Piano kids sometimes have the misconception or misunderstanding that practicing piano at home should sound perfect.
Learning to play the piano, just like any other job, is going to have messy bits.
Have you ever watched a painter or an artist at work?
Have you ever helped your parents do yardwork?
Have you ever baked cookies with your grandmother?
Paintings, manicured landscapes, and chocolate chip cookies all start messy before they become beautiful.
Listen to the full episode here
Painter
A painter adds texture and color to a blank canvas.
When you practice, you are adding new skills and musical ideas to your brain and fingers. You are noticing details in the music to add to your final performance. As you become more proficient in your playing, you will add dynamics and musical expressiveness to your playing.
Gardener
A gardener takes weeds and unwanted things away.
As you get to know your piece, you will find things that you need to take away:
Wrong finger choices
Wrong notes
Gaps between measures
Disconnected rhythm patterns
Baker
A baker puts all the ingredients together in just the right amounts.
Once you’ve studied your piece and dug out the mistakes and unexpected parts of the music, you can put it all back together again.
Your music becomes smooth and connected only after you’ve broken it apart and really studied every note and rhythm.
Final thoughts
Your practice sessions need to look like a busy art studio, not an art gallery.
Your practice sessions need to look like the gardener who is pulling weeds and trimming hedges to create flawless landscaping. (How do you think that landscaping becomes flawless?)
The next time you enjoy a delicious cookie, try to think back to how that cookie was made. Imagine the messy kitchen with dirty bowls and spoons. You get to enjoy the yummy taste but someone did a lot of messy work to make that cookie.
Resources mentioned in today's show
PPP055: Let’s Talk About Practice – This One’s for the Piano Kids
PPP254: Practice is not the same as playing, with Clinton Pratt
Nicola Cantan will be on PPP258. Be sure to check it out in a couple of weeks. In the meantime, here is a link to her new book, “Practice Pie”.
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