{"id":6960,"date":"2022-02-11T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-02-11T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/?p=6960"},"modified":"2023-01-12T20:10:44","modified_gmt":"2023-01-13T04:10:44","slug":"piano-morning-routine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/piano-morning-routine\/","title":{"rendered":"The Ultimate Morning Practice Routine \u2615"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Ahhh\u2026mornings!&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Waking up and playing piano first thing in the morning is a lovely experience! But it\u2019s not always easy\u2026especially if you\u2019re not a morning person!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I want to share with you an easy, helpful, and encouraging practice routine that you can do at any time of the day. Morning larks will love it; as will night owls and everyone in between! It\u2019s designed to be fun, and like an appetizer, I hope it\u2019ll whet your appetite for more piano-ing throughout the day. (There will be <em>lots <\/em>of food metaphors in this lesson \u2014 you\u2019ve been warned!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"step-1-sit-down-at-your-piano-bench\" style=\"font-size:28px\"><strong>Step 1: Sit down at your piano bench!<\/strong> \ud83e\udd71<\/h2>\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\">\n<p><meta charset=\"utf-8\">Getting started is often the hardest step! So if you make it to your piano bench and sit down, you\u2019ve already won.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now that you\u2019re here, take a moment to settle in. Take a few deep breaths and do some stretches. If you\u2019re interested in how to perfect your posture, I recommend checking out <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/perfect-posture-at-the-piano\/\">our lesson with a chiropractor<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<div style=\"width:100%;height:0;padding-bottom:56%;position:relative;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/giphy.com\/embed\/l46CBvLI7Q7YthRzG\" width=\"100%\" height=\"100%\" style=\"position:absolute\" frameborder=\"0\" class=\"giphy-embed\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><\/div><p><a href=\"https:\/\/giphy.com\/gifs\/comedycentral-amy-schumer-inside-stretch-l46CBvLI7Q7YthRzG\">via GIPHY<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"step-2-eat-your-vegetables-practice-your-scales\" style=\"font-size:28px\"><strong>Step 2: Eat your vegetables (practice your scales) <strong>\ud83e\udd57<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Practicing your scales is similar to eating your vegetables before enjoying dessert. They\u2019re good for you, but they aren\u2019t the tastiest thing to practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, let\u2019s get scales out of the way first! In the video, I\u2019ll play a simple one-octave C Major scale, but you can practice any scale or scales you want. Once you know a few scales, you can focus on a handful of scales a day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When I practice scales, I like to be very intentional. I ask myself: how do the keys feel? Am I tense? Am I applying pressure evenly, and are there any sticking points?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One thing I like is focusing on playing two notes at a time, back and forth. This really zeroes in on technique.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<video playsinline=\"\u201c\u201d\" autoplay=\"\u201c\u201d\" src=\"https:\/\/pianote.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/blog\/2022\/Pianote%20Morning%20Practice%20Routine\/morning%20routine%20-%20scale%20-%20min.mp4\" loop=\"\" muted=\"\" width=\"100%\"><\/video>\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\">\ud83c\udfb9\ud83d\udc49 <b><i>GET INFORMED ABOUT SCALES!<\/i><\/b> If you\u2019re new to scales, check out our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/piano-music-theory-major-minor\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">theory lesson<\/a> on how major and minor scales work. We also recommend checking out fun ways to <del>eat your vegetables<\/del> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/how-to-practice-piano-scales\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">practice your scales<\/a>.<\/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=\"step-3-diatonic-triads\" style=\"font-size:28px\"><strong>Step 3: Diatonic triads <strong>\ud83d\udd90\ufe0f<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Now that we\u2019re done practicing our scales, let\u2019s practice our triads. In my C Major example, I\u2019ll move through all the triads that occur in the C Major scale. The fancy word for these are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/diatonic-chords\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">diatonic chords<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<video playsinline=\"\u201c\u201d\" autoplay=\"\u201c\u201d\" src=\"https:\/\/pianote.