Discover tips and resources to make piano practicing more fun and effective!
At Hoffman Academy, our goal is to help piano students LOVE playing the piano from the very beginning. Making daily piano practice a positive experience is the key to success. Read on for some suggestions to help piano learners get the most out of their practice time every day.
How often should you practice piano?
The number one most important thing you can do to ensure success as a piano learner is to develop the habit of practicing the piano every day. For a beginner, ten to fifteen minutes a day is all you need. As you make progress over the months and years, your daily practice time will naturally grow as you begin to tackle more complex music and skills. Instead of setting a timer for your piano practice session, focus simply on getting to the piano bench and making some music every day. Choose specific goals to accomplish at each practice. When you’ve reached those goals, you’re done. It’s also okay to call it a day if you find your focus waning or you feel like you need a break. Being flexible with the amount of time is fine, but make sure you’re consistent with the daily habit of piano practice.
To help motivate daily piano practice, try our free Hoffman Academy practice trackers! Choose your goal, hang the chart next to the piano, and check off each day as you practice. It’s a great way to visualize your progress.
What is the best way to practice piano pieces? Here are Mr. Hoffman’s top tips for beginners:
Focus on one small part at a time
When practicing the piano, it works best if you focus on one small part of a piece at a time. Piano students tend to want to learn a piano piece by starting at the beginning, struggling all the way to the end, and then starting over from the beginning again. This is not the most efficient way to learn a song, and can even train your fingers to make mistakes!
Instead, start with two notes. When you can play those two notes correctly, add another two notes. Learn the entire song in tiny chunks, then gradually link smaller chunks into bigger chunks until you can play the entire song. If there’s one little section where you always seem to make a mistake, then isolate those few notes and practice them until you can play the section three times in a row without a mistake. If you still have difficulty with the section, slow down and reduce it to as few notes as possible.
You can simplify each small section of a piano piece even further by separating rhythm, notes, left hand, and right hand. Start by tapping the rhythm. Play the right hand alone, then play the left hand alone. Practice each of these elements separately before putting them together.
Once the small sections of a song or piece have been learned independently, it will be easy to play the entire song without mistakes. This is much more efficient than practicing by always starting at the beginning of the song and playing to the end.
Don’t practice mistakes
I’ve often seen students practice the same mistake over and over again to the point where that mistake becomes a deeply ingrained habit. They’ve essentially become an expert at playing that mistake! And that can be a lot of work to undo. A better way to practice piano is to think that practice begins once you can play a group of notes correctly. Before that, you’re only working out the notes. Many students will play a section they’re working on incorrectly multiple times, and then finally play it correctly once, and then think “I got it! Time to move on!” The next time they play the piano, their fingers remember the mistake better than playing it correctly. Instead, make sure you play each tiny section of a piece correctly many more times than you play it incorrectly. If you are making a mistake, slow down. Focus on only a few notes at a time. Separate the rhythm, the left hand, the right hand. Then put it back together and play it correctly several times to fix it in your memory. Don’t just practice until you get it right. Practice it right until you can’t get it wrong!
Use piano practice games
Practice requires repetition, and repetition can sometimes feel tedious, especially for a young piano student. One way to make it fun is with a simple piano practice game. Here’s an example. Choose a skill to practice, such as playing a short section of a song. Find five small toys or any other object and set them on the piano. These will be the prisoners. For each time the student plays the section correctly, one prisoner gets to escape. For more piano practice game ideas, check out this list of Great Piano Games for Students.
Create a habit of good piano posture
Good piano posture leads to more ease, more efficiency, less strain, and more fun and enjoyment while playing. Your body will be more free to make music when you’re using good posture. Good piano posture is a relaxed, natural, flexible position that will make piano playing pain free for life. Learn more about good piano posture here.
