 by Jenny Leigh Hodgins If you follow my piano practice blog series, you know my strategy for how you should spend time at the piano for the most effective progress. If you missed those, check out: My Best Tips On How To Practice Piano Part 1, My Best Tips On How To Practice Piano Part 2 & My Best Tips On How To Practice Piano Part 3, where I walk you through my effective piano practice strategy in detail. Continuing in your piano practice routine, you should practice each goal in this manner (as described in previous blogs above) for as long as you can muster your fully focused effort. Repeat the same practice process with your next goal. Aim for successfully playing through several times in a row. STOP Yourself Stop if you make a mistake. Stop when you lose mental concentration. Remind yourself of your selected goal and reset back to the start. If you become unable to keep your mind on things after a while or continue making the same mistakes, it may be time for a change. Now you must learn What To Do If You Keep Messing Up At The Piano! Starting anew without success after multiple attempts means you are either; a) doing something to block your progress or b) you need a break to refresh yourself. If you simply did not achieve your goal, in addition to stopping and returning to the beginning, you must change your approach. Take A Closer Look At The Problem When I choose a specific practice goal but continue having problems getting through the music successfully, I take a step back. By that I mean to take a closer look at the problem section. Analyze the trouble spot, looking for clues about what is tripping you up. Analyzing sometimes reveals a less obvious practice goal you must focus on before moving on to your previously selected goal. In other words, you have taken on too much at once. Bite off only what you can chew, one morsel at a time. How do you find the trouble to know what to practice? Ask yourself questions relevant to your music and piano playing level. If you are a beginner, you may ask;
If you are more advanced, you must ask questions relative to your level, too.
Troubleshooting As A Target These are simply examples of questions. Look at your music specifically to break things down, one issue or item at a time, deducing where, within the music, you are one-hundred percent confident you mastered each aspect of your analysis. When you find a point where you are struggling to focus or answer a question, you have found a trouble spot! An effective piano practice routine constantly involves this kind of reflection and then zeroing in to practice only that section or areas that cause any issues. How you spend your mental energy during your piano practice session determines what you accomplish in piano progress. When you push yourself to be more conscientious of each moment and every phrase of your musical assignments, you will reap huge rewards with advancement as a musician. But what if you have gone through this intense effort and you are still having issues? I know how frustrating that may be, but two solutions usually resolve any trouble areas. Play It Slower, Sam Most commonly, the solution to the problem is a slower tempo. Your next best step would be to stay focused on your initial goal but play through your musical section at a much-reduced speed. Playing music at a slower than usual tempo is often the most challenging kind of practice. Most people think that fast is impressive. Quite the opposite is true. The ability to play fast can be spectacular. But, often piano players of fast musical passages easily find themselves falsely relying on physical muscle memory. As mentioned earlier, this is like a fragile house of cards! Sometimes you make the mistake of relying solely on your muscle memory to play through musical passages. But that kind of false scaffolding is stripped away when you slow the tempo. Practicing at a slow tempo forces us to use our cognitive skills and tune in to refine our kinesthetic senses. This intensely focused practice can feel like having the training wheels of a bicycle removed. We start off wobbly and lacking confidence or balance. When you slow the tempo, you allow yourself enough space in your brain to be fully mindful of each practice goal, whether it is the notes, rhythm, fingering, dynamics, or all these combined. Play slowly enough you can completely master each aspect of the music. Be focused on whichever goals you have chosen to practice. You will gradually come away from piano practice with a deeper internal and physical grasp of the music. But playing music that is familiar to us at a deliberately slower tempo can also cause us to trip up. Making mistakes is, even more, the basis for the argument to slow your playing tempo. Thoroughly choose and focus on one practice goal at a time until you master each one of your selected goals. Underwater Slow Motion Effect One of the biggest problems with slowing down is that you have developed bad habits of playing at a tempo too fast. This tempo sticks in your aural memory as well as your physical muscles. The aforementioned makes for another challenging barrier to get through. Avoid developing additional barriers by practicing slow enough that you can mentally focus. Look at your music through a new lens. Go to the extreme with your imagination. Pretend you are playing through the musical phrase as if you are in an underwater film scene using a slow-motion effect. Yes. That slow. Play intentionally and dramatically slower than the slowest tempo you can feel. Exaggerate your slowest tempo. If you find it hard to keep the beat at that new tempo, set the metronome at the most ridiculously slowest tempo you can feel. Play the music along with the metronome. If necessary, count aloud before you play, first clapping out or tapping the rhythm on your legs. Then, using the metronome, play through the musical selection with this tempo. Once you can sense the steady beat of this willfully chosen slow speed, go back through the passage following your effective piano practice routine. Stop if you make a mistake or lose mental concentration. Aim again to play at this slow tempo correctly three times in a row. Discovering Your Musical Weaknesses Playing slowly in this manner will reveal problem areas you had not discovered while playing at a faster tempo. Even better, playing slowly will allow you to more deeply and solidly master previously chosen practice goals. This kind of practice brings you much more quickly to the cognitive engagement necessary for lasting piano progress. Why? Because you are finally going slow enough to allow yourself fully conscious and consistent thinking toward your chosen practice goals. You may have thought you already surpassed this level of practice at your faster tempo. But the majority of the time, practicing at a slow tempo will take you further and, ironically, faster in piano progress. What To Do If You Keep Messing Up At The Piano If you cannot keep your mind on things after a while, it may be time for a break. You cannot sustain prolonged and intensely concentrated effort for long. Especially if you just started using this piano practice technique. When you hit a plateau, lose your ability to pay attention to your set goals, or repeatedly make mistakes, it is perfectly normal and advisable to take a break. Your brain needs a moment to refresh. You could choose to play through something without concentrating, just for the enjoyment of it. Choose something at a much easier sight-reading level, a previously mastered piece, or improvise for the sheer fun of it. Play It Again, Sam After you take a short break, try again with renewed determination. You may find a burst of energy that helps you continue your intentional, slow-tempo practice. You may already notice a degree of improvement, fluency, muscle recall, or musicality emerging! Incremental progress is a fabulous experience, bringing a joyful sense of accomplishment and newfound confidence as a piano player. Enjoy that! It will keep happening, again and again, each time you challenge yourself to give your all mentally to your piano practice sessions. If you experience the opposite, cannot play without making errors, or can no longer focus on the practice goal at a slow tempo, you may need to leave the piano for a change of pace, scenery, a meal, drink, or even rest. CELEBRATE YOUR VICTORY Celebrate and acknowledge your efforts no matter what! Each day, each hour, each moment that you aim to forge your complete focus on piano practice in the way I described in this series is an incredible accomplishment! You make progress step by step, sometimes without realizing until you look back and see how far you have come in your musical skills! I would love to hear from you. It means a lot to me that my content is helpful. Please take a moment to join the conversation below to let me know if this blog is helpful or if you have questions or suggestions! If you are a piano teacher, please feel free to leave one of your favorite piano practice tips in the comment section! Annnnnd...if you loved this blog, don't forget to show your awesome support by sharing/liking/retweeting the link! Subscribe for more updates!
