The piano is one of the most often played instruments that is well-liked by everyone worldwide. Even though learning to play the piano for leisure may be relatively simple, improving your abilities to an advanced level can be challenging. But fear not – the good news is you can improve your skills and succeed at the piano with the right tips and methods.
In this article, we have compiled a list of valuable tips for you to incorporate into your piano practice to improve your skills!
1. Set specific goals
Setting a more specific and attainable objective is preferable to simply stating that you want to learn how to play the piano. With a specific objective in mind, you can then prepare the necessary measures to achieve said goal. For starters, you can set something that is realistic, like learning to play a specific song – perhaps you may start with beginner-friendly songs before advancing to the more challenging ones.
2. Warm-ups
A proper warm-up allows you to loosen up your hands, wrists, and arms to prevent straining them. There is a risk of injury as your hands and fingers must react quickly and with repetitive movements, resulting in injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome or tendonitis. Warm-ups can also help recall the muscle memory from the previous practice to get your mind in the right headspace for a smoother transition into playing.
3. Regular practices
Daily practices can help us to train our brain and muscle memory. Our brain can process and memorise information better when we repeat the same movements. This builds your motor and memory skills, also known as ‘muscle memory’.
4. Sight reading
Sight reading is the ability to read and perform music at first sight without any practice. It challenges your mind to play by reading the music sheets instead of by memory. This can improve your ability to feel the rhythm and the notes better to understand the song’s rhythm and pitch.
5. Slow down
No matter how fast you play, you are bound to make mistakes. For pieces that tend to have a quicker pace, it can be challenging to have a proper grasp on it. If you don’t properly understand the note or tone, it can be easy to miss out on a key and make a mistake; this is why it is important to slow down and practice at a more consistent pace. As you get more familiar with the song, gradually increase the speed until you are confident in your ability to match the original speed.
Conclusion
Playing the piano might look easy, but in reality, the amount of effort and dedication put into perfecting each song requires a lot of hard work. There needs to be more than just piano classes once a week to hone your piano skills. In fact, it will require daily practice and motor skills to coordinate your movements properly.
If you are planning to pick up piano lessons but want to save money, Mun Kai Piano Company offers used pianos for sale or piano rentals to practise. We also provide piano-related services, from upright and grand piano rentals to piano tuning. For further enquiries, feel free to contact us today!
