Piano Practice Tips

Practice Happy With a Piano Practice Routine

Shake up your routine with some great piano practice tips!

Feel like you're on autopilot in your daily piano practice?

Need some fresh ideas to inspire your best work?

I've been there.

Piano practice is one of those every-day things that sometimes loses its luster.

Sometimes we lose sight of the long-term goal of beautiful piano playing.

Practice becomes dull and uninspiring.

You CAN re-infuse your practice with joy and purpose - use these piano practice tips!

1. Stretch.

OK, I know practicing piano doesn't feel like exercise. And stretching doesn't sound like a piano practice tip. But it is.

Not only that, it's repetitive exercise. Stretching - including your arms, wrists, and fingers - will not just help you feel relaxed and rejuvenated. It will help prevent repetitive stress injuries.

Don't just stretch your arms and hands, though. Do some basic leg, back, and neck stretches.

Staying flexible is great for your overall health, and you'll feel terrific when you sit down to play.

2. Eat well.

This doesn't sound like other piano practice tips you're used to, right?

Here's the scoop. Maintaining stable blood sugar throughout the day by eating whole, nutritious foods is a good thing. Not only will you be in a better frame of mind while you're playing, but you'll have increased clarity. And excellent focus and problem-solving ability.

The last thing you want is a blood sugar crash right in the middle of practicing that tricky passage.

Frustration central! :-)

Professional classical musicians often become as intentional about eating habits as athletes. Taking care of your body will allow you to practice (and perform) at your best!

3. Be happy.

Easier said than done, right? :-)

Seriously. Practice during the time of day when you're in the sunniest mood. Why make anything harder than it has to be?

If late-night or early-morning practice is unavoidable... spend a few minutes before you practice reading or thinking about something you love. Something inspirational. Read scripture, a poem, or a letter from a friend.

Think about your upcoming tropical vacation. Stare at your goldfish.

Anything that makes you feel great. Then carry that mood with you to the piano!

4. Start with what you love.

And finish that way too. I love the feeling of playing my favorite pieces - my fingers know exactly where to go on the keyboard and I feel free.

There's a definite psychological benefit to beginning and ending your practice sessions with success.

Use it to your advantage!

5. Make it a ritual.

Rituals have intention. Ruts are born of mindless repetition. Which would you rather?

Create a practice ritual that's filled with good things. Here's part of mine: I make a cup of tea that I set on a small stand next to the piano and light my favorite candle.

I turn off the overhead lighting and turn on my lamps. I review my practicing for the day and put my music in order. Stretch, then ask myself what I most want to play. And off I go!

6. Create a terrific space.

Tough question time. Do you tend to be messy? Is the area around your piano full of piles of stuff?

Distractions can be just that... distracting. Your practice can be pulled down by the environment! If your space is a mess, your mind is cluttered, too.

Feng Shui and home organization experts always recommend a good, thorough, old-fashioned cleaning as a first step to restoring good energy in a space.

If you're feeling stuck and dull about your piano practice routine, a good cleaning might just do the trick.

7. The Backwards Method.

Gone over and over that tough spot in the music, to no avail?

Try this. Start at the last beat, or division of a beat, in the difficult phrase. Play it. Now move backwards to the previous beat or division. Play it alone - then play the two beats or divisions together.

Keep moving backwards, step by step. Slowly. Until you've reached the beginning of your passage.

By thinking about the beats differently, you can sidestep the pattern your brain was creating. This is a great way to undo mistakes that you've "learned in."

8. Think in shapes.

Still stuck? Here's another piano practice tip to try.

Play your passage. But instead of thinking about notes, rhythm, dynamics, and tempo - really look at the shapes your hands are making. As you play, you will make a series of hand shapes on the piano.

Think about how your fingers are stretched, which notes are "up" on black keys, and which are "down" on white keys. Think about the feeling of your fingertips on the keys and how the shapes feel. Work on moving from shape to shape instead of thinking note to note.

9. Switch it up.

Most musicians develop a 'standard order' for practicing. Perhaps scales and arpeggios, then etudes, then the major piece you're working on. Then maybe some old repertoire.

What if you did it all backwards? Out of order? You might be surprised what comes out of your fingers simply by varying your practice pattern.

Our brains are excellent pattern-creating devices. Major creativity can happen when we deliberately break out of our normal patterns and try something new!

10. Listen.

I'm always amazed that there are aspiring pianists out there who don't regularly listen to piano music!

Listening is definitely part of your piano practice -- you'll be amazed what you discover when you listen to piano music. You'll find artists whose style you love; others whose style isn't appealing.

You'll discover pieces of music you really want to learn.

And you'll start to develop an ear for great piano playing that will start to influence the way you practice and perform.

Plus, it's just fun! And you don't have to spend an arm and a leg - just go to your local library and check out some CDs.

Enjoy using these piano practice tips to bring new life to your piano practice.

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