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.

Here are a few tips to help:

Tip 1 – Practice sight reading strategies.
Before you even begin your practice, it may help to take a look at the piece as a whole:  the time signature, genre and even the style of the composer. Understanding these basics will help you get into the right mindset, as opposed to racing through etudes, exercises and then songs without recognizing the differences.

Tip 2 – Practice slowly.
Practicing with a metronome is a great reminder to slow down – and sometimes, that’s all you need to master a tough phrase.  Take a good look at where you’re tripping it up – is it a certain accidental or one chord that catches you off guard?  An entire measure? One line that’s particularly scary? Once you’ve pinpointed it, simplify.  Start by practicing just a few notes.  Then, start at the measure before and work your way in. You can also simplify further by practicing one hand at a time.

Tip 3 – Practice effectively.
This might be the most important tip to keep in mind, so lazy students, take note!  Running through a song and ignoring the tough passages isn’t effective practice.  When you hit a roadblock, attack it right then and there.  Otherwise, you’ll just be practicing the same mistakes over and over, and they may become harder to fix once they become habits.

Moreover, the way that you think is also a huge part of effective practice.  If you’re so nervous about a certain section that it’s all you can think about, you won’t be playing at your best.  Stay positive and relax – your fingers will follow suit!

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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Photo by Victor Bezrukov.

Suddenly, the idea of doing anything sounds much better than running through piano scales and exercises.  “I’m not feeling… inspired,” you might say, or maybe one of these other excuses.

Well, the character in this animation short we came across can definitely relate.

Sound familiar?  If you can relate, head on over to our Facebook page (don’t forget to “Like” us!) and share your thoughts: When you’re struggling to practice, what do you do to get the focus back?  How do you quiet your mind when all it’s doing is racing with stuff not related to the piano piece in front of you?

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A few months back we published an article about beginner sight reading that struck a chord (yes, pun intended) for many of our readers, and this article takes it one step further.  Sight reading as a technique can make a world of difference as you progress in your music lessons, especially if you’re preparing for auditions, as many require a sight reading portion.

We love this article from PianoCareer.com, exploring some of those key details to keep in mind, whether you’re playing the piano, violin or any other instrument.  Here are the first four things to consider:

1. The genre. First of all, analyze the genre: it’s obvious that an Etude has a different meaning than a Nocturne, a Ballade, a Prelude or a Barcarole. Study the history of each musical genre – this way you’ll learn a LOT about the meaning of the pieces written in that particular genre. For example, when you’ll play a Minuet you’ll be aware of its gracious dancing character; when you’ll play a Toccata – you’ll want to create a sparkling, dynamic character; an Impromptu will immediately make you think about a free improvisation; and so on!

2. The tempo and character indications. Take a look at the indication at the beginning of the piece. Many composers, besides writing the tempo (Largo, Adagio, Moderato, Andante, Allegro, Presto, etc.) also indicate the main character – for example giocoso, cantabile, dolce, grave, maestoso, lamentoso, etc. These indications are immediately ‘shifting’ our focus to the needed feeling and atmosphere!

3. The style of the composer. Even if two pieces have the same title or genre – they may still have entirely different characters – being written in different epochs, by different composers. For example, let’s compare a Prelude by Bach with a Prelude by Chopin, or a Prelude by Rachmaninoff with a Prelude by Debussy! Yes, the genre is the same – but the character is inevitably different, being a reflection of the composer’s unique approach (and also of the style of the epoch).

4. The time signature. Time signatures are extremely suggestive when it comes to the character and meaning of the music. A 3/4 time signature (or 3/8, 6/8, 9/8) is usually indicating a dancing character; 2/4, 4/4, 2/2 suggests a more ‘balanced’ structure. There are also unusual time signatures like 7/8, 1/4, 5/8 – usually being inspired from folk music – which again tells us a lot about the meaning of the piece!

Continue reading Ilinca’s article here.

Readers, what do you think? What helps you when you’re sight reading a new piece? Leave a comment below, or head over to our Facebook page and share your thoughts!

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Photo by DaGoaty.

