Fundamentals of Piano Practice

We can finally start putting the hands together (HT)! Some students encounter the most difficulties here, especially in the first few years of piano lessons. Although the methods presented here should immediately help you to acquire technique faster, it will take about two years to be able to really take advantage of everything that the methods of this book have to offer. Playing HT is almost like trying to think about two different things at the same time. ... http://www.pianofundamentals.com/book/en/1.II.25

Grand pianos: The soft pedal is used to change the mood of the sound from percussive to more serene and gentle when the soft pedal is depressed. It should not be used solely for producing a softer sound because it will also change the timbre. In order to play pianissimo, you will just have to learn how to play more softly. You can produce very loud sounds with the soft pedal depressed. One difficulty with the soft pedal is that it (una corda, or more correctly due corda for the modern grand) is often not indicated, so the decision to use it is often left to the pianist. For uprights, it mostly decreases the volume of the sound. The soft pedal on most uprights has a negligible effect on timbre. Unlike the grands, the uprights cannot produce loud sounds with the soft pedal depressed. Many pianists do not understand the importance of proper hammer voicing for the soft pedal to be effective.   http://www.pianofundamentals.com/book/en/1.II.24

Practice any new piece without the pedal HS, then HT, until you can play it comfortably HT at final speed. This is a critically important method of practice that all good teachers use with all their students. It may seem difficult, at first, to practice musically without the pedal where it is needed; however, this is the best way to learn precise control so that you can play more musically when the pedal is eventually added. Students who practice with the pedal from the beginning will become sloppy players, develop numerous bad habits, and will not even learn the concept of precise control or the real meaning of musicality.   http://www.pianofundamentals.com/book/en/1.II.23

Bad habits are the worst time-wasters in piano practice. Most bad habits are caused by stress from practicing pieces HT, that are too difficult. Many of the bad habits from HT practice are difficult to diagnose, which makes them that much more dangerous. Clearly, the best defense against bad habits is HS practice. Non-musical play is one type of bad habit; therefore, don't forget that musical play starts with HS practice. .. http://www.pianofundamentals.com/book/en/1.II.22

"Endurance" is a controversial term in piano practice. This controversy originates from the fact that piano playing requires control, not muscle power, and many students have the wrong impression that they will not acquire technique until they grow enough muscles. On the other hand, a certain amount of endurance is necessary ... http://www.pianofundamentals.com/book/en/1.II.21

Hello, this is Henrik from Berlin, Germany. I just want to tell you, that I’m going to have my summer-break until the end of August. I promise, I will read the complete “Part II - Basic Procedures for Piano Practice” in this year. I’m not sure - yet - if I’ll do more. I’d like to say here that comments are enabled again on my website fopp.henrik-pantle.de And: I’m still waiting for some customer reviews in the UK- and US- iTunes Store. So, now enjoy a relaxing and recreating summer. Good bye, and stay subscribed, Ihr Henrik Pantle

Students who do not practice HS will always have a stronger RH than LH. This happens because the RH passages are generally more difficult, technically ... http://www.pianofundamentals.com/book/en/1.II.20

Start all pieces by counting carefully, especially for beginners and youngsters. Children should be taught to count out loud because that is the only way to find out what their idea of counting is. It can be totally different from the intended one. You should understand the meter signature at the beginning of each composition ... http://www.pianofundamentals.com/book/en/1.II.19

You usually won't go wrong by using the fingering marked on the music. Or, rather, if you don't follow the indicated fingering, you will probably get into a lot of trouble ... http://www.pianofundamentals.com/book/en/1.II.18

Having pointed out the dangers of slow play, we now discuss why slow play is indispensable. Always end a practice session by playing slowly at least once. This is the most important rule for good PPI. http://www.pianofundamentals.com/book/en/1.II.17

Repetitive slow play can be harmful when starting a new piece. We stated in section II.1 that playing slowly, and gradually ramping up the speed, is not an efficient way to practice piano. Let us examine this procedure to see why ... http://www.pianofundamentals.com/book/en/1.II.16

There is only a certain amount of improvement you can expect during practice at one sitting, because there are two ways in which you improve. The first one is the obvious improvement that comes from learning the notes and motions, resulting in immediate improvement. ... The second one is called post practice improvement (PPI) that results from physiological changes as you acquire new technique ... http://www.pianofundamentals.com/book/en/1.II.15

The most important thing to do as you get up to speed is to relax. Relaxing means that you use only those muscles that are needed to play ... http://www.pianofundamentals.com/book/en/1.II.14

Get up to speed as quickly as possible. Remember, we are still practicing HS ... http://www.pianofundamentals.com/book/en/1.II.13 Could anybody write a custumer review in his/her country's iTunes Store? Thank you bramm900 for your's in the German Store! This is really encouraging! So folks support me in YOUR country. Write a custumer review in your country's iTunes Store.

There is no faster way of memorizing than to memorize when you are first learning a piece and, for a difficult piece, there is no faster way of learning than memorizing it ... http://www.pianofundamentals.com/book/en/1.II.12