Bonus Lesson Time (Beginners)!
I'm sure this girl is doing her best, but for now let's see what she can improve. She is slouching. This is a no-no when practicing or just sitting at a piano. When sitting to play the piano, you need to have a straight back. Good posture shows confidence and can even boost your confidence if you don't feel it. It's a good habit and helps when playing the piano.
Her wrists are low and her thumbs are hanging off of the piano. This is a huge no-no when playing the piano, even more than the slouching. It's extremely difficult to play efficiently and even reach the keys if the wrists are hanging low and the thumbs aren't at the ready for when you need them. She should have her wrists level with the keys and thumbs on the keys with all fingers slightly curved. No flat fingers! I usually tell my beginner students who struggle with this to try and balance a pen or pencil on their wrist for a nice straight wrist.
Lastly, it looks like her feet may be crossed or dangling. When playing the piano, your feet should always be flat on the floor or on the pedals. If the person playing is too young to have their feet on the floor, they should simply keep their legs and feet uncrossed.
I did not at all plan on going over this, but this girl was just a perfect example.
How Often to Practice
When practicing in general it's good to set aside at least 15-30 minutes of time four or five days a week, depending on your level, to practice. For my younger students, usually between the ages of four and ten, I ask that they practice at least 15 to 20 minutes a day, four days a week. Preferably five days if they can manage. For more advanced students, I think an hour of practice or more five days a week is perfect.
Over the few years I have been teaching, I have found it to be very hard to get some of my students to practice consistently. Which, of course, is essential to progressing and remembering what they've learned. The best advice that I have for anyone reading this that struggles with practice is two things:
1. You must be disciplined. If you truly want to learn and progress with the instrument you're learning, sometimes you just have to make yourself do the thing you don't feel like doing. Like a lot of things in life, you have to do things you don't feel like doing.
2. If it's a child that's learning and they just have a hard time focusing for long periods of time or are restless, it's okay to take breaks. Break up the practice time into chunks throughout the day. If you're too busy, that's when the discipline and prioritizing come back into play again.
What to Practice
If you are my student, I always say to practice everything I have assigned to you which usually includes technique, lesson book, theory, and performance. Always practice what your teacher tells you to. They want the best for you!
Starting with scales or a warm-up is great to get your fingers ready and warmed up for the songs you're learning. It's not required, but I find it's helpful for technique practice and getting the stiffness out of your fingers.
When practicing a song that you're working through and learning, it's best to start with the hardest part first. In other words, the part you're struggling with the most and want to practice the least. Go slowly when practicing those difficult parts so you can watch for all those musical details and get it correct. It's better to play slowly and get it right than to play quickly and get it wrong. If you're having an especially hard time, practice hands separately a few times and then together very slowly. You can go faster later when you start to get the hang of it.
I will admit I have a hard time doing this too. I always want to rush through and not care about the mistakes because that's what's easy. But, again, that's where discipline comes in! It's not easy, but it is the correct path to becoming a great musician. Go slow and get it right and work your way up to the correct tempo (tempo is the term for speed in music).
Summary:
- Don't sit at the piano like the girl in the first photo.
- Practice at least 30 minutes 4-5 days a week if you're over the age of 10. If you want to make your teacher proud, practice more than 30 minutes or at least 30 minutes even if you're under the age of 10!
- Make yourself practice even when you don't feel like it. Be disciplined.
- Start with some scales or a warm-up that your teacher may have assigned.
- Start with the most difficult part of the song you're learning FIRST.
- Go slowly when first learning a song and go a little faster when you start to get the hang of it.
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