Piano Practice

Time for practice? Make it count!

Have you noticed what practise help is written in your note book?  

And have you also noticed that by the time you practise everything you need to THIS week, the pieces you have learned last term are practically forgotten?  

What about scales and arpeggios and all that other technical work—when are you supposed to practise that?  

Here’s a schedule you can follow.  It’s based on a thirty minute practise session. Try it this month and see how you go!

Remember, it’s not the AMOUNT of time you practise, it’s what you DO with the time! Use the time suggestions as a guide only.

Playing a piece all the way through from the start to the finish is the way to perform a piece.

To practise a piece involves working on each section of the piece - each bar, each phrase, each line, beginning middle ending - and working on each layer of the piece - the notes, the rests, the rhythm, the dynamics, the articulation, the fingering, the coordination of the hands.

If you want to succeed at piano, it's best if you can find some time each day to practice, even if it's only five minutes on your busiest day.

See how much of what is written in your notebook is covered after 10 minutes at the keys. Very young beginners and very new players often find 10 minutes covers it. Going over it a second time is great for progressing quickly - even if it is at a different time on the same day. Each student learns at his or her own pace, but by around your second year of learning, around 20 minutes per day will cover most of what needs to be made ready for the next lesson. Increasing to the 'gold standard' of around 30 minutes per day as soon as you are comfortably able will ensure steady, noticeable improvement for most students.