EFFICIENT PIANO PRACTICE

10 Expert Tips
Everybody is under intense time pressurethese days, and musicians are
no exception.In reply to the many requests about efficientpiano practice,
here are some expert tipsthat can help you make the most of
yourpractice time.
1. Get organized.
Practicing the pianoefficiently is really about how to organizeoneself to
get the best results from the effortexpended. It's essential to be very
clearabout our daily practice objectives. Manystudents find that writing a
daily practiceplan helps them to focus on their mostimportant practice
tasks and gives them afeeling of accomplishment as they completeeach
one. Teachers can write plans forbeginning students so that they
know exactlywhat to focus on at home.
2. Focus on one task at a time.
Disciplineyourself to complete each practice goalbefore moving on to
the next. In the long run,you'll save enormous time by completing
theday's work on your Mozart sonata before

studying Debussy, rather than bouncing backand forth between them at

whim. While youmight not get that new Chopin etude note-perfect and
up to tempo today, you canindeed 'finish' a given passage with
musicalpolish at a slow tempo. Indeed, SviatoslavRichter's way of
building his enormousrepertoire was to finish each line of musicbefore
moving on to the next.
3. Only practice with full concentration!
In his autobiography, Daniel Barenboim citesthis as a fundamental rule
for practicing. If your practicing does not demand enormousreserves of
concentration, then you're notpracticing properly. Five minutes
of concentrated practice is far more valuablethan five hours of moving
your fingers whileyour mind wanders. The mind must be activeat all
times, since it is first and foremost themind that must play the piano.
4. Always warm up first!
Properly warmed-up hands will allow you to accomplish thephysical
tasks demanded by difficultrepertoire with greater ease and with
fewererrors. I find thatscalesand arpeggios makefor the best warm-up.
5. Practice slowly.
It is a known psycho-physiological fact that the brain cannotabsorb
musical information in detail whenplaying fast. It is therefore essential to
workslowly and carefully at all times. Never try toforce speed, as such
attempts are harmfulboth to the memory and to acquiringvelocity.
6. Don't allow yourself the 'luxury' of mistakes.
Mistakes cost far too much timeto repair and only create
uncertainty,whereas your practice ought to buildsecurity. Remember,
your performance is adirect result of how you practice, andefficient piano
practice means playingcorrectly. If you start making mistakes, itmeans
either that you're going too fast tolearn the music or that your brain is
tired. If that's the case, it's best to take a break anddo something --
anything -- else.
7. Practice only short passages.
The brainabsorbs musical information much morereadily when it is not
overwhelmed byquantity. Each day, practice just onepassage, and
practice it extremely carefullyand thoroughly. This makes for far
moreefficient piano practice in the long run.
8. Schedule your practice sessions.
As useful as this tip may be, it must besubsidiary to the rule of only practicing
whenthe mind can best concentrate. For manypeople, this is first thing in
the morning. Notonly is the mind fresh, but you'll have afeeling of
accomplishment having startedyour day by completing a major task, not
tomention an emotionally rewarding one.
9. Keep a practice journal.
A practice journal is a log of your practice sessions,including what you
practice and for how long.It can be a notebook or even a spreadsheet.At
the end of each practice session, writedown exactly which pieces you
studied andthe number of minutes spent on each one.I've discovered
that timing myself forces themind to focus, and the clock doesn't lie. At
the end of the week, month and year you candiscover how much time
you spent on eachpiece, which can help you when planningyour
repertoire and performances in thefuture.
10. Study away from the piano.
Some of the most efficient piano practice can beaccomplished without a
piano. Analyze thepiece, listen mentally, hear each voice inyour inner
ear, sing each line, discoverthematic relations and harmonic subtleties.
Itis always amazing to me how many musicstudents simply learn notes
without everreally knowing the piece or its compositionalstrategy.
Instead, be sure to make mentalstudy and analysis an integral part of
yourpiano practice.While these efficient piano practice tipsthemselves
take some practice, I'm certainthat you'll experience gains in
productivityfrom the first day you start using them.