Skip to content

Considerations of Piano Study by Kyle Hohn

Abstract: The purpose of this document is to provide insight into my thoughts and beliefs about learning piano. Feel free to skip around sections as they apply. Look for the bold words as the topics of each section. If you have any questions, I’d love to hear them! Or if you disagree with anything, let me know as it will help me understand you better to provide the best lessons possible. 

 

    1. Practicing: 
      1. The goal of practice is to learn a specific skill or behavior and to execute that skill with little to no effort. At first, the skill will be arduous and taxing to perform, but over time with practice, the skill will become automatic and effortless. If good practice habits are not observed, at best you will waste countless hours and at worst you’ll permanently ingrain bad habits and incorrect skills that will be impossible to undo. Practice does not make perfect. Practice makes permanent. 
      2. What is practicing? Practicing = Sections + repeated + Correctly 
  • Sections: Take a portion of music that can be learned in a short amount of time. I usually mark my sections with an open parenthesis at the start of the section and a closed bracket at the end (section]
  • Repeated: Repeat the section until you can play it easily with no mistakes. You are the only person in the whole world who knows when you’ve repeated a section a sufficient number of times. I can tell you if it’s correct, but you are the only person who knows if it feels effortless and easy. Sections must be repeated many times to create a reliable muscle memory. 
  • Correctly: Mistakes must be avoided during the practice phase (totally okay during performances!). The number one rule of practicing: “Correct practice is Slow Practice”. As they say in the Navy Seals: “Slow is smooth and smooth is fast”. The only way to play quickly and fluently is to practice slowly. Approximately 80-90% of practice is slow. The metronome is critical to maintaining a correct slow tempo. Often, I will tell you exactly the tempo that should be practiced. 
  • The Science: Our brains form neural pathways to execute various thoughts and behaviors. The more we execute a particular behavior or thought, the stronger the pathway becomes. The process by which a pathway is strengthened is called myelination. During Myelination, a sheath of fat surrounds the neural pathway and insulates it. The myelin surrounding each neural pathway, strengthens the signal, and makes it travel at 50-99% of the speed of light. By repeating a behavior as described above, we maximize the amount of Myelin produced and thus create a secure and stable neural pathway that constitutes our ability to play piano. 
      1. Parental Involvement: For the youngest students, almost every minute of piano must be supported by a parent. This support must be gentle and patient rather than overbearing and authoritative. Don’t overcorrect mistakes or tell them exactly what to do at any hesitation or error, but sit with the child and let them know that you’re there to help if they need it. Asking a leading question is much better than giving the answer. If they can’t figure it out, that’s okay. Just make a note or let me see the error at the next lesson so I can correct it in a way that will help them be successful in the future. 
      2. Organizing books, helping them understand the assignment, keeping their practice schedule organized and consistent are all tasks within the purview of a committed piano parent. My most successful child students have all without exception had a supportive but not overbearing parent. In fact, I would rather have an absent parent than one that overbears. Never ever use piano practice as a punishment. It can be a requirement to earn leisure activities such as television or screentime, but not as a punishment for bad behavior. 
      3. Frequency: For beginners: 6 days (every day except lesson) a week for 30 minutes minimum. Ideally 7 days a week for 45 minutes. On the day of the lesson, it’s best to practice after the lesson to review and confirm the new skills and topics. More advanced students require more practice up to 4 hours a day for Concert pianists or conservatory students. After 4 hours the risk of injury is increased and returns diminished. 
    2. What are your goals and aspirations with music? 
      1. Musical Appreciation: I want to understand and appreciate music on a deeper level both intellectually and on an emotional axis as well.
        1. Colorrary: Do you have specific genre’s or styles that you adore? 
          1. List 30 specific songs that inspire you and have deep meaning to you.
      2. General Self-Improvement: keeping your mind sharp, improving problem solving skills, learning discipline and grit, higher test scores, resume builder for college applications.
      3. Other reasons: Family Tradition, musical skills transferable to another topic such as dance or musical theater.
    3. Do you have all the materials necessary for successful piano lessons?
      1. A high quality instrument. Beware “free” pianos. They’re often a monkey’s paw of problems. You don’t need a concert piano to become a concert pianist, but a solid used upright piano is easy to find and often can be purchased in the 4-8 thousand dollar range. A high quality digital keyboard costs around 1-3 thousand dollars. A good grand piano is usually around 8-15 thousand dollars to start and the sky’s the limit on purchasing a refined instrument. For comparison, my Yamaha C6 manufactured in 1991 (the same year I was born) cost 35 thousand used in 2015. I purchased an upright piano before that for 12 thousand before upgrading to a concert grand. I found a very good deal on my second grand at 8 thousand dollars. 
