THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO PIANO PRACTICE A Handy Compendium Of Useful Piano Practice Tips, Advice And Methods For Intermediate To Advanced Players THE PIANIST AS AN ATHLETE GUY SHEPHERD
THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO PIANO PRACTICE
A Handy Compendium Of Useful Piano Practice Tips, Advice And
Methods For Intermediate To Advanced Players
THE PIANIST AS
AN ATHLETE
GUY SHEPHERD
1
THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO PIANO PRACTICE: THE PIANIST AS AN ATHLETE
CONTENTS
I. PREFACE: THE PIANIST AS AN ATHLETE ……………………………………………. Pg. 2 – 3
II. IMPORTANT PRINCIPLES OF PLAYING THE PIANO……………………………. Pg. 4 We Are Magicians …………………………………………………………………………………….. Pg. 4
Weight And Relaxation …………………………………………………………………………….. Pg. 5
Don’t Fight Gravity …………………………………………………………………………………… Pg. 5 – 6
Rotary And Lateral Movements ………………………………………………………………… Pg. 6 – 7
Take A Break And Innovate …………………………………………………………………….... Pg. 7 – 8
The Drop …………………………………………………………………………………………………. Pg. 8
III. MAKING THE MOST OUT OF EXERCISES …………………………………………… Pg. 9 Why Exercises Are Important …………………………………………………………………… Pg. 9
K.I.S.S. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… Pg. 10
Mix ‘n’ Match …………………………………………………………………………………………… Pg. 10
Brain Gym ……………………………………………………………………………………………….. Pg. 11
Away From The Piano ……………………………………………………………………………… Pg. 12 – 13
IV. WHAT MAKES EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE PRACTICE?…………………….. Pg. 14 Preparing A New Piece …………………………………………………………………………….. Pg. 14 – 15
One Size Does Not Fit All ………………………………………………………………………….. Pg. 15 – 16
Slowly But Surely …………………………………………………………………………………….. Pg. 17
It’s All A Game …………………………………………………………………………………………. Pg. 17 – 19
Without Pedal …………………………………………………………………………………………. Pg. 19
Memorisation ………………………………………………………………………………………….. Pg. 19 – 21
Improvisation …………………………………………………………………………………………. Pg. 21 – 22
Spice It Up! ……………………………………………………………………………………………… Pg. 22 – 24
The Big 3 ………………………………………………………………………………………………… Pg. 24
10,000 Hours Of Joy ………………………………………………………………………………… Pg. 25
Motivation ………………………………………………………………………………………………. Pg. 26
V. A FINAL WORD OF WARNING! …………………………………………………………… Pg. 27
2
THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO PIANO PRACTICE: THE PIANIST AS AN ATHLETE
I. PREFACE
THE PIANIST AS AN ATHLETE
The often neglected topic of piano practice and technique is a vast and controversial
subject matter which takes more than a lifetime to understand. Throughout my studies
I’ve been amazed, especially in masterclasses, at how teachers will simply ask students
to ‘try this’, ‘imagine it this way’ or ‘make it sound like this’, without any regard for how
one is actually supposed to achieve it physically. It seems as if the student is supposed
prepossess intrinsic abilities to know how to execute these extraordinary feats.
For a long time in my early youth I never paid much attention to the importance of
technical exercises (probably because it wasn’t that important to my early teachers, a
great tragedy). Many people seem to think an accomplished technique is achieved
through being musical and musicality alone, which is simply not true. One of the main
obstacles at the piano is getting past the resistance of the keyboard through building up
strong hands and finger independence with exercises and etudes, and learning to use
arm weight and relaxation: resulting in an enormous amount of practice! When an
athlete – be it a body-builder, runner or fighter – trains constantly to build up their
3
THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO PIANO PRACTICE: THE PIANIST AS AN ATHLETE
stamina, speed, muscle strength and flexibility, this is exactly what we as pianists should
be doing. Just because we play music which somehow transcends physical life and its
(sometimes) mundane drudgery, it doesn’t mean we’re different and special in any way.
If we want a good technique then we must physically work for it. Many great pianists
fail to share their technical success, automatically enhancing their astonishing abilities
with a sense of unreachable greatness in the eyes of those who wish to follow in their
footsteps.
Over the years I’ve largely made my own way in discovering what works and what
doesn’t at the piano. Of course I’ve had many (many) lessons, masterclasses and
performance experiences to learn from, but I’ve undergone a huge personal learning
curve about what it means to be a pianist. To me, being a pianist is much like being an
athlete, mentally and physically, which a lot of people won’t fully understand and would
disagree with. Everyone is different with varying hand shapes and sizes, synapses,
neural pathways and deep-seated musical ideas and ideologies. But there are some
important fundamentals I am certain of that underpin the piano and one’s technique
whilst sitting at this god of instruments.
