To learn piano well, the first is diligence, the second is perseverance, and the third is science.

The process of learning piano is very difficult and boring. Without perseverance and hard work, it is difficult to reach the ideal height. Of course, it is not advisable to practice blindly. This will not only achieve half the result with half the effort and waste your efforts, but may even go astray on the road to piano learning. Therefore, it is crucial to find a scientific method of practicing piano. A good method can make you get twice the result with half the effort. The most important thing at the beginning of learning the piano is to lay a good foundation. When you first learn the piano, the main task is to master the accurate hand shape, fingering, use of force and the ability to read music. Pay attention to whether the hand shape, force, and fingering are accurate, and whether you are relaxed when playing. To do this well you must practice many times. It must be very strict and lay a good foundation. Don’t pursue progress one-sidedly. Otherwise, if there are problems such as incorrect hand shape, wrong fingering, poor music reading ability, etc., it will leave great hidden dangers for future learning.

Regarding learning methods, I would like to give some suggestions for your reference.

1. Split and join: practice splitting up first, and then practice joining your hands after both left and right hands are very familiar with it.

2. Slow and fast: practice slowly first, and strive to be accurate during the slow practice (it is better to be slow than wrong). After you become familiar with it, gradually speed up until you reach the speed specified by the song.

3. Zeros and wholes: Don’t practice in large sections (or even the whole piece) right from the beginning. Divide the piece into several small sections (try to divide it into phrases) and practice section by section until you have practiced it to a certain level. Combine several exercises, and finally practice the entire piece together.

4. Easy and difficult: identify the difficult points and focus on them. For the more difficult phrases, passages, and even measures, you can't just make do with it. The more difficult it is, the harder you have to work hard. Every time you overcome a difficulty, you will move up a level!

5. Reading and memorizing music: Reading and memorizing music can train your ability to read and sight-read music. Playing from memory is a basic requirement, so the ability to read and memorize music needs to be intertwined.

Practice without neglecting it.

Beginners to piano should pay special attention to the training of basic skills. Correct sitting posture, hand shape, key touch method, and good habits all need to be carefully paid attention to. The following introduces you to 16 good habits for practicing piano. If you practice these good habits carefully, you will naturally achieve obvious results over time.

Sixteen good habits for practicing piano

Habit 1:

Do some finger stretching before playing the piano.

The action is mainly to stretch the finger ligaments, do not use too much force. The purpose is similar to the preparatory exercise before running or swimming, which can make you enter the piano playing state faster. In winter, you can hold a hot water bottle to warm your hands for a while.

Habit 2:

Persist in playing a piece of Hanon every day.

As soon as you start playing Hanon, insist on playing a section every day. In this way, even if you don't have much time to play the piano every day, your level will not drop too much. For beginners, playing Hanon every day is a better way to maintain steady progress.

Habit 3:

From slow to fast.

There are so many benefits to practicing slowly that I won’t go into details. In short, slow training is the way to go.

Habit 4:

Pay attention to every symbol on the score the first time you play.

Many people ignore the emoticons on the score when they play it for the first time, and then change it after they get familiar with it. In fact, paying attention to the emoticons when playing it for the first time can deepen their understanding of the music.

Habit 5:

Keep a pencil handy when playing the piano.

Many times there are no detailed fingering, strength and weakness instructions on the music score. At this time, we need to use a pen to mark the fingering, strength and other marks that we think are appropriate. Remember to use a pencil, otherwise it will be difficult to correct your mistakes!

Habit 6:

Don’t listen to the recording before you master a piece of music.

The recording is just a reference. Listening to the recording before playing it well will often lead us to imitate the recording, blindly pursue speed, and lose our understanding of the music.

Habit 7:

Learn to practice in sections and catch mistakes individually.

Don’t play it from the beginning to the end every time. When you play a piece of music for the first time, divide it into sections. After you become familiar with one section, practice the next section. Once you find an error, you should single out the error and correct it. Practicing in sections is also more conducive to the overall grasp of the piece.

Habit 8:

Try to maintain good hand shape.

No matter what music you play, no matter what speed you play, try to maintain good hand posture. Some people may say: As the speed increases, the hand shape cannot be guaranteed. In fact, this is not the case. Being able to maintain good hand shape during high-speed playing is also one of the criteria for testing whether the basic skills are solid.

PS: Before you reach the master level, don’t ask why the pianist’s hand shape and key touch in the video do not meet the requirements.

Habit 9:

Play music that is similar to your own level.

Many people like to play music that is far beyond their level. This is actually harmful and unhelpful. If the music is far beyond your level, it will be difficult for you to ensure the accuracy of your technical processing, and you may even make a lot of wrong notes. And even if you can play this piece of music well in the future, it will be difficult to change it back. (This is my bloody lesson)

Habit 10:

Learn to memorize music.

Many good teachers will ask students to memorize music with a purpose. This is not just about training your ability to memorize music, but about having more repertoire. In this way, you can not only improve your understanding of the music, but also occasionally "show" it in front of others. (I have suffered from this since I was a child...)

Habit 11:

Clear the goal of practicing piano every day, and don’t practice too many pieces at the same time.

Similar to studying and working, practicing piano also requires goals. For example, make sure you want to practice a certain section of the song today, or recite a certain piece of music, etc. Don't blindly practice many pieces at the same time. Practicing in a hurry will make your progress feel slow. In contrast, the effect of focusing on one or two songs will be much better.

Habit 12:

Rigorousness comes first and avoid muddle along.

It can be said that playing the piano carelessly is a common problem among amateur piano players. There will inevitably be various difficulties in the process of playing the piano. At this time, you must not have the mentality of muddling along. Every time you overcome a difficulty, your level will rise to a higher level.

Habit 13:

Use a metronome often.

Although the rhythm of the song is alive, a metronome is often used before the framework of the song is formed. The metronome controlling rhythm is only its most basic function. When playing etudes, you can rely on a metronome to gradually increase the speed.

Habit 14:

Rework songs you have played before often.

The so-called "knowing new things through gentle study" means that the music I have played does not mean that I have truly mastered it. Many key points in music understanding and technical processing may not be understood when you finish playing the music for the first time. They need to be consolidated and understood through rework after the level is improved.

Habit 15:

Avoid practice overload.

Today I saw a post about "My hands hurt when I play the piano". It may be a problem with the practice method, but excessive practice can also cause hand pain. Although practicing hard and practicing more often is indeed conducive to technical progress, it must be done within a certain limit. Playing too much will hurt your hands, which is not conducive to progress.

Habit 16:

Learn to protect your hands.

Many male compatriots like to play basketball, rock climbing and other outdoor sports. In fact, it is easy to hurt their hands. It can range from ligament strain to severe fracture, which is a fatal injury for us piano players. (My piano teacher once banned me from playing basketball.) Many girls like to have long nails, which is also a big taboo when playing the piano.

Hope it helps.