Are you not making the progress you were hoping for in your piano lessons? Read on as piano teacher Nadia B. explains some of the common bad habits that may be holding you back…
You’ve decided to learn how to play piano. Good for you! It’s a skill that will provide enjoyment and enrichment for years to come. Like any new activity, however, there are some bad habit piano players make that can hold you back as you learn.
Here are five of the most common bad piano habits and how to overcome them.
How Do I Know if I’m Bad at Piano?
If you’re struggling to improve at piano despite taking lessons and practicing regularly, it’s possible that you’re just not cut out for the instrument. More often than not, though, you’re just making a common piano playing mistake such as:
- Practicing scales mindlessly or with bad technique
- Memorizing music completely with muscle memory
- Not breathing well, combined with bad posture
While there’s no shame in admitting that you’re not musically inclined, it’s important to realize that everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses. If you find that you’re still struggling to improve after a year or two of lessons, it may be time to face the music and accept that piano just isn’t your thing (particularly if you’re not enjoying the experience).
On the other hand, if you enjoy playing and are passionate about becoming better, then keep at it! With enough dedication and hard work, anyone can achieve their musical goals.
One of the best ways to improve at playing piano and to avoid common bad piano habits is to start taking piano lessons. Your piano teacher will be able to walk you through the most common beginner piano bad habits – and teach you how to avoid them. Check out the video below for more information on everything piano lessons have to offer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ah-fdExgBrY
The Bad Habits Piano Players Should Try to Avoid
When you’re learning piano, you’re busy mastering a variety of skill sets — note reading, rhythmic competency, independence of the hands, musicality, and so much more. It’s easy to focus so much on these things that you might be developing bad habits… without noticing. Read on to learn more about the five worst habits for piano players, so that you can make sure you avoid them!
1. Practicing scales mindlessly or with bad technique
You should definitely pat yourself on the back for practicing your scales, one of the most important components of learning piano. But once you see the value of practicing scales, it’s important to make sure that your scale practice is helping you improve and not reinforcing bad habits. It you find yourself slogging through scales, not really paying attention to what you’re doing, or if your hand position is awkward and not well-coordinated, then you might want to re-evaluate your scales practice routine. Try for precision, correct fingering, ease of hand position, and fingers flowing onto the keys, even if it takes a little longer and means you do fewer scales. With scale practice, it’s definitely quality over quantity.
Tip: Bored with scales? Try these four fun ways to practice scales!
2. Memorizing music completely with muscle memory
Pianists have a long tradition of performing music from memory, and the pressure can be on when it’s almost recital time and your piece still isn’t memorized. Pianists often resort to playing the piece they’re trying to memorize over and over until they can play it in their sleep. The only problem? That type of rote memorization can go terribly wrong if there’s a moment of distraction, or if the pianist messes up and tries to restart where he or she left off.
The way to avoid this bad habit is to leave plenty of time to memorize piano music by analyzing the score, listening to and playing along with recordings, and practicing intelligently and consciously, instead of relying on muscle memory to commit the song to memory.
Tip: Here are some additional strategies for memorizing piano music from music teacher Joy Morin.
3. Not breathing well, combined with bad posture
Breathing and posture go hand in hand, since our ribs attach to the spine, and excessive compression in the torso can severely limit breathing. If you find yourself hunched over the piano, with your head pulled forward to see the music better and your breathing is shallow, your posture is compromised. Believe it or not, this will affect your music-making.
To solve this bad habit, take a few moments in between practicing sections of a piece to notice your sitting bones releasing into the piano bench, allow your spine to uncurl from any compression, and send your head away from your spine, allowing it to balance easily right on top of your spine. You should feel more spacious and have more flexibility for ease of breathing.
Tip: Here’s an infographic explaining piano posture.
