Learning The Piano: 4 Factors To Effective Practising

Whether you are a novice or professional pianist – the bottom line is this instrument requires practice.

Especially if you’ve just started on your basic piano lessons for beginners – you may have to make double the effort than others who’ve perfected the fundamentals.

It may not seem as if that is the case but learning the piano is a lot harder than it looks; time, focus, effort, and regular practice is all necessary.

And it may get even tougher once you reach the advanced learning stage – you will come across many elements that take up significant time. Beginners need to focus on aspects like song preparation, playing the notes accurately, and the chords and scales.

Now, let’s see what you need to take note of when it comes to practising the piano!

Set goals

One important part of piano practising is keeping track of your goals – you can’t learn the piano in a month or two.

To fully grasp the basics – putting together a piano practice routine is what you need first. (Tip: Never set goals that you can’t achieve – practising this instrument for 5 hours as a beginner will only be taxing.)

Firstly, start practice with scales. If you are a beginner – your goal must be to master the minor and major scales first.

Try to learn at least two scales every day. Once you are done with the scales – go ahead and take on chords!

Heads up – take it one chord at a time every alternate day. Chords and scales are the primary steps to learning piano. As soon as you’ve got them in the bag – it’s time to start on inversions.

The ideal duration

Most experts suggest that the number of hours you spend practising the piano should be calculated based on the duration of the lessons you receive from your instructor or teacher.

Meanwhile, others believe that the ideal for piano practice at home varies by age. Younger students at around 6 to 7-year-old will only require about 10-20 minutes of practice, whereas older students should practice for 45 up to 60 minutes.

Best timing

Each person has a specific timing where they are able to demonstrate their full potential and perform at their very best.

When do you have the most energy? Is it right after breakfast? Or is it just before lunchtime? Or is it right before you head to bed?

Timing differs from person to person – simply practice during these periods when your productivity is at its peak; it’s when you can focus best and think most clearly.

Have someone supervise

For the little ones – the answer is pretty simple.

The parents should be the ones participating in the training sessions that they are playing the piano properly. Additionally, to also ensure that they’re not lagging behind in any way and to help them clarify their doubts.

However, if the piano is not something you specialise in – don’t sweat it. Just have the question addressed during the next piano lesson with your child’s teacher.

The primary goal is to strengthen your child’s piano skills so that they jump from beginner to intermediate level learner.

As for adults – have your instructor or teacher (provided that they have spare time) to stop by every once in a while to check on your progress.

Basic piano lessons do cover plenty of fundamentals – theory-wise or playing-wise. But you’ll still need to practice on your own if you really want to be a professional pianist in a flash!