The number one factor in learning any skill is simply the time spent doing it. Talent or interest may help you get started, but what counts in the long run is practice. That’s part of what makes consistent, daily practice so important for learning to play the piano.
To help illustrate this point, imagine two beginning piano students, one who practices every day, six days a week, for twenty minutes each session, and another who only practices a couple of times a week for twenty minutes each session. Let’s see how their practice time adds up.
The Practice Gap
After one week, the first student will have spent 120 minutes at the keyboard, while the second student will have practiced for only 40 minutes. At this point student number two is already an hour behind student number one, after only one week! The gap widens as time goes on. After a month, student number one has practiced for eight hours, while student number two has only practiced for about two-and-a-half hours. By the end of a year, the student who practices twenty minutes a day has practiced a little over one hundred hours, while the student who practices only twice a week has a total of about thirty-five hours.
Talent Vs. Time At The Keyboard
Are you going to hear a difference between these two students as they play? Absolutely! It doesn’t matter which one had more “”talent”” at the outset. The student who has been at the piano longer will have learned more, will sound more confident, and will probably be enjoying their piano studies more than a student who has not practiced consistently. What determines if a piano student will do well? It’s a decision you make every single day when you choose to practice.