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 Photo by Jenny Leigh Hodgins By Jenny Leigh Hodgins This is Part 1 of a series offering my best tips on how to practice piano.
For all these scenarios, I have some useful suggestions. Why Should You Believe I Know How To Make Piano Progress? I’ve taught piano for more than half my life. Piano is a way that I best express myself, whether through performance or my original compositions. I performed as a pianist (and vocalist) and owned a private piano teaching studio for 25 years. I taught group piano (Musikgarten methodology) to kids from 5 to 11, too! If you’re interested in checking out my piano-based original music, or looking for proof to believe me when I say I know how to make piano progress, go to: JLMusicStudio.com Or have a listen to: My Piano Performance of Clair De Lune. Why Does Your Piano Practice Make You Feel Like A Loser? I know from my early piano practice sessions what it feels like to be overwhelmed, or stuck, or frustrated by a particular musical challenge. I was familiar with spending chunks of fruitless time at piano, not being able to accomplish something. I’d practice musical passages, scales, etudes, fingering, rhythmic patterns, or dynamics relentlessly and repetitively, only to hear myself play the same mistake after mistake. I’ve had some great piano teachers, though, and one of them was quite instrumental (What? A musical pun here?) in teaching me how to make progress with learning piano. I finally learned how to practice piano effectively. I’ve seen this dilemma from both sides. Having taught piano and music for 25+ years, I’ve met many piano students who felt overwhelmed by piano practice. I’ve had students come to me with angst from their lack of progress with former piano teachers. I’ve had adults come to me with feeble hopes after quitting piano lessons as a child. I’ve had teenagers joining my studio initially complain that piano was boring and they couldn’t get any better at it. How To Practice Piano With Confidence I learned to practice piano effectively. My private piano students overcame issues with getting stuck or insufficient progress, too. They succeeded because the driving point I taught in each piano lesson was how to practice piano effectively. Do You Know Where The Musical Magic Really Happens? First, you need to know that the magic never happens in the piano lesson. You will not be illuminated musically by exposure to the brilliance of your piano teacher. Sorry, no unicorns here. Piano improvement comes directly from the student. So… You. You, as the piano student, or you as the parent of the piano student, are the key to continuous piano progress. The piano student has full responsibility for developing piano skills. Having that self-motivation is 90% of the musical betterment battle. Of course, a quality piano instructor will be critically helpful as an experienced guide on your musical journey. A good piano teacher can inspire your consistent piano progress. Your piano teacher can help you avoid mistakes or break habits that stunt your piano development. Your piano teacher can use your strengths to help you advance more dynamically, or help you polish your weaknesses into tools for improvement. But the real result is up to the piano student. Not the teacher. If that has fully sunk into your brain, now you are ready for my piano practice tips! Please first take a look at these blogs if you are just beginning piano: What Do You Need To Know, Have, Or Do To Begin Piano? What Keyboard Do I Need For Successful Piano Lessons? How To Find A Good Piano Teacher Necessary Steps To Achieve Your Most Effective Piano Practice Having read through the blogs above, hopefully you’ve found a great piano teacher, have a quality instrument or a plan to upgrade to one, and have sorted out a regular practice routine that is supported by those in your home. Now you must begin to establish an effective piano practice strategy that produces progress within your regular practice sessions. In my next blogs of this series, My Best Tips On How To Practice Piano Part 2 & My Best Tips On How To Practice Piano Part 3, I walk you through my effective piano practice strategy in detail. Why You Need To Choose A Goal Relevant For Your Level Before you begin toward your daily piano practice routine, you will need to define the goals you will concentrate on. As you read through these piano practice tips, it will become evident that your goals will change and develop as you practice. Choosing and changing goals helps keep your interest and promotes the greatest progress while practicing piano. The most critical part that will vary from student to student, or from one practice session to the next, is choosing relevant practice goals. The goals you select depend on your level of musicianship, and will vary from beginner to advanced levels of piano skill. Beginner to intermediate level piano students will typically have a few piano goals assigned by their piano teacher to achieve before the next piano lesson. As you advance in piano proficiency, you’ll be able to use more self-volition in selecting appropriate piano goals. As you advance, and with the guidance from your piano teacher, you’ll learn the art of narrowing your focus to what goals are necessary for your current piano playing level. Before you begin, you must determine your specific goals for each piano practice session. You’ll need to break your weekly goals down into smaller, digestible chunks. Either using what your piano teacher has offered, or devising your own, make a list of targeted piano practice goals you will work on during your piano practice session. In the next blog, I will offer a few examples of relevant piano practice goals. Checkout next steps in my effective piano practice strategy in My Best Tips On How To Practice Piano Part 2, & My Best Tips On How To Practice Piano Part 3. I’d love to hear from you. It means a lot to me that my content is helpful and empowers you. Please take a moment to join the conversation below to let me know if this blog is helpful to you, or if you have questions or suggestions! If you’re a piano teacher, feel free to leave one of your favorite piano practice tips in the comment section! Annnnnd...if you loved this blog don't forget to show your awesome support by Liking the link, Subscribing for more updates and adding your comment below!  Get my Ebook. A practical resource for piano students, piano learners and piano wannabees. by Jenny Leigh Hodgins
🎹 I have exciting news for piano learners or those interested in playing the piano! Check out my ebook, Start Piano: What You Need For Successful Learning. I am excited my ebook is now available for purchase directly from my website! This is the perfect gift for anyone interested in piano playing! I created this valuable resource for those who:
My ebook is a practical, down-to-earth, all-in-one resource and easy-to-read guide for anyone interested in getting started or returning to piano lessons. Want to know if this is the right book for you, your family, or a musical friend? Here is an excerpt from the introduction of my ebook, “Throughout my 30-year music and piano teaching career, I have been asked the same questions repeatedly by those interested in playing the piano. Beginner to intermediate piano students asked me these same questions again and again. Even advanced players, lacking a foundation of good practice habits, and frustrated with how to pierce through a plateau or further progress in piano, exhibited a need to learn piano practice basics. Many of these piano learners did not lack piano skills. They were stumped by repeated mistakes or by their inability to breakthrough musical barriers. They simply did not know how to practice piano effectively for consistent progress. In my experience with private lessons, small groups, and in-classroom school music classes, all my students and their parents or guardians had the same need for answers to these questions about successful piano learning. I combined their biggest concerns and most recurring inquiries