From the outside, playing the piano looks fun and easy but practicing the piano requires so much motivation and determination in reality. When you start off learning the piano you are motivated but soon the motivation gradually declines as practicing requires repeating the same things again and again for hours. Only then do you master a particular piece or a song. But there are certain ways to trick your mind so that you don’t get bored and lazy while practicing the piano. Here you will be able to learn “How to Stay Motivated When Practicing Piano“

In case you need a good piano: Top 7 Best Digital Pianos & Keyboards for Beginners

Things To Do To Stay Motivated When Practicing Piano

SCHEDULE 

Make your daily schedule and place the daily practice session in it. Deciding a particular time to the piano will remind you to play despite your level of motivation. Start looking at practicing the piano more like a habit than just a hobby if you want to progress rapidly. We never miss out on our habits and that’s why they are habits in the first place. Hobbies are just recreational activities done in leisure time and it’s completely fine to see the piano as a hobby. It’s just that you won’t make enough progress regularly. 

How to Make a Proper Schedule for Practicing Piano?

CONSISTENCY 

Consistency beats hard work. Playing the piano for 8 hours in a single day and not even looking at it for another 15 days will never work. It sure is hard to pull off hours when you are not in the mood. To deal with that, decide on a minimum practice time. Decide the minimum number of minutes you will practice each day, no matter what! This number may vary according to your schedule but you need one.

On the days when you don’t feel like practicing at all, you just have to gather some willpower to at least practice for that minimum number of minutes. This way, you won’t miss out on any of the days and that’s the golden rule for mastering any skill.

How to Ensure Consistency in Performance?

GENRE

You don’t have to go with the trend always because, at the end of the day, you are learning the piano for yourself, not to be in the trend. So pick up your favorite genre, your favorite songs, and your favorite movie themes and work on them. Learning what you value will give you the incentive to practice. While doing the practice, we know what we are practicing for and what the result is going to be and if it is not something that you genuinely love, you will lack motivation.

But having this attitude towards every session of practice won’t help either because there needs to be some technical and repetitive practice initially but always keep in mind that doing this practice will give you the freedom to play your favorite parts with no difficulty.

How to Choose the Best Genre for Me?

JAMMING 

When you can play decently, ask your musician friends to come over and jam with them once in a while. Playing with other musicians’ flavors ups the session and gives everyone a different muse. Once you Jam, the days when you are not motivated to play the piano at all would feel like the days you are more than ever eager to play it. Besides fun and enjoyment, playing with other musicians will help you learn new things about music. You would certainly be amazed to know how other instruments work and connect musically with the keyboard. You can form a local band and work on original compositions as well.

LOCATION

Finding a particular spot in your room will help you so much. We associate things with our behavior. We only sleep on the bed, eat at the dining table, Study at a desk, etc. Find a permanent place in your room and place your piano there. Whenever you decide to practice and will reach out to the piano, you will automatically shift your mind into the practicing mode and there won’t be other obstacles coming your way when you practice. 

PROGRESS 

Maintain a journal or a small notebook to jot down your daily progress. Deciding on goals is fine and works out well but writing down your achieved goals will be like a reward and will further motivate you to practice. You will know how far you have gone and how much more you need to practice. Knowing that you are working hard will boost your confidence and will increase your duration of practice also knowing that you are not practicing enough will make you think that you need to practice more and you will be paying more attention to the piano. 

How to Measure My Progress in Learning Piano?

SOCIAL

Start recording and posting your learned songs on social media handles and let people appreciate your skills. When people make comments and like what you do, you feel motivated to learn more and make new content for your audience. Posting right from the beginning will let you and your audience see your progress every time you post something new.

You will form a loyal fan base if you are consistent with providing the content. You can also connect with people learning the piano. You can make collaboration posts that will help both of your reaches. You can ask for request songs from your viewers which help you learn the varied type of songs and explore music.

CONTENT

Consume content on each social media platform that is related to piano. You can watch and listen to the content of the most brilliant artists who play the piano. Knowing their story of success will motivate you to practice harder. You will at least try your best to give your 100% to reach closer and closer to their level of success. 

CREATIVITY

Spend some minutes of your daily session randomly experimenting with things on your own. Do not think about the technicalities and rules; just start playing what feels good to your ears. This sounds like a crazy idea but it is a unique way to surprise yourself.

It is perfectly normal to feel unmotivated sometimes but always look at the piano as something that you practice for yourself and this feeling of attachment will never keep you out of motivation.

How to Stay Creative in the Field of Music?

