Lesson 6 - Master Your Skills to Play Like a Piano Master

Like many others across the globe, you have been bitten by the piano bug and you are just itching to get started and be very good at the craft. You have saved enough money and bought the instrument that will make your musical dreams come true. You have learned about the anatomy of the piano, familiarized and memorized the chords, and gained some techniques and secrets to great playing as well. You basically have everything on your hands, and all you need to do now is hone your piano playing prowess. As with other skills, the secret to mastering piano playing and making music like that of the piano masters is simply practice, practice, and more practice.

Before anything else, know your goals. Do you want to play piano like a pro or just play piano for yourself or a small circle of friends and family? If you know exactly what level you would like to achieve, it will be easier for you to set specific timelines. Do you want to learn the piano in a matter of days or weeks? Or do you want to take is slow? Whatever your timeline is, it is important to practice as often as possible.

Practice regularly, preferably daily, for at least thirty minutes per session. This will not only allow you to learn your chords and perfect your playing style, it will exercise your fingers as well. If you stop playing for even a week, it will be difficult for your fingers to gain back their form. Before playing more complicated pieces, it is ideal to warm your fingers up with relatively easy pieces, which will stretch your fingers and relax your hands. Some seasoned pianists even apply hot compress to their hands and fingers before playing because comfortable heat is proven to soften the soft tissues and make your ligaments and tendons more flexible. This practice will not only allow your fingers to relax and stretch to their maximum capacity, but applying hot compress will prevent repetitive stress injuries in your hands and fingers as well. This is worth a try!

Next, always be conscious of the proper positioning of your fingers, hands, and arms when you’re already in front of the piano. The fingers are the most important of the body parts in piano playing because they are in direct contact with the keys. But don't forget that the fingers need to be supported by the hand and the arm while playing. This way, the fingers get to relax and will be able to reach for the farthest keys without strain. To determine if your hands and fingers are at their most relaxed condition, try to see if your finger bones move while you play over the keys. If not, then you are too stiff and you may need to practice letting your hand just hang while your fingers do their job. You may need to lean forward a little or move your seat nearer or farther the piano to let your hands hang comfortably.

Now, of course, you will have to get your fingers and hands in shape before playing. Here’s a simple but effective stretching exercise that will do wonders to your fingers and your overall performance. First, using your thumb and your little finger, play two notes of at least one octave apart. With another finger, play a third note somewhere in between the two octaves. Next, jump staccato from a lower note to a higher note and back; repeat the process until you develop a rhythm. Then, press the thumb down on one key and play ascending staccato notes as far as your fingers can reach. After the exercise, you will feel your fingers are lighter, more relaxed, and more flexible.

Now, not all your fingers have uniform strength. Generally, the little finger is weaker than the rest. So work on making it stronger because it will be difficult to maintain even playing if there is a significant difference in finger strengths. The best way to do this is to try playing scales while maintaining equal volume and rhythm across all fingers, then alternating notes with your weakest finger and the strongest one. Do this before you actually play as a warm-up activity.

Then take a glance at the pieces you play. Never let hard pieces intimidate you. The best way to learn complicated piano music is to break the piece into segments and learn the melody first using your right hand. Practice segment by segment and piece them together until you've mastered the entire piece using the right hand. Next, practice using the other hand. If you've mastered the song using the left, ply again using both hands. This technique will allow you to flawlessly execute a hard piece with less frustrations.

During practice, note your mistakes and write them down after each session and think of ways to improve how you play so as not to make the same mistakes again. The best way to avoid mistakes is determine the root --- maybe its improper finger and hand positioning, or lack of mastery of the chords, or simply lack of focus. So concentrate and do your best. It is better to learn slowly but surely. There is no point in trying to take in everything at once and committing the same mistakes over and over again. Don't ever get tires of repeating the process until you can hit the right keys confidently and play flawlessly.

Lastly, to avoid boredom, study and practice different playing styles. Don’t be afraid to experiment. Practicing is also the best time to evaluate your own style and what types of music you’re most comfortable playing and what types you are thrilled to learn.

Prove to yourself that you can make good music like the professional pianists do if you just put your heart and pour all your talent, hard work, and dedication into it. Practice is the key to playing those piano keys right just like a pro.