All students want to do well. They want to play as good as it is possible. Some more than others; some know how to practice, others don’t. I advise each one based on the music they learn and the technical level they have. Some listen their teacher, others experiment. Some improve fast, others less.
So how to practice?
It is difficult to cut a matrix that fits all, but there are some basic rules of successful practice. Each of the points below can take from a few days to a few weeks depending on your level. Often you need to go back and restart from the previous point to continue to improve the smoothness of the music you learn. Most of the time you need a teacher; often not so experienced student cannot move smoothly and correctly following the plan below (they think they can).
- Practice slow at first- -pay attention to correct fingering, correct notes, stop and check every time you are not sure, repeat a few times.
- Use varied approach– separate hands, hands together, and back to separate hands. Watch out for correct fingering, correct notes, correct articulation, check the chords.
- With hands together focus on coordination between the hands. Watch out the articulation and the timing of each hand.
- Polish the difficult passages and chords.
- Pay attention to phrasing, where the phrases breathe, where there is cesura and rests. Notice: too short chords and too long chords are a sign of bad hands coordination
- Focus on the dynamics: this is not artificial—they represent the moods and characters in the music. No dynamics- no character of your music so it sounds boring.
- Start working on the pedal. Add it, remove it and drill both ways until it is easy to work with the pedal and hands do not change the already established phrasing and dynamics. If you are more advanced add the pedal earlier in the plan, but still occasionally remove it to focus on hand touch clarity and precision.
- Start working on the tempo if the music is faster. Slowly increase the tempo in a number of weeks. Watch out not to tense up your wrists, as this will limit your ability to play fast. Think of your fast notes as a large unit not as separate notes.
- Memorize!! It is a musical freedom, and it’s a sign you know the music really well. it is a mental exercise and pays off for years to come. Do not avoid memorizing, make it a goal to memorize each piece. You will thank me later.
Since the above is very generalized plan of action, check with your teacher and follow their instructions. A variation in the approach is needed for different skills students and different levels music. Sometimes the above steps are repeated back/forth numbers of times if the music is really complicated.
Happy practicing and remember, You Love music and that’s why you are on this journey!!!
© Dr. Nelly Matova, Matova Music School 2025
Matova Music School 