in Start Piano: What You Need For Successful Learning ebook. As a pianist and composer of piano-based music, I know well the rich benefits and joy of piano playing. The issues piano learners face and their desire to get started, return to, or keep pressing on to reap the rewards of piano progress, motivates me to provide this content. I offer help for piano learners to keep breaking through to new levels of piano performance. Though I wrote blogs on these topics, many have expressed continued interest in starting piano or more successful piano practice results. My ebook (as well as my upcoming ebook, My Best Tips On How To Practice Piano Effectively) provides answers to these persistent questions in an organized, convenient way. I hope my books are helpful to those seeking successful, consistent momentum for piano progress. You get all the basics you need about successfully starting piano lessons. You will learn how to find a quality instrument, piano method, whether you need and how to find a good piano teacher, whether online tools for piano learning are valuable, what you need for a successful start to piano-learning, and how to maintain continued piano progress. I hope this ebook provides the answers you seek and helps you successfully begin or continue your musical journey with enjoyable, confident, forward-moving piano advancement.” My new ebook is the perfect gift:
WHAT READERS ARE SAYING ABOUT MY EBOOK: "What a great resource for potential piano parents to have." ~-Krista Schupbach, PIANO TEACHER "A great book that will inspire many people to take up piano lessons. It inspires me to continue playing and composing. Many people [will want] to start piano studies after reading [this] ebook. Looking forward to [the author's] next ebook." --Alex Dawson, RETIRED PIANO TEACHER "Excellent e-book! EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING PIANO. There is just about everything you can think in [this ebook] like a bible of what you should know. I also enjoyed previous articles and links from [YourCreativeChord.com] blog -- which only strengthens [the author] as an authority on piano. Great job!" --Joshua Sohn, FILM & GAME COMPOSER "Genuinely, this is a good resource and a reassuring one to someone coming at the piano with some trepidation, intimidation, or wondering, Am I too old to start?" --Tracie Callahan, COMPOSER, MUSIC EDUCATOR  Photo by Jenny Leigh Hodgins By Jenny Leigh Hodgins
If you’re interested in learning piano, or your child or teen is interested in music, there are some basic things that can help you start your musical journey with confidence. Whether you studied years ago, have a child who had sporadic lessons, or a teen suddenly expressing interest in learning an instrument, the options and information provided in this article will guide you toward having everything needed for your successful start with piano lessons. Find A Good Piano Teacher Although there are plenty of resources available at your fingertips for online learning, you will need to find a good piano teacher. There is nothing wrong with taking advantage of online tutorials, methods, and music education games. I recommend using them as well as piano and music apps as supplements to your piano education. But initially, beginner to intermediate-level students especially benefit from the guidance of a qualified piano teacher. A good piano teacher helps dramatically with the accountability factor. Having someone who knows what they’re doing can help you avoid making mistakes or overcome inevitable barriers more quickly than you would do on your own. This is especially critical in the area of piano technique. There are a variety of ways to find a capable piano teacher. Although local music stores may be the obvious choice, and they can provide wonderful educators, they may not be the best fit for you. Be aware that a music store’s goal is not to provide a quality piano education, but to sell products to you. Go into the search for a piano teacher like you’d search for a new doctor, massage therapist, or realtor. Have the mindset that you are interviewing for the right match to your piano goals and for the student. This includes personality, qualifications, location, cost, policy and communication. You or your child should feel completely comfortable and motivated when interacting with your piano teacher. Read Find A Good Piano Teacher for more details on where to look for a qualified instructor. Get The Best Quality Instrument That You Can Afford Many beginner or returning piano students wonder what instrument is best to start with until the student is fully committed for the long haul of music education. You must consider your budget, living space, family schedule, and preferences before purchasing a suitable keyboard for piano lessons. There are pros and cons to both using a digital piano keyboard or an acoustic piano. For the development of good piano technique and finger muscles, it is important to use a piano keyboard that has good action and tone. Even the best digital pianos are still no match for the authentic feel of a wooden instrument with quality craftsmanship. However, the benefits of electronic keyboards include the convenience of headphones, size, portability, and an abundance of beautiful, quality piano samples that may be used through a computer connection. If budget is an issue, I recommend purchasing an electronic keyboard for the first six months to one year. This is enough time to decide if you/your child will make the commitment to piano learning. After no more than one year, I recommend upgrading to a higher quality instrument within your budget. If you’re considering purchasing a piano or digital keyboard, I recommend you invite your new piano teacher to accompany you to the music store for guidance on your purchase. Piano quality varies dramatically from piano to piano, pending the age, brand, or care of the instrument. Whether looking at a piano under $3K, or a $30K Steinway, it’s helpful to have an experienced piano teacher’s input, as they know how the action and tone should sound. For more information, read What Keyboard Do I Need For Successful Piano Lessons? What Piano Books Do I Need? A competent piano educator will know good method books to recommend and may even provide them (for a fee). Click here for a list of some quality piano methods I have used and recommend. If your teacher recommends any of these, rest assured you are learning from an appropriate, quality, piano instruction curriculum. This list is not a complete list, but includes those I have used as both a piano student and piano teacher with great success. You Will Need Family Support You will need harmonious family support for successful piano progress. Everyone must agree to place the musical instrument in a location that is conducive to concentrated music practice. This means keeping it separate from TV or video game interference, or interruptions from other family activities. The family must be in agreement to support your daily practice schedule. Make sure you discuss your piano practice routine and allow for it to be incorporated into and around family activities or obligations. Decide On A Regular Practice Schedule Decide on a regular time of day to practice. Stick to it everyday or at least 5 days per week. It will take a while to get used to practicing consistently (or get back in the groove of practicing), but if you create your own schedule based on the time of day that works best for you or your family, it will become habitual fairly quickly. The good thing about learning any musical instrument is that the more consistently you do it, even if it’s a short amount of time, the more quickly you make progress. Part of the reason behind that is due to muscle memory. If you skip even one day it’s harder for your muscles to remember what to do. That’s why it’s important to first establish a consistent schedule. Your cognitive memory is also at play, so keeping a consistent schedule helps with memorization and retaining information. How Much Should Children Practice Piano? Young children