Piano Practice Tips & Strategies for Adult Beginners

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Effective piano practice is at the core of learning how to play piano well.

"Now go home and practice." (Right....) Ever heard that expression? So annoying. You want to know: OK, how exactly? Some people can practice and get great results without learning much about how to practice, which is true. But most people don't.

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

In this article, you will find many tried and tested practice ideas and strategies that are great for both beginner and more advanced pianists.

Piano Practice Tips for Adult Beginners

I want to recommend: The Musicians Way; it's a book full of great tips and plans on how to organize your practice. It has inspired me and my teaching a lot.

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 essential for all piano students to learn about effective practice routines and how to practice as early as possible.

Organizing the music and practicing in parts, working hands separately and together, slow practice, and working extra on weaker parts are basic skills when practicing. Below you'll find tons of tips.

So, discover how you can improve your practice sessions and get even better results by following these tips and exercises!

Hand playing piano keysLearn How to Practice More Effectively.

Effective Piano Practice Strategies

6 Levels Piano Practice Plan for Beginners

Practice piano in levels

Here is an easy but thorough way to structure your piano practice, especially for beginners. Taking a music piece through 6 levels of training will build security, and you'll learn the work from the 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's a good idea to learn more about how our analytical understanding of the music and our body movements are coordinated by our brain... It may not work in the way we'd expect!

This is a fun way to look at piano practice and how we can improve.

>>>Go to Practice Piano with Your Brain

Interleaved Piano Practice Routine

Developing an effective piano practice routine saves time and helps you have more fun and enjoy your practice. But working with the music in random order is a new and exciting way to practice, called Interleaved Practice.

The interleaved practice seems random, and random is not efficient...or perhaps it is?

>>>Go to Interleaved Piano Practice Routine

Time to Practice Piano

Clock on a piano

The time needed to practice and progress varies significantly with each individual.

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

But how much do you need to practice each session to get results?

>>>Go to Time to Practice Piano

How to Use a Metronome for Practice

A metronome is one of the few gadgets a pianist actually needs. For really effective piano practice, it's essential. Here you'll learn how to use a metronome and practice more efficiently with different aspects of piano learning with it.

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

How to Memorize a Repertoire

It's optional to memorize music to be able to play and perform. But for pianists, it has long been an almost standard requirement. There are many advantages, like not turning pages and "owning" your piece playing with more expression. And having memorized a few pieces means you always have them "at hand," ready to be played wherever you are.

Learn more tips about how to memorize sheet music here.

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

Overcoming Stage Fright

Mickey Mouse on a piano

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

As in everything, preparation is also critical when managing performance anxiety. 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

Organizing your practice gives you control and an overview of your progress. I have created a piano practice chart for adults 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!

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 have helped me a lot in thinking and organizing my piano practice.

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!

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