Simple Tips to Sticking with Your Piano Practice Routine

Regardless of how badly you wanted to learn to play the piano when you first started, you can’t help but have those days that make you feel like practicing the piano is the last thing you want to do. Whether you had a bad day at work, or you got a bad night sleep the night before, a “blah” attitude can make you ignore the piano practice routine that you had already been following religiously for months.

While it may first seem easier to give up your piano practice routine in favour of more fun and exciting hobbies, you need to first ask yourself why you wanted to start learning to play the piano to begin with. Was it because you like music, and you wanted to be able to play a special piece that really moves you, or is it just something you are pursuing to become a more well rounded musician. Regardless of what your desire is, you need to fulfil that desire, not get frustrated by it.  

Although the thought of playing a piece of music correctly the first time sounds intriguing, ask yourself how you would feel about following your piano practice routine if that was the case. How about if you were interrupted at a breakthrough point in the previous day’s practice, how likely would you be to want to return to  piano practice? Odds are some form of success would make you want to continue practicing because you had actually had some success with it. Experiencing some form of success always has a way of making someone want to consider following their piano practice routine, and it is most commonly the failure that make them want to quit and pick up something else. Here are some simple tips that can help you get past all the frustration you have felt so you can finally practice the piano to your heart’s content.

First, you need to stop blaming yourself for your failures in  piano practice. While we all dream of succeeding at something the first time we try it, it can make us quite frustrated when our piano practice sounds more like noise than the music we had hoped it would be. In order to succeed in your piano practice routine you need to remember that on the road to piano playing success you don’t have to be perfect each and every time you  practice the piano. You will also want to ignore the feedback that others give you. While your close friends and family may give you all the encouragement you could possibly need, there may be times when an acquaintance you play your music for will brutally honest with their opinion, mostly because they may be jealous of the talent you may have. Ignore their bad vibes and you are sure to succeed in your piano practice, no matter how long it may take.

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Second, don’t assume you have start somewhere, just start playing. While you may have it stuck in your head that your piano practice must include some form of set routine, all you really need to do is just start playing notes and move on from there. When on the road to piano playing success, they Chinese say it best. “A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first, step.” It is most commonly this first step that will lead to the first mistake, and you need to accept those mistakes when they happen, because you can’t learn and improve without those mistakes.

Third, remember that the piano is a “touchy” instrument just like the guitar. When you touch it during piano practice you can both product and color its tones, similar to a potter moulding a lump of clay. Think of the key on the piano as the piano’s skin, all gleaming white. As you touch them you can either please them or hurt them. If you stroke them the sound they product will be mellow and purring, but if you poke them the sound may either bark sharply or sound a lot like a woodenly thud.

Fourth, change your outlook on piano practice. Instead of looking at it as playing on or at the piano, think of the instrument as an extension of your own body, similar to the artificial leg of an amputee. The more you practice with it the more it becomes a part of you and your piano practice routine becomes more natural and less forced. The French most commonly refer to the keys as “les touches” or “touch points” meaning the keys and not you the player were doing the feeling. When the piano becomes a part of you, it can assist you in portraying the strong feelings you have for the music you choose to play.

Lastly, turn to your piano practice routine as a way to do more with your talent than just reproduce existing musical pieces. As Nadia Boulanger, one of the greatest teachers put it: "Don't speak to me of talent; speak to me of desire." When you practice the piano try to do more with the skills you are learning than just reproduce music. Try and experiment with the best way to bring out the power that the music holds. There is no right or wrong way to play a piece, although many would protest otherwise. Just feel the music and play it the way that sounds best as interpreted by you.

When it comes time for your piano practice routine achieving the best possible result has a lot to do with what you put into it. You will want to sit quietly, upright and relaxed. Hear the music you will play in your head, sense its movement as well as the pulse rolling through you. As it is turning and adjusting your own pulse you know that you are the instrument for this music and it is at that point that you will know that the music is getting ready to be born.   Only when the music has stirred you should you lift your hands to the keyboard. Since you originally chose to practice the piano in order to bring to live that which has already moved you, your practice sessions should keep you completely engulfed in the music you have come to love.

These are just a few of the simple tips that can help you stick with your piano practice routine. Change the way you approach your practice time at the piano, and remember to always ”feel” the music and you will experience success with your piano practice no matter how long you have been practicing the piano.

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by Lauren Paltrow