Master Music Practise: A Holistic Guide for Musicians

THE WAY OF PIANO • MIND • BODY • SOUL
Written by ANDREW EALES

The majority of our piano journey is spent privately in the practise room, so it is important to find musical fulfilment here.

Andrew’s book How to Practise Music offers a radical, holistic and healthy approach to practising any instrument. Pianodao supports this landmark publication with several in-depth articles and reflective blog posts concerning this crucial and endlessly interesting topic…

START HERE!
Discover How to Practise Music, download your FREE Practice Reflection tool, consider how to monitor and deepen progress, and read top tips from a leading concert pianist:

How to Practise Music

Accessible and authoritative, HOW TO PRACTISE MUSIC is Andrew’s highly acclaimed book of tips for anyone who wants to get more out of their practice.

Practice Reflection

Did your last practice session leave you feeling like a corpse, or was your playing on fire? Reflecting on our practice is not just a good idea, but an essential component of making the progress we hope for at the piano.

Keeping Your Own Piano Journal

Have you considered keeping your own Piano Journal?

In this post I explain how you can use a journal to improve your progress, deepen your engagement, track progress, get organised and plan for the future…

Thoughts on the Art of Practice

In this incredibly helpful post from the internationally acclaimed concert pianist Philip Fowke, he shares a wealth of wise advice which I am delighted he has agreed to make public via the Pianodao website. There is so much here to take in, and of such lasting value…

DIGGING DEEPER
These articles consider aspects of practice of particular importance, and add to the content of How to Practise Music:

Attention to Details

The need to practice using our full attention is integral to our development as Three-Dimensional Pianists. We must develop our practice focus using our mind, body, and soul…

Your New Piano Journal

Keeping you own Piano Journal is an idea that is so simple it seems obvious, yet so powerful that it could transform your piano journey in the months and years ahead…

The Einstellung Effect

We can all develop a more flexible and adaptive approach to practising, playing, and teaching the piano. Embracing variety can lead to improved skill development and musical creativity.

Dangerous Piano Practice

Although practice is not inherently dangerous, it can certainly pose challenges and potential risks to any player, both mental and physical. Here’s some suggestions for evading the dangers of piano practice…

Practice or Procrastination?

What music are you learning on the piano at the moment? Do you feel overwhelmed? Let today be the day to say “Goodbye” to procrastination. One step at a time, tangible progress can be made. Let’s go!

Practice Starters – Pick a Card!

Created by leading educator Paul Harris and brought to us by Faber Music, “Practice Starters” is an innovative pack of cards which aims to kick start and refresh your practice sessions. As we’ll see, it’s a great learning resource, and a lot of fun!..

Let’s talk about our practice expectations

When teachers and parents nurture enthusiasm, practice will invariably follow, and it will be of the productive sort that’s fundamentally motivated by the internal goals of the student…

PRACTICE REFLECTIONS
These shorter posts offer insight and practical advice to support your practice, as well as practice reflections to encourage your personal piano practice journey::

Beauty Within Imperfection

If we could have a lighter spirit and be kinder to ourselves and each other, I suspect we might well find that our pursuit of excellence and our appreciation of the beauty within imperfection go hand in hand.

Embracing our limits

It is possible to admire and be inspired by the achievements of the world’s greatest players while enjoying working at our own level…

The Power of Returning

If you feel you have lost your momentum or enthusiasm for playing the piano, it’s time to consider the “Power of Returning”…

Four Mistakes a Student Makes

Sometimes, the pathway ahead of us as piano players can appear forlorn, forbidding, difficult, uneven, shrouded in doubt. These are the times where we most need to cultivate patience…

Avoiding Excess, Cultivating Balance

In this short post, I want to address our need for a balanced approach to our piano practice and playing. But first, let’s take a step back and consider some more universal principles…

Practice in Perspective

Practice is amazing. And then it’s awful…

The Practice Room Sanctuary

Some may disagree, but if you play just for yourself, enjoying the private sanctuary of the practice room and never performing for others, that’s absolutely fine. It’s more than fine: it’s a genuine blessing. Make the most of it.