Finding Joy in Piano Practice: Playing What You Love
Understanding the True Goal of Piano Practice
What is the goal of reading a book, if not to access and enjoy the meanings conveyed by it? The same principle applies to music: the ultimate aim should be to play the music you love, not just to learn how to play. If we focus solely on the technique, we often lose sight of the joy that drew us to the piano in the first place.
Too often, we get caught up in our limitations as pianists rather than focusing on the music itself. The piece in front of us loses significance because we’re worried about our technical skills instead of immersing ourselves in the melody and emotion of the music.
My Journey with Chopin: Overcoming Self-Doubt
For many years, I avoided playing Chopin, who has been my favorite composer since childhood. I believed I couldn’t do his music justice and that I needed to master every piano technique before even attempting his pieces. I followed a strict study path, hoping that if I became proficient enough, I would be worthy of playing Chopin’s repertoire.
But this approach drained all the joy out of my practice sessions. Eventually, I gave up on this perfectionist mindset, and I started playing Chopin for the love of it, regardless of how “perfect” my performance was. And guess what? It made my piano practice infinitely more enjoyable and fulfilling.
Choosing the Right Piano Repertoire
Avoiding the Trap of Overestimating Your Skills
Sometimes, students choose pieces that are either too difficult or too easy for their current skill level. They often do this out of fear that a challenging score will be overwhelming or because they believe that tackling a tough piece will speed up their progress. But this mindset can lead to frustration and burnout.
Instead of choosing a piece for its technical difficulty, focus on selecting music that genuinely excites you. The joy of learning a piece you love will motivate you to practice more and get better, even if it’s not the most technically demanding music out there.
The Importance of Playing What You Love
Choosing music based on your passion rather than its difficulty will make your practice sessions more enjoyable. When you genuinely love the music you’re playing, you become more engaged, curious, and motivated to improve. It’s this enthusiasm that drives real progress on the piano.
Judging Your Skill Level and Embracing Challenges
Understanding Your Competency Level
Too often, we judge our abilities solely based on how difficult we perceive a piece to be. But ask yourself, are you aiming to perform this piece at a major competition? Probably not, so why not take the risk of exploring a new piece even if it seems challenging?
Your teacher can be a great guide in this process, helping you select pieces that suit your current skill level while also pushing you to grow. Let them help you find the right balance between challenge and enjoyment in your practice.
Embracing the Journey of Piano Practice
The path to becoming a better pianist isn’t just about conquering the hardest pieces or mastering every technical skill. It’s about finding joy in the music itself and allowing that passion to guide your progress. Whether you’re playing a simple melody or a complex Chopin etude, the most important thing is to love what you’re doing.
When you choose music that you’re genuinely excited about, you’ll find that your practice sessions become less about work and more about play. This mindset will not only make you a better pianist but also a happier and more fulfilled musician.
Watch Alberto L Ferro Play Chopin Etude
Here is a performance by Alberto Ferro, where he beautifully interprets one of Chopin’s Etudes, no.12 in C minor “Ocean”
