How To improve Your Rhythm At The Piano
How To Improve Your Rhythm At The Piano
Anyone can learn to play the piano - the pace at which any individual might learn can vary but ultimately, any person can take enjoyment from playing this instrument. However, there might be certain things that are part of your learning journey that come easier or harder to some people. One of these can be keeping rhythm at the piano. Time and notes go hand in hand with every piece, you can’t have music without knowing when and how to play the notes written down on the page.
Don’t be afraid, though, like with anything else related to playing an instrument, this is something else that you can learn with time. Whether you specifically struggle to follow the beat of a piece or can’t get your head around sight-reading the rhythms of what you’re playing, here are some tips to improve your rhythm at the piano.
Spot what you’re struggling with
First of all, you need to understand specifically what is it about the rhythm that you find difficult. Do you struggle to keep up with the speed the piece is meant to be played at? Do you know the basics of time signatures? Can you sight-read rhythms?
This isn’t a test so don’t worry if you have answered no to most of those questions. The best way to start improving any lack of knowledge is to look at music theory and go back to the basics. Teach yourself the fundamentals of rhythm and don’t be afraid to ask your piano teacher any questions so that you can focus more of your practice on improving in this area.
Introduce a metronome to your practice
Maybe you already occasionally take out the metronome during practice or maybe this is one of those tools you tried out at the beginning and then left to collect dust in a cupboard. It’s time to get your friendly metronome out and use it to work on improving your rhythm at the piano. There are different things you can try out with the metronome, for example, play with the metronome on every beat, and then, once you are more confident, you could cut try and cut the number of beats in half.
Thankfully, you can also practice with pieces that already have the metronome marking written down so that if you’re not familiar with using the metronome, you don’t have to scratch your head too hard to get started. As always, get started with a slow tempo and build up to a faster one.
Get your ears to work
Rhythm is something that can be practiced even when you’re not playing the piano. Next time you’re listening to music, make sure to listen out for the specific rhythms and tempos. Here are some examples of a few things you could be listening out for: try to tap to the main beat with your body; if you can identify a drum keeping up the tempo, can you tell which part is playing on the beat or off the beat? Can you spot the time signature of the song by counting outloud?
You could even simply try to dance to the rhythm of the song, that’s another valid (and fun) way to learn more about rhythm!
Get an accompanist
Not only is playing with someone else fun, it can also be a great opportunity to improve your timing and rhythm when playing. This is especially true if you’re playing with a more experienced pianist, like your teacher. The more you’ll try to keep up and work with another musician, they’ll better you’ll get at keeping up with the tempo.
Hopefully, these tips help you successfully progress in your practice and allow you to move past any issues you might have previously had with finding your rhythm at the piano!
