20 Minutes A Day To Improve | Piano Practice Routine

Discover a great piano practice routine and WHAT to practice for true progress.

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RESOURCES MENTIONED (Some product links are affiliate links which means if you buy something, we'll receive a small commission. Thanks for supporting our channel!)

TECHNIQUE RESOURCES (Scales, Chords & Arpeggios)
Keith Snell Scale Skills Series - Preparatory Level to Book 10
Preparatory Level (first book for beginners)
Level 1 (early elementary level)
Level 2 (late elementary level)

EXERCISE RESOURCES
Fingerpower - Primer to Level 6 (beginning to advanced pianists)
Primer Level (first book for beginners)
Fingerpower Level 1 (2nd book for elementary players)

Hanon (for intermediate to advanced pianists)

Czerny (for beginning to intermediate pianists)

SIGHT READING RESOURCES
1) Piano Adventures by Faber (first set for younger beginners)
2) Piano Adventures by Faber (first set for adult beginners)
3) Piano Adventures by Faber (2nd set for elementary players)

(Use code BrillantePianoDuo and receive 20% off your monthly subscription)

REPERTOIRE RESOURCES

(Use code BrillantePianoDuo and receive 20% off your monthly subscription)

Pianist's Guide to Standard Teaching and Performing Literature Book

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Piano tutorial by Heather Thompson Smits, NCTM @BRILLANTEPianoLessons
TIME STAMPS
0:00 Why you need structure
1:30 What to practice
2:03 Practice Category 1 Part 1
3:18 Practice Category 1 Part 2
4:38 Practice Category 2
5:50 Practice Category 3
7:37 Time Maximizing Tips
8:15 Quick Progress Tip

[BRILLANTEPianoLessons]

I’d like to add a clarification about sight reading. Normally sight reading isn’t something that you practice. But in this video I am recommending that you do some practice on pieces that are at your sight reading level.

[scottev]

I've been playing for years without a teacher and it's really helpful to get your tips and perspectives. Thanks!

[ventureroots]

This is really helpful for me. I just started learning and was focusing on trying to grasp all of the keys to quickly. Now I'm just starting slow mastering C (scale chords arpeggios), then on to the next key.

[UnbiasedMagicReviews]

Love all your videos!! Very informative and helpful. Thanks so much! totally agree with your idea to set aside daily time to practice. It's easy to skip a few days and get busy with life...

[ProgramistaNaBudowie]

Thank you very much! Going onto the next one and then going to sit and play something :)

[scottwinters]

Thanks for another great video Heather 😊 I fall into the group that practices too many pieces. I wouldnt say that i am playing above my ability but i would like build my repertoire up to at least 5-6 pieces, in memory. The metronome definitely helps with this. The problem I have is Ill work on those five or six pieces than start playing another piece or two for a couple days (or weeks) then jump back to what I was previously working on. Yup, those 5-6 pieces are still not in memory 😅

[lightbeatz]

Maybe you can make a full piano course like learning the basics I would buy it if I would have money thanks again for the help

[trombonemunroe]

Every piano teacher under the sun advocates starting with the key of C, and I get it: no sharps or flats, all white keys, easy to read. Chopin disagreed, and I'm in his camp. C is the hardest key to play in because it's furthest from the natural reference position of the hand. Counterintuitive though it may sound, start your students in the key of B major and they'll have a much better time: the long fingers will be falling on the black (high) keys, and they'll learn very quickly to slide in and out of the black-key zone, keep their wrists up (you can't slide smoothly into and out of the high-key zone without doing that), and they won't get in the nasty habit of curling their fingers because they're used to having to try to get all the fingertips (including the thumb and pinky) in a straight line. Progress to black-key-rich keys like F#/Gb, Db, Ab, and E, then Eb, A, Bb, and D, and finally, F and G#. Save C for the very last because, although it's the easiest key to read, it's the hardest to play with good body mechanics. Your students will thank you later in their careers once they realize the favour you did them.

[IamKonstantin]

thank you for always giving us great content. i noticed you didnt talk about existing pieces. i see many students start a new piece to add to their repertoire and they focus on it so much they forget their previous pieces! chances are you are not going to attempt playing something u are learning to an audience and you will play something you know well. but wait...u havent practiced it for a while. where and how do you slot in those pieces in your daily routine. thank you!

[joaopaulodeoliveiradantasm]

Hey! Thanks for the video. I have some questions in the following steps you said:

Step 1) I wanna practice 1 hour p/day, so, i should do 1 key, starting from the C and follow the circle of 5⁰, per day? Or i should just change the key, when i masterize it?

Step 3) (Sight reading): Can i use the hanon 100 progressive studies Op 139, vol 1., to practice the sight reading, in order, 1-100, pick up 1 study from it, and just go to the next one when i masterize it?

Thanks!

[scottknight]

great lesson! thx! what is the difference between the song you want us to learn in the sight reading section in 1-2 weeks, vs the repretiore song in the third section of the daily practice routine? thx

[velcroman]

I have watched SO MANY of these “improve practice efficiency”. In comparison to this video, they are RUBBISH! These videos are so very useful and so clear. 👍👍

[velcroman]

My next exam is AMEB grade 3. I have 5 pieces in my rep; list 3 compulsory and 2 selective. I would like to know how to practice this amount or rep; plus method and technique.

[ericlubisse]

Great video. Ive had this idea that repertoire are pieces/songs I could jplay without notice. Is this achievable?

[letsgrowlv]

I am a piano major but lost my touch haven’t practiced for years and want to play bring back the touch. What will I do please help? Thanks

[ROBERT-mlml]

Structure... lol sounds like me. I open flowkey, "play" the beginner pieces, i get through the first 2 or 3 bars and literally move on to another peice cause i can't get it. Then i repeat the same process with other pieces lol.

[lightbeatz]

Really nice and you’re mother is also a cool women much blessings from Jehovah almighty god trough Jesus Christ I prayed I learn also piano I hope you will get much subscribers and can live from it good thanks for the content

[ElleMolinaChannel]

Although part 2 are strongly discouraged by some, , but for me..hanon czerny stuff like that are importnat

[eugenemitchell]

You do not leave in fo on long enough to copy

[richardb]

You've been teaching for 30 years? Were you teaching piano as an infant you look about 30 years old.