        1. A high quality instrument requires high quality care. Pianos at minimum require tuning 1-2 times a year depending on the pianos temperament and ability to hold pitch. Voicing is also critical and often neglected. Voicing is when the technician “fluffs” up the wool hammers that strike the strings. By fluffing up the wool fibers, the piano will create a beautiful resonant tone rather than a harsh metallic sound that will gradually emerge as hammers age and are played. Usually, the middle keys (often played) will sound like a honkey tonk ragtime piano after several decades of use with no voicing. Voicing isn’t terribly expensive, but makes a massive difference in the tone quality of the piano. You’ll be surprised at how different the piano will sound after a good voicing! 
      2. A high quality bench. Having a good bench is the number 1 most neglected investment in piano education. It will prevent injury, provide comfort, and increase practice endurance. Children, and many adults for that matter, do not have the wherewithal to realize that their aversion to practicing can stem from physical discomfort at playing on a poor quality bench. A good bench should be very sturdy to prevent tipping, wobbling, or squeaking. It should have a comfortable supportive foam pad upholstered with leather or vinyl. And there should be a small tilt forward towards the piano. That last aspect of tilt in the bench is often overlooked and is huge with preventing future back pain. I recommend the Hidrau hydraulic bench. 
      3. A Metronome. Metronome work is critical and will be a constant companion in productive piano studies. 
      4. Miscellaneous:  Pencils, post it notes, music storage/organization area.
    4. Is your house set up in a way that facilitates easy practice? 
      1. A quiet area where they can practice undisturbed. That is, no TV siblings running around and playing in the immediate vicinity, a supportive family that accommodates practicing and makes quiet time where they can practice. 
      2. Sun/temperature considerations: Does the sun shine directly into the eyes when practicing through a window, or shine onto the sheet music in a way that makes it difficult to read. For climate, consider a fan or heater if necessary. 
      3. Lighting: The sheet music should be brightly lit. It needs to have direct, bright, cool light too easily read and discern the tiny markings in the sheet music. Good lighting is critical to easy strain free reading. A Halogen light is often cited as the best option though I think as long as it’s bright enough, it will be sufficient. 
    5. Scheduling: Is the student able to commit to a weekly, consistent lesson time? Missed lessons or reschedules impede progress and create a poor learning environment. Moving a lesson time to a different day creates subtle problems with regards to the amount of time available to practice between lessons. For instance a Monday lesson rescheduled to a Friday time would mean that there would be 12 days of practice before the rescheduled lesson, then only 2 days of practice before the next regular lesson! This sort of scheduling not only makes lesson planning difficult, but makes the student feel underprepared for the lesson with only 2 days practice. It’s usually better to skip a week and go a bit longer on the next regular lesson.
  • Practice commitment: 
      1. Taking lessons without practicing is like hiring a personal trainer to write you a custom workout plan once a week without ever lifting a single dumbbell. Or like going to the doctor and getting a prescription for an ailment and never bothering to fill it at the pharmacy. 
      2. So many children are overscheduled these days. If your child is involved in many extracurricular activities, it may be a good idea to trim them down to a core few rather than dozens of different activities scheduled over every minute of every day. I had a student that did track and field, taekwondo, rock climbing, advanced college credit courses in high school, painting, debate club, volunteer work and I’m sure some other activities I’m forgetting. I wondered how she ever found time to sleep! A well pruned tree is more fruitful than one overgrown. Learning piano is a substantial time commitment. 
    2. Extenuating Circumstances that impact piano:
      1. Are there any life events or realities that I should know about? Learning differences or stressful life situations can impact lessons. Without telling me, I might have different expectations that are incongruent with your life. But, if you tell me about them, it helps me craft a more realistic and enjoyable lesson experience! 
  • Past experience: 
      1. Performance anxiety or bad/good performing experiences: Tell me about any previous performance experience you may have or if there is performance anxiety. I like to call it performance excitement! That feeling of butterflies means that you really love piano and want to do a good job. Use that energy to propel your performance. 
      2. Please tell me about any previous music instruction and any things that you liked or disliked about the previous teacher. Did you do competitions or exams? Many recitals? Were they strict or fun? 
  • Assessing Skill level:
      1. Sight Reading
      2. Technique
      3. Theory
      4. Repertoire 
      5. Composing/Improvisation
      6. Ear Training 

In conclusion, there are many different areas of consideration for beginning to learn piano. If you need any help, please reach out and I can set you in the right direction!