At group lesson this month we talked about the similarities between practicing and video games. We explored different ways to practice to make practicing difficult phrases and passages a little more interesting. Each idea covers specific challenges. These are taken from a great practice companion called The Piano Student's Guide to Effective Practicing by Nancy O'Neill Breth.
Some of the ideas we discovered were:
Countdown: Draw a vertical line separating two parts that are hard to connect smoothly. Play up to the line, relax your hands, and float into the second part while counting up to 5. Finish the phrase. Repeat, but this time count to 4. Repeat until you get to 1. Then play three times without stopping. This is great for accuracy, balance, continuity, coordination, speed.
Baby Steps: Play a passage once from each white key (C, D, E, etc, up to the next C). Use the same fingering each time. This only works on passages that are only white keys. Variation: If there are black keys included in the passage, move up and down by octaves. Baby steps helps articulation, evenness, fingering, and speed.
Making Sense: Play the melody of one phrase in three different ways, using dynamics to vary the shape each time. Add the accompaniment and listen again. Choose the one that makes the most sense to you, and write in those dynamics. Use pencil, in case you change your mind later. Helps balance and expression.
Zeroing In: Play a scale or arpeggio passage at half speed, slowly. Play very expressively, with deep tone quality and dramatic dynamics. Then play the passage up to speed, listening for the same qualities you achieved in half speed. This is good for expression.
Stop & Go: Whenever you miss a note or rhythm, stop and play it correctly four times. Excellent for accuracy, continuity, and memory.
The Guide has 58 practice ideas altogether. It lists them in alphabetical order and also lists them according to the skills they promote. These tips are used by even the most advanced pianists when learning a new piece. They never go out of style. They will help the student become more independent in their progression.
And, Students, don't forget to do your theory assignments and come to Group Lessons to learn the Cheat Codes!!!
P.S. I am including a link to a YouTube video of LangLang and his interpretation of video games: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b85hn8rJvgw
