Does anyone have any Piano Tips?

Question

I have just started piano lessons a few months ago and I wondered if there are any tips you wouldn't mind sharing? Also any idea where I can find free sheet music that is not illegal?

Answer 1

HI Kat,

Sorry I do not have any suggestions of a site that allows free downloading of music.   But....

Congratulations on starting to play the piano.    It is a great way to get a good music education.  Surely you have a teacher... if you are taking lessons and hopefully she/he is giving you good, sound instruction on practicing.  

I can suggest a few things I have my students do.

Set a specific time of the day to practice and keep to that time.  Switching from one hour to the other or mornings and then evenings, leaves too much room  if something else comes up...then you are unable to practice that day.   If you cut out one specific time in your day,   you will not put anything else in that  slot and  always be assured your practice time is uninterrupted.   The more you practice,  the better you will get.

Have your teacher set you up with warm-ups before you practice your tunes, pieces or lessons from a book.  I have my students do finger warm-ups & hand warm-ups from the books Finger Power and Daily Dozen followed by the basic major scales / minor scales and chromatic scales.  Now you and your hands and fingers are really ready to begin the assigned lesson.

Ask your teacher if you should be practicing with a metronome... as you really benefit by using one with everything you practice on.   If he/she says it is not necessary... ask if you can use one anyway.  I have students that refuse to practice anything without one and their timing and rhythms are perfect.

Practice 5 days a week and give yourself the weekend to relax.  You don't want to burn out or get frustrated then quit playing.  The whole idea is to become a piano player...  not give up on it before you really become an accomplished pianist.

Always ask your parents and family members to listen to your pieces as you finish one and go to the next.  You want feedback from them as well as the experience of playing in front of an audience.  When you can play better,  see about playing at church or any other venues that lets you perform.

So,  that is what I can think of right now.  You should be excited about your parents letting you have lessons.  I have read so many questions from kids whose parents don't see piano lessons as being  important.  I always feel so sorry for them.   You are very fortunate and your parents are GREAT!!!

Thanks for reading and good luck with your new found

talent.  :))

PS:  I forgot one thing.... I don't know about any free music,  but I know where I get music for my students at a fraction of what they would have to pay at the music store.   I check out Half Price Books - in the Music catagory.  I have gotten sheet music from between .25 to $1.50 on a number of occasions... and I have gotten nice books from $1.98 to $4.98 which saves big $$$ in the long run.   Give that a try and also, you can ask the book clerk to give you a call when something comes in.  :))

Answer 2

It is very broad question and it would help a lot if you want to know anything specific. Here are some general tips:

When looking for free music on the internet you want to find public domain music because it won't be illegal. I will provide at least one link at the bottom. there are definately more but it is something to get you started.

1) Learn how to practice effectively and efficiently so you can learn music a lot faster

2) Learn how to use your body efficiently.  Some books you could look into for this are Seymour Fink's Mastering Piano Technique.and The craft of piano playing by Alan Fraser.

3) Learn How to sight read  well .A good guide for this is Super Sight Reading Secrets by Howard Richman

4) Learn as much as you can from your teacher and practice!

5) Have fun!

I provided links to the products I mentioned and some useful resources

check them out!

Answer 3

It's really important to practice, but don't do too much, or you will get bored and then won't enjoy playing the piano. Set a realistic time of how much you think you could do. You could either practice once everyday, but for a long time, or do it for a short time a few times a day.

Playing hands separately first will help you to get to know what is coming before you play with both hands together. The piece will probably be less overwhelming once you are comfortable playing each part by itself.

Begin learning each new piece by playing slowly. It will take triple the time to get it right if you start out playing too fast. When you play too fast it's easier to miss mistakes. Once you can play the piece evenly and smoothly, gradually work up to the right speed. You won't get it right if you start out too fast, and it's never good to practice mistakes over and over again.

If you find yourself having problems in certain parts of your piece, try practicing just that measure by itself until you have mastered it. If a piece becomes overwhelming, try just playing the first page or first section until you have it down and then move on to the next part. You will be amazed at how easy the hard parts may become when you work on one hard measure at a time.

It is extremely beneficial to be able to hear yourself play in a recording. You will not only be able to hear mistakes you may have missed while playing, but you will also be able to hear how much you have improved as time goes by.

Have fun while you practice! Have a good attitude. If you are dreading practice and feeling negative, you won't play as well. Get excited about practicing something new or about mastering something you've already played. Try to set small goals so you know you will have accomplished something during each session. The more fun you have during practice sessions, the less you will dread them!

Answer 4

I know of NO site that has popular music sheets for free. But if you are just looking for material in general, then check out www.8notes.com. Have fun!