There is truth to the saying that there is no shortcut to success. If you want to be good at something, you need to work at it steadily and consistently, no matter how tedious or repetitive the habit of practicing the skill may seem. Regular and consistent practice really is the only way to improve and become better at what you do.
Learning piano is one of those things that require the mastery of skills in order to become a better player. If you often marvel at how your piano heroes seem to sit with ease and let their fingers dance across the keys as they play, you’ll be glad to know you can achieve that level of confidence too.
It all starts with developing good practice habits so you can establish a regular practice routine. Here are some great ideas that you can incorporate into your training so you can become a better piano player once you’ve picked the right course.
Keep distractions away
It’s important to keep your practice time sacred by removing everything that can distract you from focusing. These can include the TV or a computer streaming Netflix, and your phone that keeps on bugging you with notifications on your social media accounts. However, if you are using an app to learn piano and would thus need to have your phone around, then simply disable your data or Wi-Fi connection and use the app offline.
Set an attainable daily goal
Create a goal for each day you practice. Setting a practice schedule before the week starts really helps, as this gives you the opportunity to look back on how you did the past week and identify the areas of improvement you can focus on for the next. For example, Monday can be set aside for reviewing a new skill, Tuesday for getting better at it, Wednesday for learning a new concept or skill, Thursday for more finger strengthening work, and Friday for practicing a short section of a piece. It’s all up to you, but what’s important is the goal should be attainable and doable.
Plan before you play
If you’re new to piano, preparing yourself mentally is just as crucial as practicing your scales. Take a look at your lessons or practice tasks for the day and internalize them. You can do this at the beginning of the day, even if you’re not sitting at the piano yet. Really think about your day’s goal and imagine yourself playing a simple score. You can move your fingers and play as if the piano is right in front of you. Visualization helps you prepare yourself because it makes you feel familiar already with what you need to do.
Keep track of your progress
Progress is progress, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem to you at first. Every small bit of achievement adds up to making you a better piano player, so take note of it. It’s ideal to record a video of yourself during practice sessions so you can watch it, see how you’re doing and recognize errors or mistakes. Identify the parts where you experience a bit of difficulty so you can come up with an appropriate course of action to improve on it. You can also check your posture and make a note to make sure your shoulders are more relaxed and you’re not hunching your back next time. A video recording is also great to look back on months or years into your playing - if you practice right, you would really see the difference!
