Back from Japan and with a rambling post! I wanted to go over some small notes on my experiences in piano lessons that I am currently enrolled in right now. I’ll save talking about Japan for another post because it has been unbelievably amazing. There is so much to talk about in regards to travel and my experiences there!
Anyways! On to the main ramble. Recently I’ve started piano lessons! Woooooaaa! It has been around 5 years since having any form of music lessons (guitar) because of college and what not. However, the feeling of being in a practice room for lessons feels so good again. My first lesson was mostly about introductions and what not to what my overall goals were for piano.
One key thing that I will say for my experience so far with my teacher and lessons is that: you NEED someone who will be able to not only teach you well, but also SUPPORT the music path that you will want to take. However, this is not without keeping in mind the foundations of proper technique/ building/etc. Things that I keep in mind to be constant in learning are more or less working on: fingering, studying music reading, working on dexterity, interval work, rhythm/counting, ear training, phrasing and of course repetition!
Another key aspect of music lessons is having the willingness to SLOW DOWN during sessions. Also, pick a song that you REALLY want to learn if your teacher can permit it. My piano instructor tested where I was and wanted to see how my fingers moved before we progressed to looking at any of the perspective songs in my binder which was really important for gauging my self-practice progress. However, having a flexible and supportive teacher is amazing; regardless of skill level, they will do what they can to increase your skill in playing and in specific goals that you have.
Third aspect that I’ve learned in piano lessons is to SPLIT THE MUSIC SHEET INTO SECTIONS BASED ON THE PHRASING OF THE SONG. What I mean by this is to listen to the actual recording of the song and map out where the themes/key/beats/chords change and mark them on the actual sheet. Then use that as a divider for practicing the piece in sections. My teacher compared the pieces that I am aiming to learn for like eating away at an “elephant.”(lol) You cannot eat an elephant whole; therefore, you’ll have to break it down into chunks one by one. At first this seems like it takes a while; however I’ve noticed that by splitting the sheets into sections, it makes it so much easier to focus on the overall goal. For example, one of the sections that I’m working on right now for Yanagi Nagi’s: [Harumodoki] from Oregairu S2 Zoku emphasizes fingering and control. I use this as an opportunity to work on my finger stability and speed to make my notes sound as fluid as possible.
Oh and by the way, Oregairu S2 Zoku is the BEST anime this season in my opinion. IT IS SO AMAZING. Yuigahama PLZ! Touyama’s voice is SO ADORABLE. Also, if I hear “SORE ARU” one more time in the next episode I might fall out of my chair…. jeez… the student council is so freaking useless…T__T; but just know the Oregairu S2 is THE BEST RIGHT NOW.
ANYYYWAYS..
Lastly, is to always find time to practice on top of lessons… hint hint* binge practicing doesn’t work in the long run… The purpose of my lessons is to synergize with my own music studies so I can improve my own playing and learning ability. Practice and the piano work has to be put in by me! And of course, have a bunch of songs that you want to learn… The more you love a song the more you will want to learn it because of it’s connection with you…
Perseverance and determination are key traits that are built upon engaging in piano practice as well. I’m trying my best to play slow first. Then gradually faster, until I can feel somewhat confident. I know this sounds a little generic but I’ll get into more details about things later! As of now since I’m back from Japan I’ve been really busy handling and organizing life things around here since I’ve been gone for around 2 weeks. But either way thanks for listening to some of my piano lesson experiences. Time to get practicing again! \(//∇//)\!
I’ll try to find time to post again! Best wishes!
Notes of My Life 
I also recently found that finding out the purpose of the piece can help make that personal connection to the piece stronger. (Things like its meaning, the inspiration behind it, the composer’s influences, etc.) And, of course, it’s good to know in general 🙂 Congrats on being able to get piano lessons!
Thank you so much for your input. It really means a lot. And I totally agree with you! I haven’t updated this blog in over like 10 months so I’m glad that it reached out to someone!