But if you really want to get ahead in your piano playing, you’ll need the expertise of a piano teacher and the accountability of private lessons.  You can spend hours at your piano practicing on your own, but you’ll be missing out on one crucial element: feedback. Even if you’re just learning to play for fun, the extra attention from a private teacher can do wonders for your playing.

Here are some examples of common mistakes that beginners might not recognize, but that can be fixed with the help of a private teacher:

1. Wrong sitting position: too much torso swinging, curved back, raised shoulders, wrong stool height, wrong feet position, etc.
Correct body posture, and also where your piano bench is placed and where you’re sitting on it, can have a dramatic effect on your playing.  Correcting any bad posture habits can also reduce the risk of injuries or stress.

2. Wrong hand position: collapsing knuckles, collapsing finger phalanxes, wrong high position of the wrist, etc.
The placement of your hands, wrists, arms and elbows is also important.  If playing with unnecessary tension becomes a habit, your teacher can help you by pointing out when it happens.

3. Unnecessary finger movements: over lifting of fingers. Unnecessary arm, hand, wrist and elbow movements.
As you master correct posture and positioning, you’ll also want to steer clear of unnecessary movements.  Proper piano playing requires coordination of everything combined.

4. Fingers are not strong and firm, but soft, weak and hollow.
As you play more often, you’ll need to strengthen your fingers, especially as you move onto more difficult pieces.  See also: Piano Exercises for Finger Strength.

5. Music doesn’t flow from pianist’s heart and soul as it usually does in singing, but simply comes to running fingers over necessary keys on the keyboard.
Most beginner pianists are just focused on getting the notes right. As you progress, you can begin working on more advanced techniques such as dynamics and articulations, where you can really showcase your passion and emotions.

(See other common mistakes and continue reading the article at Pianowell.com.)

Once you’ve mastered the basics, you’ll have established the right foundation to then move into things like theory, form, phrasing, and other musical aspects that online videos have trouble getting across. Yes, it’s a lot to learn and lot to think about.  But with the help of a great teacher, you’ll have fun in the process and you’ll reach your goals in no time!

Readers: Have you found that private lessons have helped your piano player?  Stop by our Facebook page and let us know! Like these posts?  Sign up to receive updates right to your inbox!  Click here to subscribe.

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Photo by geraldbrazell.

Similar Street Pianos have been featured in several US cities over the past 5 years, including Birmingham in 2008, New York in 2010 and Austin in 2011. Check out their official website to download a map of the piano locations and find out more information.  You can also upload your own photos, videos and stories to be featured on the website.  Just a look through their library shows just how creative artists can get with a seemingly simple piano.

We’ve shared photos of crazy guitar designs here before, but what about pianos?  Here are a 5 absurdly cool piano designs that caught our eye:

1. Chichi, the “Rocking Piano”:
This piano really rocks – back and forth, that is.  UK designer Sarah Davenport crafted this idea around a standard baby grand from the 1900s and literally rocks the player as a way of strengthening the relationship between the pianist and the piano.

2. Burning Piano:
Ok, not really a piano design, but a unique performance nonetheless.  In 2008, Japanese pianist Yosuke Yamashita donned a fireproof suit to play a piece as the piano enveloped in flames.  Believe it or not, it was actually the second time he performed the stunt.

3. Piano Table:
Would you love to have a piano in your home, but the space is too limiting?  Georg Bohle’s Piano Table design works double-duty – just don’t get any crumbs between the keys!  The electric keyboard is made out of oak wood and is completely hidden when the lid is down.  All yours for the retail price of $6,000.

4.  Hydra Piano:
This other-worldly design by Macedonian designer Apostol Tnokovski was reportedly inspired by a Lady Gaga performance.  The concept is also heavily influenced by Hydra, the mythological 7-headed sea monster, hence the name.

5. Schimmel Pegasus:
Italian designer Luigi Colani takes us to another dimension with this unique look. The Pegasus offers an ergonomic keyboard, over 200 strings, and 7 1/4 octaves. Its curved soundboard also results in a highly-efficient resonance system.  Reportedly Lenny Kravitz and Prince each own one of these pianos.

Readers, what do you think?  Leave your comments below, or join the discussion on Facebook! Like these posts?  Sign up to receive updates right to your inbox!  Click here to subscribe.

