds tough and boring, but focusing on the positive can help you get through and reach the ultimate goal. Thanks for the post!
http://pianosheetmusiconline.com/
Loved your Top Ten Tips so much that I was inspired to use them as the base for my own Top Ten. I limited myself to 10 tips because I like the alliteration, and limited each tip to 3 lines, with each sentence no longer than a line because I wanted to fit it on one page. Here ’tis:
Ten Tips to Pimp Your Practice
by Carol, inspired by Graham
1. Listen
Enjoy creating a beautiful sound, even if it is a work in progress.
It may not be perfect yet, but you can always play with a loving touch.
Never play louder than lovely.
2a. Observe and Analyse
Observe your successes and failures.
Praise yourself for what you did well.
Analyse your error: was it incorrect fingering, rhythm, pitch, volume, articulation or speed?
2b. Explore and Experiment
Suggest a way to correct your error.
Play to see if your idea fixes the problem.
If it doesn’t, try another idea.
3. Organise
Keep a pencil and an eraser by the piano.
Free your space of noise, disruption and distraction.
Use a scale chart and keep a practice diary.
4. Grow your Grit
Stick to a daily practice routine, even if you don’t feel like practising.
“Little & often” is better than “bludge & blitz.”
You may prefer to practice a little in the morning, and again later that day.
5. Fingering
Experiment with different fingerings.
Write in the fingering that best suits your hand.
Stick to the same fingering every time you practise.
6. The Three S’s: “Slowly, Separately, Sections”
Practise at a sleepy snail’s speed.
Practise hands separately.
Start with super small sections eg. one bar plus one note.
7. Practice makes permanent
Repeat each section at least three times.
Repeat each section at least three times.
Repeat each section at least three times.
8. TLC
There is often a spot that needs your Tender Loving Care.
Start your practice session with that spot.
Go back to it at various times in your practice session.
9. Mix it up
Don’t always start your pieces from the beginning.
Don’t always play your pieces in the same order.
Don’t always play your pieces at the same volume / speed / articulation.
10. Set Goals
Short-term goal: what are you planning to achieve today / this week?
Medium-term goal: what are you planning to achieve by the end of term / semester?
Long-term goal: work towards an exam / eisteddfod / audition / performance / recording.
Fabulous, Carol!
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