FAQ  |  recommended resources  |  piano: bare essentials  |  Effective Practice & Motivation

Below are some of the many different aspects involved in learning how to practice effectively.

Environment | Goals  | Musical Form | Rhythm | Fingering |  Posture & Tension | Method | Working for Speed 
Tone | Memory | Motivation

Tone

Listen to the quality of the sound you are producing. Feel the contact with each key; try to transfer the weight from one key to the next. Experiment with the speed at which the key is depressed and released.

Many pianists do not listen to everything they play. In addition to listening to the melodies and harmonies try listening to the space between the notes. It is extremely important for pianists to listen to the entire duration of each note played. This may seem obvious but many pianists do not do so simply because the nature of the instrument does not require it in the same way that other instruments do. A wind player must keep breathing during a long note and a string player must continue to move the bow arm. To learn to develop a beautiful legato and sound, it is very important that pianists make the extra effort to listen to the entire duration of each note played. Once a note is played on the piano, it will fade. Listen to the note as it fades and try to play the new note so that it matches the level of sound heard at the end of the long note.

Try experimenting with the speed that each note is depressed. The speed will greatly alter the quality of sound produced. It is also important to be aware of the speed at which each note is released. I find that students are more often aware of how they depress the keys than they are in regards to how they release them.