Five Great Practice Ideas I Learned From My Piano Students!

Sometimes the teacher learns more from the student than the student does from the teacher. Hopefully, not too often, but today I would like to share with you some great practicing ideas that have come from my piano students over the years:

1. A Colonel in Virginia that I taught for several years got up at 4AM every weekday morning and practiced on an electronic keyboard with headphones so he wouldn't disturb anyone at that time of the morning. "I love the early morning", he said, "because it's so quiet and peaceful and I'm fresh and raring to go. No phones are ringing, no people walking into the room, no disturbances at all. I practice for a half-hour, have breakfast, and then hit it for another half-hour -- all before I have to show up for work. When I get home in the evening, if I'm too tired to practice, I don't feel guilty because I've already got my licks in for the day. And if I'm up to practicing some more -- well, it's a bonus!"

2. An elementary school teacher in Indiana told me she took each piece I assigned her and transposed it into all 12 keys -- not written out, but at the piano -- in her head. She said "It doesn't always sound so hot, but I find that if I keep at it day after day, I can at least get by in the most difficult keys, and it makes the easier keys seem real simple. And it gives me a perspective that I just wouldn't get it I just played it in one key -- the key it is written in. I've learned that each key has it's own "feel", and some keys are bright (like "D") and some keys are mellow (like "Db").

3. Another piano student with a similar idea, who was the Minister of Music in a Catholic church, said he took one whole month of the year and devoted it to mastering just one key. Since there are 12 months in the year and 12 Major keys, that works out perfectly. So in January he played everything he could find in the key of C, and transposed anything that wasn't in C into C. In February he went up 1/2 step to the key of C# (also known as Db enharmonically) and played everything in Db and searched for pieces written in the key of Db, and so on. By the time the year was up, he had a pretty fair grasp on the 12 Major keys. I suggested that he devote the next year to the 12 minor keys, and the next year to the modes, and the next year to polytonality, etc., etc. -- but as I recall he decided to just recycle through the 12 major keys, since he used them so much more than the ones I suggested.

4. Still another piano student took an idea from me and twisted it a bit. I suggested that she play along with pieces she liked on tapes and CD's, so she would get a feel for the motion of the song. (I used to do that by the hour when I was a teen-ager, and it paid off big time for me!). She took the idea and tried it and liked it so much that she started getting videos of people playing the piano. She arranged her TV and video player so that she could be at her piano while the video was playing, and she would play along with the pianist on the screen, following her/his hand motions and arm motions and finger position and thereby getting a feeling for the flow of the music. (Patterning). Her creativity is paying off for her -- she is advancing rapidly. (And by the way, don't think she is "copying" the person she is watching -- not at all. It's the same principle as watching Michael Jordan moving toward the basket, or watching Sammy Sosa swing a bat -- it just gets you in the right groove before you apply your own style to it.)

5. A doctor I have taught for years makes a idea file of things he has learned about piano playing over the years. He notes where in a given book or tape or video I discuss such and such a topic, and files that alphabetically. Then later when he needs to refer to that idea, he simply looks up the idea in his file, locates the video or cassette or book, and presto -- he can review that idea or concept almost instantly. It's like a card catalog in the library -- makes finding things so much faster than flipping through endless books trying to find that idea you saw long ago. With the advent of the computer a person could store and categorize ideas such as this very quickly.

Hope this gives you some ideas of your own!

Duane Shinn is the author of over 500 music books and music educational materials such as DVD's, CD's, musical games for kids, chord charts, musical software, and piano lesson instructional courses for adults. His instant piano chord finder software titled "How To Find Any Piano Chord Instantly!" has been used around the world. He holds advanced degrees from Southern Oregon University and was the founder of Piano University in Southern Oregon. He is the author of the popular free 101-week online e-mail newsletter titled "Amazing Secrets Of Exciting Piano Chords & Sizzling Chord Progressions" with over 58,600 current subscribers.

---

How Many Songs Are In Your Pocket?

