When you see a pianist beautifully performing a music piece, you see just the tip of the iceberg. The real story behind that mesmerizing music is hidden under the surface. If you want to master a piece of music, then you need to find that story. Deciding to perform a music piece is a big decision and if you are ready to take it, then you are ready to sweat some tunes.
Before starting a music piece, you should be well equipped with the basic concepts of music theory and techniques of piano playing. From notes to finger pressure, you should be aware of all. If there are any fundamental concepts left to learn, then run, learn, and return. When you decide to perform a music piece, you set off on a journey with complex barriers and musical achievements. Your destination is to perform the piece impeccably and to reach that, you have to follow the right path.
While learning a music piece, you will encounter many crossroads and shortcuts will seem appealing. In reality, an ‘apparent’ shortcut will actually make your journey longer. If you want to go for the quick, easy way, then you will end up learning incorrectly, and you will have to begin from the starting point again. So have the patience to follow the proper steps and give yourself time to learn and polish the new piece.
Step 1 - Study The Piece
Once you have decided which music piece to perform, you should start studying it. Don’t rush to the piano; first, study the piece in great detail. Notice each and every note and variation. Note down all the intricate details. Mark every tricky segment. Read the score and try to find a pattern, and form a mind map. Remember how studying music theory was important before learning to play the piano? Similarly, reading the score is essential before playing the piece on the piano. Before your fingers can flow on the keyboard, your mind should be prepared to control the flow and produce a melodious result. Studying the piece will help you understand it and visualize the performance before even touching the keys.
Step 2 - Break The Piece
After studying the piece thoroughly, now you can take a sweat at your piano. You might feel that you know the piece well and you can play the whole thing together, but remember you just visualized and didn’t practice. Trying to play the whole piece together will just waste your time, and eventually, you’ll have to break it apart and practice.
For starters, you should just focus on the first four bars or the first sentence of the song. To practice this, you have to divide deep and first practice with your right hand. Once you feel confident, then try to master the left-hand segment separately. Now, attempt to play the first section with both hands. Practice nicely for the first segment and when you feel satisfied, move to the next four bars or the next line of the song. Continue the pattern and start with the right hand, then the left hand, and then together.
To practice the piece, follow this routine, and one day, you’ll be able to perform it well. Along with your fingers, your brain is also involved in playing the piano. By attempting the whole piece in a single try, you overburden your brain, leading to poor coordination and an unpleasant performance. To learn a piece, you need to give time to all the elements: right hand, left hand, and brain. Break apart the piece and slowly and steadily achieve your target.
Step 3 - Focus On The Challenging Segments
When you divide your piece up, remember to mark their difficulty level. If a piece is simple and easy for you, then you should avoid practicing it over and over. Instead of wasting time on something you already know, focus on something that challenges you, focus on something new.
Mark the difficult segments with red ink and remember to strive to master them. These segments will require concentration, hard work, and patience. You have to mark them, learn them, and conquer them. Devote more time to the challenging segments and keep trying until you are satisfied. You can start your practice session with these pieces and motivate yourself to do better.
Step 4 - Start Combining
After mastering all the components separately, it is time to combine them, slowly and steadily. Don’t combine all the segments at the same time. If you have broken the piece into sixteen, segments then combine two segments and narrow it down to eight. Next, you have to reduce the number of segments to four then two and then one. This will help you master the transitions and maintain fluency.
Step 5 - Practice Daily
After you have combined the segments, there are many meticulous details to consider and master. Now that you know your music, have memorized the notes and conquered the difficult segments, it is time for you to work on the finger movements and eloquence. If you want your performance to be perfect, then you have to practice regularly. Just sit and play from the top. If some segments still bother you, then work on them. Regular playing will help you master the piece as a whole.
Step 6 - Record And Review
While you practicing the piece, you should record it occasionally. Analyzing your progress is essential for development. You can listen to the recording and review it yourself or ask your friends and family to comment. Take the feedback seriously and positively. If there are any errors or scope of improvement, then focus on overcoming them. Keep working on your weaknesses and polishing your strengths.
Step 7 – Perform Confidently
The last step of this journey is to pack together all of your experience, hard work, and confidence to perform the piece flawlessly. After following all the steps, there is no doubt that you will startle the audience with the melodious magic of the keys. Let your fingers be the magician and let the notes spellbound the audience. For this step, all you have to do is believe in yourself and remember the music piece.
This is a simple and slow journey that will help you hit the right notes and play any music piece beautifully. All of these steps are equally important and skipping even one of them can damage your performance. This may appear as a long journey, but it is a worthy one. When it comes to music and accuracy, you cannot take a shortcut. This path is interesting and inspiring. You can enjoy yourself while learning something new. The journey from learning to performing a music piece is simple but demands dedication. Patience and hard work is the key to finishing this journey and reaching your destination with grace.