need about 15 minutes of daily piano practice, which may be chunked into 5-minute increments throughout the day. Older children should aim for 30 minutes each weekday. Splitting the practice session may be helpful for family schedules or to accommodate the student’s learning style. Children, especially those from ages 5-9, particularly need the assistance of a parent throughout the practice session in the beginning. How Much Should Teens & Adults Practice Piano? I recommend 30 minutes to an hour for adults who want to play piano as a hobby. For teens and young adults aiming to acquire piano scholarships for college, I recommend dedicating an hour daily on weekdays and 1-2 hours at the piano on weekends. Practice Piano Effectively Learn how to practice piano effectively. A good teacher will guide you from the start on how to practice for greatest impact toward your piano progress. Make sure you are clear on your practice goals before the piano lesson ends. Clarify what you aim to accomplish by the next lesson. Your teacher will help break that down into actionable practice tasks. Mind Spent Is Better Than Time Spent Time at the piano is not as important as “mind spent” at the piano. Even though a consistent daily practice schedule is necessary, just sitting at the piano during your allotted practice time doesn’t lead to progress. Many piano students waste time at the piano, leading to frustration from their lack of piano progress. Spending your time at the piano with clear, practice goals and concentrated mental focus is what leads to piano progress. For each practice session, you must know your practice goals and focus on each one with full mental effort. When you lose your attention span, refresh your goal focus and try again. If you’re unable to keep your concentration after several attempts, take a short break or call it a day until your next practice session. Practice also includes mental activities away from the instrument, including listening to quality musical recordings of the music you are learning. See What To Do About Piano Practice When You Have An Injury for more ideas on how to practice away from the instrument. I’d love to hear from you. It means a lot to me that my content is helpful and empowers you. Please take a moment to join the conversation below to let me know if this blog is helpful to you, or if you have questions or suggestions! If you’re a piano teacher, feel free to leave one of your favorite piano practice tips in the comment section! THANK YOU FOR SHARING this with a friend on social media or email!  Kansas Piano Teacher, Dawn Ivers. Photo courtesy of D. Ivers. by Jenny Leigh Hodgins Today’s Piano blog features five best piano practice tips from Veteran Piano Teacher, Dawn Ivers, of Kansas. I recently featured Ivers in my blog, What To Do About Piano Practice When You Have An Injury. Ivers runs a successful piano studio in Kansas. She includes online lessons and technology as part of her piano pedagogy. 1. What are your top piano practice tips for beginners? Frequency, Chunking Goals & Finding Tricky Spots For beginners, Ivers suggests practicing piano frequently in small chunks throughout the week. She recommends setting small, manageable goals for each practice session. She suggests learning how to identify your tricky spots and work them carefully. 2. What are the basics for someone who wants to begin learning piano? Quality Instrument, Family Support, Interest In Learning Piano Fundamentally, Ivers recommends that beginner piano students have "an in-tune instrument to practice on, parent support, and an interest in learning piano." She accepts students as young as three for piano lessons, "because we can teach skills like counting and finger isolation (fingering) through music. As long as the student is interested and able to follow simple instructions, piano lessons can begin." 3. What are your thoughts on online learning for piano? Ivers considers online learning a terrific option, whether it be for regular lessons, or an inclement weather or sickness option. Flexibility Plus Responsibility “Online (piano) lessons provide flexibility of location for the student, and with video chat technology being what it is, piano teachers can accomplish the same goals with only small variations to their usual methods.” “In my own piano studio, I started offering online piano lessons after I moved across the country and several of my students in my former area wanted to continue on with me. So I tried it out with students ranging from age 7 to 16, mid-beginner to advanced piano levels, all have continued to show consistent (piano) progress and lessons continue to be fun and engaging.” “One added bonus is that a few of my online piano students have really stepped up and taken ownership of their music and learning process because there is a little bit of added responsibility when a student participates in distance learning.” 4. Do you have any technology you’d recommend for piano students? Metronomes Ivers says she recommends “every student have access to a metronome, be it a traditional one, a beat generator like the Super Metronome Groove Box app or just telling their Google/Alexa to set a metronome.” Apps, Games, Notation Software, Accompaniment = Engagement “Besides that, there are a lot of excellent technology-based resources like music theory apps, sight reading games, music notation software, backing track generators, etc.” “While I don't think any of these are the single secret key to becoming a well-rounded musician, anything that helps a student engage and enjoy the piano learning process is worth investing in.” “In my (piano) studio, I use a combination of the resources mentioned above so students are getting to use them in lessons. When they go home, they are not required to have access to them (though many enjoy the apps or notation software so much, they do download them for practice purposes at home).” 5. What are your thoughts on time and schedule routine for piano practice? Set Weekly Piano Practice Routine & Reminders Ivers says the details of this are “going to vary by family and individual schedules and situations. But generally, I recommend that students look at their weekly schedule, and set the times throughout the week they are going to practice (piano).” “Set digital or visual reminders if necessary for these set times, and then stick to it.” Practice When Inspired “Students should also practice piano when they're feeling inclined to in addition to the scheduled times, and with this combination of following a schedule and allowing inclination to bring them to the piano, they'll get plenty of practice each week.” Ivers' blog on four ideas for scheduling practice time goes more in depth on this topic. For more information from our featured piano teacher, Dawn Ivers, her piano studio and informative blog, click here. I’d love to hear from you. It means a lot to me that my content is helpful and empowers you. Please take a moment to join the conversation below to let me know if this blog is helpful to you, or if you have questions or suggestions! If you’re a piano teacher, feel free to leave one of your favorite piano practice tips in the comment section! THANK YOU FOR SHARING this with a friend on social media or email! Recommended articles: My Best Tips On How To Practice Piano Part 1 What Do You Need To Know, Have, Or Do To Begin Piano? Find A Good Piano Teacher Your Top 5 Best Tips From A Piano Teacher What’s The Best Way For A Busy Adult To Learn Piano? What Keyboard Do I Need For Successful Piano Lessons? How Learning Piano Benefits Aging Adults What To Do About Piano Practice When You Have An Injury DEVELOPING PIANO TECHNIQUE TIPS FOR LEFT & RIGHT HAND COORDINATION COMPOSING FOR PIANO Connect with YourCreativeChord on Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter, Linkedin and Facebook!  Hobbyist Pianist Tommy Doyle, of Manchester, United Kingdom Tips For Adults Who Want To Learn Piano
