I'll start with the simple stuff that we've all heard a million times: it's very important to make sure that you practice at least once a day. If I had to distill learning piano down to a single concept, this would be it. Practice. Every. Single. Day.
Read MoreBut Gould was a once-in-a-century musical genius; surely mere mortals can't follow his example, right? Actually, research shows that mental rehearsal improves performance almost as well as physical practice, even for beginners. When combined with just a little bit of physical practice, the gap between mental and physical practice narrows even further.
Read MoreMost of the troubles start when students have to count a syncopation. Syncopation in general is not a challenge – usually the student plays a syncopation, just the wrong one.
Read MoreOf all the skills that students learn in lessons, practicing itself is the most important. Yet so often we forget that practicing is a skill that can be developed and strengthened. Lots of students get told to practice more, but not to practice better.
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