The big list of practice tips for adult pianists
In theory, piano practicing couldn’t be more simple. We arrive at the keyboard every day, we open our sheet music, we place our hands on the keys, and we play. In practice, however, this seemingly effortless activity can be easily hampered by things both external and internal. Within a few weeks of starting lessons we learn the difficult truth of playing the piano: we bring every bit of ourselves and our messy lives to the keyboard every day, and it’s up to us to work with who we are to keep our own limitations from hampering our desire to make music.
Whether it be personalized advice from piano teachers, one of the many excellent books on how best to practice the piano, YouTube tutorials, or master classes, pianists learn that no one formula applies to everyone. There are, however, overarching themes that apply to most of us and our practice habits. These are some of the topics I—and two of my guest authors—have covered in these posts. All of these were written for the curious, passionate adult learner and are drawn from real-life learning and teaching experience. All are presented as hard-won truths, passed from one eager pianist to another. Perhaps you’ll find some ideas in these articles that will enhance your own practicing. And, if you’ve discovered a tip or two yourself, leave them for the rest of us in the comments below.
General tips
13 Challenges Adult Pianists Face (and how to fix them)
Lack of practice time? Judgmental family members? Physical challenges? In this article I address them all and offer ideas on how to solve each one.
10 Ways We Complicate Playing the Piano
Sometimes, regardless of how badly we want to make music, we put obstacles in our own way. In this post I name the most common ways we make practicing more difficult and offer solutions for overcoming them.
6 Self-Defeating Practice Habits (and how to fix them)
If we’re human beings and we’re practicing the piano, we almost certainly possess a habit or two that keeps us from learning easily and happily. This article examines a few of the most common bad habits and troubleshoots solutions.
5 Poor Practicing Habits (and how to change them) Guest post by Doug Hanvey
Self-defeating shortcuts, lack of regular practice—in this article, educator, author, and pianist Doug Hanvey draws from his many years of teaching online adult piano lessons to name and offer solutions to the ways we subtly sabotage our own practicing.
42 Helpful Hints for Adult Pianists Guest post by Howard Smith
These hints are ones author and adult amateur pianist Howard Smith received when he asked his online piano community for advice. The responses—which come from instructors as well as fellow adult pianists—are offered as advice from one passionate adult pianist to another.
Specific tips
How to Improve Concentration at the Piano
One of the biggest complaints pianists have about practicing is how difficult it is to keep their focus while working at the piano. This post offer concrete ideas on why we might be distracted and how we might fix it.
4 Thoughts on Managing Energy at the Piano
A companion challenge to concentration is managing our energy at the piano. This post offers advice on how to avoid exhausting ourselves when we play
How to Get Inside a Piece of Music
More than one adult pianist has asked me how to transition from hearing what they’re playing as a collection of notes to wearing the piece like a second skin. Tips range from the cerebral to the goofy, all with the idea of opening new ways of hearing and experiencing what we’re practicing.
The self-directed adult pianist has so much beautiful music available that it can be overwhelming to find what they want to learn to play. This post starts by asking what you like to listen to, and offers guidance on how to self-assess one’s playing level and time commitment.
Memorization Tools for Natural Sight Readers
Sight Reading Tools for Natural Memorizers
I’ve learned—from my own playing and from observing students for decades—that most of us are either natural sight-readers or natural memorizers. These twin articles offer advice to pianists eager to improve whichever of these skills is weakest.
The joy of having learned many pieces lies, in part, in the ability to go back and relearn favorites that may have been unplayed for months or years. This post offers ideas on how best to bring back beloved favorites.
How to Stop Being a Serial Starter
If you’re a pianist who loves fresh beginnings and drops pieces when they become challenging, this post is for you. The goal? To allow each of us the thrill of learning pieces deeply and thoroughly.
Photo by Rachel Loughman @rachelloughman, courtesy of UpSplash