It\u2019s time we talked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So much of what we teach here at Pianote is about learning new things and having fun at the piano.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s important, but there\u2019s a more serious issue that we need to address.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mistakes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Everybody makes them. It\u2019s how you address and fix them that determine how quickly you will improve as a piano player.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The worst mistakes anyone can make are the same ones they’ve made before.<\/strong> That means you\u2019re forming bad habits, and if that\u2019s the case, it\u2019s even harder to correct.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A quick note — I am talking about PRACTICE here. Not PERFORMANCE. This is a big difference between the two.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Remember, your practice time is NOT a performance. That\u2019s the time to correct things and get better. If you make a mistake while performing, I recommend you DO keep going as best you can.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are some steps you can take to make sure you actually get better at the piano and stop making the same mistakes over and over again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I know, it sounds so easy and obvious. But be honest, do you always do it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n It can be hard to stop what you\u2019re doing and address something uncomfortable. It\u2019s much easier to pretend it never happened and keep going. Maybe you think you\u2019ll correct it \u201cnext time\u201d. But next time turns into never. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n And that mistake — turns into a habit.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n It’s important to address mistakes early. If you have a song and you KNOW there is always one spot where you stumble, start your practice there. Work on that before practicing the whole song through.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n If you’re not sure whether you’re making mistakes or not, try recording yourself and listen back. It can be uncomfortable, but it will allow you to listen and hear things that you might miss while you’re playing.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Once you’ve found your mistake areas, there’s a very important thing you need to do to help you fix them.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Don’t start at the point where you stumble, start at least one measure before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There’s a very good reason for this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Most of the time mistakes happen during transitions. If you just start from where you make the error you\u2019ll be able to set yourself up properly and won\u2019t actually address what\u2019s causing the mistake.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n So back it up, go slow and work on getting to and then through the place where you stumble.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n These difficult transitions can be made even harder if you don’t address the next point.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n I have often found that errors occur when we have to use some fancy fingering like thumb-tucks and crossovers.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re not using the correct fingering you can get yourself into trouble by making it harder than it needs to be.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n So how do you know what fingering to use?<\/strong> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Many pieces will tell you by writing numbers over certain notes. Those numbers represent what fingers to use. If there aren\u2019t any numbers you can figure it out for yourself. It just takes a little bit of experimentation and thought. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n1. Stop and fix it<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
2. Back it up<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
3. Check your fingering<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n