Does this sound familiar? You sit down to practice the piano, sheet music placed in front of you. This is it. You’re going to dominate this song. You rest your fingers gently on the keys, and then begin playing.
Everything is going great! And then suddenly, like black clouds rushing into a sunny sky, the measure is filled with never-ending runs of sixteenth notes and accidentals galore. And just like that – your fingers freeze. You think, “Wait, where was I again?”
This “start and stop” habit is something that many pianists face, even if the piece is something you’ve played before. While you’re not always going to be playing a song perfectly, that dreaded pause when you hit a tough passage can be pretty unnerving.
So how do you combat this? It’s combination of patience, sight reading strategies and practice. Read on for a few great tips from Music Star Studios:
Tip 1 – Look ahead!
This is a big part of what separates the OK sight readers from the great ones. Keeping your eyes focused on the note you are playing next, instead of the note you are playing at the moment takes a lot of effort at first, but gets easier over time. By focusing on the note you are about to play while playing the note or measure before it, you are much more likely to figure it out with enough time to play it without stopping to think about it. This will help in keeping good rhythm and staying in tempo.
Tip 2 – Practice Phrases Alone!
For most pianists, pauses happen at the beginning of measures and beginning of lines. A good way to fix this is by practicing only the two measures before and after where you are pausing. For instance, if you are playing a song and find yourself stopping to think about the beginning of line 2, practice starting with the last measure of line 1, and only play through the end of the 1st measure on line 2. By doing this several times you will get more comfortable with changing lines and won’t have to pause when playing the whole piece.
Tip 3 – Slow Down!
Those two words say it all. Don’t start a song too fast, only to have to pause each time you reach a new part, or slow down as the song goes on. When you find the hardest part of a song and play it correctly at a slow tempo, practice the few measures around that part at that tempo before speeding up. This will set you up to successfully play a song without pausing because you will be comfortable with the speed when you get to the part that was hard to play, and the song will sound smooth. You will have the confidence to speed up the tempo gradually with each time through, and not have to stop or slow down for the “hard” parts.
How do YOU avoid the “start and stop” habit when practicing the piano? We want to hear your tips! Stop by our Facebook page (don’t forget to “Like” us!) and leave a comment.
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