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/blog\/2022\/Pianote%20Morning%20Practice%20Routine\/morning%20routine%20-%20diatonics%20-%20min.mp4\" loop=\"\" muted=\"\" width=\"100%\"><\/video>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>In this exercise, we\u2019ll practice dropping and lifting our hands on each chord. This will build good habits. Pay attention to how you weight your hands \u2014 take care not to tense up when you play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"step-4-chord-progression-practice\" style=\"font-size:28px\"><strong><strong>Step 4: Chord progression practice<\/strong> \ud83c\udfb6<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Now let\u2019s get to the meat-and-potatoes part of our practice routine. By using a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/piano-chord-progressions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">chord progression<\/a> to practice technique, your practice will sound more like a song than a drill, which I find always helps motivate folks to practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This exercise is designed to help you work on dexterity, speed, dynamics, and hand independence <em>while <\/em>sounding awesome!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The chord progression we\u2019ll use is:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-large-font-size\"><strong><span style=\"color:#f61a30\" class=\"has-inline-color\">Am &#8211; F &#8211; G &#8211; Em<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(It\u2019s very pretty and moody!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What we\u2019ll do is play an arpeggio form of each chord with our left hand and a solid triad form of the chord with our right hand.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The arpeggio looks like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<video playsinline=\"\u201c\u201d\" autoplay=\"\u201c\u201d\" src=\"https:\/\/pianote.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/blog\/2022\/Pianote%20Morning%20Practice%20Routine\/morning%20routine%20-%20arpeggio%20-%20min.mp4\" loop=\"\" muted=\"\" width=\"100%\"><\/video>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Combined with triads, it&#8217;ll look like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<video playsinline=\"\u201c\u201d\" autoplay=\"\u201c\u201d\" src=\"https:\/\/pianote.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/blog\/2022\/Pianote%20Morning%20Practice%20Routine\/morning%20routine%20-%20arpeggio%2Btriad%20-%20min.mp4\" loop=\"\" muted=\"\" width=\"100%\"><\/video>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Once you get a hang of it, speed up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then, try switching your hands. Play arpeggios with your right hand and triads with your left.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"step-5-two-octave-arpeggio\" style=\"font-size:28px\"><strong>Step 5: Two-octave arpeggio <strong>\u2728<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Now let\u2019s take things up a notch. This exercise sounds <em>really <\/em>cool \u2014 you\u2019ll forget that it\u2019s an exercise and not a song.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On your left hand, play a triad or a shell chord. And on your right hand, play a two-octave arpeggio of the same chord. If you\u2019re not sure how to do this, rewind this part of the video a few times. Here is the fingering:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<video playsinline=\"\u201c\u201d\" autoplay=\"\u201c\u201d\" src=\"https:\/\/pianote.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/blog\/2022\/Pianote%20Morning%20Practice%20Routine\/morning%20routine%20-%20arpeggio%20fingering%20-%20min.mp4\" loop=\"\" muted=\"\" width=\"100%\"><\/video>\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=\"the-right-exercises-to-kickstart-your-practice\" style=\"font-size:28px\"><strong>The Right Exercises to Kickstart Your Practice<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>As you can see, the intent behind all these exercises is to get you excited about playing piano. Start on a good note (pun intended), and you\u2019ll be motivated to keep going.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Technique isn\u2019t always fun, and I\u2019m not afraid to admit that! But just like sneaking wilted spinach into pasta sauce, you can \u201csneak in\u201d technical exercises into something that sounds less regimental by using chord progressions and arpeggios.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I hope you like this practice routine \u2014 have fun!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<iframe class=\"email-form-include-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/weekly-email\" frameborder=\"none\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Whet your appetite for practice with this fun, easy-going morning piano practice routine designed to get you excited about music.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":39,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1108,1112],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6960","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-musicianship","category-practice-musicianship"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6960","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\/39"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6960"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6960\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10821,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6960\/revisions\/10821"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6960"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6960"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6960"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}