Practice Piano The Right Way to Get Results

We all know that practice makes perfet, right?

 

But it has to be done correctly or it does not work or in extreme cases makes you more confused.

 

So here are some guidelines you may or may not have come across before 

 

Do Not Play the piece All the Way Through

Play Sufficiently Slowly to Make It Ridiculously Easy

Do Not Plough Through Your Mistakes when practising

Play the piece the same way Every Time

Do not always start with your favourite part that you are good at

You May Need to Deal with the middle bit Separately

You May also need to practise the join-up notes separately

Make Sure You can Play the Piece in Perfect time  

Do Not Practise it All The Way Through

Do not simply repeat the whole thing over and over.

 

You cannot expect to hold all that in your mind at the same time. Play small chunks of it that you can unerstand.

 

 

Don't Plough Through Mistakes

If you get stopped by a snag, stop and analyze what went wrong and play it correctly a few times. And going back to the bit that you can do well and taking a running jump at the new bit will not work!

 

(During practice not performance)

 

Start at your new Phrase 

However good it is for your ego, there is no point playing or always starting with the bits you already do well.

 

The contrast with what goes wrong will just get worse. It willl not work unless you pay new attention to the new phrase 

 

Tortoises Make the Difficult Easy

There is a speed slow enough to make the difficult ridiculously easy.

 

However dont do it all the way through or you will fall asleep before you remember. And it must be played in perfect time even though slow.

 

Play it Exactly the same way

Make sure you use exactly the same fingering each time, or you will want to stop and work out which version to use when playing it!

 

Doing otherwies will just confuse you instead of giving you certainty

 

 

Watch out for the Middle Bit

In traditional song structure the "Middle 8" which is different only comes once so you will have played it only a quarter as much as the opening lines

 

This also frequently occurs in the classics

 

 

Watch out for the Join-ups 

You may need to practice the few notes which join up sections even if you are playing the separate phrase perfectly

 

Even if you can play to the end of one phrase does not mean you can do the next one without faltering. A two or three note link may be the problem

You need to keep in Time

Playing the right notes at random without being able to play in strict time will not be good if you do the same in performance.

 

Play in tempo if you expect to be able to do that later. A regular chord with the other hand can mark time for you

What is the purpose of Practising?

There are probably Two main reasons you need to practise.

To Learn a New Piece

Obviously you will want to play new material to your audience. And before you present it you need to be in control. So you can play through confidently and with authority

 

And also have a clear idea of what you want it to sound like. Yoummay need to listen to other players versions and decide whether that is what you feel is good for it.

Use a New Technique

Or of course applying techniques you have already learned according to what you think it should sound ike.

 

Examples of techniques are scattered throughout this website so we had best put ones not aalready categorised here.

 

They may be conventional or unconventional, or even revolutionary and I really like those!

An example of putting practice together to play chords and arpeggios