Feeling unsure of where to begin as you sit down at the piano? These practice tips will enable you to make meaningful progress. Practice is a crucial component of learning and becoming a proficient pianist. Practice these tips so that you can maximize your practice time!

Before you start, there is a thing you need to know about learning the piano. It is not nearly as hard as you might think.

The following should be considered when you start to learn piano:

Set A “SMART” Goal

SMART – Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely

If you take up the piano and say, “I’ll play for a while,” you aren’t going to be able to learn anything. Instead, establish a goal like: “I will learn how to play the opening song from Frozen.” By setting a goal, you will keep at it until you accomplish it.

Additionally, you need to ensure that your goal is attainable in the practice time frame. You should probably not attempt to study the whole “Planets Suite” by Gustav Holst if you have less than two hours, perhaps just the beautiful piece in “Jupiter”.

If you receive tutoring from a private piano teacher, you can set goals together based on your progress, and they will work with you to hold yourself accountable. As someone who is self-learning, the responsibility and accountability are quite yours, so being disciplined and setting SMART goals is important.

Warm-Up

It is boring! We understand. It seems time-consuming at first, but without it, the chances of getting carpal tunnel syndrome and tendonitis are elevated. You would rather warm up for 10 minutes than be in pain for 6 months.

This is one of the most crucial piano practice tips since a proper warm-up allows you to achieve “flow”, a state of mind in which you are focused on the task at hand.

Create Time For The Fundamentals

Be sure to devote at least 15 minutes a day to practicing things like accuracy, scales, and timing. Repetition is the only way to master technical skills. When you combine 15 minutes of fundamentals with every practice session, you will be able to play insane technical pieces.

Imitate

Afterward, try to imitate the piano solos that you enjoy, and then improve them. This is the stage in which you discover who you are as a musician and what is unique about your playing. This is the opportunity to transform from being great to becoming unique.

Some pianists make use of this self-playing piano for imitation. Here, you can see the piano push the exact keys by itself, and you can imitate and innovate.

Do Not Rush

This piano practice tip cannot be understated. A good musician finds a way to practice a fast song at a tenth of its normal speed, then gradually speeds it up to its full speed.

Learning hard songs is achieved by practicing them at half-speed, then gradually speeding them up. Slow your playing speed to whatever is required to play it perfectly. Once you have played it three times perfectly at that speed, slowly increase the speed.

Practice Proper Posture

You must maintain proper posture at the piano! Sit too high or too low, too far away or too close, and you will suffer from stiff shoulders and backache.

It is easy to prevent all of this if you take a moment to think about how you sit at the piano. Start by putting both feet on the ground parallel to one another. Sit comfortably in an upright position. You could even imagine yourself keeping a book balanced on your head.

Next, let your elbows and upper arms hang loosely by your sides. Keep your arms parallel with the floor as you perform this exercise. You will be able to reach the keyboard without having to lean forward or raise your shoulders.

No Long Sessions

Initially, it is enough to practice for approximately 10 minutes each day. Your muscles must adjust to new movements, which is a challenge! Short bursts are easier on the hands than long sessions once a week.

As you become better, you will be able to practice for longer periods. Even professionals need rest during rehearsals. In most cases, a practice session lasts no longer than forty minutes at a time. Adults should practice for 30 minutes each day. Younger pupils or kids may benefit from more than one session of 10-15 minutes.

As a final consideration, many people who wish to master the piano cringe at the thought of spending long hours studying notes. For those of you serious about playing the piano, the first step is to put those negative thoughts behind and begin with an open mind. While learning the music notes does require time, and yes, it will take some practice before you are proficient enough to play on your own, it does not have to take forever. Follow these instructions to the letter and you will find yourself playing your very first songs independently in no time at all.