Piano Practice Tips

We all have that one friend who’s a music prodigy and practices for 5 hours a day. Most of us don’t have 4 hours a day to practice. Here are some tips on how much to practice you should do.

1 – Always start with techniques. If you are practicing for an hour, use the first 10 – 15 minutes on hand/finger stretches, scales, chords. Personally, I go through all major and minor scales in all 12 keys. I do the same for chords. After all, playing the piano is like a sport – you have to stretch before you begin.

2 – Take short breaks (max 5 minutes) in between your practice sessions. Breaks help to keep you focused when you get back to practicing. Try not to take too long of a break – You are more likely to lose your focus and motivation to get back to practice.

3 – Practice in sections. Break the piece/song up into 4 (or more!) sections. Work on each section until they become so easy that you can play it with your eyes closed. Then gradually piece the sections together. Even if you have to work on a piece 2 measures at a time (speaking from experience 🙂 )

4 – At the end of your practice session, play the whole piece/song through at a slow tempo. You can gradually increase the tempo on your next session. Before you know it, you will be playing at the proper tempo!

If you experience any type of pains during practice, STOP RIGHT AWAY. The most common pains are back pains and hand related pains. It’s better to stop then to seriously injure yourself, which would hinder your progress in the long run. I hope these techniques will make your practicing more enjoyable!