The Skills it Really Takes to Learn to Play the Piano Better

It took me 40 years of living (and almost that long of playing piano) to realize some important lessons about playing better. For years I struggled with thinking that others would say I wasn’t doing it right (and they have…). But I know where I came from, how hard I’ve worked and what it took to play like I do now. If we were on facetime because you were discouraged and ready to quit, here’s what I’d tell you…

Know Where You Are

It’s time to get real about where you are! The quicker you can get comfortable acknowledging  your strengths and weaknesses , the faster you’ll grow. I was teaching a live Piano Coaching Class this morning and a sweet student had worked her hardest to submit a video of her playing shout beats….mistakes and all! She apologized profusely for the hiccups in the live chat. It prompted me to immediately stop the video she submitted and address the entire class. I told her how proud I was that she didn’t let mistakes keep her from submitting a check-in video. I also talked about the importance of making mistakes. 

IT IS VITAL THAT YOU ARE MAKING MISTAKES IF YOU WANT TO GET BETTER! As women, we are risk adverse and will run as far away from making mistakes as we can. But the real truth is that unless you’re mistakes, you’re not trying anything new. So maybe that’s why you feel so frustrated with how you play.

Don’t Overcomplicate it!

Diving deep into music theory IS NOT THE ANSWER FOR YOU if you just want to play better. Trust me, nobody’s gonna know if you play by ear, use sheet music, play by chord chart or how long you’ve played by just listening to you play a song! You don’t need a music degree or a year of music theory at your local community college to play good. Playing is as simple as learning 3 things:

1. Scales: EVERYTHING you will learn to play; runs, fills, chords, is based on scales - so don’t skip this one.
2. Numbers: If you can count to 13, you can play the piano! If you can simplify it in your brain, you can play it.  That’s why I take fancy chords and tricks and break them down so students are saying… “That’s it?!” YEP, THAT’S IT!
3. Muscle Memory: You’ve seen the pros play while talking in the talkback mic, smiling at the drummer and doing headbobs to cue the band. That’s because playing is like walking or chewing gum…once your muscles learn the movement, it starts coming natural. 

I’m convinced that if playing is hard for you - you haven’t found the right teacher!

Figuring out Where to Start

I want you to think of  the last time you played in service and something happened that made you pray… “Lord help me play this without mistakes!” THAT’S what you need to work on next. So often we practice songs, new keys, fancy chords and forget about things like transitions, following the worship leader when he start singing a random song, playing by ear or playing behind the preacher. Tackling your playing on a specific topic will elevate your whole playing style!

Knowing How to Stay Motivated

After 40 years, I’m finally learning myself. If I don’t practice my piano first thing in the morning….it probably won’t happen. I get tired in the afternoons, especially during summer. Any 15 min pocket I can get when kids are still asleep, or at school (during the school year) I take! Sometimes playing a new song motivates me but I don’t always practice something new if it seems hard. Some days I play during my devotions or sit down to play a song I really like. I count all of that as practice. As long as I’m touching the piano, it’s practice! 

What it Means to Stay Consistent

Don’t tune me out just yet, because I’ve cracked the code to staying consistent! It’s realizing that consistency doesn’t mean that I practice the same days for the same amount of time each week. I know that an hour of practice time just won’t happen. But I could figure out how to do 15 minutes of practice for 3 days this week. Then, maybe it’s one day of next week. The consistent part is that I’m making practice work for my life and brain bandwidth. If it doesn’t happen, I don’t stress. I try again next week. Let consistency be flexible!

Understanding Seasons

This is where most people get tripped up! Life will continue to happen. Maybe you’ve gotten some bad news about a family member and you barely have the energy to get out of bed and make dinner. Maybe you have small kids who require your 24/7 attention. Maybe you just moved to a new city and still have to GPS to the grocery store and gas station (that drains you more than you realize). 

 You might feel energized and ready to practice an hour today and tomorrow you may not touch your piano at all. Or you might go a month without practicing. Most women think that the next answer is to quit. I DISAGREE! The answer is to keep going. That doesn’t always mean to practice though. If you go from practicing 3 times a week to not practicing for weeks….you’re still in the game! When seasons hit and we decide to quit, we give up on our dreams. 10 years can easily go by before we gather the energy to pick that dream back up. Understanding seasons, you know if may be a rough month but the sun will come out again and you’ll have the energy to start playing again. You’re dreams aren’t dead, it’s just a season!

I believe that God has helped me understand the ways women really struggle when it comes to playing. When we bring these struggles to light, they no longer have power. That’s when we can really step into the callings He’s given us!