10 Important Rules of Piano Practice

Anything worth doing requires effort and that goes for learning to play the piano. The quality of your playing, as well as the speed at which you progress, is directly related to the effort you put into practicing. Make a commitment to regular practice and you'll find your enjoyment of the piano increase exponentially. Here are 10 tips to make the most of your practice sessions.

Schedule a regular time to practice the piano each day and stick to it. Many children practice the piano before school or right after school, as part of their regular routine. If you don't have a time scheduled, other commitments will crowd out practice time and you'll become unmotivated.
Reserve at least 15 to 30 minutes each day for practice, depending on the age level and ability of the student. As you gain skill and take on more challenging pieces, increase practice time.
Go through a few warm-up exercises at the beginning of your practice. Chord drills or other reviews will warm up your fingers and your mind, while improving your mastery of difficult tasks. It's best to go through these while your mind is fresh and sharp.
Read through any notes from your teacher, or if you are using a DVD course, take a minute to review the skills you are working on. Spend a few minutes at each lesson working on specific skills.
Organize your practice sessions. Keep music in a folder or close at hand, and make a list of specific pieces to work on during practice.
Focus and go slowly. Many children especially tend to rush through a practice, not really concentrating on what they are playing. A 15 minute practice that is concentrated and slow is better than a haphazard 30 minute practice.
Break pieces into short passages and work on each passage until you master it. Do not allow yourself to rush through a piece, making sloppy mistakes. Instead, set a goal and perfect it before moving on. Allowing yourself to continually make mistakes forms bad habits that are difficult to correct later.
Incorporate one or two easy pieces into each practice, as well as a few challenging pieces. When learning a new song, break it down into sections of a few measures each. End each practice session with something fun, rewarding and fairly simple to play so you feel successful. Practice should be fun, but challenging.
Keep a log of your practice sessions, noting which pieces you worked on and for how long. This log provides a clear view of strengths, as well as areas for improvement. Making a concrete record can also be motivating.
Practice when you're away from the piano. Many piano students find after a while that their minds go through the music even when they aren't playing. This cognitive practice solidifies a piano piece in your head so it's easier to play when you sit at the piano.

Yoke Wong is the founder of PianoMother, a leading piano educational publisher. Her piano lessons DVDs and downloadable online courses, including Definitive Piano Improvisation course, The Essentials of Great Hymn Arrangement, piano sheet music and many more, are sold in more than 90 countries. You can also check her piano lessons at YouTube channel pianomother. This article is about piano practice, find more at pianomother.com

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