by Jenny Leigh Hodgins In my quest to see if what I’ve learned in 30+ years as a pianist and piano teacher is in sync with other piano teachers and pianists, I’ve checked out Facebook piano groups. This is where I engaged in a thread on piano practice with hobbyist piano player, Tommy Doyle, of Manchester, United Kingdom. Doyle’s website is where he shares his journey as someone who studied piano in his youth, left it behind for many years due to ‘adulting,’ then returned to the piano as a hobby. His blog offers his insights on how to approach learning piano while juggling the working adult’s non-music-related daily responsibilities. Although not a piano teacher, hearing from Doyle’s personal journey with striving to fit in his love for piano minus the hyper-ambition of a classical piano career gets at the heart of what many aspiring pianists want to know. I asked Doyle five questions that are useful for those wanting to progress at piano playing. The first sentence of his first answer hit the essence of my philosophy and teaching strategy for effective piano progress. YCC: What are your top piano practice tips for beginners? DOYLE: My top tip for anybody wanting to learn to play piano is to learn how to practice piano. This might seem a self-evident thing to say, however, the reality seems to be that many of us never learn the art of practicing. In my experience, we often find intuitive ways of doing things and in these cases if we just repeat a few times, we soon acquire a new skill. However, when we don’t find that intuitive means, we have to find a way to learn a new skill. This is where practice techniques play a big part. If you’re unable to do something, then just repeating it incorrectly isn’t going to help. I found a couple of really useful resources in this respect that I’ve talked about numerous times on my blog. YCC: Doyle specifically recommends the Practicing The Piano ebook series by pianist/educator, Graham Fitch. Fitch is highly qualified as a graduate of London’s Royal College Of Music who continued his piano studies in the USA on a Fulbright Scholarship, and travels as a performing pianist and lecturer on piano and music. I haven’t personally used Fitch’s series, but on first glance at the preview on Amazon, some of his top tips for practicing include; choosing a specific fingering, attention to practice only correct notes or rhythms, isolating hands separately before playing hands together, choosing a slow tempo for new repertoire, and using soft dynamics for a loud section. Each of these methods is something I’ve used myself and in teaching others, and resonates with my teaching and practicing approach to focus on mastering one goal at a time, and to eliminate practicing mistakes robotically. Doyle especially likes the ebooks for their direct links to audio and video demonstrations as part of the piano learning process. This is in sync with both how my piano teachers taught me, and my approach as a piano teacher to model for students so they may grasp concepts aurally, physically and visually. Today’s online capabilities can be a useful source of help for piano students. For more information on the series, Doyle himself reviewed it here. YCC: What are the basics you recommend for someone who wants to begin learning piano? DOYLE: I highly recommend that anybody start by getting a teacher. I’m not saying you can’t teach yourself with sufficient research and trial and error, with the myriad of resources now available online. It’s definitely possible. However, I think there’s an absolutely massive learning curve at the beginning (depending on your starting point). Not only is there the issue of actually playing the instrument, there’s also the question of learning to read music. Finding a good teacher to get you over these two massive initial hurdles is to my mind a well worthwhile investment. A teacher is there to help you master the very basics - how to sit at the piano, how to hold your hands, how to play the notes. You teacher can also explain what those odd dots on the page actually mean and give strategies for absorbing the ability to translate these into notes at the piano. A good teacher will also help you get to grips with lots of the basics you need; Scales, Arpeggios, 5-finger exercises and the like. Learning how to do these well gives you the absolute essential building blocks for the rest. Your teacher will also help you with choices of pieces (music repertoire) to learn that are both within your grasp but also in terms of styles of music you enjoy. YCC: What are your thoughts on online learning for piano? DOYLE: I’m a firm believer that we should embrace the possibilities that the new online world offers us. Starting with YouTube, there is an enormous wealth of quality tutorials for people of all levels. YCC: Doyle has his favorite channels, but mentions the importance of checking into the background experience of videos to confirm credentials of expertise. He recommends Josh Wright, who is both well known on YouTube, has a doctorate in piano, and is an experienced teacher. Doyle doesn’t use apps himself, but “as a supplement to a proper teacher, I’d imagine they’re a great extra source of learning and certainly a very fun way to approach piano. Of course, claims that you can go from ‘beginner to pro in no time’ are total nonsense.” Doyle quotes Vladimir Horowitz (considered the king of classical piano) the piano is “the easiest instrument to learn in the beginning and the hardest to master in the end.” YCC: Do you have any technology you’d recommend for piano students? DOYLE: Technology is one of my pet subjects. I even created a category on my blog for this. What I find amazing even now is the absolutely amazing ways technology can be used by pianists now. I have an iPad Pro that I use as an integral part of my piano routine. This one piece of technology has replaced my need for sheet music (I download directly to my iPad), for a metronome (I use a free a metronome app). I keep my practice diary on it. I use it to record my practice so I can self critique. It’s pretty much always on my piano music stand. You can use it for things such as streaming music services, watching YouTube videos, reading magazines, the list goes on. You can even record your own orchestra into your computer and play along. I think that sometimes we more ‘mature’ learners fail to embrace what technology makes possible and stick with the ‘old way’. It’s a bit like my dad, who refuses to use a SatNav (GPS), just because he’s never used one and, on that basis, would never need one. It’s not about whether we need something, but about whether it makes what we’re trying to do easier. If technology can make things easier, then why not embrace it? When I used to play piano publicly, I needed to carry two massive plastic bags of music around with me with all sorts of photocopies and creased and wrinkled books. Now, on my iPad, I have all of my music organised, with the added advantage that I can search and find a piece in seconds rather than needing to sift through a lot of paper. YCC: What are your thoughts on time and schedule routine for piano practice? Doyle shares that reading Play It Again: An Amateur Against the Impossible by Alan Rusbridger inspired him to create his weekday before-work practice routine. He says he gets up an hour earlier in the morning so he can practice. DOYLE: I found that before I started doing this I had two major problems. The first was that it was always in the back of my mind that I still needed to fit in my practice at some point. Secondly, work would frequently take over, and by the time I actually got home from work I was too tired to sit down at the piano. My practice routine before was pretty much sitting and randomly working through things, which quite often was not actually making me any better. YCC: Doyle says his research into piano practice taught him the importance of having a proper plan. He says having defined goals and strategies for every practice session is a “real game changer.” Doyle emphasizes that “piano is an amazing hobby open to anybody. It’s definitely a lot of hard work, but the rewards are more than worth it.” Click here to read more about Doyle’s approach to piano practice. I’d love to hear from you. It means a lot to me that my content is helpful and empowers you. Please take a moment to join the conversation below to let me know if this blog is helpful to you, or if you have questions or suggestions! If you’re a piano teacher, feel free to leave one of your favorite piano practice tips in the comment section! Annnnnd...if you loved this blog don't forget to show your awesome support by Liking the link, Subscribing for more updates and adding your comment below! THANK YOU FOR SHARING this with a friend on social media or email!  My Baby Grand Piano Speaks. By Jenny Leigh Hodgins
