Why rhythms are hard for pianists (& how to improve!)

When you first decided to learn piano you probably didn't imagine you'd need to learn rhythmic skills, but once you get into creative playing that's exactly what you need to develop! So why is it so difficult to get our hands playing different things?

Keep reading or watch the video below! [7 minutes]

The first thing we need to talk about is not actually rhythm - but tempo. Most of the time, a slip up in rhythm is due to a lack of a strong sense of tempo.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN RHYTHM & TEMPO:

• Tempo is how fast or slow music is overall = the beat.

• Rhythm is the timing of notes on top of that tempo.

Think of a steady tempo as having a strong foundation, if you don’t have a strong foundation then the rhythm you put on top of that is not going to work.

This is why the first step to mastering rhythms is to build a strong sense of tempo first!

PITFALLS TO WATCH OUT FOR WITH KEEPING TEMPO:

The main issues we come across that influence our tempo is simple and busy rhythms.

• If a rhythm is simple we can tend to speed up that tempo in order to get through the easy part quicker.

• If the rhythm is busy we tend to slow down that tempo in order to be able to play the more complex rhythm.

But sometimes the opposite can also happen, depending on the piece we’re playing and whether the rhythm is complex or simple with a slow or fast tempo.

The important thing is that we are mindful of our tempo at all times - and in particular when we have a simpler or more difficult rhythm that may affect our tempo.

We want to maintain a steady tempo at all times and have a reliable inner musical clock!

In order to develop a strong sense of tempo (‘inner musical clock’) we can do the following:

Ways to start tapping into the tempo:

1. Developing your internal sense of the beat is super important to mastering rhythms. If your internal musical clock is changing tempo by going faster or slower, its always going to be difficult to add rhythms to that fluctuating tempo. So MOVE YOUR BODY to the beat - not just when you’re playing, but when you’re simply listening to music as well.

2. Make the metronome your friend when playing a piece or even just keeping time with a simple on-beat chord. Get a good app on your phone (I recommend ‘Pro Metronome’ ios/Android) and choose a metronome sound that you feel comfortable with and use it often!

3. Use looping sequencers to get a ‘drum loop’ going and adjust the tempo every so often to practise a steady beat at varying speeds. Move the Beats Per Minute counter (BPM) up to make it faster and down to make it slower and adjust your playing accordingly.

Want to learn more about how to improve your rhythm as a pianist?

In this session, you’ll discover the quick diagram you can use to easily understand simple & challenging rhythms with 2 hands + exercises to use daily to improve your natural rhythm.

Become a Creative Pianist to get access to ALL courses & coaching sessions now!

Looking for something specific? Try the search bar below.