3 Tips to Improve Your Piano Playing

If you are just starting to learn piano or if you have been at it for a while here are a few tips that although simple and straightforward you might find to be useful.

Practice Regularly

Regular practice is of utmost importance. To most children who learn the piano this can be a chore which in many cases leads to them abandoning the instrument later on. In adults however, the motivation for learning the piano comes from the fact that they have a desire to learn and it is not something that has been imposed on them. The most important thing about regular practice is that it will strengthen your muscles and will get your fingers and your brain communicating with each other more efficiently. You will find that after a while you 'get used to' playing and you do not have to think about it. If you leave a few days without practicing then you will definitely notice that it will be a lot more difficult to get back into the swing of things again afterwards.

Set Goals

When you are learning the piano, especially if you are learning by yourself with a home study course then you need to set yourself some fairly rigid goals in order to really advance. Make yourself some long term goals and some short term goals. The short term goals might be the mastering of a certain piece or the perfection of a particular chord progression. Practice it over and over daily until you are satisfied that you have it learned. A longer term goal would be for example, to reach a certain level of playing or to pass an exam or to get to a level where you are able to accompany a singer or other instrumentalist. The setting of goals doesn't necessarily have to include time limits and deadlines but it might help.

Don't Worry About Making Mistakes

You will make mistakes when you practice and also when you perform, this is only natural. It can be very easy to get bogged down and to concentrate on perfection. There are times however when fluidity is more advantageous than perfection. You should pass over the mistakes and carry on playing. Make a mental not to yourself where you made the mistake and if you keep making the same mistake in the same place then you should work on that small section playing it over and over slowly at first until it flows easily and playing it becomes easier. If you don't worry about your mistakes they will either disappear on their own or they will become so obvious by appearing time after time that you will have to do something about them.

These tips should make it easier for you to practice and will help you to become a better piano player. There is one more secret tip I can give you and it is this... 'Put on your piano players face'. This may sound trite but it actually really works. Forget that you are learning to play the piano and just for a moment pretend that you are already an accomplished piano player. Sit at the keyboard and perform your piece or improvise as if you were a virtuoso. It doesn't matter what it sounds like at this point, just go with it. You will notice that your playing might full of wrong notes but the overall feeling will be much more inspired and you will be surprised by the result. You will find that your general level of playing will improve immediately as you will have been given an idea as to what it 'feels' like to be a pianist and not a piano student. All you have to do is 'put on your piano players face'.