This book is to help those who suffer, or have suffered, from poor pedagogical practice
or for those struggling to overcome plateaus in their own playing. This compendium of
knowledge is founded on and inspired by at least a decade of personal and professional
experience as a performer, composer and educator. Take what works for you and
dismiss what doesn’t. Some of the information and principles provided will probably
already be familiar to you; the book should be used in conjunction with your own
teacher and their pedagogy.
4
THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO PIANO PRACTICE: THE PIANIST AS AN ATHLETE
II. FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES OF
PLAYING THE PIANO
WE ARE MAGICIANS
The game of music always starts with the art of listening. This is especially important
for pianists as we don’t have to tune the notes we play, so we tend to stop listening to
ourselves. The sound we make from the notes we play is our signature. Unlike most
other instruments, the piano is incapable of sustaining notes to create smooth singing
lines. As soon as a note is pressed down the sound immediately begins to decay. This
phenomenon is cleverly concealed through the use of pedal, body language and what
some people call ‘intonation’. Intonation is the ability to create a seamless line by always
balancing the initial dynamics of the note just played with the decayed dynamics of the
preceding note. For example: if one wanted to sustain a note for a number of beats
followed by another note (or notes) with the aim of minimal disruption of the line, one
would have to listen to the end dynamic of the first note and match it with the following
note in order for there to be no bump in the line. The weight needs to be transferred
smoothly from finger to finger to create a legato cantabile line. Easier said than done!
TIP: Just think of rolling a heavy cannonball through thick treacle!
Practise transferring the weight from finger to finger, with the
feeling that the weight from one finger is being passed smoothly
and evenly to the other. Imagine placing weights on an old
fashioned pair of weighing scales to help with the visualisation.
5
THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO PIANO PRACTICE: THE PIANIST AS AN ATHLETE
WEIGHT AND RELAXATION
One of the keys to achieving a good sound is through the use of weight and relaxation.
By relaxing your shoulders, arms and wrists you allow the energy to flow more freely to
the keyboard with minimal energy expended by tension. The principle of how different
qualities of sound are produced on the piano is complicated and little understood.
Physicists would have you believe that if the same force is exerted on a key then the
same dynamic and sound quality is produced. But any of us who have been playing the
piano for a considerable length of time will know this is simply untrue. You can be
certain that the sound produced by a good pianist compared to the sound produced by a
brick falling on the keys with the same force will be significantly superior in tone
quality. This is to do with the way the key is depressed and how energy is transferred
and converted into sound in the process.
DON’T FIGHT GRAVITY
Here is an analogy to help you understand the concept of producing different sounds:
Imagine! Think of a hockey player hitting a hockey puck. He/she can hit it in two
ways, 1) by swinging at it, producing a cracking sound, 2) by scooping it, producing little
or no sound. By hitting the puck in the first way, energy is lost through sound from the
hard hitting impact when the stick meets the puck, but, by scooping the puck in the second
way one is able to transfer all the energy to the puck with no hitting action, resulting in
the puck being driven a greater distance with a smooth action . . .
Puck being scooped smoothly Puck being hit with a ‘crack’
6
THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO PIANO PRACTICE: THE PIANIST AS AN ATHLETE
Now try to imagine this action at the piano, where your shoulders, arms, wrists and
fingers are the hockey stick and the notes are the pucks. Instead of physically using your
muscle to depress a key, try just relaxing everything and let the weight of your arm and
gravity push down the key. The aim is for the key to reach the bottom of the key bed,
rather than just playing on the surface of the keys. You will notice a significant
difference in the quality of the two sounds. By using weight, you are allowing the full
vertical range of the key to be utilised, with minimal energy being wasted by forcibly
pushing down the key. The reason why we keep the fingers firm, while everything else
is relaxed, is because the fingers act as the final terminal for the transfer of energy to the
keyboard. The aim is for the transfer to be as direct as possible: compare the difference
in trying to press down a key with a flat floppy finger with a firm curved finger. The tone
quality of the latter is much richer and more direct. See figures 1 and 2 below.