Here are 5 great exercises to improve your finger strength and dexterity, as originally published over at Piano and Synth Magazine:

1. Scales
The bane of every music student? Piano scales and arpeggios may be boring, but they work. Not only do they help to reinforce knowledge of the notes in each key signature, but they help develop finger strength and rhythm. Try playing major, minor and chromatic scales, and major and minor arpeggios, both single-handed and in unison in a variety of ways:
-legato (notes smooth)
-staccato (notes played shortly and sharply)
-regular rhythm
-alternative rhythm (for example: hold the first note of each octave for longer than the other six notes)
-alternative accents (for example: every third or fourth note)
-inverted (same start note, right hand plays ascending notes while left hand plays descending notes).

2. Stretches
-Play two notes of at least an octave apart, with thumb and fifth finger.
-Play a third note somewhere in between, with another finger.
-Jump staccato from the lower to the higher note and back.
-Hold thumb down on one note and play ascending staccato notes as far as possible with one of your fingers.

3. Work your weaker hand
Many pianists have one hand that is weaker than the other. Scales (see #1) will help, as will practicing parts usually played by your stronger hand.

4. Work your weaker fingers
Generally, the little (fifth) finger is weaker than the other fingers in the hand. Significantly differing finger strengths will make it difficult to maintain even playing.  To combat this, try the following:
-Practice playing scales with even volume across all fingers.
-Play two alternating notes with your weakest finger and a stronger finger. Maintain an even rhythm and volume.
-Play a run of three notes with your weakest finger and two stronger fingers. Again, maintain even rhythm and volume.

5. Key and Tempo
Try playing pieces or phrases of music you know well at different speeds and in different keys.
-Dexterity can be challenged at faster tempos.
-Steady rhythm can be challenged as tempos change.
-Different fingers can be stretched and strengthened as a piece of music is played in a new key.

If finger strength is something you need help with, run through these exercises right when you sit down to practice.  With repetition, you can train your muscles, just as a bodybuilder targets certain muscles.  Readers: what exercises have helped you improve your finger strength?  Leave a comment below, or stop by our Facebook page and join the discussion!

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Photo by Akash k.

Guitar players are lucky in that they play a very portable instrument. It’s relatively easy to carry around town or even bring on vacation with you.  But for piano players, impromptu practicing isn’t so easy.  If you’re out of town on Spring Break like many this week, you’re off the hook, right?

Think again.

Similar to practicing without a guitar, pianists can run through exercises without using a piano or keyboard. We came across a great article about this very concept on Tim Topham’s blog, another useful resource for musicians.  In his post, Topham runs through how he practiced while mid-flight, placing the music in front of him and studying it one bar at at time.  He describes his method as follows:

1. Study the left hand with the score
2. Close your eyes and picture playing each note clearly in your mind
3. Play it a number of times in your mind and while moving hands on an imaginary keyboard
4. Study the right hand with the score
5. Close eyes and picture playing every note of the right hand melody, and repeat a few times as for the left hand
6. Play hands together with eyes closed picturing the movement of the hands and the coordination of the fingers. It’s vital that you can picture playing every note for this to be a successful exercise.
7. Check back to the score to ensure you’re playing it correctly and move onto the next bar.

Using these visualization techniques, you can train yourself to easily memorize pieces – a skill that will come in handy if you start competing  (many competitions require this) or if you are having trouble learning the intricacies of the song.  If you already know the notes and fingerings by heart, you can then turn your attention to the dynamics, articulations and different emotions of the music.

What other ways do you “practice” when you’re not near your instrument?  Click on over to our Facebook page and share your tips!  Like these posts?  Sign up to receive daily updates right to your inbox!  Click here to subscribe.

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Photo by Cocteau Boy

Yes, we know – running through scales may not be the most fun part of practicing.  Most beginner musicians would rather jump right into learning songs and duets.  But the truth is, spending time warming up with technical exercises such as scales will help you in the long run.

First, by learning scales (and the underlying keys and theory), you are learning the essential vocabulary of music.  And how can you read without understanding the language first?

