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Learning to Play the Piano When learning piano, it is
helpful to have some or all of the following tips in mind: |
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1. Practice scales and arpeggios. This helps develop technique and ability to
physically execute the music. 2. Use a metronome constantly in
practicing. This will allow you to
develop a strong rhythm and sense of the beat. Without timing, your music falls apart. 3. Learn and master the basic repertoire
before moving on to more difficult material.
Know the powerful yet technically less challenging pieces such as the
Bach Inventions, Debussy’s Children’s Corner, and other works by Grieg, Mozart, and Beethoven. There is no need to push yourself into the
more difficult repertoire until you are ready, such as some of the Beethoven
Sonatas, Prokofiev Sonatas, more complex Liszt pieces, or Ravel’s
virtuosic works. 4. Keep your hands, face, and body
relaxed. Be careful you are not
contorting your face or gathering tension in your hands. Try to play as naturally as possible. A goal is to execute even the most
complicated passages as though you are hardly working at all. 5. Learn the basics of music notation. It is very important to understand
notation, so that you can appropriately interpret what the composer has
written. A composer painstakingly writes
out each slur, fortissimo, staccato, and rest—you need to fully understand
these elements so that you can play what the composer intended. 6. Learn the basics of theory. The more theory you know, the more you will
be able to produce meaningful, interesting music. When you understand what makes a cadence,
or why a scale was used in conjunction with a particular harmony, you are
able to produce better music. 7. Practice slowly. A common learning technique is to play a
piece very slowly, and with the metronome.
This allows you to practice playing challenging parts of the piece,
while maintaining a steady rhythm.
Once you can comfortably play slowly, you will find you are better
able to play faster and still maintain accuracy and rhythm. 8. Practice for as long as you are able, but
take breaks. The more time you can spend
practicing, the more your playing will likely improve. But remember also to take breaks every
15-30 minutes, to give your hands a chance to rest and recuperate from the
activity and prevent tendonitis. |
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All articles (c) 1999-2006 by LIFTOFF! |