Five Practice Tips For Piano Players

Before performing a piece  a pianist needs to have complete security in the notes. These tips on playing piano will help!1. Play Without the Score. Even if there are memory problems, put the score away and play as much as you can. Look at the score as needed. Once a piece is memoried, use the score to check on musical markings and note accuracy. Wrong notes can creep in after playing too long without checking the score!2. Slow Practice. Use the Metronome set at a very comfortable pace. The tempo should be slow enough that every note can be easily played with total accuracy. If there are some missed or sloppy notes, slow down the pace. If some notes are missed, just keep going in time with the beat.3. Listen to the Metronome. Play the piece with the metronome beat set to 1 or 2 beats to the bar. Focus your attention on the beat, not on your playing. Let the notes find themselves, keeping the pulse from the metronome the most important focus.4. Count Out Loud. Practice with the metronome as in #1, but count out loud. This may seem silly at first, but this excercise can show up areas that need more work. Notice where you lose the count! Think of creative ways to get your mind thinking of something else while you play.5. Play With Eyes Closed. This may be difficult at first! Keep the tempo slow, with the metronome. When missing notes in a leap, hear the note in your head and find it on the keyboard without looking. With practice, this becomes easy.

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