14 Piano Practice Tips You Need To Learn

Amidst the hustle that both kids and adults face every day, practicing the piano often becomes a commitment left forgotten. You go through countless phases where you struggle to find some time to practice this instrument you so sincerely love. But once you actually start enjoying playing the piano, practicing it becomes something you look forward to. After all, practicing the piano is not only enjoyable but also stress-relieving and fulfilling.

However, the last thing you want to do is play the same tune mindlessly, without any track of time or progress. Practicing the piano is different from playing it. You can definitely turn your brain off and just vibe with what you’re playing for hours together. But that won’t help you much if you want to hone your piano skills.

By the time you finish reading this article, you will walk away ready for your next piano session with an organized practice structure. You will know what you’re going to practice, how long you should practice for, and how to make the most of your time spent with your piano.

14 Piano Practice Tips For Piano Learners

If you are keen to brush up your skills further, you will find The Best Piano Teachers right at your service.  The Best Piano Teachers will ensure you find the right piano tutor for yourself, who will help you stick to your routine, where you will be guided continually. This helps you keep track of your progress at your optimal pace.

Follow these 14 tips to make your piano practice sessions as productive as possible.

1. Set Aside At Least 30 Minutes For Practice Every Day

Make it a point to practice the piano for 30 minutes every day. That’s 30 minutes minimum - the more time you practice, the better. Set aside a particular time of the day. Morning practice sessions can prove to be quite helpful. If you can spare more time, break your practice sessions into 15-minute intervals throughout the entire day. This way, it won’t feel too unnerving.

2. Set A Specific Objective For Every Practice Session

The first thing you need to do is decide on what you want to achieve every session. Focusing on an outcome makes it easier to get there, and it’s a lot more satisfying. You can start with setting basic goals at first, such as getting your finger speed right or ensuring both hands sync properly. Next, you can work toward perfecting five specific scales and arpeggios.

Alternatively, if you’re struggling to crack a difficult section, you can aim to play it five times without making a single mistake. Having a piano tutor makes it a lot easier to address and identify measurable goals.

3. Make Sure You Warm-up

Let’s say you’re trying to send a text message while you’re freezing in the cold. With your fingers so stiff, it would be nearly impossible to type fast or without mistakes. The same applies when it comes to playing the piano.

Warm-up your hands so that you can seamlessly move through the keystrokes. This is particularly important if you are a beginner because you will struggle with enough mistakes during that time even without rigid fingers.

4. Revise Practiced Pieces

Practicing the piano is similar to practicing mathematical problems in more ways than you can think of. Many piano learners are reluctant to ever play or practice a piece once they have learned it and rather prefer to play a new piece or learn a new song.

This obsession to always move on to the next piece leads to a situation where piano learners are unable to play something for their friends and family. That is because they either haven’t finished the tune they’re currently working on, or have forgotten much of the previous pieces due to lack of practice.

Hence, as a piano enthusiast, you need to find a balance.

Twice a week, spare 15 minutes to refresh your memory by revising the tunes you have already learned. This will help you maintain a repertoire and allow you to share what you have learned with your loved ones.

5. Record Your Music

Recording what you play is a great way to track your progress. Practice makes a man perfect, and what better to see how far you’ve come than record your Day 1 vs Day 5? You can also make cool Time Lapse videos and share them with your friends. This makes practicing the piano not just soothing but also fun and engaging.

6. Steer Clear of Distractions

Distractions are everywhere, but you have the option to tactfully avoid them. Sit in a quiet room and tell your friends and family not to disturb you for half an hour. Turn off off the TV or any sound system that can potentially hinder your attention.

Your phone is the worst culprit out there. All it takes is one notification, and before you know it, you’re reading about camels in Sahara. The best way to avoid this sort of distraction is to keep your phone at a distance and put it on ‘Silent Mode’. Gossips can wait. It’s not like the notifications are running away. But to make the most of your piano practice sessions, it is essential to not waste any time elsewhere.

7. One Step At A Time

Unless you’re a piano maestro, it is quite unlikely that you will be able to perfect a piece the first time you try playing it. You’re bound to make mistakes and stumble upon the wrong notes time and again before you start playing it right. But don’t let that bring you down.

