| Do you feel that you progress as a pianist? The | | | | you from becoming what you want to be. Write down |
| feeling that you become better as time goes by gives | | | | some goals and use them as a guide when you |
| you incentive to keep on practicing. In order for you to | | | | decide what to practice. |
| succeed in your endeavors, let us take a look at your | | | | This will also make it easier to evaluate how well you |
| practicing habits! | | | | progress as a pianist. Your goals help to see if you are |
| As you practice on your piano there are things that will | | | | on the right road. As time goes by your vision of what |
| lead you towards your goal to become a better pianist. | | | | you want to become will be clearer and your goals will |
| Let us first take a look at things that can hinder your | | | | be more and more perfected! |
| progression: | | | | 2. When you have choosen exercises and piano |
| 1. You do not have a clear picture of what type of | | | | pieces to play that will lead you towards your goals I |
| pianist you want to become. This will make it difficult to | | | | suggest that you practice them long enought to really |
| choose the right exercises that will help you progress. | | | | learn the skills involved. These skills will become building |
| If you do not know your goals you will not be able to | | | | blocks that will help you learn more difficult exercises |
| prioritize between the many things you could practice. | | | | later on. An absolute condition for this to happen is that |
| 2. You are not practicing your homework long enough | | | | you commit your present homework to your long-term |
| to commit the skills to your long-term memory. You | | | | memory. |
| might find it interesting to browse through piano sheet | | | | 3. Be careful to select exercises and piano pieces that |
| music and play a few notes here and there. This might | | | | are not too much above your technical skills. Too |
| help your sight reading skills but you will not progress | | | | difficult exercises will be boring as you have to play |
| as a pianist and musician. | | | | them in a very slow tempo and they will take a very |
| 3. You practice too difficult things! If you practice things | | | | long time to master and you might as a result actually |
| above your level of proficiency you might hinder your | | | | lose interest in playing piano. |
| progression towards a good pianist and performer. It is | | | | 4. Correct hand posture guarantees that you will use |
| good to have accomplished pianists as models of | | | | your energy in the most effective way and that you |
| what you can become but you are not there yet! | | | | will not cause yourself muscle injuries. Correct hand |
| 4. Your hand posture is preventing your progress. Bad | | | | and body posture will make your playing a pleasant |
| hand and body posture makes it difficult to play | | | | experience as you will be able to play with minimal |
| demanding piano pieces with smoothness and in a | | | | muscle tension. |
| musical way. | | | | 5. The most effective way to learn new things on the |
| 5. You play your exercises at a tempo that is above | | | | piano is to practice slowly. This will resque you from |
| your technical skills. This is understandable since every | | | | making a lot of mistakes that can grow into negative |
| pianist wants to hear how things they practice are | | | | habits that will hinder your progression. Practicing slowly |
| supposed to sound at the final stages of repetition. | | | | will also help you play as relaxed as possible. Practice |
| However, playing too fast will hinder your progression! | | | | a piece of music in a relaxed and enjoyable way and |
| 6. You practice but forget that all is about music. | | | | this will be the way you perform it! |
| Without music in mind and heart you will probably lose | | | | 6. In order to develop as a musician you will benefit |
| interest in playing sooner or later. | | | | from listening to music performed with heart and |
| 7. You do not have any piano pieces to play to your | | | | musical depth. In the long run you will become a much |
| friends. All you have done is practicing exercises and | | | | better pianist if you devote some of your time to |
| fragments from piano solos. You have never learned | | | | assimilate musical expressions and manifestations |
| to play a melody perfectly from beginning to end. | | | | from good musicians. |
| Let us take a look at how you can eliminate these | | | | 7. To have a number of well rehearsed piano pieces in |
| obstacles and make your piano practicing sessions | | | | your repertoire is very rewarding for yourself and |
| more effective and maybe even shorter and more | | | | enjoyable to your listeners as you can play them to |
| joyful: | | | | the best of your ability. Memorizing pieces of music |
| 1. Give yourself time to think a lot about your piano | | | | should be a significant part of your practicing schedule. |
| playing. Why you play, what things you like about | | | | If someone asks you to play you know that you can |
| playing the piano, what type of pianist you want to | | | | play piano pieces you are proud of sharing with others! |
| become and your weaknesses that right now hinder | | | | |