{"id":17292,"date":"2024-05-15T14:49:13","date_gmt":"2024-05-15T21:49:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/?p=17292"},"modified":"2024-05-17T12:21:43","modified_gmt":"2024-05-17T19:21:43","slug":"how-long-should-you-practice-piano","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/how-long-should-you-practice-piano\/","title":{"rendered":"How Long Should You Practice Piano?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>It\u2019s a popular question among beginner piano players and while it&#8217;s a great question, it&#8217;s a difficult one to answer because individual pianists have different needs. So, how long should you practice piano each day? <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In general, if you\u2019re a novice to intermediate piano player, practicing 30-45 minutes a day nearly every day is a good rule of thumb. But let\u2019s dive deeper into what this means and how to maximize your practice sessions, no matter how much time you have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-rank-math-toc-block\" id=\"rank-math-toc\"><p><strong>Table of Contents:<\/strong><\/p><nav><ol><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#its-about-quality-not-quantity\">Quality Over Quantity<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#how-much-should-you-practice-as-a-beginner-as-an-advanced-pianist\">Learning Stage<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#but-everyone-is-different\">Everyone Is Different<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#whats-better-practicing-short-chunks-often-or-practicing-in-one-long-session-once-a-week\">Short &amp; Consistent<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#rest-is-important\">Rest Is Important<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#what-if-i-just-dont-have-enough-time\">Everyone has 5 minutes!<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#remember-to-enjoy-yourself\">Enjoy Yourself<\/a><\/li><\/ol><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<span class=\"blue-text-block\"><center><h2 style=\"font-size:22px\"><b>\ud83c\udfb9 Your Go-To Place for All Things Piano<\/b><\/h2><p>Get exclusive interviews, fascinating articles, and inspiring lessons delivered straight to your inbox.<\/p><iframe class=\"email-form-include\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/weeklyemail\" frameborder=\"none\"><\/iframe><\/center><small><i>By signing up you\u2019ll also receive our ongoing free lessons and special offers. Don\u2019t worry, we value your privacy and you can unsubscribe at any time.<\/i><\/small><\/span>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"its-about-quality-not-quantity\" style=\"font-size:24px\"><strong>It\u2019s about quality, not quantity<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>First things first: not all practice is equal. You can play <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/piano-scales\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">scales<\/a> for hours on end, but you shouldn\u2019t do it on autopilot. And you can put hours into playing a song you know really well, but that may not help you progress in other areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In general, it\u2019s better to practice in a focused, goal-driven mindset for a short amount of time than it is to play mindlessly for a longer period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>&gt; <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/new-year-piano-resolutions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Goal-setting Tips<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"how-much-should-you-practice-as-a-beginner-as-an-advanced-pianist\" style=\"font-size:24px\"><strong>How much should you practice as a beginner? As an advanced pianist?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>As you progress in piano, your practice time will naturally increase. You\u2019ll play longer songs and learn more complex techniques, but your endurance will also improve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Based on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/how-long-does-it-take-to-learn-piano-survey\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">our survey of more than 1000 piano players<\/a>, we can comfortably make the following recommendations for daily practice time based on ability level:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Beginner<\/strong> and <strong>novice<\/strong> pianists should practice 15-45 minutes a day<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Intermediate<\/strong> pianists should practice 45 minutes to an hour a day<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Advanced<\/strong> pianists should practice 1-2 hours a day<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Expert<\/strong> pianists will probably practice 3+ hours a day; however, this may depend on the performance(s) they\u2019re preparing for<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"but-everyone-is-different\" style=\"font-size:24px\"><strong>\u2026but everyone is different<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The great <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/oscar-peterson\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Oscar Peterson<\/a> once said he practiced <a href=\"https:\/\/jazzprofiles.blogspot.com\/2014\/11\/oscar-peterson-bursting-out.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">eighteen hours a day <\/a>in his youth. In general, the pros <em>do <\/em>practice a lot. But this depends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, Adam Stout\u2014a cruise ship pianist we interviewed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/cruise-ship-musician\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">here<\/a>\u2014admits he really doesn\u2019t practice that much. Part of the reason is that pianos and private space are hard to come by on a cruise ship. But he also has enough experience to quickly interpret a chord chart or lead sheet on the spot. This is the culmination of years and years of training. (And probably years of practicing for many hours a day!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So you see? Practice pays off! If you practice a lot now, you may be able to practice less later\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/16092747\/survey-3-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"How long should you practice piano? Woman with medium blonde hair playing upright keyboard piano against stairs in home.\" class=\"wp-image-14947\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/16092747\/survey-3-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/16092747\/survey-3-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/16092747\/survey-3-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/16092747\/survey-3.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"whats-better-practicing-short-chunks-often-or-practicing-in-one-long-session-once-a-week\" style=\"font-size:24px\"><strong>What&#8217;s better: practicing short chunks often or practicing in one long session once a week?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you have a busy lifestyle, you may be tempted to block out a large chunk of time during the week to squeeze in all your piano practice. But this won\u2019t be as effective as practicing a little bit every day. Scientific research supports the idea that learning things in short sessions over a longer period of time is more effective than cramming it all in one go. This is called the <a href=\"https:\/\/fs.blog\/spacing-effect\/?trk=article-ssr-frontend-pulse_little-text-block\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">spacing effect<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"rest-is-important\" style=\"font-size:24px\"><strong>Rest is important<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Spacing out your practice sessions is also important because your brain actually does a lot of learning while it\u2019s at rest. In <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ninds.nih.gov\/news-events\/news\/press-releases\/study-shows-how-taking-short-breaks-may-help-our-brains-learn-new-skills?trk=article-ssr-frontend-pulse_little-text-block\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">one study<\/a>, \u201cresearchers found that during rest the volunteers\u2019 brains rapidly and repeatedly replayed faster versions of the activity seen while they practiced [the task]. The more a volunteer replayed the activity the better they performed during subsequent practice sessions, suggesting rest strengthened memories.