Beginners Piano Tips - The 7 Key Ways To Improve Your Piano Playing By London Piano Teacher

When people say they wish they could play the piano, they probably mean that they've tried or thought about it, maybe only once - and they didn't get any results or follow through. Well, apply these 7 simple steps below and you will reap the rewards.

1. Decide what you want and commit to it with the right attitude.

Quite simply, you need find out what exactly you really want to achieve. Is it to play songs or pop tunes? Perform with others? Take exams and gain certificates for your own records? The commitment to this will come once you know what you want and it is a MUST for you.

Getting your mindset right is probably the single most important thing you will ever do as a beginner. Practicing because you have to (not want to) and just going through the motions will not get you anywhere. This approach nearly always leads to boredom, frustration and eventually giving up. What a shame that would be.

2. Be realistic about what you want

As much as you might have a goal/dream to play a concerto at Carnegie/Royal Albert Hall, you also need to honestly ask if you have what it takes to achieve your goal. Often many people will say something along the lines of: “I want to play Madonna’s/The Beatles/Britney Spear's greatest hits in my first year!” thinking it’s easy to replicate what the professionals do on TV. A more realistic aim might be to complete a series exercise books up to a certain level, e.g. 'to get to book 4 in 10 months'. Family members and friends will be able to honestly tell you if you have any musicality, but it also helps to speak to musicians, whoever they may be and find out from them, what it takes to succeed, based on your own strengths and weaknesses.

3. Set a date for when you want to achieve your goal

Once you’ve settled on a realistic goal, you need to think how long it will take for you to achieve and what exactly it will take. Write the deadline down, have it in front of you when you practice and remind yourself exactly what you must do to achieve your goal. Also, having someone you are accountable to, who can monitor your progress to keep you from losing focus, is vital.

4. Commit to a practice schedule

It is important that you find a time that works for you and stick to it. The point of a schedule is to get into a routine and build momentum. Constantly changing your practice time means you're at the mercy of other things that might be distracting.

5. Focus on a few Things at a Time.

Don't try to learn everything all at once – it just won’t work. Break your practice down into easy to do-steps. It is better to focus on one or two areas, working on it repeatedly and becoming a master than to try and learn 10 different new things and only develop sketchy knowledge at best. When you start out on the piano, the way you will improve rapidly is to concentrate completely for every minute you set aside for practice and focus on improving those few things. This could be part of a piece, a new chord, a scale or anything you choose. Seeing this progress gives you a sense of achievement and will keep you motivated, energised and going through the session and the next.

6. Work on improving your memory, posture and energy levels

That’s right! Your brain is the other important tool other than your hands. You can make great progress by simply practicing memorisation exercises that will help you remember. Also, piano playing is generally quite sedentary and it's not the best thing to sit perfectly still if you are practicing for an hour, for example. The way you carry yourself at the piano should always be upright or in a way which isn't slouched, stooping, laid back or otherwise passive. Your physiology also affects how you think, feel and therefore work, so you should aim to keep your energy high by sitting up straight, flexing your arms & upper body now and again, and even standing up after an intense practice session. Also try not to frown when you encounter difficulties, as that subconsciously builds frustration.

7. Don't get put off by mistakes

This is a big one and can be disheartening for many if their approach to problem solving is not right. Please, don't worry about making mistakes. If you're just beginning, think long and hard about some of the great performers of any instrument. Think about how much effort they put into what you thought 'looked easy' when they performed on TV or live. If all they (or we for that matter) did was worry about making mistakes, they would never have achieved progress and thus, greatness in their chosen instrument. The rest of us also learning would live in constant fear!

When you are learning a new piece of music for example, if you were to know in advance that you where going to make 34 mistakes before you could play the piece perfectly, would you worry about making these mistakes? Of course not! I am guessing you would want to get these 34 mistakes out of the way quickly as possible. What this means is each mistake you make brings you closer to your goal. You progress by learning from mistakes, so expect them and be ready to deal with them. As long as your ear can recognise when you have made mistakes, you can correct them and move on.

Commit to doing these 7 things regularly and you'll find learning the piano/keyboard more enjoyable.

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