Figure 1 Figure 2
ROTARY AND LATERAL MOVEMENTS
An important principle of playing the piano is economy of movement. This is primarily
to achieve evenness of touch and control. Preparation and the covering of notes are
essential for feeling ‘ready’ prior to playing notes. This is attained through rotary and
lateral movements. Rotary movements allow us to support either side of the hand, when
required, through the use of more force or weight by tilting the hand side to side. This
ensures an even touch and effect from all fingers, especially outer fingers, such as the
fifth finger and thumb, to help pronounce melodies and counter-melodies. This concept
7
THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO PIANO PRACTICE: THE PIANIST AS AN ATHLETE
can be considered as rotation-touch. Lateral movements are sideways movements of the
hand, with emphasis on the passing under of the thumb, particularly in scale and
arpeggio passages. Without these horizontal connecting movements, such techniques
would be impossible to join and play smoothly, resulting in jerky disconnected
passagework. For larger horizontal leaps, the whole arm and shoulder must be engaged
to help deal with the distance involved. Rotary and lateral movements must be used in
conjunction with vertical freedom and relaxation of the wrist.
TIP: Combining these principles with the idea of using weight, relaxation and
gravity will lead to the ability to create much with little.
TAKE A BREAK AND INNOVATE
The best practice is extremely concentrated with no daydreaming at all. Everyone has
different lengths they can concentrate for and will discover their own limit in time.
When focus starts to decrease and unrelated external thoughts start to creep into the
practice session that is the time to stop and take a break. Try going for a short walk, go
to the toilet, get some water or talk to someone; anything to take your mind off
practising. Sipping water while you practise is extremely good for maintaining
concentration and presence of mind. I personally find practising for an hour at a time
with 10-15 minute breaks in between to be very effective, ensuring that I’m refreshed
and ready to be productive for each new hour. The amount of practice you do will
depend on the workload of an individual. This could be anywhere from 3 - 8 hours a
day!
TIP: You will find that, by taking these frequent breaks, your brain will become
more creative and innovative!
It’s also important to be consistent. Some days you will have more energy and will feel
inclined to practise, other days quite the contrary. Try to complete the same amount of
highly concentrated practice each day. It’s more constructive for your energies to be
8
THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO PIANO PRACTICE: THE PIANIST AS AN ATHLETE
spread out evenly over the course of a week. If you feel your practice is going well, don’t
do any more than you would normally do that day. Save your energy for the next day. To
get the most out of each hour session, it’s a good idea to set yourself goals to achieve in
that hour and to make sure you reach them in the time limit. This will help you to
practise more efficiently without wasting time.
TIP: Remember, its quality not quantity!
THE DROP
Whether you are a sportsman, athlete, actor, musician or any profession that involves
performance of any kind, one of the most crucial factors to successful delivery is
relaxation and the feeling of dropping your body weight into every movement you do.
This not only helps unrequired muscles to stay relaxed, but is also incredibly beneficial
from the point of view of having a calm and confident mind-set. By using the natural
weight of your body you are again using gravity to aid in the physical side of
performance. Try this warm-up below at the start of each day to eradicate tension.
Imagine! Stand with your feet should-width apart with your arms loosely above
your head. Then, while simultaneously bending your knees and breathing out, drop your
arms and all your body weight to the floor, like you are feeling all tension rush out from
your body. Immediately afterwards, using the power stored by straightening your knees,
breath in to erect your body upright and bring your arms back above your head. Repeat
the process in as relaxed a fashion as possible, timing your breathing with the movements.
9
THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO PIANO PRACTICE: THE PIANIST AS AN ATHLETE
III. MAKING THE MOST OUT OF EXERCISES
WHY EXERCISES ARE IMPORTANT
The importance of developing a strong technique from the start is paramount in
expressing personal musical ideas more efficiently and intrinsically. Not only do
exercises and etudes develop one’s technique, they help to cultivate a deep, innate
understanding of self-expression, creativity, improvisation and performance confidence.
Scales develop physical technique as well as coordination, feel and colour of different
keys. They strengthen the fingers, tendons and muscles, and improve agility, speed and
stamina. Many complex exercises also draw on one’s knowledge of harmony, chord
progressions and music theory for their successful execution, thus improving their
musicianship skills and mental capacity. Tailor your exercises to specific technical
problems you have general difficulty with, and to current problems you might be
experiencing in new repertoire. Below is a warm-up suggestion:
Imagine! Start away from the piano by moving your arms in circles in both
directions. Feel your shoulder muscles relaxing and the blood being flung to your
fingertips. When you feel warm and loose sit at the piano. Begin by placing your right hand
thumb on middle C, and, with the first finger stretch to the right to the farthest note
possible and press it down. Do this as legato as possible with all the fingers in succession in
both hands separately. Pause on each note briefly to let the body adjust physiologically . . .
TIP: This will improve your flexibility. Don’t over stretch, think moderation!
