Although the piano (short for "pianoforte") is often expensive, add to the equation its not being portable, its omnipresence and versatility make it one of the most familiar musical instruments across the globe. Thus, a lot of people dream of being able to play this instrument but from which only a few actually turn this dream into reality with piano lessons Memorial Houston and constant practice. For this reason, provided in this material are simple tips that will help you with your quest of becoming a better pianist!

 

1. Set a Goal

Everytime you seat on that bench to practice your arpeggios and scales persistently, you will not progress farther from where you are unless you set a goal. Choose a certain piece and try to master it within a certain period. Set daily schedules to practice the piece until you master it. Then, you can even transport it to another key. Before taking that piano bench, you must have a goal and not continually do what you have been doing in the past.

 

2. Practice

Regular practice is very essential to improving one's skills. A lot of us live by busy schedules but if you truly want to be good at playing the piano, you need to find time to practice everyday. Short daily schedules are better than a one-time practice for hours.

 

On the contrary, do not over do it! Playing the piano requires full concentration, and not all of us can have that focus for long periods. Know you limits, and once you have reached yours, stop and rest. Go for a walk and clear your mind of unnecessary things. Even if you practice for long periods but without concentration, your efforts will only turn to waste.

 

Additionally, practice slowly but surely. People have the notion that the faster you play, the faster you learn.  You need to understand that the brain cannot fully absorb musical information when one plays too fast. Also, when playing too fast, you may miss out notes without even knowing, which leads to your playing being sloppy. Do not think that slow playing is equivalent to poor playing. One of the best ways for us to learn something is by doing it first in a pace we are very comfortable in.

 

3. Don't Worry about Mistakes

We practice to become good or expert at something, so that we can avoid mistakes in the future. But mistakes are a normal part or learning. So, stop worrying about committing a mistake because this will only make you live in constant fear. As long as you know where you made a mistake or what error you committed, then you can correct these, improve weak points and carry on.

 

4. Practice without the Piano

One of the ways to learn a piano piece is analyzing it mentally – internalize the piece, listen to the inner voices of the material, discover harmonic subtleties and themantic relations. Make it an integral part of your practice to first do a mental study and analysis of the piece.

 

5. Learn Music Theory

Studying music theory can be boring but this is an integral part of learning. You don't have to be an expert at everything the book contains but at least have enough knowledge that will enable you to understand better and appreciate more what you are playing. With enough knowledge of music theory, you will be able to play around notes and know which will sound good, than simply knowing it from the start. At least, take time to learn how to form chords, what chord progressions are, and how to recognize intervals and key signatures.

 

6. Challenge Yourself

One of the most common mistakes of people wanting to be better pianists but simply fail to improve is not challenging themselves. They keep on practicing or playing pieces that they already know. If you want to progress, do not get stuck in playing simple pieces that are well-within your skill set. Try to search for more difficult pieces to help you improve your skill. This is not saying that you go and pick a very complicated material that is way beyond your skill or understanding, but one that you will keep you out of your league. For instance, if you are hard up with your left hand, then choose a piece that is a bit difficult for the left hand. This way, you will be able to practice more on your weakest points and eventually slowly improve on them.

 

7. Have Fun

The last, and one of the most important things you need to keep in mind, is to have fun! You will not progress further and achieve what you want if you are not happy about what you are doing in the first place. Learning to play the piano is indeed a challenging endeavor but finding the joy in doing so will make the journey more fulfilling. Don't think of it as a task, rather something you love doing. Now, go on and have fun!