Having piano lessons is one of the most rewarding hobbies out there, but unless we practice regularly and with commitment, progress will be limited. In this article I’ll be giving you some ideas on how to practice piano every day, while finding enjoyment and musical fulfilment along the way.
I always say that 95% of your improvement happens between your piano lessons. Your weekly lesson is a great chance to check-in so your teacher can see how you’re doing, and set you some new goals. But without effective practice, you may not reach those goals.
I hope the following tips are helpful, they may not all be suitable for you and your particular schedule, but it might just give you a few ideas:
6 tips for How To Practice Piano Every Day:
1. Get clear on what you are practising
Without goals and targets, practice is going to feel muddled and pointless. You hopefully always leave your piano lessons with a clear idea of what is expected of you for your next lesson.
You might be trying to memorise a piece, you might be trying to bring out the dynamics, or maybe you’re simply trying to get a particular section to a consistent speed. Whatever you’re working on, make sure you’re super clear and focussed on that.
With my students, I always make sure they have a notebook for lesson notes, where I try to be as clear as possible about what needs to be practised that week. Not all teachers do this and that is fine, but either way, having a record of your lessons, what you went through, what you learned, and what you need to practice is truly invaluable.
2. Set a realistic goal for practice time
Practice is hard mental work. No, wait a sec… focussed practice is hard mental work. Very few people can practice for hours on end with concentration and focus, especially in our world of distractions, dopamine addiction and social media notifications.
My advice? Set a realistic time goal for your practice. For beginners and children, it might only be ten minutes. But you can do so much in ten focussed minutes. For more intermediate players it might be twenty or twenty-five minutes. Whatever you decide, set a timer, and then keep your phone away from you for the duration of your practice. Smaller chunks every day will achieve so much more than a panic-stricken couple of hours on the morning of your lesson.
3. Practice at the same time each day
This is where we will all be different. For me, I do my best work in the morning, so that’s when I try to practice. We’re trying to build a habit here to practice the piano every day, so try to create a routine for your practice. Maybe you do it first thing in the morning, so it’s done for the day. Maybe for you, after work is the best time, and a good way to switch off from work. Maybe it’s after the kids have gone to bed (if they can sleep through it of course!)
4. Build a habit stack
If you really want to know how to practice piano every day, try building other habits around your practice. You could make yourself a cup of tea to drink while you practice, or do it right after you brush your teeth in the morning. For children, it could be after school but before food or homework. If it’s in the schedule and built around other habits, it is more likely to get done.
5. Remember that the hardest part is starting
It’s like going for a run, the hardest step is over your own doorstep. With the piano, the hardest part is the mental reluctance to just sit down and start. This is just your mind wanting to avoid the challenge of practising. Challenge yourself to just do five minutes (time it), once five minutes is up, you’ll probably be happy to carry on, but if not – no worries! We’re trying to build a habit here, it’s what you do most days that counts. Forcing yourself when it is just not happening will only make you more reluctant the following day.
6. Practice the hardest things first
My Auntie Janet always used to say to me: “Do the things you have to do before the things you want to do.”
This is an excellent motto for practice. That difficult piece you avoid? Start with the bit you are really struggling with. Melodic minors proving elusive? Start with those.
This has a few benefits, firstly, you do the hardest practice when your mind is still fresh, and secondly, you then can practice your other things knowing that you’ve already tackled the biggest challenge. Practising all your favourite pieces and then trying to summon the motivation to practice the scary piece is horrible. Save yourself from this torment and do the hard thing first.
So those are just a few tips on building a daily practice habit. If you’d like to get in touch with me about piano lessons in York, click here. You may find this blog post interesting too.
I’d love to hear from you in the comments below – how do you plan to make practice a daily habit?