This is a poem I wrote from the viewpoint of my piano instrument. My piano is encouraging me to make time for music-making despite my busy schedule. Responsibilities can pile up but regular music-making has tremendous benefits. I look rusty, dusty, cold and untouched You’ve been away from me far too much I have voluminous sounds to reach your ear A wealth of richness for you to hear But you have left me in the corner Covered up, like some kind of mourner Grieving death with silence Leaving me in the distance While you scurry and scamper around Burying your heart deep underground Look this way! You'll miss me, friend! Recall the melodies we have penned! Rhythms pulsing, drumming, beating Music flowing, moving, defeating everything that tried to bring you down Remember me--our joyful sound! That's it--I see I've caught your eye-- You know you need me as well as I So meet me here upon this bench Sit down, relax, release, unclench Share with me your hidden story Tap your creative repertory at once, when you connect with me with fingers placed on key to key Of bliss, of love, and spiritual height When you release your inner light to me--I'll feel your every thought, Kindly untie the angry knot That's twisted up your soul And spun you out of control If you would meet me here again You'd alleviate your abysmal yen Cathartically, simultaneously, Immediately and beautifully Bringing dimensions to life from experiences inside to fruition, realization satisfaction, revolution. Just sit with me and feel The true, authentic, real. And when you open up to this, The flow of music's gentle kiss upon your fragile heart will mend the broken, then you will transcend beyond confusion, doubt or fear illuminating perfectly clear; Your strength, your power, Your Treasure Tower-- As you listen from within. How does your piano speak to you? Share in the comments! I’d love to hear from you. It means a lot to me that my content is helpful and empowers you. Please take a moment to join the conversation below to let me know if this blog is helpful to you, or if you have questions or suggestions! If you’re a piano teacher, feel free to leave one of your favorite piano practice tips in the comment section! THANK YOU FOR SHARING this with a friend on social media or email!   Photo by Jenny Leigh Hodgins By Jenny Leigh Hodgins
This article originally appeared in the September/October issue of LivingWell60+ magazine. If you’ve always wanted to play piano, taking lessons as a senior adult has more benefits than you may think. Beyond the sheer joy of musical experience, there’s a good chunk of science behind the benefits of learning piano as an older adult. Aging adults who learn to play piano experience enhanced cognitive function, slowed deterioration in the fight against the aging process, stress relief, improved mood, and a boost in self-esteem. Learning Piano Makes You Smarter A study by Frontiers in Psychology journal on aging adults reveals that learning a musical instrument enhances the activation of brain regions related to memory, attention, language processing, motor function, and emotion. Listening to music has been shown to activate these multiple brain regions, but learning to play an instrument further increases these functions. Neuropsychologists found such significant brain function activity enhancement from playing an instrument that the use of music training is under scrutiny for understanding brain plasticity progression. An institute in Barcelona, Spain found that participants who were assigned piano practice as opposed to others who did sports or painting showed greater neurological and psychological improvement on the scale they were using. University of South Florida assistant professor of music education, Jennifer Bugos, studied the results between aging adults who did or did not take piano lessons. Bugos discovered that six months of piano instruction for seniors showed impressive enhancements in memory, verbal fluency, information processing speed, planning ability, and other cognitive functions, over those who had not learned piano. Playing Piano Slows Deterioration Musical training improves the cognitive reserve in aging adults. Cognitive reserve, the term for how the brain fights against deterioration of function, is improved dramatically in aging adults who take piano lessons. Engaging in activities like reading, writing, or crossword puzzles is known to improve cognitive well-being and reduce risk of dementia development. But, seniors learning to play piano yield even more extraordinary improvements in multiple brain functions. Additionally, learning piano enhances auditory working memory, which may reinforce the memory capacity that facilitates communication, conversation and the ability to distinguish consonants and vowel sounds. In other words, learning piano fights against hearing loss and strengthens communication skills despite the aging process. Piano Study Reduces Pain Older adults learning piano have increased amounts of human growth hormone, which is connected to reducing aches and pains that come with age. Higher human growth hormone levels slow the progression of osteoporosis, and increase energy, sexual function and muscle mass. Learning Piano Boosts Creative Thinking Learning piano is a complex activity, requiring the ability to read as you play. This multi-tasking trains eye-hand coordination and develops independent hand coordination. This stimulates multiple brain sections, improves reaction and productivity while strengthening neural pathways between the left and right brain hemispheres. Playing piano uses a creative technique called divergent thinking, that forces the use of both sides of the brain. By exercising this technique regularly, players become better at creative thinking, improving the ability to problem solve. Learning Piano Makes You Happier And Healthier Those who play the piano regularly improve their mental state. Experiencing the victory of learning to play a piece of music encourages self-confidence. Engaging in music affects mood, and provides stress relief. Playing piano is a kind of ultrasound therapy, sending sound vibrations to the player’s body that improve circulation, and relax muscles. Playing music soothes and stimulates primary senses of touch and sight, causing the brain to release beta endorphins and dopamine, which leads to decreased anxiety, depression and loneliness. These aspects of mood affect overall wellness by stimulating the immune system to improve players’ health. The advantages of taking piano lessons as an older adult go beyond simple enjoyment. The health benefits and effect on cognitive abilities are a greater incentive. There are private piano instructors who offer group lessons as well as in-home instruction. See How To Find A Good Piano Teacher and What Keyboard Do I Need For Piano Lessons? for more information. Piano Method Books I recommend: For the Adult For the Older Beginner For Young Children For Very Young Children I’d love to hear from you. It means a lot to me that my content is helpful and empowers you. Please take a moment to join the conversation below to let me know if this blog is helpful to you, or if you have questions or suggestions! If you’re a piano teacher, feel free to leave one of your favorite piano practice tips in the comment section! THANK YOU FOR SHARING this with a friend on social media or email! ************************************************************************************************** Source: