Astounding Language

Practice is something you should try for every day. Give it all
you can. If you have difficulty with any part, slow down,
practice slowly. Try introducing an interval of at least 1
second between each count until your playing accuracy has
improved. It isn’t necessary for you to play any piece at the
correct speed right from the start. If you slow down a bit your
accuracy will improve and then you will find it easy to speed up.

Practice should not be a chore and a bore but an interesting
journey of discovery. You should have no trouble getting
motivated to practice because you should look forward to it as
an enjoyable experience. You should practice as often as you can
and practice slowly and carefully. You will be surprised at how
quickly you can progress with careful repetition. What at first
seems almost impossible suddenly becomes easy.

You see, playing music well happens when you cease making a
conscious effort. A concert pianist, for example, doesn’t sit at
the keyboard and think; “Right! I will now depress the C key
with the 3rd finger of my left hand and at the same time depress
the E with the 1st finger and the G with the Thumb and at the
same time I must remember to play 5 keys with my right hand”
etc. etc. What happens is that he sits down, calmly and plays.
There is no conscious thought commanding the muscles of his hand
to move his fingers. He relies on MUSCLE MEMORY. This happens
when something is practiced so often that conscious thought is
no longer necessary. It is subconscious and the muscles react
automatically. If you find this hard to believe then I suggest
you suspend your disbelief until you have proven it to yourself
and prove it you will. It always surprises me that I can sit
down at the keyboard and attempt a piece I haven’t played for a
year or so and find that my hands produce the tune
automatically. There is no thought as to what is the next note,
my fingers are there playing them. Hard to believe? Well any
accomplished musician will tell you the same thing.

It’s the same with anything that requires muscle coordination.
Golf for instance. If you had to repeat to yourself all of the
things you had to remember regarding stance, eye on the ball,
right arm straight etc etc, you would be a lousy golfer. It is
only when you stop thinking about these things and rely on
muscle memory that your golf game takes off.

And what does all this boil down to? Practice. Constant, careful
repetition.

Now, we all have varying degrees of talent. Some people seem to
pick new ideas up very quickly and some are a bit slow but the
people who do the best are the people who do it the most. Take a
person with only average musical ability who makes a special
effort and that person will become far more successful than the
person with exceptional musical ability who, perhaps because
they are gifted, make little or no effort. Look at some of the
most successful entertainers today. It is not that they are
particularly gifted. They succeed because they try harder and
believe in their success more. Did you know that anybody can
sing? It isn’t a special gift given only to a few. The truth is
that anybody with vocal chords can sing. It’s just that some
like doing it and practice it to the point were they become
outstanding at it. It’s the same with keyboard instruments. You
can become an outstanding musician with patient, constant,
careful repetition.

It is not just practice though. It has to be meaningful practice
and if you are lucky to be learning with the “Learn To Play
Keyboards” course it provides a step by step guide to keep you
on the right track. You see, if you practice the wrong way of
doing something, you will become very good at doing something
the wrong way. For your practice to be worthwhile you have to be
sure that you are practicing the right things. Trying to play a
keyboard instrument without the right guidance will severely
limit your progress and you will eventually give up. Stick with
doing things the right way and your success is assured. The old
saying ‘Practice makes perfect’ is quite true. The more you do,
the better you will be and the quicker will be your progress.
Please realise that by regular practice your playing will be
more enjoyable and you are paving the way to success, fun and
friendship when your standard of playing improves and your
talent becomes known to others.