Becoming a better piano player requires 2P’s, which are Patience and Practice. The major reason why piano players don’t progress is that they just keep practicing the basics over and over.
If you want to progress faster, you have to switch things up and try practicing more advanced concepts once the basics are mastered.
This means taking the time to learn new pieces, techniques, and chords.
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In addition to practice and patience, having the right attitude and setting goals is also essential for becoming a better piano player. You should always strive to challenge yourself and push the boundaries of what you thought you could do.
With that being said, let’s jump into the 7 tips on how to become a better piano player.
How Do I Become a Better Piano Player?
1. Learn Music in Theory
Sounds odd? Hear me out! When you aim at achieving something, you should always gather everything about it first and then learn it thoroughly.
When you understand music, in theory, the piano will seem easier to you.
A new type of confidence will be induced because you know what you are doing and how impactful it is going to be.
You sit there with the confidence that you know music structures closely and the rules are your friends.
You will start recognizing phrases and patterns thus the whole process of playing piano will become easier for you.
Read about triads, arpeggios, music scales, and other topics. Learning music theory will also improve your musical sense. You will become intuitive which will help you recognize which notes to play notes. The sound of every key will play in your head before it plays on the stage.
2. Play Classical Pieces
Classical music may be boring but every piece will require a great deal of hand-mind coordination. Once you are comfortable with simple classical pieces and shift to the much more complex ones, you will see a great improvement in your speed and grasping power.
Your basics will not only become strong but will EXPAND.
You can start by learning Bach (preludes and fugues) and Chopin. Choose pieces that challenge you.
3. Take Piano Lessons
Piano lessons are a great way to learn from someone who is better than you at playing the piano. Whether you choose in-person or online piano lessons, getting a mentor can be well worth the investment.
Taking piano lessons will help expand your musical understanding to become a better player. Taking in-person lessons obviously gives you the benefit of having a real person evaluate your progress and pinpoint parts of your playing that need improvement.
Alternatively, online piano lessons can offer much more information at a much lesser cost. You have the opportunity to work through lessons at your own pace, learn from a variety of different instructors and save quite a bit of cash in the process.
If you don’t want to spend any money at all, YouTube is your friend. There are plenty of channels like Instant Piano Genius and Creative Piano Academy which create super-simple content on improving your piano skills.
4. Slow Down
No matter what the actual speed of the piece is, first practice it VERY SLOWLY. The beauty of the piece does not depend on how fast you play it. The faster the better is a very wrong idea that young learners have.
When you are just learning a new lesson and you focus more on the speed, you start missing out on minor notes or do not play them wholly. Speed and accuracy are products of repetition.
5. Get Better Equipment
If you’re playing on an old digital piano, you might be missing out on some good features that the latest models have.
The Alesis Recital Pro comes with plenty of learning features that will help you to sharpen your skills.
6. Practice
Any skill can be improved or developed through practice. With every practice think about what you’ve learn and how you’ve progressed since your last practice session..
The best players give at least a good and focused 2-4 hours of practice a day. Consistent practice will show you marvelous results. It might be hard to sit even for a 15-minute practice but push yourself and go for it.
Practice the hand shape. Do exercises like squeezing the smiley ball. This helps with flexibility and speed.
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7. Plan Your Practice Session
As a piano player, there are a few key elements you should consider when planning your practice sessions.
- First, decide how long you want your practice session to be. This will help you set realistic goals and ensure that you don’t become overwhelmed. This might be 20 minutes or it might be 2 hours. Whatever amount of time you’re able to allot to learning how to get better at piano is a step in the right direction.
- Second, decide which repertoire or skills you want to focus on. This could be something like scales, chords, or a specific piece of music.
- Third, create an organized practice plan. Break down each area you want to cover into smaller, more manageable tasks that you can complete during your practice session.
- Fourth, set a timer for each task. This can be a timer on your iPhone or clock. Doing so will help you stay focused and on track.
- Finally, be consistent and patient with your practice. Don’t get frustrated if you don’t nail something on the first try. Consistent practice and repetition are the keys to mastering the piano.
Final Thoughts
Play piano out of bliss. Take breaks whenever you need them. Breathe…and go back. Play something you love and keep your confidence up.
Enjoy playing it. don’t get frustrated if you are taking too much time to learn.
Know what you play and have confidence in learning the other ones soon. Music is a place where you can get lost in. So, explore it and have fun!
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