General Approach to practising Piano

In trying to improve your piano playing the focus of attention must be on practising. It is during practice sessions that we establish the habits that we will rely in performance. Success in our playing depends on how good these habits are and how well they have been rehearsed.

It was said that amateurs practice until they get something right, but professionals practice until they can't get it wrong. Much time is spent practising. Most of it is directed towards acquiring the highest degree of muscular control we are capable. However, a lot of time and effort are wasted. When we get something wrong, we often make some arbitrary decision about the cause and have another try to see if it comes right next time. The 'hit and hope' method rarely produces reliable results.

Since our brain controls all our actions, the reason why things go wrong must originally stem from the messages sent from it to the muscles that perform the necessary actions. These messages must convey to the respective muscles the exact information needed for them to respond and to produce the effect that we are aiming to produce. If things are going wrong, it is a problem of internal communication that we should first turn our attention to improving.

To play any piece of music we have to establish a continuous set of thoughts and actions on which we can rely; it is important that from the outset our practice is not casual. When I attempt to play a new piece of music I will encounter patterns I recognise and others yet I have no previous memory of. My first priority will be to get my fingers to the right notes, playing a slow steady pace in correct counting of rhythm. The fingering patterns I choose could be influenced by suggestions on the music, also relying on previous experience and knowledge of piano playing to choose a series of fingerings that facilitate the playing. The learning process begins in the initial playthrough with insecurity and fear of the unknown. Unless I take active steps to prevent mistakes and minimise insecurity, there is a danger that further playthroughs will reinforce negative patterns. Therefore the initial playthrough of music should be put under careful scrutiny every time a student attempt to play a new piece of music.

Much trouble can be avoided if the initial approach to learning music is well considered. Sensible preparation and careful reading of music can identify the real high risk areas and minimise doubt even if it doesn't completely eliminate insecurity. Playing piano is a complex and demanding process that the learner must let go of the stresses and worries of life at least for the practice session. Many intermediate learners play for leisure & for this reason of stress relief, with have no aspirations to become professional musicians. They wish to simply enjoy playing tunes and not over-burden themselves with slow, boring work which might kill their passion and turn them off from music completely. The truth is, nothing can be more boring than making the same mistakes over and over again. That's Einstein's definition of Insanity after all. So practice carefully if you don't want to go crazy or become a frustrated artist.