Practice is essential to mastering the piano. However, you don’t need to be physically near the instrument to improve. In fact, some beneficial exercises actually require you to step away. If you’re leaving home and can’t attend piano lessons for a week or two, here are some ways to continue honing your skills.

3 Ways to Keep Up With Piano Lessons

1. Exercise the Hands

Hand strength and flexibility are essential for mastering the piano since you need to move the fingers across the keys quickly. You don’t need a piano to mimic the movements; just practice on a tabletop instead. Make sure that your elbow is laying, relaxed on the surface. Your wrist also needs to stay relaxed. Practice to ensure the sounds you get from each finger, from pinky to thumb, have the same sound brightness or sound quality. The sound does not need to be strong, just light, quick, and bright. It is better to repeat the movement of one finer multiple times until you get the brightness. Please don’t allow any tension in your wrist, elbow, or fingers. Doing some scales, especially with the nondominant hand, can help.

2. Listen

Evaluating your own skills is key to improving. If you have any recordings of past performances or can make some during the last few piano lessons before departing, listen to them during any downtime.

Note any areas where the tempo is slow or where you slipped up a bit. This can help you practice those specific spots when back at the piano. If you don’t have recordings of any sessions, watch videos of people playing online or listen to the song to familiarize yourself with the music’s tempo and overall feeling.

3. Memorize Sheet Music

You can even learn new music or scores without a piano. For the younger students, it is recommended to say the notes out loud while reading them. Identifying the notes helps to memorize how keys are corresponding with the notes on the lines and spaces. For the older students who are familiar with the harmony and chords, it's good to analyze which chords are used and recognize the phrasing. 

When back at the piano, use the information and skills that you learned while being away from the piano. This type of practice away from the piano, may or may not help you, but it is a good skill to master.

If you’re looking for piano lessons to improve your skills this year, contact European Piano School in Anchorage, AK. The piano school offers classes and tutoring for students of all ages. Proprietor Iryna Dunaeva has more than 47 years of experience and focuses on Russian teaching concepts that have helped shape some of the world’s top pianists in history. Visit the website to see a selection of upcoming classes. To schedule piano lessons, call (907) 360-2915.