All piano players have one thing in common. We all want to improve our ears, get better technique and play phat solos. At least if you are in to popular and contemporary music, you know what I’m talking about. And even if classical is more your thing the essence of what I’m trying to say is still the same. The overarching question is always; What’s next? What do I need to work on to be able to play the things I really want to play, and reach new levels of musical enjoyment and freedom of expression?

Well, you might try prayer. Dear god, permit my piano to be a trifling extension of my arms. Motivate me with easy mastery. An irresistible brook of groovy notes flowing from the base of my comatose mind, through my instrument, transforming into perfect sound waves…and the audience goes ballistic!

Okay, that may or may not work so let’s give god a rest and take matters in to our own hands for the sake of this article.

The Trail to Powerful Piano Playing – First Steps…

1) Know the difference between practicing and playing.

When you’re playing you are expressing yourself. Your are sucked in to the moment. Mistakes don’t exist here. Everything that occurs is a component of the plan. When you’re practicing you are in the laboratory. You are experimenting. Mistakes jump at you ear as you are listening for them. When you come across them you take educated action to break down the routine of playing it wrong, replacing it with a new routine of playing it right.

2) Make up your own practice exercises.

Just do this one. Base them on scales, the circle of fifths and whatever else you can think of. Make them part of your daily practice and stick to them, even though they can sometime appear tedious. Instead of falling for that first temptation to lay it off because of boredom, try staying with it for just 5 more minutes. That’s usually all it takes to forget that you are bored and keep working on it. Routinized practice done with relaxed focus pays of ten fold in your playing, as you will discover if you do it.

3) Make friends with your ego.

When it comes down to remaining objective about your playing and properly identifying what requires work, your ego is just about always in the way. Perhaps you are feeling like the king of the planet as you play that pentatonic blues lick, but actually your rhythm could be absolutely off and you might be sounding atrocious. These kinds of things have a tendency to surprise folks. Rather like the reaction some of us have when we hear our own voice on a tape recorder. What? Do i sound like that? Is that me?

These principles are meant as a framework for you to build upon. All pianists are different and everyone must develop his or her own tricks, ideas and philosophies. I believe a good way to learn is to study the way skilled musicians think about practicing. The difference between being stuck with your instrument and positive musical development, very often comes down to habits, beliefs and understanding and applying the psychology of those who are already great.

If you are curious, visit 1on1 Piano Lessons to find more good stuff, how-to guides, lessons, chord charts and a free E-book that takes you on a true adventure inside the minds of some of the greatest piano gurus of our modern times. Click for Piano Lessons.