This is Part 3 of a series offering my best tips for effective piano practice. Read Part 1 & 2 here:
My Best Tips On How To Practice Piano Part 1
My Best Tips On How To Practice Piano Part 2
Why Zoning Out Won’t Get You Anywhere With Piano Progress
Playing through the passage while zoning out mentally, immersed instead in the enjoyment of music won’t advance your piano progress. When practicing piano, you must be vigilant about where you place your focus.
You must have a clear focus. That’s why setting goals for your practice week and having a specific goal to work on for each moment of your current piano practice session are the first steps to your piano progress.
In My Best Tips On How To Practice Piano Part 2, I walked you through the fundamental steps necessary for effective piano practice. As part of that process, you will sometimes need to stopplaying the piano. As mentioned, there are two reasons to stop; you’ve either made a mistake or lost focus on your specific goal.
How To Evaluate Your Piano Performance
During and after you play your selected musical passage with a goal in mind, you must learn to evaluate your performance with regard to whatever goal you are focused on.
Evaluation, as part of an effective piano practice strategy, is the active role you take in the constant problem state of getting your piano skills from your current level to the next. In other words, you must engage your own thinking about your piano skills.
Of course, your piano teacher will be of tremendous help in guiding you toward what specific things to be aware of, in regard to your current piano level. But you must be a proactive learner for greater momentum in your piano progress.
Going back to your piano practice scenario, after you play through the selected passage, ask yourself, READ MORE