The portable MP3 player continues to be the hot item for those who want music on the go. I was talking to a teen the other day... Read More

Learn to Fiddle the Orange Blossom Special, the Most Popular Fiddle Tune in the World

Learning to fiddle the Orange Blossom Special is not easy, but it's truly worth the effort. The Orange Blossom Special is unequaled in popularity. To learn it... Read More

Piano Playing Your Way: How To Have More Fun Playing The Piano Than You Ever Have Before

Piano playing doesn't have to be boring. There's no law that says you have to play a song the same way everyone else plays it. By learning... Read More

12 Reasons You Should Learn to Play the Piano

All right, folks, here you go: My 12 reasons why you should start learning how to play the piano. Immediately. As in today. This very minute.Okay, fine,... Read More

Hip Hop History

Rap music originated as a cross-cultural product. Most of its important early practitioners-including Kool Herc, D.J. Hollywood, and Afrika Bambaataa-were either first- or second-generation Americans of Caribbean... Read More

Sheet Music ? Violin and Other String Instruments

The violin is a bowed stringed instrument and is the highest pitched member of the violin family. It sits along side its cousins ? the other members... Read More

How Many Chords Are There, Anyway?

Since chords (the main component of harmony) are one of the three most vital elements of music ? the others being melody and rhythm ? it would... Read More

Playing The Violin Is For Everyone Who Loves Music

Every day musical instruments enrich the lives of people around the world and continue to promote culture and art throughout every society and community, no matter what... Read More

A Brief History of Fender Guitars

Perhaps no other guitar maker has touched the hearts of so many players and collectors as Fender. By producing excellent guitars at reasonable prices, Fender has been... Read More

Piano Lessons Can be Fun!

There are essentially two ways to learn piano - note reading or chords. For those who want to spend years learning how to play other peoples music,... Read More

Guitar Buying - The Pros and Cons of Vintage vs. Reissue

To most people, owning the "genuine article" is the only thing that will suffice. As a guitar player, and one who appreciates classic "vintage" instruments, I can... Read More

Improvising On The Piano: Jazz Musicians Do It -- Why Not Other Styles?

Why jazz piano improvisation?Why not gospel piano improvisation?Is it not possible to improvise classical music, or sacred music, or any other kind of music?Bach improvised many of... Read More

Benatar and Geraldo - Still Rockin on a High Note

Most people look forward to the summer months because they bring warmer temperatures, vacations, outdoor gatherings, and longer days. Those are all fine and dandy, but what... Read More

How to Play What you Feel

Many students think that being able to play what you feel is difficult. They believe you must have years and years of training in improvisation and theory.The... Read More

Karaoke Singing

This article is designed to help anyone to enjoy karaoke and improve their singing performance whether it be as a "virgin" karaoke singer or as someone starting... Read More

Creating Your Own Compositions

The idea of actually creating a complete piece of music to play frightens many students. They just don't understand how someone could come up with something, put... Read More

Facts about MC Big Proof

Facts about MC Big Proof"If I was you, suicide would be a way of life. If you was me , you'd kill you." (Proof)Before I start talking... Read More

What is Guitar Tablature and Can I Find It Online?

The guitar is one of the most popular musical instruments and the online guitar community probably the most popular of its kind. There are thousands of guitarists... Read More

Who?s Playing What? A Guide To The Guitars Of The Pros

Eric Clapton performs his slow-handed magic on his. Even with just nine fingers, Jerry Garcia kept countless Deadheads dancing as he played with his. At the mere... Read More

Green Day: Punk Rock Masters Taming Mainstream Radio Their Way

Before they got together as Green Day, Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tre Cool were merely three extraordinary hopefuls hoping and looking for their big break.... Read More

Jazz Yatra

Jazz is arguably the most argumentative form of music (even has diminished and argumented chords). So at the outset let me present my side of the argument.... Read More

The Top 10 Reasons Why You Suck At Playing Guitar

You don't 'need' to play guitar enough.If you desire to become a great guitarist, you have to want it badly enough to sacrifice other parts of your... Read More

A Dying Cat And A Nylon String Guitar

"Music isn't just learning notes and playing them, you learn notes to play to the music of your soul" ? Katie Greenwood.Why are you learning music anyway?... Read More

Creating Your Own Unique Music

Have you ever dreamed of penning your own compositions? Writing music has been a dream of mine for the longest time. And it's a dream I am... Read More

Legal Free Music Downloads - Songs You Want at No Cost

It's all over the news these days. Download music from the Internet and you could be sued, fined, and/or go to jail. The truth is free music... Read More

How Any DJ Can Increase Their Gigs and Profits By This Simple Strategy

The DJ industry is very competitive. There are many DJ's who are making huge amounts of money and then there are other DJ's who are struggling to... Read More