Learning New Music
My first piano teacher used to have me learn the notes and rhythms, and then he'd say "okay, now it's time to add expression".
It's funny to me now, but many students think that way–they learn the music first, then add expressive devices at the end, as if they’re adding icing onto a cake.
Any practice that we do creates muscle memory (whether we’re aware of it or not), and if we create muscle memory without planning for the end game, we’ll have to undo and redo gestures later. That can be really frustrating–it feels hard to do and it slows us down. But if we practice appropriate gestures for the sound we want at the start of the learning process, there’s nothing to undo down the road. This means that we need to pay attention to everything—notes, rhythms, fingering, articulation, and expressive markings.
By integrating all aspects of the music into our playing early on in the learning process, we’re being efficient with our time spent, and we’re building a solid technique at the piano.
If you're struggling with technique and want to be more productive with your practice time, check out our instructional videos on YouTube.