Piano Blog by Skoove – Piano Practice Tips
Learning to play the piano is a wonderful pursuit, but it can be thwarted due to a lack of time or energy. One reason people abandon piano is a lack of concentration that makes them feel unmotivated and distracted from their goal. As a result, students wonder how they can stay focused and motivated while learning to play the piano.
If you are interested in learning the piano but have been distracted in the past, then this post is for you! Here you will find some fresh tips that will help you learn the piano effectively. Hopefully these suggestions will help you stay motivated and pursue your dream of becoming a pianist!
Make sure you enjoy your music
Many students end up losing concentration because they simply don’t find the music they are practicing interesting. This is a common problem, especially if you have been working on a piece for an extended period of time. Learning to read music is a challenge and it can be advantageous to incorporate a few easy pieces that you truly enjoy, rather than slogging through a heavy piece of classical music because that’s what you think you are supposed to do.
If you make sure to incorporate music you enjoy into your practice, you will find that you will have a much easier time concentrating on your piano practice.
Be sure to space out
Spacing out is healthy. Really! Taking breaks in your practice to refresh your mind and give your fingers and hands a rest is a proven technique to increase your productivity. Focus exclusively on one task for 10 minutes or so.
For example, practice the right hand of your newest piano piece for 10 minutes. Set an alarm and at the end of your time, get up and go walk around your house, have a glass of water, or do some other activity for about 5 minutes.
Then, when you return you will be fresh and ready to focus again.
Create realistic goals
A surefire way to lose concentration is to set unrealistic goals for yourself. If you think that you will become a piano master in one month and set out to learn Chopin’s Fantasie Impromptu without having learned the C major scale, then you will be in for a real treat!
Having small, manageable goals that you can focus on for short periods of time will help you remain concentrated on the piano and also help you too see the bigger picture of your development as a pianist. Start with some simple piano songs and then work your way up. Becoming an accomplished pianist is like constructing a large building. When you look at the finished product that takes years to develop, it can be intimidating.
But, if you look at the plans and concentrate on accomplishing a small amount everyday, then your roots will be well planted.
Practice at a similar time
Another great way to help boost your concentration is to practice the piano at the same time everyday, or each day that you practice. If your mind is preoccupied when you sit down to practice piano, then you will likely lose concentration rather quickly and probably not accomplish what you were hoping for.
Identifying the ideal time to practice is highly beneficial to your progress. Maybe the best time for you is first thing in the morning, when your mind is fresh from sleep. Or perhaps after lunch provides you the perfect little escape to break up your day. Or possibly you find the best time for piano practice is at night after dinner or right before sleep as a kind of soothing aid to end your day and relieve your mental stress.
Either way, finding a similar time to practice each time will help you focus and maintain strong concentration in your piano practice.
Maintain a positive environment
Choosing the proper environment to practice is crucial to ensuring that you maintain concentration while practicing the piano. Be intentional about setting up your practice area. That way, you create the most ideal situation for your focused, creative side to emerge. Whether you practice in a special part of the house or have just a small corner, if you take time to maintain a healthy and organized environment that is free of distractions, you will be setting yourself up for success with your piano practice.
Keep a log or journal
A simple way to maintain concentration and focus in your piano practice over weeks and months is to keep a simple log or journal of your practice. If you make notes about what and when you practice, you will be able to keep track of your progress over the long term.
This way, you will be able to see all the ways that you are improving in your piano practice. You will feel more motivated to work towards your goals if you can see them unfolding before you. Maybe you have some piano rhythm exercises you want to speed up or a new tune you really want to learn.
You could even write down some quick thoughts about your concentration and focus levels during your piano practice. Did you feel focused the entire session? Did your concentration wane after 20 minutes or so?
Feel free to share
Finally, sharing your experience with other pianists is a wonderful way to help inspire your practice and boost your concentration. Having musician friends to talk about piano and share tips, tricks, and repertoire with is extremely beneficial to your overall progress in your piano practice. Ask your friends what they do to help them stay motivated during their piano practice time. You might find some surprising answers! Online piano lessons can provide you with an active community of pianists to share with!
Conclusion
Maintaining concentration and focus during piano practice is something every pianist can struggle with, now matter how long they have been practicing the piano. It is a worthwhile life-skill to develop your mental focus and concentration skills.
If you are having issues concentrating while you learn to play piano:
First make sure you are actually enjoying the music you are practicing.
Be sure you include adequate breaks in your practice session so your focus does not burn out.
Create realistic goals that you can achieve in a manageable amount of time.
Make sure the time and space are properly set up for your piano practice.
You can try keeping a log or journal of your progress to stay on track.
And finally, be sure to check out Skoove and all the wonderful lessons. Skoove is the best piano app to help you stay focused on your piano journey, no matter what challenges life throws at you!
Author of this blog post
Eddie Bond is a multi-instrumentalist performer, composer, and music instructor currently based in Seattle, Washington USA. He has performed extensively in the US, Canada, Argentina, and China, released over 40 albums, and has over a decade experience working with music students of all ages and ability levels.
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