Getting to Carnegie Hall… Or Your Next Recital
You’ve probably heard the old joke: “Hey, Mister, how do you get to Carnegie Hall?”
The answer: “Practice, Practice, Practice!”
The funniest thing about this joke, though, is that it’s absolutely true. Whatever goals you have for your piano studies, practicing is the only thing that will get you there.
Maybe you just want to play the next piece in your piano book. Maybe you want to strengthen that pesky 4th finger. Maybe your uncle has asked you to play a piece during his wedding. Maybe you want to nail your piece at the next recital. Or maybe you do want to get to Carnegie Hall… as a performer, not an audience member.
Whatever your personal goals, your fate is in your own hands. Literally. Your teacher can give you guidance, but the progress you make will come from what you do between lessons. As the saying goes, your teacher can open the door, but you have to walk through it yourself.
Practice guidelines for children: It depends on the child, of course, but for most young students just starting out, fifteen minutes at a time is plenty. Once the child has taken lessons for some time and has reached the age of seven or eight, he should be able to manage half an hour of daily practice. If your child is willing and able to progress more rapidly than this, by all means encourage him to do so; but don’t push if he seems reluctant. Older children and adults can practice as much as they have time for, but a minimum of half an hour daily should be achieved.
Preparing for your daily practice session:
• Make sure you have all your books or sheet music handy, along with your teacher’s notes. (Many teachers send home a notebook with the week’s assignments written in it, and other useful advice as well.)
• Have a pencil at the ready, so you can make your own notes as you go along. For example, you could mark in a fingering or circle a dynamic that you often miss.
• Get a good light source so that your music and the keyboard are clearly visible.
• Make sure your piano bench is well-positioned for comfort and proper technique. (This is especially important if you have an adjustable bench and other people use the piano, too.)
• Make your environment supportive of good concentration. Turn off the TV or radio, and attempt to minimize other noise as well. Don’t answer the phone. Turn off your cell phone.
• Some parents find that setting a timer helps their children concentrate. The child doesn’t have to wonder how much time has passed or how much time is left; if the buzzer hasn’t gone off, she should keep practicing.
Now that you’re set up, here’s how to make the most of each practice session:
• Don’t get overwhelmed; only practice one portion of the piece at a time. Remember, the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Break up your piece into smaller, manageable parts.
• Analyze the piece. Does the piece have a structure with repeating sections? Many pieces do, following a pattern such as ABA, ABBA, ABCA, and so on. You may only be practicing one small section, but when you encounter a similar section later on, it will already be familiar.
• Warm up your fingers by playing the key of the piece. For instance, if the piece is written in A Major, play the A Major scale a few times. This gets your fingers and ears comfortable with the feel and sound of this key.
• Write down the three most important chords of the piece. You’ll find that most of the left-hand parts are composed mostly of these three chords. Realizing this will help your sight-reading abilities as well — you can predict the chords and notes ahead of time.
• Practice each hand separately first. This is especially important when you are practicing a piece from the Baroque period. J.S. Bach, for example, often wrote pieces in which the two hands are playing different subjects.
• Practice slowly in the beginning, and only build up speed once you have a solid familiarity with the piece.
• Don’t get frustrated! Keep a positive attitude. You are making progress, even if it’s a little bit at a time. Before you know it, a piece you found challenging a month ago will be second nature to you.
Remember: Practice makes perfect, but practice isn’t perfect. You practice in order to improve. You should expect to make mistakes during practice. Mistakes mean you’re challenging yourself, stretching to reach a goal that is just out of reach. Continually stretching your skills during practice is the only way you’ll improve.
And you’ll be that much closer to reaching your personal Carnegie Hall.
