Mastery of the piano is a long and difficult journey. There are some secrets though that can ease the frustration. It has been said that the sport of golf is frustrating even with the best golf instruction book in the world. The seemingly simple act of hitting a white ball should not present very many problems. You would think pressing down the black and white keys of the piano would be simple with all the many method books on the market. However, practicing exercises and boring pieces will hinder your journey towards mastering the piano.
Music from the piano is not made from hitting the keys with your fingers. Music is made from a series of smooth complex movements whose energy comes from the torso and through the arms and into the fingers. These movements have a rhythm and a drive that are necessary for beautiful music.
Once you have understood the physical technique of rhythmic body energy, you will produce a sound so large that the listeners will want to wear a black helmet to protect their ears. You do not develop this technique by practicing scales and arpeggios. Playing dry and boring exercises will not give you the tools you need to really play the piano. The best practice of all is actually playing the music of the piano repertoire.
The method of many teachers of making students learn pieces at very slow tempo is unproductive. Not that you should play so fast that you need a digital sport watch to time it but pieces should be practice at real tempos. The same is true of practicing the right and left hand parts alone. You should always both hands together. The coordination of the two hands is what must be learned. Practicing one hand alone is a waste of time. It is the same with practicing at slow tempos. The physical coordination at the proper tempo is different than a slow tempo. Practicing at a slow tempo is a waste of time.
There are many real pieces of serious music that are not difficult. The Clementi sonatinas are beautiful gems that can be played by the beginning student. Bach has many pieces that are suitable for beginners. Other composer with beautiful music for beginning piano students are Bartok and Kabalevsky.
Practicing arpeggios and scales and playing boring uninteresting exercise will make the piano student lose interests. On the other hand, by studying the actual repertoire will maintain the student’s interest. The student can listen to the greatest pianist play these pieces so they hear how they should sound like. It will inspire the piano student.
The secrets of beautiful piano playing is in producing the sound from the whole body. Do not focus on the fingers or individual notes. Learn to channel the rhythmic energy from your whole body.






