9 Practice Strategies That Work

​You’ve heard it time and again: Practice makes perfect! But, we all know that practice is hard work and can be a real drag. Here are some tested and true strategies to up your game as you work through new assigned pieces.
 

1. Name every note in the piece. – It sounds tedious but it works. What is even better is making a photocopy of the music, and with a pencil, labeling EVERY SINGLE NOTE. This ensures that your reading is parred and that if you encounter any mistakes, you have a reference that you can trash/recycle/shred when you are done.
2. Play each hand separately. Work on your right hand alone and become overly familiar with the melody, contour, and timing. Then switch to the left hand. Immerse yourself in the chords and structure. Identify when you are playing block chords, broken chords, patterns, or countermelody in a chorale style.
3. Begin learning hands together in a “phrase by phrase” manner OR measure by measure. Do not move on until you can play this section 3 times in a row without a mistake. Then, string together the previous section(s) when you have completed the new one.
4. Label chords with chord symbols or Roman Numerals. This will help you quickly identify what sound to expect and hear incorrect notes, passing tones, neighbor notes, etc. You can also compare your chords to the sheet you copied and wrote all over with the names of the notes. This could benefit you by showing where you have 7th chords, for example.
5. Practice your piece backward. Okay, not literally backward. But start with the last note. Then the last 2. The last 3, etc. An alternative to this is to backward practice measure by measure. I use this with students quite frequently. You hear and see things with freshness, and often can find spots that need TLC.
6. Start each practice with detailed work in the middle of your piece, or at trouble spots, instead of playing the piece all through. This allows spot checks on the trickier parts and works you up to a climactic finish where you play the piece all the way through with fewer mistakes.
7. Never begin practice at full speed. Always start slower. My philosophy closely aligns with that of the Bach Scholar on YouTube, Corey Hall: Practice at half speed. THEN slowly increase the tempo by 3-5 ticks until you reach the desired or capable tempo.
8. Listen to your piece daily. That’s right, it’s part of practice! Find a reputable recording or video and listen frequently. Do not imitate the recording though – that is not what this practice tip is about. It’s about getting the work ingrained into your memory, being able to sing/hum it at any time, and/or along with the recording. You should know your work just like you know all the lyrics to your favorite Def Leppard song (or whomever your favorite band/singer is).
9. Always end your practice with a full playing of the piece. Find satisfaction in the hard work you have done in certain areas. Reward yourself with playing your favorite light piano piece, a cookie, a reading break, etc. Cooling off all that pent-up energy in a productive way will make your practices more “worthwhile.”