7 Top tips for practicing the piano from home

Whether you are just starting out or trying to master a particular composition, practicing will be your key to success. Regardless of whether you want to play classically like Chopin, Beethoven and Liszt; jazz like Tigran Hamasyan and Brad Mehldau or popular music like Stevie Wonder, Elton John and John Legend, the rules remain the same – practice, practice and practice some more.

Simple right, but what does that practice actually look like?

Tip #1 - Set aside time

Firstly, and probably the most important thing to ensure, is the time you set aside to practice. If you can only spare a few minutes here and there, the chances of ever mastering the piano are slim. If however, you can religiously set aside around 20 minutes each day to practice then you will soon see yourself progressing.

Tip #2 - Warm up those fingers

It is often something forgotten about, and perhaps seems like a waste of perfect practice time, but if you fail to warm your fingers up you risk suffering, in the long term, with carpal tunnel and tendinitis. Make sure your fingers are warm, and that you are sitting in a comfortable position and start by slowly practice scales, increasing the pace as you fingers warm further.

Tip #3 - Break everything down into reasonable chunks

The biggest mistake people often make when starting out with a musical instrument is trying to achieve too much too quickly. Set yourself realistic goals. Yes, make them challenging but don’t create targets that are so unreasonable you are quick to loss heart and give up. The idea is that you see yourself progressing and setting unattainable expectations is often the cause of failure.

Tip #4 - Practice slowly and build up speed

Beginners often want to run before they can walk, and understandably so. You have probably been inspired either by a musician or a piece of music to pick up an instrument in the first place, but remember everyone had to start small in order to succeed.

Start by practicing a sheet of music at a slower pace. Practice with your right hand, then with your left, before bringing them both together; perhaps use a metronome to help control the pace. Also, do not be afraid of picking a piece up in the middle. It may after all, be the chorus or the middle section of a piece of music that inspires you. If you always start at the beginning, you might find you lose interest, and give up too quickly.

Tip #5 - Muscle memory is important

This may sound silly, but practice without a piano in front of you: it is not unheard of to see a piano player sitting in a café tapping their fingers on the table. You haven’t gone mad for doing it; you are simply practicing, training your brain to work on muscle memory as well as having the ability to read music.

Watch Jools Holland play and it’s unlikely you will see him read music. Elton John never seems to have a score in front of him. Stevie Wonder is certainly playing from memory alone. How? All experienced pianists have, as they have practiced, developed a skill for muscle memory. Think about when you learnt to walk, you taught your muscles to remember, the same is the case with music. Train to play without thinking.

Tip #6 - Listen more

Instead of just practicing a piece of music, listen to it as well. Learn to feel it; to hear when the tempo changes, where the composer wanted you to play softly. Unless you know the piece you will never truly be able to play it.

Likewise, start to listen to those that inspired you to play. Learn more about their style and how they got to the standard they did. You will probably find you are even more motivated to continue when you realise they were once where you are now.

Tip #7 - Mix the music up

No one expects you to only stick to a certain style of music. Some people love a certain composer or a particular era, but if you don’t mix it up, you will never learn to develop your own style if not.

Don’t get caught up only learning certain pieces; it’s the easiest way to get bored. Take a break occasionally from playing the same music each day. You will benefit from it in the long run.

Ultimately, you have made the decision to learn something new so don’t give up. Practice makes perfect. Always remember that, 'Amateurs practice until they can get it right; professionals practice until they can't get it wrong'.