Practising Piano When You’re Busy - The 15-Minute Method
We’ve all been there: 100 things to do that are all very important, and can’t seem to fit any practice in. Don’t worry - you can still benefit from as little as 15 minutes of practice.
Why does such a short practice session work?
It works because contrary to what many people believe, practice is about consistency and conscious practice, not repetition or time.
When we practice, we’re learning. We’re training our brains to build new connections. Those connections only get strong when they are regularly used and nurtured. So, you could spend an hour on a new piece, skip practice for a few days and find that very little of your practice has ‘stuck’, because it’s been neglected.
As long as your short practice is concentrated and productive, and you do it every day, you’ll make excellent progress (even if you’re short on time).
The method
2 minutes: set up and grounding
Use your two minutes to get your seat set to the right height, turn your keyboard on and get in position. Pop your feet flat on the floor, sit up straight and take a deep breath in through the nose for 5 counts. Then breathe out slowly for 8 counts. Repeat until your 2 minutes is done.
2 minutes: scales and warmup
Try to do either a different scale (with different articulation, motion and tempo) every day, or a different scale each week. Make sure your hands are physically warm before starting your warmup!
6 minutes: micro-practice
Pick one part of something you’re working on (max: 2 bars long section) and work on it for 3 minutes. Consider slow practice for this.
5 minutes: context
Play the part of the piece around the micro-practiced section. Make sure you have good flow and consistency going into and out of the section. Consider slow practice for this.
And that’s it! 15 easy minutes, small progress which builds quickly.