Listen to the piece you’re learning
Another key to success is taking time to listen to the pieces you’re learning. This can be done anywhere, any time, in your car, at the breakfast table, whenever you would normally listen to music. Knowing how a piece of music should sound allows you to tell instantly when you’re playing a wrong note. It will also develop your musical ear and sensitivity as a musician. As you advance as a piano player, listening to different interpretations of a piano piece by various expert pianists can be very insightful and inspiring. To make listening easy and fun, Hoffman Academy Premium comes with listening tracks for every song and piece in our curriculum.
Sing while you play
Singing is a powerful tool to engage the musical part of your brain. That’s why I always encourage my students to sing along as they play the piano. You can sing the letter names of the notes, rhythm words, solfège, lyrics, or simply hum along. For a beginning student, if they can sing the melody of a song, they’re much more likely to be able to play that melody correctly on the piano.
Be patient with yourself
Like any other physical skill, learning to play the piano well requires time, repetition, and patience. Learning happens best when you take breaks and allow your brain to process new information and abilities. Every day will bring new challenges and successes. Give yourself the time you need to grow.
Have fun and celebrate your successes
There are so many opportunities to celebrate small successes as a piano student. Did you just play those three notes correctly? High five! Did you learn Hot Cross Buns? It may be a simple song, but own it! Enjoy building a personal repertoire of music that you can perform and share. One of the best parts of being a musician is sharing music with others. Always have a few pieces that you know by heart and can play any time you’re around a piano.
How long does it take to learn piano?
The amount of time spent practicing every day makes a big difference in how long it takes to learn the piano. Try our piano practice calculator and see for yourself! For most piano learners who can put in a consistent 20 minutes of practice a day, in only one year they’ll be able to play simple arrangements of many of their favorite songs. After that, each year of playing the piano will bring new growth and abilities. It’s hard to say when someone has “learned” the piano because there will always be new pieces to learn and new skills to develop. Personally, I’ve been playing piano for over 40 years, and I’m still practicing and learning every day.
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How to create an effective piano practice routine
For a new, beginning piano student, a good piano practice routine is all about sitting down at the piano and spending some time making music. The important thing is to create the habit.
As you learn more and more, a good piano practice routine will eventually include working on technique, developing music skills like sight reading or playing by ear, working on new songs, reviewing old songs, and also time for creativity and fun. Here’s an example:
- Check your piano posture
- Do some finger exercises, such as playing scales and arpeggios
- Practice a new piece
- Practice sight reading
- Review pieces you already know
- Improvise, compose, or try playing something you’ve heard by ear
The order of the steps is flexible. Some may enjoy starting by playing piano pieces they already know. Others may want to save that for the end of the practice session. The important thing is to be consistent and make sure that daily practice time is balanced between developing a variety of piano abilities.
To help keep on top of your piano practice routine, we have a free piano practice chart for you to download.
Hoffman Academy Premium also includes detailed practice instructions for each lesson to make sure that piano students are keeping all of their piano skills sharp.
Can you practice piano on a keyboard?
Yes, you can practice the piano on an electric keyboard, but there may be some disadvantages depending on the size and quality of the keyboard.
For the best experience, choose a keyboard with 88 weighted keys. These keyboards, which are usually called digital pianos, are designed to mimic as closely as possible the sound and feel of an acoustic piano. When using a keyboard with weighted keys (sometimes called “hammer action”), a piano student can develop finger strength and also the ability to play at different dynamic levels. This makes learning on a digital piano an excellent choice for a beginning piano player.
If you’re away from your usual acoustic piano or good-quality digital piano keyboard for a while, there’s no harm done in practicing on a smaller electric keyboard for a few days. However, it’s not recommended to learn the piano exclusively on a lower-quality keyboard. Learn more about how to choose the right keyboard or piano for you.
How to practice piano scales
Piano scales are an important part of learning the piano, but for some students they can become a source of frustration if they’re not introduced in the right way. At Hoffman Academy we start by teaching pentascales, which are simple five-note scales that can be played with the hands in one position. Read “What is a pentascale” to learn more, and download our free guide to all pentascales!
