| If you are fortunate enough to have received music | | | | you start playing the piano! Also, have something to |
| lessons at some point in your life, you may remember | | | | eat and drink. Your concentration can really be |
| your teacher telling you to play the piece of music | | | | affected if your body hasn't has what it needs to keep |
| slowly and surely whilst you are learning. | | | | going. So, make sure you have turned your phone |
| Unfortunately, it is all too easy to become over-excited | | | | off, eaten, fed the cat and had a bathroom break |
| and get carried away when learning to play the | | | | before you start playing the piano so you won't be |
| piano. This can sometimes do more harm than | | | | distracted. |
| good. Whatever you remember from your music | | | | 3. Length of piano practice and time of day. |
| lessons as a child, making the most of your piano | | | | Take time to think about at which time of the day you |
| practice can improve your piano playing tenfold. | | | | feel at your most productive. If you feel best in the |
| The truth is, there is much more to playing the piano | | | | mornings, practice playing the piano then. Also, |
| than the repetitive drilling of piano exercises. It is | | | | remember that it is not necessarily how much time |
| about emotion, melody, rhythm, dynamics, tempo and | | | | you spend practicing that counts but how well you use |
| feeling. If you play with passion, this will reflect in your | | | | the time. Be sure to take frequent rest breaks if you |
| performance. We have all heard the saying 'Practice | | | | play the piano for excessively long periods of time |
| makes perfect'. From childhood, we have been | | | | 4. Assess which aspects of your piano playing |
| taught to 'practice, practice, practice' when it comes to | | | | you would like to improve. Maybe there is something |
| achievements. | | | | that you find difficult which could benefit from some |
| What is not mentioned so often is the importance of | | | | extra practice. Create practice sessions based |
| practicing effectively. This means putting your | | | | around what you find difficult. If you don't have an |
| practice time to the best possible use. After all, there | | | | instructor and find it difficult to identify what you need |
| is no point practicing bad habits, your practice sessions | | | | to improve on, you could record yourself. |
| should always be worthwhile. Below are 5 top tips | | | | 5. If you want to play piano in a flash it is very |
| for making the most of your piano practice time. | | | | important to set clear goals each time you practice. |
| 1. Location. When you are learning how to play | | | | Ask yourself what you want to have accomplished by |
| the piano, you need somewhere quiet where you can't | | | | the end of the session. Whether it is learning a |
| focus and not be disturbed by the outside world. It is | | | | scale or perfecting a piece, having aims not only help |
| important you are in an environment where you are | | | | you improve each day they also boost your |
| able to relax. | | | | confidence when you achieve them. |
| 2. Get all of those household chores done before | | | | |