4. Unruly hand position
Perhaps one of your fingers sticks up in the air, or your thumb hangs low, below the keyboard. Whatever your habitual hand position, finding a comfortable, flexible and coordinated hand position can change your entire relationship with the piano. You will make better contact with the keys, have more control over dynamics and coloring, and play technical passages more easily and smoothly. Having an uncoordinated hand position can hold you back in a variety of ways as you’re learning piano, so make sure this bad habit isn’t one of yours!
Tip: Check out this infographic for an easy exercise to improve your hand shape for playing the piano.
5. Not learning to read music correctly
Do you find yourself struggling to read piano music correctly, over and over? Or perhaps you struggle with playing in time and with correct rhythm. It’s important to learn to read and interpret all aspects of the music correctly, so that you can play with correct notes, rhythms, dynamics, articulation, and phrasing. If you’re struggling to recognize all the various symbols and positions of the notes on the staff, try going through a music theory book and/or note speller.
More Bad Habits to Avoid When Learning Piano
Piano is a notoriously difficult instrument to learn, and there are a number of bad habits that can make the process even harder.
One of the most common mistakes is starting with too much theory and not enough practical playing. While it’s important to understand the basics of music theory, it’s also essential to spend time actually sitting at the piano and practicing.
Another mistake is trying to learn too many pieces at once. It’s better to focus on mastering a few pieces before moving on to new material.
Finally, many students underestimate the importance of proper technique. taking the time to learn proper hand positioning and finger exercises will pay off in the long run.
By avoiding these common mistakes, you’ll be well on your way to becoming a competent pianist.
Is Practicing Piano Too Much Bad?
As with anything, there can be too much of a good thing when it comes to piano practice. While it is essential to put in the time to master this instrument, spending hours at the keyboard can lead to problems.
Excessive practice can lead to repetitive strain injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome. It can also cause tension headaches and neck pain. In addition, overpracticing can lead to boredom and burnout. If you find yourself struggling to stay motivated, it may be time to take a break.
Remember, even the most dedicated pianists need some time away from the keyboard. So go ahead and take a break from practicing every once in awhile. Your mind and body will thank you for it.
How Do You Break Bad Habits on the Piano?
If you’re like most people, you probably have at least one bad habit when it comes to playing the piano. Maybe you tend to play too hard, or perhaps you have a tendency to rush through your pieces. Whatever the case may be, bad habits can make it difficult to play well and make progress on the piano. So how do you break bad habits and develop good technique?
The first step is to become aware of your bad habit. Once you know what it is, you can start working on correcting it. If you’re not sure what your bad habit is, ask a friend or teacher to help you identify it. Then, make a conscious effort to correct it every time you sit down to practice. This may mean slow down your tempo, or make a point of playing with a light touch. The key is to be patient and consistent in your efforts.
Bad habits can be frustrating, but with a little time and effort, they can be broken. By using the tips above, you’ll be on your way to developing good technique and becoming a better pianist in no time!
Bad Piano Habits to Avoid
If you work to avoid these five worst habits for piano players, you will be a more coordinated and skilled pianist who can confidently learn new music, practice efficiently, and perform well. It’s worth the little bit of extra effort it takes to incorporate the strategies to combat these bad habits, as you’ll see a great improvement in your musicality, technique, and fundamental keyboard skills.
Tip: Here are some fun online games for learning piano notes!
We hope that you can now see how these bad habits are holding you back in your piano journey. It’s time to let go of them and move on! In order to help make this process a bit easier, we have put together a list of five tips for breaking bad habits. Consider this your final push to break free from the chains that have been keeping you stuck.
Think you’re avoiding these bad habits? It’s always a good idea to check with your piano teacher, who can give you expert advice and help you continue to practice piano like a pro!
Post Author: Nadia B.Nadia B. teaches flute and piano in New York, NY, as well as through online lessons. She acted as principal flutist of the orchestra and wind ensemble at California State University, Sacramento, and then went on to receive her degree in Music Performance from New York University. Learn more about Nadia here!
Suzy S.