\u201d This was called \u201cwakeful rest.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"what-if-i-just-dont-have-enough-time\" style=\"font-size:24px\"><strong>What if I just don&#8217;t have enough time?!<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>You want to get better at piano, but you\u2019ve got a full-time job, kids, aging parents, volunteering, maybe a night class\u2026 How can you possibly make time to practice with all this stuff going on?!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Well, you probably have five minutes every day. Everyone has five minutes! And while five minutes doesn\u2019t seem like much, it\u2019s better than nothing\u2026<em>by a lot<\/em>. If you practice every day for five minutes each day, that\u2019s 35 minutes a week. Which is nothing to sneeze at!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/30124501\/anand-practicing-on-casio-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Man in green blue plaid shirt and grey sweater playing casio keyboard.\" class=\"wp-image-14479\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/30124501\/anand-practicing-on-casio-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/30124501\/anand-practicing-on-casio-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/30124501\/anand-practicing-on-casio-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/30124501\/anand-practicing-on-casio.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Sure, your progress will be much slower than the kid on summer vacation who can practice every day from morning until night. But you\u2019ll still progress. (<em>And<\/em> have time to deal with your other responsibilities.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And you\u2019re not alone. In fact, Pianote is passionate about supporting folks like you! Here are some <strong>free<\/strong> lessons on getting the most of your practice session, that are 10 minutes or less:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/ultimate-practice-routine\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Ultimate Practice Routine<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/absolute-beginner-practice-routine\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Practice Routine for Absolute Beginners<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/d-minor-practice-routine\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Complete Practice Routine in D Minor<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/piano-morning-routine\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Ultimate Morning Practice Routine<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/10-minute-practice\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">10-Minute Practice Routine<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"remember-to-enjoy-yourself\" style=\"font-size:24px\"><strong>Remember to enjoy yourself<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>More important than hours spent at the piano is enjoying your practice session. You should <em>want <\/em>to practice. The more you enjoy practicing, the more you\u2019ll practice, and the better you\u2019ll get!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Try not to see practice as homework but as an opportunity to connect with your instrument and the music you love. It\u2019s how the pros see piano practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:66.66%\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>I want to be creative with everything that I\u2019m doing. And when I\u2019m practicing, I\u2019m always thinking about how I can make this practice creative.<\/p>\n<cite><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/jordan-rudess-interview\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Jordan Rudess<\/a>, GRAMMY-winning keyboardist for Dream Theater and Music Radar Keyboardist of the Year<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:33.33%\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/14093746\/jordan-rudess-quote-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Man with goatee smiling and looking up from playing on a silver keyboard.\" class=\"wp-image-17293\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/14093746\/jordan-rudess-quote-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/14093746\/jordan-rudess-quote-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/14093746\/jordan-rudess-quote-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/14093746\/jordan-rudess-quote.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:33.33%\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"682\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/14094631\/yuja-wang-media-kit-1-682x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"Woman with short black hair in hot pink dress laughing.\" class=\"wp-image-17294\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/14094631\/yuja-wang-media-kit-1-682x1024.jpeg 682w, https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/14094631\/yuja-wang-media-kit-1-200x300.jpeg 200w, https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/14094631\/yuja-wang-media-kit-1-768x1152.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/14094631\/yuja-wang-media-kit-1-1024x1536.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/14094631\/yuja-wang-media-kit-1.jpeg 1333w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 682px) 100vw, 682px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:66.66%\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Don\u2019t think of practice as a chore or as work, but instead as a creativity lab where you have time, choice and freedom to discover.<\/p>\n<cite><a href=\"https:\/\/sfcm.edu\/discover\/newsroom\/yuja-wang-practicing-performing-and-sushi\">Yuja Wang<\/a>, GRAMMY winner and widely considered one of the best living classical pianists<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>The value of an exercise depends on your state of mind. If you don&#8217;t find it interesting, then it is not useful.<\/p>\n<cite><a href=\"https:\/\/www.djangobooks.com\/forum\/discussion\/17784\/musicians-quotes-on-practice\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Madeline Bruser<\/a>, author of The Art of Practicing<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<span class=\"blue-text-block\"><center><h3 style=\"font-size:22px;\"><b>Master the Piano YOUR Way \ud83d\udd25<\/b><\/h3><p>As a Pianote+ Member, you\u2019ll get access to our 10-step Method, song library, and growing community of piano players just like you. Plus: get coached by world-class pianists and learn whenever you  want, wherever you want, and whatever you want.<\/p><a class=\"join\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/trial\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">TRY PIANOTE FOR 7 DAYS<\/a><\/center><br><\/span>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How long should you practice piano each day? Let\u2019s answer this question with ability level, goals, and practice habits in mind\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":49,"featured_media":17304,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1112],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17292","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-practice-musicianship"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17292","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/49"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17292"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17292\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17311,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17292\/revisions\/17311"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17304"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17292"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17292"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17292"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}