NAMM Foundation https://www.nammfoundation.org/articles/2014-06-01-why-play-music-seniors Source: Music and Health http://www.musicandhealth.co.uk/articles/WatsonReview06.pdf Source: Science Nutshell: http://www.sciencenutshell.com/piano-playing-benefits-for-cognitive-function/ Source: NCBI https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3814522/ Source: The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/science/2013/nov/12/scientists-creativity-pianists-brain-activity Source: Linde Blad Piano https://www.lindebladpiano.com/blog/benefits-of-playing-piano TIPS FOR LEFT & RIGHT HAND COORDINATION Practice piano by isolating one hand at a time. by Jenny Leigh Hodgins Single-Minded Focus Learn to play piano with both hands based on a single-minded focus on goal-oriented, multi-step tasks. Approaching piano practice in this manner has proven highly effective for me. One Hand Only For example, choose one hand to work on at a time. Isolate the bass part in the left hand. Then, break down your left hand practice into feasible chunks; work on only playing the correct notes for example. Practice the left hand part while fully focusing on the first selected goal (correct notes). Don’t worry about the rhythm, the fingering or any other aspect other than what you’ve chosen to focus on practicing (correct notes).  STOP. Evaluate. Stop. Evaluate. After you play through the section with full focus on that one goal, stop and evaluate. If successful at playing that particular section with no hesitation, move on to the next goal and repeat the process. Multiply Your Focus Then add the first two goals together (correct notes and rhythm) and practice that until you are able to play through successfully without any hesitation. Add the third goal, and so on. Repeat Procedure With Opposite Hand Switch to the opposite hand and repeat the process of focusing only on one goal at a time, stopping to evaluate, then repeating until you master each section and goal. Then repeat until you are successfully able to master multiple focus goals with the musical section chosen for that hand. Put Both Hands Together Finally, choose a small section, one goal (correct notes) and play both hands together. Do not jump to this part of practice until everything prior to this point has been successfully mastered. The same process applies when practicing hands together. Handling Mistakes If you make mistakes, stop immediately and evaluate why, then go back and practice until that issue is resolved. For example, if you played through a few measures correctly and then made mistakes, determine what happened. Usually the problem is that mentally you dropped the ball. Were you daydreaming about lunch? Were you distracted by someone walking past your window? Refresh Focus Go back to the trouble spot and refresh your single-minded focus on the practice aspects you’ve chosen. Once you achieve success, play through a larger section, or the entire musical composition. Be sure to apply the exact same practice strategy and address any mistakes immediately. Otherwise, you may make the common mistake of practicing your mistakes repeatedly, ingraining them further into your mental memory and making things more difficult to correct. This is how many students typically practice and defeat progress! One Last Note (heh heh) Practicing piano with clear goals, one hundred percent mental focus, evaluation and troubleshooting issues is an incredibly effective way to progress as a piano player. However, if you run into difficulty, besides lack of focus on a particular goal, the most common culprit for difficulty in piano practice is practicing too fast! If you are having problems with the above-described practice strategy, SLOW DOWN and try again! Most of the time, slowing the tempo resolves the problem. Many students have difficulty slowing their practice tempo. Use a metronome to set a defined, slower tempo. This enables you to reset your pace at a manageable speed. When you slow down, it allows you to master your goal of choice without repeatedly making mistakes due to a faster tempo. If you are still having problems slowing down, change your mindset about tempo. Students often are deluded that a faster tempo is equal to mastery. The opposite is more accurate. Playing purposefully at a slower tempo while focusing fully on one specific goal takes greater concentration, discipline and patience. Use Imagery Make setting a slower tempo an exciting new mission, to frame your attitude around it. Practice deep breathing in sync with your metronome as you set your inner pace with the new, slower tempo. Envision yourself playing under water in slow motion as a fun way to switch gears from playing faster to embracing a slower pace. From there, it can be amazing to see how simple and easy it is for you to master your chosen practice goal. I’d love to hear from you. It means a lot to me that my content is helpful and empowers you. Please take a moment to join the conversation below to let me know if this blog is helpful to you, or if you have questions or suggestions! If you’re a piano teacher, feel free to leave one of your favorite piano practice tips in the comment section! THANK YOU FOR SHARING this with a friend on social media or email! Recommended articles: What Do You Need To Know, Have, Or Do To Begin Piano? Find A Good Piano Teacher Your Top 5 Best Tips From A Piano Teacher What’s The Best Way For A Busy Adult To Learn Piano? What Keyboard Do I Need For Successful Piano Lessons? How Learning Piano Benefits Aging Adults What To Do About Piano Practice When You Have An Injury Learning To Be Creative  The right piano keyboard is essential for successful piano lessons. By Jenny Leigh Hodgins Are you an adult who’s looking forward to finally learn piano? Do you have a teenager eager to explore music? Are you a parent looking to start your child’s first piano lesson? Having a quality instrument is critical for successful piano learning. There are many ways to learn piano. From note-reading to aural training, from digital exploration and beyond. Regardless, the quality of a keyboard instrument is essential to successful music progress. Some of the most important points to consider are:
WHAT’S YOUR COMMITMENT? If you have always wanted to learn piano, and now have the time and energy to devote to it, a piano may be a great investment. For adults, buying a quality piano is a beautiful addition to decor, adding value to your home. Practicing on a quality-crafted piano inspires hours of dedicated musical progress. Making a strong commitment to your love of piano music is a great reason to buy a good piano. If you have a young child, or a teenager with sudden interest in piano, your child's attention span may not be clear. How long will your child stay motivated for the long haul of musical study? For these cases, consider an electronic keyboard. A digital piano may be an inexpensive investment to explore your child's interest. An electronic keyboard is usually less expensive than a piano. A 61-key, light-action digital keyboard would be acceptable as a smaller investment for initial music exploration. After a year of piano study, I recommend investing in either a piano or an 88-key, weighted-action keyboard. Over time, a student’s repertoire grows. This will encourage accurate, physical technique, and the full piano range. CHECK YOUR SPACE & SURROUNDINGS A beautiful grand piano brings artistic flair to a large room. Piano playing brings lively fun to the entertainment of guests. Playing piano in the home adds festivity with holiday music. It also fills the home with beloved musical expression year-round. If you’ve got the space and the budget, no investment brings as much enjoyment to a home. If you don’t have a large space, consider a smaller baby grand, or an upright piano. Playing a real piano offers authenticity. The action of a real piano (how the wooden keys respond to the touch of your fingers) lets the player achieve healthy piano technique. An acoustic piano sends an organic, gorgeous, sound reverberating throughout your home. For even tighter spaces and budgets, consider an electronic keyboard. An extra advantage of having a digital piano is the use of headphones. This feature allows music practice at any hour without disrupting others.  Digital keyboards open the door to computer-based music. WHAT’S YOUR STYLE
