Effective Practive & Motivation
FAQ | recommended resources | piano: bare essentials | Effective Practice & Motivation
Below are some of the many different aspects involved in learning
how to practice effectively.
Environment | Goals | Musical Form | Rhythm | Fingering |
Posture & Tension | Method | Working
for Speed
Tone | Memory | Motivation
Tone
Listen to the quality of the sound you are producing. Feel the
contact with each key; try to transfer the weight from one key
to the next. Experiment with the speed at which the key is depressed
and released.
Many pianists do not listen to everything they play. In addition
to listening to the melodies and harmonies try listening to the
space between the notes. It is extremely important for pianists
to listen to the entire duration of each note played. This may
seem obvious but many pianists do not do so simply because the
nature of the instrument does not require it in the same way that
other instruments do. A wind player must keep breathing during
a long note and a string player must continue to move the bow
arm. To learn to develop a beautiful legato and sound, it is very
important that pianists make the extra effort to listen to the
entire duration of each note played. Once a note is played on
the piano, it will fade. Listen to the note as it fades and try
to play the new note so that it matches the level of sound heard
at the end of the long note.
Try experimenting with the speed that each note is depressed.
The speed will greatly alter the quality of sound produced. It
is also important to be aware of the speed at which each note
is released. I find that students are more often aware of how
they depress the keys than they are in regards to how they release
them.