“Perfect Practice makes Perfect.”
Simply put, less time means slower progress, and too little practice means no progress at all!
Slow Practice
Practicing slowly is probably the very most important skill to employ at the piano.
It’s tempting to want to always play music up to tempo, but the magic happens in slow practice.
This is where you gain accuracy, hone your technical skills and train your hands to achieve perfection.
I always emphasize “practice slowly” to my students. But some of students didn’t practice slowly, or they can’t play their music slowly.
I think because it looks that when they slow down, they make more mistakes. But it is a wrong idea.
Slow practice is like a marathon. So, it needs time and perseverance.
They cannot bear it, because they want to complete quickly their music.
If you can’t play your music slowly, then you’re not playing it well when you play fast. However, if you’re playing it correctly slowly, it will speed up over time and you’ll maintain the same level of accuracy that you had at your slower tempo.
Most musical expressions are made through slow practice.
Slow practice has the opportunity to complement students’ shortcomings by listening to their playing.
It is effective in maximizing effect of the”Post progress improvement” and increasing your technique.
Practice with Rhythm Variations
Most of the technique shortages are caused by lack of strength of the fingertips.
You should practice your fingering evenly through rhythm Variations.
After playing all of the rhythmic variation once or twice, try playing the rhythm as it should be (with all even 16ths, etc) and you should find that it seems much easier now.
Part Practice and:
Divide the music into phrases/passages. The great majority of western music compositions come in 4-measure phrases.
- Work on just one phrase at a time, overlapping into the next phrase by at least one beat (thus, linking the two phrases together).
- Repeat the phrase as many times as it takes to become familiar and comfortable with the right notes, note values, dynamics and fingerings.
- Repetition is super important in the practice. As many repetition as possible are needed.
Focus on Your Practice:
Quality over quantity.
5-minutes of focused practice is much better than 30-minutes of unfocused practice.
Kids Piano Practice: Home Practice
Home practice is a time for the family to participate in the child’s music study.
After you return home, sit down with your child and play through his lesson assignment one time.
The most important part of music study takes place at home, not at the lesson.
Kids love making music on the piano, but very few of them love to practice.
They absolutely need their parents’ help.
As much as children enjoy playing the piano, most of them don’t have the discipline to practice on their own. That’s where a parent comes in.
Set the time to practice. It is recommended to practice once or twice by dividing time by 5 ~ 10 minutes.
Do not force. It is best if you can set a small goal, present rewards, or practice as if you were playing.