Skip to main content

How to Become a Piano Virtuoso

Becoming a piano virtuoso is easier than most people think. The reason why most people do not become virtuosos is simply a lack of dedication. To be a virtuoso, you must take lessons and practice several hours each day. There are no shortcuts for pianists who want to become virtuosos, but certain techniques exist that, practiced daily, will improve and expand your technique. Most importantly, remember that anyone can improve his or her piano technique. Rather than competing with other pianists, always compete with yourself. That way you will always improve.

Step 1

Develop finger independence by placing all five fingers of the right hand on the piano. Place your thumb on middle C and the remaining fingers on D, E, F and G. Slowly press down the thumb without moving any other finger. Then press the index finger down in the same manner. Do this for each finger and switch hands.

Step 2

Play all major and minor scales daily. Use a metronome to slowly increase the speed at which you can play your scales. Start slowly and aim to increase the speed that you play your scales by two beats per minute each week.

Step 3

Play major and minor arpeggios throughout the entire piano. Start on the lowest C first and play major thirds, followed by minor thirds. Then repeat this pattern on C-sharp and D.

Step 4

Play finger exercises on a daily basis to increase your dexterity and ability to play quickly.

Step 5

Practice increasingly difficult music each week. Practice a piece until you have learned to play it perfectly. Once learned, memorize the piece and then move on to a new piece. There are hundreds of pieces a virtuoso pianist should learn to play from memory.

Tips

Find a private instructor at a local university, college or music store. The best way to develop is with someone with more experience than yourself.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Sunday Stories: The Power of Audiation in Music Composition

Happy Sunday! Today, let’s explore the transformative power of audiation in music composition and share an inspiring story about a composer who mastered this skill. Audiation, the ability to hear and understand music in your mind, is a crucial tool for composers, enabling them to bring their musical ideas to life with greater detail and precision. What is Audiation? Audiation is the process of hearing and comprehending music in your mind without any external sound. It is similar to thinking in a language, where you can understand and manipulate words and sentences internally.  For composers, audiation is an essential skill that allows them to imagine, develop, and refine their musical ideas before they are played or written down 1 . The Benefits of Audiation for Composers 1. Enhanced Musical Understanding Audiation helps composers develop a deeper understanding of music. By hearing and analyzing music internally, they can grasp the relationships between different musical elements, ...

Similarities of Classical and Baroque Music

Music has evolved through the centuries and undergone drastic changes. One of the most significant transitions was from the Baroque to the Classical period of music. In this paragraph, I will compare and contrast some of the main features of these two styles, such as ensembles, instrumentation, and counterpoint study. The Baroque and Classical periods of music have many similarities. While the style of music changed drastically, certain key elements remained the same between the two styles. Composers in the Classical period sought to simplify music and create clearly audible musical lines. In contrast, composers from the Baroque period were interested in creating complex and highly ornamented musical lines. The Baroque period occurs from approximately 1600 to 1750, and the Classical period extends from 1750 to 1820. Ensembles Ensembles are groups of musicians that perform together. Both the Baroque and the Classical period had similar types of ensembles, such as operas, orchestras, str...

List of Musical Techniques and Their Meanings

Musical techniques are the building blocks of any basic music training. These techniques allow performers to improve their coordination and develop accuracy through repetitive daily exercises. Musical techniques progressively build upon previously learned techniques. Scales Scales form the basis for other musical techniques. Student may study major and minor scales as well as modern scales, such as the whole-tone and octatonic scales. A scale consists of patterns of half steps and whole steps. These whole steps and half-step arrangements will be different for each scale. Scales are musical techniques that can help a performer to play faster and more accurately, and make learning new pieces easier. Chords Chords require knowledge of major and minor scales. Chords come in several different forms that affect the sound. Triads consist of three notes spaced a third apart and classified as major, minor, augmented and diminished chords. Seventh chords build on triads and have an additional no...