10
THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO PIANO PRACTICE: THE PIANIST AS AN ATHLETE
K.I.S.S.
Keep it simple stupid! The first practice session of the day can sometimes be slow.
Exercises are a good way of getting into the swing of things without having to think too
much. Exercises are physically and mentally beneficial. Simple exercises that are easy to
remember, like five finger studies, allow you to focus on the physical aspects of what
your hands and fingers are doing. These are a good way to start the day and to warm up.
The other benefit is that more complex exercises are not only a workout for the fingers
and hands, but also challenge and stretch the brain’s mental capacity. Longer,
harmonically advanced and modulatory exercises will make everything else seem like a
walk in the park. Make sure you’re focusing mentally and physically on your movements
and your sound. Many hours of mindless repetition is dangerous and
counterproductive, so a thoughtful, intelligent and pragmatic approach is vital.
TIP: Always try to start your day with some exercises.
More repetition = greater results!
MIX ‘N’ MATCH
The greater variety of exercises you can do, the better! To accompany scales and
arpeggios, one must work on all areas of technique, including chords, divided hands,
octaves and broken octaves, extensions, weak fingers, trills, double notes, staccato and
more. Find areas you struggle with the most and devote more time to improving them.
It’s simple but true, the more hours you spend at the keyboard performing various
acrobatics, the faster your technique will improve. Intelligent repetition is key.
11
THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO PIANO PRACTICE: THE PIANIST AS AN ATHLETE
BRAIN GYM
If you really want to get ‘stuck in’ then try this. Most exercises are written in one key at
a time. All exercises should be played in all keys. To get the brain working let’s make
things more interesting. Starting very slowly, take any scale, arpeggio or exercise and
play each hand in a different key simultaneously. This will test the brains ability to think
in two keys at once, building strong bridges between the right and left hemispheres of
the brain. Once you’ve got the hang of that, try swapping over the hands; right hand
over the left and left hand over the right. Swapping the hands over is amazing for
ensuring both hands are even and together in scale passages. The hand that you find
lagging behind should be the hand you put underneath to work it harder. The wrist of
the hand underneath is forced down by the hand on top, requiring the fingers of the
under hand to articulate more clearly. Now practise the exercises with each hand
playing a contrasting rhythm and articulation. This is where it starts to get trickier! You
can also try playing all the scales with C major fingering. After doing this, every ‘normal’
scale will feel significantly easier. Here are some recommendations for books on
exercises, studies and technique (Hanon, Tankard, Brahms, Dohnanyi, Chopin):
Once you feel you’ve made progress with these different ways of playing exercises and
scales, try mixing and matching different methods to give your brain a thorough mental
workout. Get creative and start making up your own exercises to assist in specific
technical problems you experience. This is where the fun really starts!
TIP: The harder you make your brain work, the easier everything else will
seem. Your understanding of harmony, keys, chord progressions and theory will
advance rapidly after a brain gym session!
12
THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO PIANO PRACTICE: THE PIANIST AS AN ATHLETE
AWAY FROM THE PIANO
If you happen to find yourself at a loose end without a piano to practise on, then are
ways to keep your hands in shape. A hard surface such as a table top or your knee will
suffice as a keyboard to carry out simple exercises. Pianists often forget that they are
also percussionists due to the very nature of the piano. This requires pianists to have a
good sense of rhythm, which many don’t, with the ability to execute passages such as
split octaves between the hands and repetition of octaves in one hand. The movements
required for these actions are virtually identical to that of a percussionist playing a
rhythm or a roll on a snare drum using alternating hands. Paradiddles, drumming
patterns, can be practised on your knee anytime, anywhere. See the example below for
some ideas to get you started:
Figure 3
TIP: The right and left hand markings should be strictly adhered to!
13
THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO PIANO PRACTICE: THE PIANIST AS AN ATHLETE
Here is a finger exercise with five variations you can do on any hard surface:
Figure 4
1) Hold down the thumb 2) Hold down the 2nd finger
5 5 5 5
4 4 4 4
3 3 3 3
2 2 2………………………………………………
1……………………………………………… 1 1
3) Hold down the 3rd finger 4) Hold down the 4th finger
5 5 5 5
4 4 4………………………………………………
3……………………………………………… 3 3
2 2 2 2
1 1 1 1
5) Hold down the 5th finger
5………………………………………………
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
For each variation, hold down the finger marked by the dotted line while playing the
respective chord patterns indicated by the colours representing each finger. This
exercise will improve your finger independence. The 4th and 5th fingers, being the
weakest, need to be more pronounced with greater articulation. Perform the exercises
slowly and deliberately, focusing on lifting your fingers high and using weight.
