Whenever I meet new students, the first thing I do is listen to them play. Then I ask them a critical question, “Has anyone ever taught you how to practice?” One of the most important things a teacher can share with a student is how to practice. A teacher might be absolutely brilliant but their time with a student is very limited (typically an hour a week or less). The student’s progress is determined by what they do the other six days of the week. Effective practice is critically important.
I have previously produced videos on all three skills. (You can follow the links below.)
The first skill that any pianist needs to learn is memorization. With some instruments, you can actually play and look at the music the entire time. With the piano and other instruments, there is certain music that forces you to look at your hands (specifically music with big leaps). The complexity of some scores necessitates memorization. Here is a video on the subject:
How to Practice the Piano – Memorizing Music:
The second skill that is essential to playing the piano is sightreading. Being able to read through music casually is not only incredibly helpful, it’s fun being able to explore new music and to play with other musicians! However, you must not confuse sightreading with practicing. If you keep sightreading through a piece again and again with mistakes, you are practicing mistakes. Mistakes are very difficult to correct when they become ingrained in this manner. So be sure you are clear if you are sightreading or practicing.
Tips for Improving Sightreading:
The third skill is one that many accomplished, classical musicians overlook – improvisation. Improvising (or playing by ear) is not only fun but absolutely essential in progressing as a musician. Many types of music from jazz, rock, blues, gospel, country, new age and others – all absolutely require improvisation to play correctly. Playing with other musicians, making up pieces on your own, learning how a song or piece is composed and created are all enhanced by the development of musical improvisation.
How to Improvise on the Piano:
I would love to hear from everyone on this topic. Please contact me here on the website or directly at: Robert@LivingPianos.com (949) 244-3729
8 thoughts on “The 3 Essential Skills of Piano Playing”
Robert: I don’t feel a practice session is complete unless I start off with some Hanon exercises. For my hands these are great as they build dexterity and strength, particularly in the left hand.
Question: How much of a (say) two hour practice session should be devoted to technic-type exercises like Hanon and Chernzy?
Enjoy much your tutorials.
I take issue with one tiny word in your blog entry: “the.” I’ve been teaching students how to practice effectively since 1968 (in five countries), so I have no bone to pick with you there. And the other stuff is all essential. Still, IMHO it’s a bit presumptuous to declare that these are THE THREE. What about harmonic analysis? And understanding form? How to use best one’s physical apparatus to realize ones musical ideas? And…….
Take off the word “the” and I’m in your court 100%.
I am with you. There are certainly many aspects to practicing. These are 3 essential skills but by no means the only ones!
Hear, here ! ! Learning how to practice is essential for every musician. I told many stude ts that if anyone enjoys listening to them practice, they must be playing or performing, but not practicing. Practicing means going over the same section slowly to get the right notes and timing, and little by little speeding it up until it’s at the right tempo… And anyone (except a proud parent) listening would be frustrated listening to the same small phrase over and over. Oy. Then the student needs to put together all the phrases at the same tempo, and get the entire piece up to speed. The next steps, as you write, Robert, lead to musical performance.
Yes, and for that drilling of small phrases, the ideal thing is a digital keyboard with headphones. You can get a lot of practice that way at any hour, without irritating anybody. Once you’re getting the right fingers to the right keys at the right times, then you can take it to the real piano. The only thing you need to learn out loud is the muscle movement to music conversion function.
Keys on any instrument are pretty much the same size and shape, especially side to side where it counts. The huge variation is in what happens when you press them. So, I think that any serious student should have both a digital (which need not be expensive) and a good acoustic piano.
— J.S.
(I wish I’d had a teacher like you 80 years ago when I began.) On improvising: In elementary school I was a music teacher. We called it the “Black Key Jazz” and any child could play. I would vamp a I VI II V7 progression in F# and the chosen child would invent a melody, “just one note at a time”. I found that a 3/4 waltz was easiest, followed by a soft rock beat. I don’t know if the kids learned anything, but we all had fun.
So how do you practice? Can you give us a rundown or simplified version of what you tell your students? That would be very helpful. I know what I teach my students, but hearing other ideas is always worthwhile.
Thanks for these three tips on How to Practice Piano. I think memorization has become a lost skill so I am glad you see the value and emphasize it. I am especially interested in improvization since I like doing that on guitar and want to extend it to piano. Your videos are very helpful!
Fred