Second, scales are a great technique builder for any musician, not just pianists.  Scales can help woodwind and brass players learn fingering combinations, recognize your instrument’s comfortable range (particularly when moving through octaves with chromatic scales), and help you with improvising.

The good news is that scales don’t have to be boring.  Why not spice things up, while you’re at it?  Try adding in different dynamics, patterns and articulations, for example.

We loved this list of ideas from LaDona’s Music Studio for breaking from the norm – although the list is specific to piano scales, a few of the ideas can be transposed to other instruments as well:

1. Accelerando/Ritardando – both ways. Add dynamics.

2. Accent unusual notes – for example, accent the 2^nd of each group of four 16^th notes.

3. Articulations – all staccato, or different slur/staccato combinations.

4. Chromatics – repeat the 2 white notes a few times, or try separating by a minor or major 3^rd.

5. Clusters – play black-note groups in solid clusters.

6. Cross-rhythms – left hand in eighths for 2 octaves, right hand in triplets for 3 octaves – start one octave apart. Reverse, starting 2 octaves apart.

7. Dynamics – assign each hand a different level of sound.   Also, start left hand forte then diminuendo while right hand starts piano and crescendos. Meet in the middle.

8. Eyes Closed

9. Legatissimo – conscious overlapping.

10. Upside Down – start at the top and descend first.

What other ways do you make practicing scales more exciting?  Leave a comment below or head over to our Facebook page and share your tips with the community!

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Photo by Baruck.

Last week we discussed some advice for singers on interpreting music with things like enunciation, attitude and internalizing the lyrics.  But where do other instrumentalists fit in?  To get you started, you’ll always want to begin by scanning the piece of music and taking note of the key signature, time signature, tempo, melodic patterns and overall structure.  Look ahead for any complex rhythms or accidentals, so they don’t catch you off guard.  If this seems too overwhelming at first, don’t worry!  As an absolute beginner, simply sight reading the rhythm and notes is a great place to start.  Eventually, you’ll work your way up to recognizing the smaller details in the song.

As you go along, here are some great tips to keep in mind when you practice sight reading, courtesy of FluteTunes.com:

1. Keep a steady tempo.
Make sure that you are always counting, even when you have a rest. You must know where you are in the piece at any given time. While you can’t expect to play with 100% pitch accuracy, tempo and rhythm should be maintained at all costs. Notes can be sacrificed, but time cannot. While practicing, students often “woodshed” the notes first and then strive for correct rhythm. This can prove very harmful in the long run, because rhythmic accuracy should always take precedence over pitch. This is a great time to practice with a metronome.  

2. Making errors.
Right before you start playing, you should promise yourself that you are going to get to the end of the piece without ever stopping. People like sight-reading to be done without interruptions, even if it goes a little bit wrong in the middle. So if you make a mistake, just keep going, as if you were playing in an orchestra. Serious students tend to strive for perfection and feel dissatisfied if they cannot play a passage free from errors. For effective sight-reading, however, we must temporarily set aside our goal of perfection and accept the likelihood that errors will occur.

3. Breathing.
For wind and brass players, it’s easy to make errors while sight-reading just because you may run out of air in the middle of a phrase. Since you cannot plan breathing in advance, you must learn to spot phrase endings while playing them for the first time, and to breathe without breaking the musical continuity.

4. Stay concentrated.
Keep your eyes on the notation at all times. Never look away from the page. Keep your head and body still.

5. Relax!
Tense muscles make the music harder to play, so try to keep your fingers, hands, arms and body as relaxed as possible.

What other advice have you received that has helped you learn to sight read?  Share your own tips with the TakeLessons community by leaving a comment on our Facebook page! Like these posts?  Sign up to receive daily updates right to your inbox!  Click here to subscribe.

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Photo by racheocity.

While you might think good breathing is only important for singers and for wind instruments, the truth is, it’s essential for everyone to master.  Proper breathing means you’re more relaxed, which helps with any performance, on any instrument.  Here are some great breathing exercises that will help musicians of all kinds, as published on the Music Made Easy blog:

For Singers:
If you are a singer, your whole body is your instrument, so in the following exercise, try to be aware of how your body feels in relation to your breathing.

