subject: Tips for playing the piano [print this page] Tips for playing the piano Tips for playing the piano
If you've just enrolled in a piano lesson or are already playing the piano and plan to perform sometime soon, here are a few tips to consider to perfectly play your chosen piece or the piano itself.
Tip number one is practice. Allot at least 30 minutes of your day to playing the piano. When it comes to learning a new skill it is common knowledge that to be able to achieve mastery, one must perform the task over and over to get a good grasp of the skill. Essentially, practice does not only mentally mold your mind but also the nerves connected to your hands and feet. As soon as your brain becomes familiar with which finger goes to which key in a chord and when your feet pushes the pedal, your hands and feet will move accordingly.
We then go to tip number two. Make it a point to couple practice with imagination. Basically what you're doing is not only playing with your hands and feet physically, but also imagining or visualizing your hands and feet going through the motions of playing. With this method, playing will then become easier as you gradually spend more time physically practicing and imagining yourself playing the piece. In case you don't have your own piano or can't bring along the instrument with you because you are somewhere else, you can also practice using computer games that are especially helpful in playing the piano or simply just moving the fingers.
In terms of learning the piece you've chosen, you have to keep in mind that the learning process is a long method and you can't immediately play a piece in one go. To better remember and understand the makings of the piece, tip number three is to learn it slowly. You can do this through learning it by measure, by line, or by hand.
Learning it by hand means to learn it by segment. That is, first, learn each segment using your good hand. Once you've mastered the whole piece with your good hand, try playing it with your other hand. Afterwards, when you've mastered both, try playing them together. This also applies with pedals. First learn the piece using your hands and then try doing it with the pedal. You should do this to avoid getting confused with which body part to move especially if you have bad body coordination.
When learning by measure or by line, cut the piece apart according to measure or line whichever is suitable for you. Play the first line for one whole session. The following session, play the first line with the next line, and so on. Gradually put together the lines and constantly repeat them so that mastery will come easy.
Lastly, tip number four is to perform a finger and hand exercise before every session. This will allow your fingers and hands to stretch and relax. It is important to note that when playing the piano, you must play with a relaxed hand else pressing the keys might become difficult and might sound different.
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