Let's get one thing straight:
Learning the piano doesn't need to be an endurance test!
Many people would like to know how to play the piano, as an instrument it has it all: melody, harmony and percussion may be played at once! But what stops people from taking their first step is the assumption it would take too long to learn.
It’s no wonder this is the perception: traditional piano methods recommend you put aside five or more sessions of 60 minutes weekly!
However good our intentions, this routine isn’t realistic. It can be infuriating to have someone tell you to put aside five or more hours in a week you don’t have spare hours in!
Believe me, I know! I learned the traditional way through classical exams spending an hour each day (or, pretending to, *guilty*) to endure the nine year hike to Grade Eight performance level. It took me nine years because I became fed up halfway through and took a year off to indulge in the rebels cause, which as we all know, is jazz piano.
Unsurprisingly, the eight year commitment to scales, canon exercises and nervous pre-exam sweating doesn’t appeal to everyone! Many people just want to know how to play their favourite tunes, impress others, add a unique skill to their CV, or be creative through songwriting, improvisation or playing songs by ear.
The good news is there is a solution that requires less of a long-term commitment to achieve these goals with significantly less perspiration.
OLD WAY = Five or more hours a week for eight years.
NEW WAY = MICRO-TRAINING!
Short burst micro-training offers an effective way to progress quicker in your piano learning.
The concept of micro-training has become extremely popular for achieving results in a short amount of time. It’s used to train athletes, in meditation, for dieting, therapy, instructional eLearning and most recently it is being applied to piano learning.
Here are the benefits:
- Avoid burnout
By doing a little often each concept is kept in the forefront of the mind allowing each lesson the time to sink in before moving on. This avoids information-overload that can lead to burnout. - Retain new information
When a large amount of learning is compounded into one marathon session the tendency is to neglect practice the following day. A missed day results in forgetting some of what was learned the previous lesson requiring significant revision to catch up. - Build knowledge
By completing a little each day the previous lesson is still fresh in our mind. Any new knowledge is built on top of the former knowledge, compounding interest like a bank savings account. This is the way our brains like it! - Convenience
By applying micro-training to piano learning and practice it is much easier to schedule among other life events and priorities. When a new pursuit is approached realistically, the likelihood of continuing long term is significantly increased.
So I challenge you to rethink your ideas about what it takes to learn piano: if you ever admired the instrument or thought it would be cool to learn, you were right! It is fun! It deserves to be admired!
But if you ever thought it was a decade-long sentence to slumping over a piano for an hour a day, you were wrong my friend! it’s waiting for you online, at the easy access of your tablet or phone, to begin today and continue whenever suits you!
Sign up for my free introductory course 'Prepare To Play'!
A 7-day email course that reveals the five main obstacles every pianist faces (including a lack of time) and how to smash through them like a boss!
LEARN MORE & SIGN UP HERE.
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Let's get one thing straight:
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