Good Stuff

Why play the piano?

It was the Ipod of the 19^th century! Everyone had a piano in their home and all enjoyed sharing music together in the evenings, by playing & singing popular or Classical music. Still today, playing the piano is good for you! The physical act of playing strengthens your fingers; the mental activity stimulates your mind. The sweetness of the sound, soothes the soul. Reading and learning the music is an important part of the music experience-but try to set aside several pieces to perform from memory so you always have something to play in a crowd, but also, for the pure enjoyment of playing!

Quality (your performance) is not an accident: it is the result of deliberate practice.

You will only play as good as you practice! It’s up to YOU!

Practice Guidelines: Try for 30 minutes of concentrated effort at a time.

Good: 4 times a week

Better: 5 times a week

Best: 6 or 7 times a week

Young beginners, might try several shorter sessions, throughout the day.

Your teacher can tell you how; you might listen.

You can try it; you might learn it.

You practice it; you will MASTER it!

Warm-up your engines!

Scales, chords or finger exercises.

Practice time!

1. play through the song first; where are your mistakes?

2. select 1 section (2 measures or more) and play it 10 times in a row.

If correct, then move on. Repeat with the next mistake section.

End your practice time playing a song or two that you enjoy! Try to play it from memory.

Tips:

*If you use your time wisely when you practice, there should not be a lot of silence. Pick a song, section, etc. and play it over & over. When it's “perfect”, move on. But don’t get upset over the mistakes- everyone makes mistakes. Just go to work fixing them. When you are practicing, you are “training” your fingers to do what your mind already understands. Sometimes, our fingers are just slower to learn it!

Strong fingers make for fast playing

How do you make strong fingers? Lots of slow, deliberate practice!