Consider your personal preferences when choosing the right keyboard. If the touch of a real piano is inspirational for you, buying a piano may be infinitely more satisfying. Traditional classical and jazz repertoire is often preferred played on a real piano. The popularity of modern music is another point in favor of buying an electronic keyboard. Teens and adults may be more inclined toward digital music production. Digital keyboards open the door to computer-made music. Using a digital piano and a computer allows you to create music with virtual instruments. In our technology-driven world, much of the future's music-making will be digital-based. This offers opportunities for electronic music-production. Music technology offers opportunities in composing for video games, commercials, film and TV. HOW BIG IS YOUR BUDGET When selecting a keyboard, consider your budget now. Weigh that budget against the longevity of the instrument’s life and use. One of the best investments you can make is buying a piano. This is because craftsmanship and longevity add to the value of a piano. The piano's beauty as an aspect of your home decor adds artistic value, too. If you’re tight on funds or space, start with a smaller digital piano or upright acoustic piano. Consider upgrading a necessity when your music skills progress. Get an instrument that suits your current needs, to last as long as possible, based on what you can afford. WRAP IT UP Are you looking to explore contemporary music with a digital piano? Delve into the vast musical repertoire from the traditional masters? Or tread lightly into the first moments of piano learning? Whatever your interest, there is a perfect instrument for you. You will make the best piano keyboard choice for you when you consider your commitment, style, available space, and budget. Piano Method Books I recommend: For the Adult For the Older Beginner For Young Children For Very Young Children I’d love to hear from you. It means a lot to me that my content is helpful and empowers you. Please take a moment to join the conversation below to let me know if this blog is helpful to you, or if you have questions or suggestions! If you’re a piano teacher, feel free to leave one of your favorite piano practice tips in the comment section! THANK YOU FOR SHARING this with a friend on social media or email!  Learning piano requires the right keyboard. by Jenny Leigh Hodgins WHERE TO LOOK As a piano teacher for 25+ years, I’ve looked at this search from the opposite direction of marketing my studio to attract able piano students. So when someone asks me how to find a good piano teacher, I know the places to look. (Also important: what keyboard do I need for piano lessons?) SEARCH BASED ON YOUR GOAL There are things to consider when narrowing the search for a good piano teacher, such as your goals and the characteristics of a teacher that put you at ease or motivate you best. For those looking for a grandiose career as a concert pianist, consider a move to a city well-known for accessibility to a professional music career track such as NY, LA or Nashville. Alternately, you may find a quality piano teacher through your local university's fine arts department. For those interested primarily in the merits of music study and/or uninterested or unable to live near a music industry hub, try your local university’s music department. Typically, the music department will have a list of graduate students available for teaching as well as local piano teachers. Look especially for graduate level students who are studying piano pedagogy in particular. VALID RESOURCES Another option is an online search for reputable sources. The Music Teachers National Association’s searchable online database of teachers by state has earned the association’s National Certified Teachers of Music credential (NCTM). Teacher members of The National Piano Guild aim toward non-competitive goal-setting and awards. Teachers involved in national music organizations such as these tend to be motivated at a higher level toward student success. Another good piano teacher resource for young children in particular is MusikGarten. The MusikGarten teaching method is holistic, kinesthetic, and frankly, fun for children ages 5 to 9. Similar to Suzuki method, MusikGarten’s approach is to begin learning music aurally. However, MusikGarten also incorporates movement, drumming, singing, notation-reading, in a small-group, eventually combining all these layers of foundation into piano performance. Teachers who are certified in this method tend to be excellent instructors, and teach a well-rounded musical education. WORD OF MOUTH There are other resources, such as church or grocery bulletin boards/newsletters, ads in local family-directed newspapers, and local music stores. But whether you have children looking to start music lessons for the first time, to continue lessons started, or for adults wanting to learn the instrument, the best way to find a quality piano teacher is the old fashioned way; word of mouth. One of the best ways to find a quality piano teacher is through hearing and seeing an educator’s efforts with your own eyes and ears! Find someone who plays piano well. Ask for their teacher’s contact info. If you don’t know anyone who plays piano, watch local newspapers or church announcements for local piano recitals or concerts and attend (Holiday season is a great time for this!). Check local university, music school and music store websites for upcoming events. COMPASSION IS QUALITY Teachers who are dedicated enough to host recitals are usually quite capable, and care enough about students to enable regular progress in pIano study. Pay attention to each student’s finger dexterity, posture, reading, memorization, hand position (Watch out for tension!), and especially confidence and poise. The proof is in the pudding! Check with retirement center activity directors for a list of teachers who’ve brought student piano recitals to the facility. That is a great way to find a quality piano teacher because someone who cares enough about students to host performance opportunities is a teacher who works toward results. Going the extra mile to incorporate community service by bringing music performances to retirement home residents shows a compassionate, contributive quality teacher. WRAP UP In summary, you’ll find a good piano teacher through word of mouth, a local recital, an internet hunt for MusikGarten teachers, National Certified Music Teachers, the National Piano Guild, a local university, music school or, music store. Next Steps: Having found a teacher, you’ll need to make your own goals for piano study clear. I’d love to hear from you. It means a lot to me that my content is helpful and empowers you. Please take a moment to join the conversation below to let me know if this blog is helpful to you, or if you have questions or suggestions! If you’re a piano teacher, feel free to leave one of your favorite piano practice tips in the comment section! THANK YOU FOR SHARING this with a friend on social media or email! Recommended articles: What Do You Need To Know, Have, Or Do To Begin Piano? Your Top 5 Best Tips From A Piano Teacher What’s The Best Way For A Busy Adult To Learn Piano? What Keyboard Do I Need For Successful Piano Lessons? How Learning Piano Benefits Aging Adults What To Do About Piano Practice When You Have An Injury Learning To Be Creative Listen to my original piano music here. |
PIANOIn my PIANO blogs, you'll find ways to overcome boredom, get past musical and mental blocks, explore the creative process with piano, and improve musical progress through piano teacher recommended best practices and effective piano practice tips. Archives
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