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How to Make a Proper Schedule for Practicing Piano?

The sort of student you are will determine what your timetable looks like. Some of you might be focusing on exam preparation, while others might play as a pastime or as part of their quest to become professional pianists. Working on keys and arpeggios is still encouraged even if you aren’t specifically studying for an exam.

When planning your training routine, you need to consider three things: what you’ll practice, how long you’ll rehearse, and how to make the most of your time at the piano. Correcting errors, polishing challenging runs, and learning intricate rhythms all require practice. It is okay if you occasionally feel the need to read through your composition completely to assess your progress. That shouldn’t occur at every practice, though.

Focus on a single, particularly difficult portion of your initial composition to make the most of your 20 minutes. The following advice will help you make the most of your practice:

• Do not worry about the tempo.

Slow down your practice considerably. This will enable you to illuminate all the delicate details of that text in a metaphorical spotlight. You can locate it here if you were missing an unintentional or rhythmic detail. 

• Practice with your hands apart. 

At the very least in increasingly complicated music, each hand’s parts must be taught independently. Try playing one hand aloud as the other taps out its notes on the knee if you find it difficult to combine the two hands after that. Your non-playing hand will pair with the playing hand more smoothly as a result.

• Practice it in a distinctive manner. 

Keep reading even if this may seem like a weird bit of advice. The frustration we experience while trying to learn difficult rhythms can sometimes be so great that we completely detest that specific passage and give up on it. Sometimes we need to look at things from a different angle. 

You can get your attention away from the difficulties you’re having with the passage by playing it in a new rhythm, style, or tempo. After a brief period of experimentation, return to studying the original cadence and rhythm. 

• A fantastic exercise to end your practice with is sight-reading. 

It may be a lot of fun and there is no pressure to make the piece perfect. Additionally, it offers you the chance to practice your piano playing on music from an entirely new genre. Achieving excellent marks in these two areas could make the difference between merit as well as a distinction for those preparing for piano exams! 

Therefore, make sure you have a good drill. Before enlisting the assistance of a friend or family member to help with the aural practice, devote a few minutes to brushing up on your understanding of the pieces. Request a difficult exam once more, just like with the scales. It’s among the best methods for developing the craft.

Read: 7 Tips on Maximizing Efficiency in Your Piano Practice

How to Ensure Consistency in Performance?

• Decide regarding your goals and make sure they are measurable. Concentrating on the result, you arrive there more quickly and with greater satisfaction. Aim to master five distinct arpeggios and scales if you wish to develop a professional or physical skill, such as finger span or speed. Choosing defined, quantifiable goals are much simpler with the help of courses.  
• There are distractions around. Although it cannot be avoided, you can take action to stop it. For the next half hour, request that family members or friends not talk to you. If you must practice in the living room, turn off the TV even if you cannot hear it, and make sure to practice alone. Even though you may not realize it, the moving visuals divert enough of your subconscious attention to impair the effectiveness of your practice. 
• You would not stroll into a gym, grab the heaviest weights, put on running shoes, and start sprinting. The piano is the same. It not only significantly enhances cognitive performance but also works out the 34 muscles plus 123 ligaments that move five fingers in each hand. Practice must be approached similarly to other activities. 
• Do not stay too long, exactly like you would during a workout. Even renowned concert pianists break up their practice regimens, so quit when you have succeeded so that the quality of your practice doesn’t begin to deteriorate. Finish with a warm-down, improvisation, or performing a piece you’ve already learned so you may leave feeling satisfied and eager for the next practice. 
• Your development will slow down and playing the piano will become tedious if you practice in the same manner every time. By switching up you’re practice methods, you can combat this and prevent reaching a plateau. Making the choice to stop playing problematic passages repeatedly can achieve this. Go more slowly. accelerate them. Start from the hardest section instead than your regular starting point. If you consistently use both hands when playing, try each hand independently. 

Tips: Top 10 Piano Tips and Tricks for Beginners

Types of Genres Available. How to Choose the Best Genre for Me?

• Traditional Piano

The classical piano was played in Europe for affluent audiences from 1750 until 1820. Bach, Mozart, as well as Beethoven, were the principal composers who helped establish classical piano music. Other outstanding pianists, such as Haydn, Chopin, Handel, Wagner, Debussy, and Tchaikovsky, came to prominence as the years went by and classical music underwent changes from the Renaissance through the Baroque and Romantic periods.

Students frequently start off with classical piano since it requires them to have a very solid technique and a solid understanding of music theory. It’s quite challenging to learn and master other piano styles without having a solid foundation in classical piano technique. That is because the classical genre has influenced most of the music.