- Focus on your posture and your breathing. Standing, make sure your feet are at shoulder-width distance apart and you maintain a relaxed and grounded posture, feeling the support of the floor.
- Place the palms of your hands just under your rib cage so that your fingers are just touching.  Focus on your natural breathing and notice how your fingers come slightly apart as you breathe in, and as you breathe out, they come together again.
- While doing this, mentally check your body for any tension and purposefully relax muscles in you neck, shoulders, arms, upper and lower body which may be tense.
- On your in-breath, through your nose, count that breath as ‘one’ and release it naturally through your mouth and adding a relaxed vocalization.  Be aware the whole time of the movement of your diaphragm as well as relaxing your body.  Try to exaggerate the ‘out’ movement of your stomach, so that the air flows deeper into your lungs.  Then let the air out, making sure all air is expelled.

For Piano Players:
- Place the five fingers of your right hand on any consecutive five white notes above middle C and press down all the notes at once.  Your left hand should be relaxed by your side or on your lap.
- Focus on your posture and your breathing, sitting on the edge of your seat with your feet flat and firmly on the floor, so that your weight is on your feet.  Relax your wrists and make sure they are in line with your hand and the tips of the fingers are resting on the notes as the weight of your arms help to press the notes down.  Fingers should be rounded and comfortable.
- Focus on your natural breathing.  Mentally check your body for any tension, purposefully relaxing any muscles in you neck, shoulders, arms, upper and lower body which may be tense.  Continue to do this throughout the exercise.
- When you take a natural breath in, lift up your 5^th finger (while all other notes are held down) about a centimeter off the key and when you naturally breathe out, press the key down again. Repeat the exercise, this time with the 4^th finger (this will be difficult at first).  Remember the 5^th finger should be holding its note down now too. Repeat the exercise through 3^rd, 2^nd and 1^st fingers and then do the same exercise over again but with your left hand, choosing notes below middle C and relaxing your right hand in your lap or by your side.

For Drummers and Percussionists:
Tension in the body and breathing are linked.  If you are able to focus on your breath, you will be able to purposefully relax your body.  It is important to be able to relax because tension can interrupt your ability to play when you are attempting new and more complex rhythms and/or soloing.

- Focus on your posture and your breathing.  Sit on the edge of your seat with your feet flat and firmly on the floor, so that your weight is on your feet, and the palms of your hands resting on your legs.   You can also stand, making sure your feet are at shoulder-width distance apart and you maintain a relaxed, yet grounded posture.
- Place the palms of your hands under your rib cage so that your fingers are just touching.  Focus on your natural breathing and notice how your fingers come slightly apart as you breathe in and as you breathe out they come together again. While doing this, mentally check your body for any tension and purposefully relax muscles in you neck, shoulders, arms, upper and lower body.
- Count your in-breath, through your nose as ‘one’ and release it naturally, being aware the whole time of relaxing your body and the movement of your diaphragm. As you breathe in, try to exaggerate the ‘out’ movement of your stomach, so that the air flows deeper into your lungs.

For Wind Instruments:
Developing good breathing technique is vital for playing a wind instrument because it dictates the way notes begin (intonation), the sound quality of the note (tone quality), how long you can hold notes (sustaining), how loud or soft the notes are (dynamics) and how you get from one note to another (flexibility).

- Focus on your posture and your breathing.  Sit on the edge of your seat with your feet flat and firmly on the floor, so that your weight is on your feet, and the palms of your hands resting on your legs.   You can also stand, making sure your feet are at shoulder-width distance apart and you maintain a relaxed, yet grounded posture.
- Focus upon your natural breathing.  While doing this, mentally check your body for tension and purposefully relax any muscles in you neck, shoulders, arms, upper and lower body, which may be tense.  Continue to do this throughout the exercise.
- Breathe in through your mouth for two counts and be full of air by the end of this count then breathe out through your mouth for four counts, being empty of air by the end of it.  When you breathe out make an ‘s’ sound with your mouth (like a snake).  Make sure you push all the air out.

Need help with breathing exercises?  Enlist the help of a music teacher for more personalized feedback.  Search for a teacher near you here. Like these posts?  Sign up to receive daily updates right to your inbox!  Click here to subscribe.

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