After students learn all 24 major and minor pentascales, they’re ready to start the one-octave scales. At first, these scales are practiced hands separately. Only when students have reached an intermediate level do we have them play their scales hands together. By building up a strong foundation, step by step, starting with simple pentascales and then progressing a little at a time, piano scales are much easier to manage.
When practicing a piano scale, always play slowly at first. A metronome can help you choose a slow tempo and keep a steady beat. As the scale becomes more familiar, gradually increase the tempo. It can be fun to see how fast you can go!
To learn more about piano scales and tips for playing them, visit our Guide to All Scales: Major, Minor & More. You can also download our printable major and minor scales chart and our Fingering Guide for Major Scales and Fingering Guide for Minor Scales.
How to practice sight reading for piano players
It’s important to understand that sight reading, or the ability to play an unfamiliar piece of music by reading notes off of a page, is a specific skill that is independent of playing practiced pieces at the piano. For most students, sight reading will not come automatically as they progress through their piano studies. It’s a skill that must be developed intentionally.
To practice sight reading effectively remember these tips:
- Choose a piece of music that is much simpler than a song you could learn to play with practice.
- Start by carefully looking over the piece of music. Check the key signature, the time signature, and look at each measure to get an idea of what to expect as you play.
- Sight read slowly at first. If you find you’re making a lot of mistakes, slow down or choose a simpler piece of music.
- When reading melody lines, look for relationships between notes. Do the notes repeat, step up, step down, skip, or move in a larger interval? Focus on relationships rather than the absolute positions of the notes.
- When reading chords, focus on the lowest note and the shape of the chord rather than on each individual note.
- As you sight read, look ahead so you’ll know what’s coming. Expert sight readers often learn to look several beats ahead of where they’re playing!
Get more tips on how to become a great sight reader.
How to practice piano chords
Piano chords are a wonderful way to add richness and color to music. Knowledge of chords will help with playing, sight reading, playing by ear, improvising, and composing on the piano. Even beginning students can start playing piano chords like the ones introduced in this video tutorial.
When playing a chord, listen carefully to make sure all notes are sounding equally. Keep your wrist flexible and use the full weight of your arm to play the chord, not just your fingers.
Chords come in many different varieties, from simple two-note chords to complex four- and five-note chords. Notice the unique shape of each chord and connect it with the shape that your hand makes to play that chord on the keyboard. This will speed up your reading and playing.
For a handy reference chart that has all the most common chords in every key on the piano, download our FREE Ultimate Piano Chord Chart.
How to practice piano without a piano
Practicing every day is important, but what if you don’t have access to a piano for a few days? You can practice piano even when you’re not at the piano! Here are some ways to do this:
One way to practice piano without a piano is to use a flat surface like a table or a desk and place your hands on it as if it were a piano keyboard. Move your fingers through the motions as if you were playing a song on the piano. As you move your fingers, try to hear the music in your mind. You can do this for finger exercises, songs you know, and songs you’re still learning. Go slowly and make sure you’re using the right fingering! Doing this exercise will help with finger strength and muscle memory.
You can also practice the piano without moving your fingers at all. Simply imagine yourself playing a piano piece. Think about how your fingers will move, how the music sounds, and how the keys look and feel while you play. You can do this while looking at the sheet music, or, if you have the piece of music memorized, you can do it with your eyes closed. After doing this exercise, you may be surprised at how much your playing improves when you get back to the piano.
Experience the power of piano practice
When you consistently practice the piano, using good techniques, focus, and a positive attitude, you’ll be amazed by what you can accomplish. Piano pieces that you would never have dreamed of playing will become easy, and there will always be more challenging pieces to try. We hope these piano practice tips will help you on your piano practicing journey!
Join Hoffman Academy Premium and get great piano practice support, such as daily practice instructions, both listening and play-along audio tracks, interactive piano games, charts and reference guides, and more!