Piano Practice: Sooth Your Soul in Your Search for Expression

Music has always been about the pursuit of unachievable perfection. 

Interpreters across the world continue to push themselves to create the perfect rendition of a masterwork, but the beauty is that musical perfection does not exist. Therefore, piano practice should be more about a soothing experience for the body and mind. 

It’s about training your body to work in such a way that it is constantly in service of the music. First of all, one must build a sound imagination, concentrating on the emotional depth of the music. This can only be achieved by reading, living and truly respecting the music. 

Remember, the piano is a vessel for music, an instrument, and your hands are mere transportation to carry the notes from paper to sound. Musicians are craftspeople, looking to make music energy efficient by carving the mind and body in a kind of musical workshop. As such, we must train the muscles in our bodies, from the fingers to the hands, knuckles, and arms, to become as efficient as possible. 

To carry emotional depth from the page to the audience, we have to practice, practice, practice. Music and performance can only become fine-tuned with dedication and patience. We must achieve clarity in the mind and allow our bodies to become the vehicle.

For that reason, piano practice is different for every single musician. It is about understanding your own mind, body, sound imagination, and practice techniques to achieve the most authentic result possible.

How well can we build an arsenal of fingers? How relaxed can the rest of the body be as we play? How energy efficient can we make the music process?

You can only find those answers by building your process, practising, and understanding your mind and body.