14
THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO PIANO PRACTICE: THE PIANIST AS AN ATHLETE
IV. WHAT MAKES EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE
PRACTICE?
PREPARING A NEW PIECE
Doing everything right and adhering to everything in the score from the beginning is of
crucial importance! Psychologists can prove that a stimulus enters long-term memory
(that is, it is “learned”) after it has been attentively observed 7 times. But if an
“incorrect” stimulus is first learned, it then takes an average of 35 repetitions to learn
the “corrected” stimulus! Learning it right the first time is five times easier than re-
learning after learning it incorrectly. I can say with confidence and experience that this
is 100% true, and if you don’t want to waste your time then one must always remember
this for efficient and successful results. The most important and demanding areas of
learning new music are the initial stages, where discovering the ‘correct stimulus’ is
paramount to ultimately preparing a piece soundly and securely.
Choosing the correct stimulus from the
start will ensure you get on the right path!
15
THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO PIANO PRACTICE: THE PIANIST AS AN ATHLETE
Through much experience, I’ve come to the realisation that the slower and more
pragmatic the approach to learning a new piece, the better the results. The key to
making a particular stimulus a permanent part of your long-term memory is to review it
repeatedly over a long period of time. Memories that are not reviewed in this way
become gradually weaker with time. To help speed up the initial process of learning a
new piece, here are some handy tips:
1. Establish a numbering system for distinguishing the hierarchy of important
notes and beats. Familiarise yourself with passages where weak fingers are used.
2. Work out and circle unexpected notes and notes with many ledger lines to save
working them out each time you come back to it.
3. Analyse the structure of the piece, identify the climax and any repeats.
4. Write in the harmonies, any modulations and changes of character.
5. Identify broken chords and arpeggios. Break down complex scale passages into
more understandable, bite-size sections.
6. Find similar patterns, repeating motifs, matching bars and phrases, thematic
material. Fit the piece together like a jigsaw puzzle.
ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL
Everyone has different hands. So this means not sitting down and religiously following
the fingerings that the editor has put in the score, without even exploring alternatives
that might otherwise prove to be far more effective. There’s only one way to find out
what works best for you, and that is to discover which fingerings are most comfortable,
16
THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO PIANO PRACTICE: THE PIANIST AS AN ATHLETE
effortless and logical at the final performance tempo. This is especially true for passages
of a higher technical and harmonic complexity where security and memorisation might
be an issue. There is no point in reading through the music slowly, deciding on a set of
fingerings, practising it slowly, to only then realise that it doesn’t lie comfortably under
the hands or feel fluid when up to tempo. This problem could have been solved from the
start by trying out several different sets of fingerings up to tempo, and then going with
your gut feeling as to which one feels ‘right’. What feels ‘right’ will vary from person to
person, depending on hand size, finger strength and agility, understanding of harmonic
progressions, and also the innate instinct to follow patterns that have been ingrained
through rigorous practising of technical tools such as scales, arpeggios and exercises. It
can be advantageous, from the perspective of memory security, to use the same
fingerings on passages where a motif or pattern is used in a sequence or in another key,
even if it might appear awkward or ‘go against the grain’ at first. This is of course a
personal choice, and may not be wise, such as playing a passage in D flat major with the
same fingerings as one would in C major. Always remember, go with that ‘right’ feeling.
TIP: Always write any observations you make in the score. Every day your
brain will see these annotations until they become embedded in long term memory.
17
THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO PIANO PRACTICE: THE PIANIST AS AN ATHLETE
SLOWLY BUT SURELY
Once you’ve analysed the score, written in your decided fingerings and adhered to the
composer’s intentions, the process of finalising and polishing begins. Most of the time
spent learning a piece is in the polishing process, not the initial learning process. This is
where slow and deliberate practice is essential to attain technical and mental security
over the piece. Do not make the mistake of practising to play slowly rather than slow
practice. All necessary movements, dynamics and expression one use while playing up
to tempo should be there during slow practice. Using weight will also be a factor in
achieving control of touch.
TIP: Imagine you are choreographing your whole body, but at a slower tempo!
IT’S ALL A GAME
One will undoubtedly experience musical and technical problems in any piece they
encounter. We need to be keen problem solvers to overcome the labyrinth of puzzles we
face at this stage of the learning journey. Don't look at practicing as putting in a certain
amount of time at the piano, or as repeating your pieces a certain number of times. Look
at practicing as solving problems in your pieces. This process occurs in three stages:
1. Identify the problem.
2. What is causing the problem?
3. Fix the problem.
18
THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO PIANO PRACTICE: THE PIANIST AS AN ATHLETE
Once you’ve identified the problem and found out why it exists, you can move on to
finding solutions to solve it. Problems may be caused by bad technique, bad fingering,
awkward jumps and stretches or maybe an unclear mental image of the piece. Below is
a list of practice tips and ideas to help assist in common technical and musical
difficulties. Remember, they must be practised slowly!
