Part 8 – Your First Piano Piece (Exercise 19)
Welcome to an exciting milestone in your piano learning journey! In this lesson, you’re going to learn your first full piano piece, incorporating all the notes we’ve covered so far. This piece is designed to challenge and further develop your hand independence.
Day 1: Introduction to the Piece
- Written Guidance: Before diving into playing, read the ‘Detailed Breakdown of Exercises’ in the Materials tab. It offers an in-depth view of what to expect and how best to tackle this piece.
- Sheet Music Practice: Start practicing with the sheet music. Take it slow to avoid frustration and to understand each part thoroughly.
- Video Guidance: Watch the lesson video and play along. Use this opportunity to correct any mistakes and to get a feel for how the piece should sound.
Day 2: Building Comfort
- Dedicated Practice: Continue practicing with the sheet music until you feel comfortable with the piece.
- Video Reinforcement: Revisit the video and practice along again, refining your technique and timing.
Days 3 – 5: Mastery and Rhythm
- Sheet Music Focus: Keep practicing with the sheet music, ensuring you’re constantly referring to it.
- Consistency Challenge: Perform the piece correctly three times in a row. This consistency is key to mastering the piece.
- Exercise 19 – Audio Download: Grab the MP3 file available in the Materials tab.
- Groove Along: Play along with the MP3 track. Focus on keeping in sync with the beat and maintaining the rhythm throughout the piece.
Completing Step 4 on Day 5 indicates you’re ready to move forward. Learning and mastering your first piano piece is a significant achievement, so take a moment to appreciate your progress and the skills you’ve developed!
Detailed Breakdown of Exercise 19 This exercise marks a significant step in your piano journey, and it’s designed with a 5-day plan for a reason. For those new to piano and without prior instruction, it’s important to understand the patience required in learning a new piece.
Pacing Your Practice: If you're working through this absolute beginner module on your own, remember that it's common for piano teachers to have students practice hands separately for the first week. Only in the second week might they start practicing with both hands together. So, take your time, be patient, and feel confident in playing each hand separately before combining them.
Set Realistic Expectations: Up until now, you might have felt that the exercises were manageable and could be completed quickly. However, as we progress, especially for absolute beginners, mastering a piece takes more time – often a week or several weeks. This is the normal pace of learning piano. Mastering pieces and technical skills can take weeks, months, or even years. Don't be discouraged if you can't perfect this exercise in 5 days. In my experience with private students, this lesson often takes at least 3 weeks.
Common Mistakes to Avoid:
- Feeling Unskilled: Don't equate struggling with the exercise for several days with a lack of talent. Everyone learns at their own pace, and piano mastery is a long-term journey.
- Rushing Progress: Avoid the temptation to move on to the next exercise too quickly. If you rush and don't fully master each piece, you won't be able to play flawlessly. Consistent, accurate practice is key to confident performance, not relying on chance.
- Restarting From the Beginning: Don’t start over from the top when you make a mistake. This often leads to the beginning of the piece being well-practiced, while the end remains rough. Focus on the sections that give you trouble, practicing them separately. As the pieces get longer, this targeted practice becomes increasingly important.
By following these guidelines and being mindful of the common pitfalls, you'll be better equipped to tackle this new challenge and continue your progression in piano learning. Remember, patience and persistence are essential in your musical development.
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