How to play faster on the piano
How to play faster on the piano
For many, the idea of a talented pianist is one that can successfully play a piece quickly and without mistakes. While playing with speed is an impressive skill to achieve as a musician, it’s important to never prioritise it over accuracy.
Here are some things you can try to work on improving your speed playing the piano without sacrificing precision:
Start slow
As exciting as playing a piece fast can be, you can only get to that point after you practice it slowly first. The slow pace gives you the chance to really learn the piece and get to know its rhythms and notes.
In fact, it’s only once your hands have become really comfortable with playing the piece that you can start to play it at the speed that the composer intended.
Train your wrists and fingers
You wouldn’t run a marathon without first training for it. In the same way, you wouldn’t try to play a piece faster without first learning how to move your wrists and fingers correctly to achieve that. And most of all, to avoid injuries or discomfort as you try to keep up with a faster pace!
When you play faster on the piano, you need your wrists to stay close to the keys but use less motion than you would when you go slowly. To release the notes with your fingers, raise them and sink them into the keys. Practice your release of previously played notes by exaggerating the way you keep your fingers up and down as you play slowly. This will teach you not only to play faster but also to do so accurately.
Of course, something that is equally important is to take breaks and let your hands rest. Overworked fingers are prone to making mistakes, take it easy.
Study your piece
To play it faster, you need to really know your piece. Think about its harmonies and analyse the chords so that you can gradually learn to anticipate what comes next. This can also help you memorise the piece, which is something else that can help you play faster with fluidity and accuracy.
In fact, once you know the piece by memory, you can focus on how to execute it rather than on focusing on which note comes next.
Use a metronome
A metronome can be your best friend when it comes to learning to play a piece faster. By introducing the metronome to your practice, you can gradually speed up the tempo and make a seamless transition from playing your piece slowly to the speed it’s meant to be played at.
This way, you can progress at a pace without sacrificing accuracy or pushing yourself to a faster speed when you have yet to learn to play the piece slower.
Try these tips to bring your piano piece to life at the expected tempo while still maintaining cleanliness and fluidity in the way you play. Ultimately, it comes down to giving yourself time to practice a piece well enough before speeding things up.