Accenting and sustaining notes – this should be used on notes of importance
such as beat notes (in hierarchical order) and weak fingers to achieve rhythmic
clarity.
Pauses – this is useful for eradicating urges and rushing at places such as jumps,
prior to accents and on beat notes during running passages to act as mini
anchors for inner calm. Imagine a climber on a huge cliff face fastening
themselves on in crucial places for safety.
Breathing – integrate breathing into your slow practice as a way of staying
relaxed, especially at moments of tension and technical instability.
Counting – in rhythmically complex passages, try counting the beats out loud
while playing. This will vastly enhance your understanding and feel for the
rhythms at hand.
Rhythms – practise using a variety of rhythms to help achieve even, controlled
passagework. This is used in conjunction with pauses and stops.
Reverse order – try practising the piece starting with the end first, or the middle
first or by starting at different sections first. This tests to see if you know the
piece inside out.
Prioritise – always get to work on the difficult bits first, the easy bits will come
naturally.
Dynamics – practise your touch by using different dynamics to achieve even
control.
Articulation – use different articulations such as staccato to help strengthen
fingers.
Closed eyes – use this method for passages containing jumps and stretches
where there might be a large distance between the hands.
19
THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO PIANO PRACTICE: THE PIANIST AS AN ATHLETE
Repeated notes – play each note twice to reinforce mental and physical
mastery, this is particularly useful in fast running scale passages.
Hands separately – good for a piece where one hand is difficult enough to
warrant separate attention. I would recommend putting both hands together as
soon as possible.
Finger groups – divide complex passagework into groups separated by the
passing under of the thumb. E.g. C major: 123 (stop) 12345 (stop) 54321 (stop)
321.
WITHOUT PEDAL
The majority of one’s practice should be done without pedal. By playing without pedal
one is able to listen more carefully. Without the aid of the pedal you have to work
harder to create a better sound and smooth linear lines, forcing the fingers to use true
finger legato and the whole arm to use more weight. Playing slowly without pedal
improves the evenness of your sound, but over doing it can lead to excessive tension.
Don’t aim for that super glossy sound you get from the pedal, not all the notes need to
be connected; some of the finest legato lines have been achieved in octaves with the
pedal as the glue. Do the best you can, but be aware that taking your hands completely
off the keyboard to pause in places is useful for bringing in space to the piece. It’s always
a good idea to find at least one place in a piece where you can breathe and refresh.
MEMORISATION
For some people memorising music is incredibly natural and subconscious, but for
others it’s a conscious effort and quite daunting. There are a variety of ways to
memorise music, some more difficult than others. The body memorises playing music
through touch and feel of the keyboard, how it sounds, by looking at visual elements of
how the body carries out movements to play the music and also through mental
memorisation. This is simplified into four below methods:
20
THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO PIANO PRACTICE: THE PIANIST AS AN ATHLETE
KINAESTHETIC AUDITORY
VISUAL MENTAL
The former three methods are automatically integrated into practice, but some people
can forget to include mental practice into a physical practice session. One of the key
reasons why people struggle with memorisation is because they haven’t envisaged a
vivid enough mental mind map of the piece. This mental mind map should literally be a
virtual score, complete with performance directions and feelings one experiences
during live performance. Kinaesthetic, auditory, visual and mental practice can all be
done at the piano, but mental practice alone, away from the piano, is the best method
for testing whether you really know a piece. It gives your hands a rest and
simultaneously works the most important organ of all, the brain! Try this exercise:
Imagine! Sit comfortably in a chair with nothing but your thoughts. Close your
eyes. Now, visualise yourself at the piano with your hands on the keyboard. Take a piece
from your repertoire and start practising it through. You must try to feel everything:
imagine the fingers you’re using, how it sounds, how it physically and emotionally feels at
each moment, hear all the different textures involved, places of rest and tension and see a
clear image of the evolution of the harmony. Try to see where the music is going and the
big picture with all its components. Imagine the entire mental soundscape lain out before
you. Quite simply, imagine you’re at a real piano practising . . .
21
THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO PIANO PRACTICE: THE PIANIST AS AN ATHLETE
Visualising in this way is difficult and requires an enormous amount of concentration.
