Piano Practice Tips for Adult Beginners

Effective piano practice is at the core of learning to play piano. Here you will find tried and tested practice ideas and strategies that are great for beginner (and more advanced) pianists.

How to Practice PianoLearn How to Practice More Effectively.

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“Now go home and practice”.  (Right....) Ever heard that expression? So annoying. You just want to know: OK, how exactly?

Some people have the ability to practice and get great results without having learned much about how to practice, that is true.

But most people don’t. Actually, I didn't start learning proper piano practice techniques myself until I started teaching piano. 

And after more than 30 years of teaching piano, I constantly see how it's absolutely essential for all piano students to learn about effective practice routines and how to practice as early as possible.

But still I notice that practicing the piano is somehow assumed to just work by itself, as if every piano student was born with a “how to know how to practice” gene... Not true!

So, here are practical tips and exercises on how to practice with more efficiency and how to get better results from each session!

I would like to recommend: The Musicians Way,it's a book crammed with great tips and plans on how to organize your practice. It has inspired me and my teaching a lot.

Effective Piano Practice Strategies

6 Levels Piano Practice Plan for Beginners

Here is an easy but thorough way to structure your piano practice. By taking a piece through 6 levels of practice, you will build security and learn the piece from bottom up.

>>>Go to "Piano Practice Tips for Beginners: 6 Level Plan".

Piano Practice Techniques for Beginners

Divide and conquer! Here you will learn effective techniques for getting through that first stage of learning the notes of a piece.

>>>Go to: Piano Practice Techniques for Beginners.

Practice Piano with Your Brain

To practice piano with good results, it is a good idea to learn more how our analytical understanding of the music and our body movements are coordinated by our brain... It may not necessarily work in the way we'd expect!

>>>Go to Practice Piano with Your Brain

Interleaved Piano Practice Routine

Developing an effective piano practice routine doesn't only save time, but also helps you have more fun and enjoy you practice.

Interleaved practice seems (and is) random, and random is not efficient...or perhaps it is?

>>>Go to Interleaved Piano Practice Routine

Time to Practice Piano

The time needed to practice and making good progress varies greatly with each individual.

It's a fact that a certain number of practice hours are required to reach any skill level, and to reach a good level of piano playing- you need to put in the time! But how much do you need to practice?

>>>Go to Time to Practice Piano

How to Use a Metronome for Practice

A metronome is one of the few gadgets a pianist really needs. For effective piano practice it's really essential. Learn how to use a metronome for different aspects of piano practice here.

>>>Go to How to Use a Metronome for Piano Practice

How to Memorize a Repertoire

Memorization is not really necessary to play and perform piano pieces, but it has become an almost standard requirement for pianists. And having memorized a few pieces means you always have them "at hand" ready to be played. Learn more how to memorize sheet music here.

>>>Go to How to Memorize a Piano Repertoire for Beginners

Overcoming Stage Fright

Are you suffering from stage fright? Don't let that stop you from performing!

As in everything, preparation is key. Read my top tips on how to deal with performance preparation and how to manage stage fright.

>>>Go to 10 tips to overcoming stage fright.

Organization: Free Piano Practice Chart

I have created a piano practice chart for adults here with all the steps you need for an organized practice session!

Give it a try and let me know if this piano practice plan worked for you!

Share Your Piano Practice Tips Here!

Found a great way to practice? Share your favorite piano practice tips or a practice routine that works well for you. Maybe you can help someone else with a problem? You can also add a helpful comment!

Practice Tips and Solutions

Click below to see piano practice tips, questions, comments, and solutions from other visitors to this page. Do share a helpful comment if you can!

Playing in the dark! 
I have found that turning the lights off encourages you to feel your piano keys better. Without the temptation to look at your fingers when your playing, …

How to avoid getting stuck after learning one part. 
I have included a picture because that would really help me explain. I have been practicing and struggled with this part for a few days. I have asked …

Inability to Really Progress Not rated yet
Hello! I am a 65 year old woman who have been taking piano lessons for the past 6 and a half years, but I am just now completing book 3A in Faber's …

Back to Practice Piano Advice Not rated yet
Hello and thank you for offering services to answer questions! I have been on and off my piano practicing and am trying to stick with a system to practice …

Delayed Learning Not rated yet
Hello, my name is Stu. I've been practicing for up to two hours a day for a little over six years and I still can't play a complete song. My wife …

Sing along w/ playing Not rated yet
Hi, I have a little unusual problem I'd say...or at least seems that way to me...I taught myself to play the piano and I can play some songs fairly …

What to include in a structured piano lesson as well as practice sessions. Not rated yet
As a beginning piano student many years ago, I did not have much structure in my piano lessons. Now I feel as though I have loopholes in my learning which …

How can I learn piano and play with both hands? Help? Not rated yet
I'm new to the piano and my biggest problem that I need to work on is playing with two hands. I find it impossible playing something with my right and …

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Recommended Resource

  • The Musicians Way: A Guide to Practice, Performance, and Wellness by Gerald Klickstein. A super helpful tool for beginners to advanced players that has helped me a lot in how to think and how to get organized in my piano practice.