• Jazz piano 

It was among the most prominent piano genres until 1918 when it really took off in America. Scott Joplin, Jelly Roll Morton, and Fats Waller are three pianists who had a significant impact on the development of the New York, Chicago, and New Orleans jazz scenes. Jazz piano was considered a rebellious genre of music at the time since it strayed from traditional rhythms, harmonies, and techniques. Swing, improvisation, ragtime, boogie-woogie, and bee-bop are all used in jazz music to generate entrancing melodies and rhythms.

Jazz became popular both during “The Great Depression” and during happy occasions. African-Americans, Asians, Latinos, and Europeans were able to collaborate to create music in America, which became a significant turning point in history. 

• Musical theatre piano 

Theater of the Mind Musical theatre places a lot of emphasis on the piano. Piano players are essential to the growth and development of musical theatre. Because every musical theatre show is unique, accompanists for that genre need to be extremely proficient sight-readers and adaptable. Piano players who specialize in musical theatre might get jobs playing in pit bands for productions and accompanying singers during auditions. 

• Rock/Pop Piano

The piano became increasingly common in popular rock and pop tunes starting in the 1950s. The keyboard was widely used in the 1970s due to its cool electronic tones. Being a current rock/pop pianist and composer is not an easy job, but it is also one of the piano occupations that pay the best. One of the best-paying piano genres is pop/rock. You will most likely find the highest-paying jobs as a pianist, including in rock bands, wedding gigs, studio recording, and touring performances.

You are allowed to experiment with new sounds using this keyboard style because the patterns are always evolving. Additionally, performing while singing and playing the piano appears and sounds fantastic.  

• Religious Piano

Liturgical music has its roots in religious events, including Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish ones. Nearly all religion possesses their own distinct sonic liturgical music, which is significant and valuable to that faith’s tradition. Today’s artists continue to play and create new liturgical music for religious services, recitals, and recordings, carrying on the tradition of liturgical music that has been passed down from generation to generation.

All the numerous genres of religious music can use the piano. Many pianists begin their careers by performing for pay at religious events in order to support themselves as musicians. Learning at least a few classical pieces should be a priority for each serious piano student. The amazing works of composers can simply not be replaced! Playing the classical piano will improve your accuracy, timing, and expression.

You generally don’t need to be practicing only classical music unless your objective is to pass classical exams or earn a music degree. Feel free to select various songs from different genres, such as jazz, pop, or religious hymns. In order to become well-rounded, it is beneficial to learn music from many different genres; yet, don’t completely disregard classical music.

Must Read: 10 Tips for Choosing Music to Play on Piano

How to Measure My Progress in Learning Piano?

Regardless of where you are in your piano learning, be it a beginner, an intermediate, or even an advanced player; learning the best methods to monitor your progress and growth will help you attain your objectives more quickly by keeping you on course. The advantage of putting down your bigger objective and then the smaller goals that will help you get there is that you will have precise actions to do rather than merely experimenting with different things during each practice session.

This helps you maintain concentration and accomplish your goals more quickly. Keep a practice journal or other written record of the things you focused on during practice. Include any scales you practiced, as well as any pieces, exercises, and etudes. Include the titles of the works you have memorized, the scales you can play, and their accompanying arpeggios or chord progressions, as well as any practices and etudes you have mastered, in the written records so you may track how the playing level changes over time. 

How to Stay Creative in the Field of Music?

Expressive playing is perhaps the finest method to achieve that special sensation in your playing. Find a tune you are familiar with and play it slower than normal to give yourself time to add any embellishments that occur to you or to give the piece your unique style and dynamics.  The key is to move slowly, be accessible to where your creative imagination wants to wander, and most of all, DON’T judge yourself for any perceived mistakes. Instead, go with the flow and practice being in the moment.

Alternatively, you can start from scratch and choose a 4-chord progression. You can then circulate that progression while adding your own rhythm, fills, and embellishments as you go. 

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Conclusion 

The 88 notes of a musical scale are covered by the piano, providing a remarkable, unmatched range. The frequency range of the piano is wider than that of any other instrument. The piano keyboard is a subset of all other instruments. Pianos are the root of all musical instruments; therefore, they are a great place for any aspiring musician to start. While most instruments only teach the treble or bass clef, the piano teaches both. The pianist gains a deeper comprehension of music as a result. It teaches musicians how to perform music’s four harmonic elements. One note can often only be played at a time on most instruments. 

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