How To Practice Piano

Do you want to know a little secret?  

I’ll be honest… I absolutely hate practicing the piano.  I know… that’s a weird thing to say considering I play piano for a living.  It’s true though, I really don’t like to practice and just the word “practice” makes me cringe.  So how do I do it if I dislike it so much?  Well, I practice by just playing my songs, and writing, and improvising, and just spending time with my piano being creative.  I play the songs that I need to stay on top of for upcoming shows.  I play the songs I’m working on for upcoming projects.  I play music that inspires me to be creative and try new ideas.  I relearn older songs I haven’t played in a long time.  I improvise and stretch outside of my comfort zone with different chord structures and key signatures I’m not confident in.  And while this just feels like I’m playing piano, I’m actually practicing and keeping my dexterity strong, and staying fresh with my older pieces.  

And when I’m struggling with a piece, I try playing it really slow, and then really fast, and then again at normal speed.  This helps me get ahold of the piece and have more control with it.  When you change your playing tempo, it gives you a different perspective of the song, and the way your hands react while playing it.  It makes it easier to play it correctly when you come back to the normal tempo.  

For me, ALL playing is practicing, and the key to making it fun, is to not think of it as practicing.  The more you just enjoy playing, the better!  Here’s a bundle of my easier songs for you to practice with.  Enjoy!