Start with small sections first and build it up bit by bit until you’re confidently able to
imagine yourself practising and playing through a whole piece. If you can do this,
without the aid of physical muscle memory, you have thoroughly memorised the piece.
TIP: An advantage of this method is that it can be done anywhere: in the
shower, on the train or walking your dog!
IMPROVISATION
Classical musicians suffer from performance anxiety and stage fright more than any
other kind of performing musician, be it jazz groups, pop singers or folk fiddlers. This is
primarily down to the fact that classical musicians stick to the straight and narrow
during performance, so to speak. Jazz musicians in particular include improvisation as a
core feature in their music. This automatically introduces an element of uncertainty
with a mind-set of ‘anything goes’ into the mix, dispelling the feeling of ‘I have to play
this note perfectly’. This is also true of musicians who write and perform their own
music; no one can tell them it’s wrong when they wrote it. It’s this mind-set that
classical musicians need to embrace during performance; imagine you’re the first
person in the world to perform Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21, and you wrote it! No
pressure at all. To help get rid of this pressure and to embrace the ‘anything’ goes mind-
set try improvising on pieces you are playing. Get used to it sounding different, and that
it’s ok for it to sound different. Experiment with key changes, jazzy rhythms, melodic
22
THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO PIANO PRACTICE: THE PIANIST AS AN ATHLETE
extensions and thematic development. Improvisation will improve your performance
confidence and to trust yourself.
SPICE IT UP
Now that you know your pieces so well it is easy to fall into the trap of becoming
complacent. This is where lack of concentration, boredom and an inflexible attitude
creeps in. Flexibility is essential in dealing with various performing conditions and
coping with the unexpected. It’s important that one is innovative to find new ways to
practise, improve and progress through plateaus. Practising should be fun and creative
with a variety of practice methods to keep the brain absorbed for longer periods of time,
allowing a greater retention of what you learn during practice. Here are a few ideas on
how to make your practice more interesting:
If you are struggling with a certain passage, try playing it in another key.
Returning to the original key will feel much easier and more secure.
Practise with a variety of touches. For pianists this is advantageous as we are
constantly playing different pianos, so we must be able to handle a range of
keyboard actions.
Practise closing the lid of the piano and playing on the lid to hear how you are
articulating a passage. The deeper the thud, the better the articulation and
power.
To ensure that your wrists stay relaxed throughout your playing, flick them up
and down and ‘break’ them occasionally to remind you of how it feels to relax.
23
THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO PIANO PRACTICE: THE PIANIST AS AN ATHLETE
To improve your concentration, try having the television on in the background
speaking about a subject you are interested in. Try to block this external stimulus
from your head.
Inside out practice is useful for improving the memorisation and security of
chords. Practise by playing the inner notes first followed by the outer notes.
Make sure you fully prepare notes by covering the keys, pausing and breathing
prior to playing them. This will help reduce nervous rushing and improve
musical line.
If you are unsure about how you sound in a certain passage or piece, try
recording yourself to better understand the interpretation you’re trying to
achieve.
Practise for perfection by taking a passage or piece and playing it ten times in a
row perfectly. If you can do this then it shows you’ve mastered it!
Sing the repertoire you’re learning away from the piano while you’re cooking, in
the shower or shopping! By singing you are improving your ability to memorise
the music.
To help identify areas that need more work, play the piece through then break it
up into workable chunks, then repeat the process. This is called whole-part-
whole practice.
Use the metronome at different tempi to help produce even passagework. This
method works particularly well for the precision of classical music.
Practise so slowly that there is no discernible musical line. By doing this you are
forced to create the musical line in your head, improving memory and strength of
direction.
It’s much more effective to practise a section or passage of music for a short
period of time but frequently, than practising it for a long period of time but
infrequently.
Always sit up straight with good posture. It lifts your spirit and creativity. Try it!
Don’t try to play everything legato and connected. Try taking your hands off the
keyboard every now and then to bring space into your playing while you
practise. Keeping your hands in their most natural position as frequently as
possible will ensure you stay relaxed without undue tension and strain.
24
THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO PIANO PRACTICE: THE PIANIST AS AN ATHLETE
TIP: Play musical games with yourself. Innovation, flexibility and variety!
THE BIG 3
In the end it all boils down to one question: am I playing musically and technically to my
full potential? To know this, break the question down into three smaller ones:
1. Does it SOUND right? – have you adhered 100% to what’s in the score, including
the right notes and rhythms, dynamics and tempi, performance directions and
voicings etc.? The basics need to be learned correctly right from the start.
2. Does it FEEL right? – It is important that you are mentally relaxed and physically
comfortable 100% of the time. An awareness of how you use your body is crucial
in conveying musical ideas without excess movements expended by tension.
