If you’ve never had experience playing the piano before, one of your first questions might revolve around practice. How much practice do you need to actually make music? Is it necessary to practice the piano each day to be good at what you do? How much time each day? What does daily practice really mean? 

The first step is to understand that your daily practice isn’t a chore. Instead, it’s a way to do what you love, and improve a little bit each day. You can do this over and over again, reaching new goals, and improving your ability. To enjoy what you do along the way. 

What’s your goal?

If we ask a hundred beginning piano players what their goals are, we’d likely hear a hundred different answers. Playing recreationally is different than wanting to make piano playing a career. And while you might see your desires change the more you play, knowing early on will help you establish a better practice routine. 

A recreational goal might mean you wish to play a specific song, or recreate music from your favorite band. You might use it as a stress reliever, playing in the evenings as a way to calm down after work. 

Higher achieving goals might include pursuing music when you go off to college. You have dreams of playing in a band someday. Or you might want to enter piano contests to continually test your skills. 

The more you play, the more you might find these goals change. But starting out understanding your wishes and desires can give you something to reach for. And that can keep you playing each day. 

What can you do with consistency?

Someone who’s recently retired can easily make more time for their big dreams than someone with a family and a full time job. Be realistic. Can you commit to practicing three nights a week for thirty minutes? 

The key to better playing is to create consistency. If you tell yourself you’ll do it when you have time, you’ll likely push off playing indefinitely. 

It’s also better to establish practice goals for each session rather than assigning time limits. Choose to play a song you love each night. Give yourself a goal of practicing new music a few times each week. You don’t have to learn the entire song in one sitting. Section it off, learn it piece by piece, and put it together when you feel confident about your ability. This can also drive you to reach for bigger goals, so it’s a win/win. 

Practicing the piano isn’t something you should ever dread. Instead, it’s something you should do for you. To make you happy. To relieve stress. To enjoy. 

Want to get better at playing the piano? Practice, practice, practice. 

We all know that the key to getting better at something is to work at it a little each day. But is that really all there is to it? 

In reality, you can sit down and spend thirty minutes every day and never improve IF you don’t improve your practicing skills. It’s not the amount that matters. It’s the quality of every session you sit down for. 

How do you ensure you’re practicing the right way?

Start by removing distractions

It’s important to place your piano that gives you a chance to play without interruption. But that doesn’t mean put it in the corner of a dark basement either. Give yourself a pleasant playing space, and avoid areas where you know you’ll be easily distracted. Put your phone in another room if the buzzing and dinging of incoming messages can turn your attention. This allows you to get more done in the time designated for practice. 

Create a structure for each session

If you workout regularly, you know there are specific goals for every workout. You’ll have a warm-up, specifically targeted workout routines, and a cooling down period. Structure your piano practice the same way. Warm-up with scales. Target specific goals with each session. Then cool down by playing your favorite pieces. 

Set a goal for every practice session

Spend some time structuring your piano practice sessions to accomplish different goals. Do you want to learn a specific song? Are you trying to work on finger speed? Are you having trouble with particular sections of music? You can establish short and long term goals to ensure you stay on track with what you are playing. 

Vary your routines

Structure is important. Setting goals is equally important. But if you do the same things over and over and over again, it tends to get repetitious and boring. Change things up in your routine. Instead of playing your favorite song as a cool down in the same way, change it up. Speed a section up. Slow a section down. Or add in your own ideas. Even this little change can keep your interest and make you press on. 

Fix habits early

One of the best reasons to hire a teacher is to have them help you work through problems before they become habits. They see things you don’t, and correct things before they become issues. They tweak your performance and make it better. Don’t stick with the same piano teacher for years. Instead, set specific goals and find new instructors that can help you reach your goals. 

Reward yourself

This can be small rewards, like purchasing new sheet music, or larger rewards like working towards purchasing a new piano. Rewards are positive reinforcement, and they can help push you to take more action, and stick with your goals every day.