Instead of taking on the entire arrangement at once, try breaking it down into doable sections.  These breakdowns will depend on your ability and how much you can take at one go. It’s better to have a piano tutor guide you through this. Your tutor can then set achievable goals that you can stick to.

8. Practice Your Hands Separately

Don’t hesitate to use your hands separately wherever you deem necessary for your practice. In most cases, you will be able to play the piano with both hands without any problem. However, if a certain piece feels too complex in the beginning, try practicing with one hand at a time.

9. Do Not Start From The Beginning At All Times

You should avoid the practice of always starting from the beginning. When this happens each time you sit down to practice the piano, you only perfect the beginning piece, and before you know it, your allotted time for practice is up. This will barely give you time to practice other sections of a piece. Hence, divide your practice sessions based on which section you will practice each day.

10. Avoid Bad Habits From The Start

Practice avoiding bad technical habits like fingering or posture from Day 1 of your piano session. Don’t ignore your mistakes just because they seem minor. Keep practicing, work it out, and only move to the next piece when you get the previous one right.

It might take a while to get it all right, but it is far easier than fixing your mistakes at a later stage. Having a piano teacher can tremendously help in this regard. Your tutor can correctly identify all your minor errors and address them accordingly.

11. Listen To The Piece When You’re Not Playing

Make it a point to listen to the piece you’re learning throughout the day. The more you hear it, the more your brain absorbs the tune. Close your eyes and focus on the rhythm every now and then. Think about how your hands should move in order to make that tune come to life. Repeat this activity throughout your learning process. This makes it easier for you to play the piece on your piano.

If there’s a song you’re trying to master, download it on your smartphone and listen to it at least five times a day - even when you’re away from your piano. Having the rhythm in your head will help you absorb the tune and practice the piano better.

12. Try Out Different Practice Techniques

If you keep practicing your piano the same way every time, playing the piano will seem like a chore, and your progress will be hindered. You can avoid this monotony by incorporating different piano techniques.

This can be done in the simplest of ways. Adjust your tempo. Go slow one day, speed up your fingers another day. Start with the hardest section for once if you’re used to starting with the easiest. If you play your hands separately, try them together one day.

As long as you change something, you will not feel bored with the same old structure. Each new technique will allow you to try something different, and that will ensure rapid progress.

13. Take Feedback

One problem piano learners face is that they keep practicing without any feedback and thus, without anyone to tell them where they’re going wrong. This restricts you from addressing your mistakes and honing your piano skills to perfection becomes impossible.

The Best Piano Teachers brings you the perfect solution - getting a piano teacher. This website helps you find and choose your own tutor suited to your needs. You can check out the database of teacher profiles completely for free.

Filter your search based on your personal needs, such as location, qualification, ratings, and hourly rate. When you find a piano teacher best suited to your requirements, just click on the profile link, and a new page will appear along with the contact details about that teacher. Therefore, you can play to your heart’s content while your piano teacher can patiently help you improve and brush up your piano skills.

14. Reward Yourself With Something Good

So, the first thing that was mentioned in this article was to set a goal for yourself. Make a weekly plan, and reward yourself every time you hit it. This sort of positive reinforcement develops good habits and instills a keen interest in learning.

Hence, don’t be too hard on yourself when a particular practice session is not going well. It’s just a bad piano-day. Take a deep breath and keep practicing until you achieve your objective.

Moreover, your reward doesn’t have to be a fancy gift box that makes a hole in your pocket. Make it something simple but endearing. It can be watching an episode of your favorite TV series or something like having a brownie. No matter how small the gesture is, your brain will reinforce the feeling of achievement.

Key Takeaways

With everything said and done, there’s one final piece of advice for you to follow - Do NOT expect your piano progress to improve overnight. That only happens in movies. Improvement will not come knocking at your doorstep in the span of one day. In a nutshell, remember these simple tips:

• Set aside a goal
• Warm-up your fingers
• Revise previously practiced pieces
• Record your piano sessions
• Avoid distractions
• Ask for feedback
• Reward yourself once the objective is met

The 14 piano practice tips mentioned in this article are sure to help you hone your skills. If you require further assistance, The Best Piano Teachers is at your disposal to find the best piano tutors for you. All you need to do is register for free, find your piano teacher, and witness the wonders for yourself.

 Is there a particular tip that worked out well for you? Let us know in the comments below!