3. Does it LOOK right? – can you observe any unnatural or awkward movements
that lead to tension, that are interrupting the flow of the music or go against the
grain of a passage. Aesthetics is a very important part of playing the piano.
Looking at what you’re doing aids in creating awareness of muscular sensations.
TIP: If you can tick yes to these three questions then you are on the right track
with the way you practise. They are the fundamental cornerstones of practice itself!
25
THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO PIANO PRACTICE: THE PIANIST AS AN ATHLETE
10,000 HOURS OF JOY
How well you practise ultimately denotes how much time you spend at the piano. Most
professional musicians have extraordinarily busy schedules, so practising efficiently and
effectively will be at the top of their agenda. Some love practising, some loathe it. Either
way, the ability to be productive in a short period of time is a win-win situation for all.
As a professional musician, I personally find practice to be a chore a lot of the time. But
it’s a means to an end, in the form of concerts, recordings or whatever. That is where all
the hard work pays off and time spent rewarded. There is a huge difference between
practising and playing. Many non-musicians fail to understand that practice for
professional musicians is part of their job and is not always fun. They only see the final
product, the playing, and the performance. It’s not all a bed of roses. Granted, learning
and playing music is a lot more fun than many other activities but, like every other
worthwhile field of human endeavour, there will always come an inescapable time
where results must be achieved through hours and hours of dirty, gritty, repetitive,
boring, time-consuming and difficult work…mostly spent alone! To put it in perspective,
many of you will be familiar with the 10,000 rule, and that’s just the beginning. To be
good at anything, hard work is unavoidable. Don’t listen to the person who can do 2
hours a day and get away with it. Do however much you need to do, and trust yourself.
The tips, advice and methods outlined in this book will help you to organise a
structured, efficient and productive practice routine without undue regimentation. How
WELL you learn a piece is of infinitely higher value than how QUICKLY you learn a
piece. Always remember, a prudent and pragmatic approach is the way forward, solving
problems logically and creatively along the way.
26
THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO PIANO PRACTICE: THE PIANIST AS AN ATHLETE
MOTIVATION
Motivation is essential for the continuation of productive, focused and fun learning. One
must consider the four different types of motivation that can act upon an individual:
1. Extrinsic – motivation created through external importance such as a concert.
2. Intrinsic – motivation created through internal sufficient interest in the subject.
3. Social – motivation created through the need or want to please others.
4. Achievement – motivation created by feelings of success and avoidance of failure.
You might be motivated by one or a number of these four different types, but knowing
which ones can help you determine why you practise, making the task more worthwhile
and meaningful in the long run. Your motivation can be affected by a variety of factors
including how much you are challenged, people’s expectations of you, clear goals,
whether you thrive on praise or criticism, a pleasant and healthy learning environment,
a degree of freedom and autonomy and, perhaps most importantly, the balance between
how much you are challenged and your level of skill. ‘Flow’ is the desired mental state
one wishes to reach in order to maximise their energy, focus, involvement, enjoyment
and motivation while undertaking a task. Below are two diagrams illustrating this idea.
TIP: To avoid becoming stale, alternate regularly between which pieces you
practise. If you are bored or have reached a plateau with a piece, consider putting it
on the back-burner for a while and take up a fresh new piece.
27
THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO PIANO PRACTICE: THE PIANIST AS AN ATHLETE
V. A FINAL WORD OF WARNING!
A barrage of physical, and sometimes mental problems, can arise from practising. As a
result of over-practising in the wrong way, one can develop RSI (repetitive strain
injury). This can lead to a permanent decline of one’s career without the ability to play
at all. The moment you experience any pain of any sort you must stop practising
immediately and rest. Always make sure your hands are thoroughly warmed up prior to
playing. If you haven’t touched the piano for a while, ease yourself gently back into your
practice routine to avoid excessive strain on the tendons of your hands and arms. RSI is
prone to being caused by repetition of too many exercises, which place enormous strain
on the weak fingers of the hand. If your hands are weak, build up the amount and
complexity of the exercises incrementally.
Pianists spend a frightening amount of time alone practising. It’s the nature of our
instrument. This isolation can affect and complicate the psyche in ways that aren’t
desirable. Examples of this are antisocial behaviour, anxiety, stress, feelings of
inadequacy and a detachment from the real world. It’s important that you have hobbies
and a social life outside music which can take your mind off its demands, ideally
something physical and social to release endorphins and serotonin. These are the
‘happy’ chemicals that are released when you eat chocolate or exercise.
Happy Practising!