Thoughts on learning technique as an adult

ranjit · 2026-05-28T20:16:05+00:00

I came up with some new ideas recently and thought I might post. Think of it like a set of "wagers": iterate -> Try to feel your 'internal state' and make a "bet". For example: I think I can play this passage while focusing most of my attention on the melody while keeping everything else intact. -> Pass/Fail? Fail. I think I can play the melody and bass while staying attentive without my mind wandering 2x in a row. -> Pass I think I can play everything at a slower tempo exactly once on my first attempt. And so on. Also, I have found that focusing on internal sensation of playing a passage or technique correctly produces the desired outcome more effectively than visually observing said sensation. For example, observe until you can play correctly once -> figure out the feeling or a set of words to condense the thought ("relax shoulders") -> try to repeat it a few times in a row. Focusing on auditory prediction is also huge. I would recommend, for most people, to listen to the best recording you can find or that suits your taste that you want to emulate. (If you are sufficiently advanced, you can audiate the interpretation you want on your own, but I find this difficult.) Then, try to aim for the sound while not paying attention to the technique you are using to produce the sound. This works better if you have heard the sound live (e.g. played by your teacher) because the fidelity of the sound is then higher. Then, aim to produce the sound while paying attention to certain basic aspects of relaxation that you can keep to at most 2-3 things, preferably just one (e.g. high knuckles). For most of your attempts, do not look at the hands, just feel yourself doing it. But also spend a few attempts observing yourself keenly, and if you notice something off, correct it. Tying together set of words to describe the sensation with auditory prediction produces some of the quickest and most durable results that I've seen. I've found this extremely helpful to learn technique quickly and reliably. A corollary that leaves something to think about: it might be better to learn technique through sections of pieces rather than exercises, because it creates a more precise aural image and thus helps with auditory prediction and task motivation. Also, I know this might sound like voodoo but here goes: While you're learning a new piano technique, you should try to successfully fool yourself into thinking that it is completely doable. Especially as adults, we get into these thought loops where we think that certain kinds of playing are beyond us ("there's no way I can play scales fast", etc.) Successfully fooling yourself into thinking it can be done can go very far. I have a strong but unfounded belief that adults believing that it is objective reality that learning advanced technique is beyond them is the major reason why most don't succeed.

ShiroKuro

ranjit far more useful for memory than technique

I was just thinking this same thing, that Ranjit is talking about technique but many people are thinking about learning the notes.

As discussed, slow play is absolutely relevant for pianists of any level, really of all levels.

But how does one develop the ability to do an extended trill? Or to play a rumbling bass line that takes requires you to send your LH down a cascading line for four-notes chords in a finger twisting progression at a punishing tempo?

There are probably other examples, but these things require movements that are physically different from what you would do if the music were slow.

Having said that, speed before one is ready for it just leads to sloppiness… so it’s a fine line, I imagine.

ShiroKuro

MRC I take a passage that was ok in the performance - the speed I wanted, no wrong notes - and go through it at an excruciatingly slow tempo, with the utmost concentration. When I bring it up to performance tempo again, I usually find a new level of ease and fluidity.

This reminds me… now that my jury is finished, I’m trying to keep my jury piece in my fingers without spending a lot of time on it. I think maybe chunking it out and choosing a few passages for slow play, and doing those every few days might be the way to go…

One more thing about slow practice… I wonder if it actually takes a more advanced pianist to be able to use slow practice for very fast passages or fast technique. What I mean is, the hand movement often changes (usually needs to change) when we speed up, but we don’t really know that, or know how, until we do actually speed up. Whereas I would imagine a very advanced pianist has a better sense of that… maybe. I’m just thinking out loud here. 🙂

ranjit

ShiroKuro I wonder if it actually takes a more advanced pianist to be able to use slow practice for very fast passages or fast technique.

Yes, this is what I would consider to be more a matter of memory (or consistency) than technique. Clearly, they can play other passages at similar tempos and are just applying what they already know to a slightly different scenario.

pianoloverus

ranjit Playing slowly is advice for beginners. If all it took was playing things slowly, we would all be virtuosos. Just because we hear something online or a lot in general doesn't mean it's some kind of rule.

Practicing slowly is one of the most common recommendations for even the most advanced players. Have you heard the famous story of some famous pianist visiting Rachmaninov and hearing him practicing the Chopin Etude in thirds so slowly it was almost unrecognizable? This is not some isolated incident but just a famous one. Shura Cherkassky said one would think he was a beginner if one heard him practicing(because he practiced so slowly).

Practicing slowly does not, of course, mean as you imply that one only needs to practice slowly. One must at one point speed up. But most pianists at all levels start somewhat slowly and gradually increase speed. And there are specific techniques for increasing speed if just doing it gradually does not work, IOW if one hits a speed bump.

ranjit

Sophia In your example you mentioned that 70% accuracy is good enough.

I'm talking about motor learning theory. This was referenced by Molly Gebrian as well. Basketball players learning to shoot hoops advanced the fastest if they were challenged to the point where they made about 70% of the shots they attempted. The body learns from mistakes. But this doesn't mean 70% accuracy with the notes, it's different.

iternabe

MRC I also find it invaluable. Even for pieces I have performed. I take a passage that was ok in the performance - the speed I wanted, no wrong notes - and go through it at an excruciatingly slow tempo, with the utmost concentration. When I bring it up to performance tempo again, I usually find a new level of ease and fluidity.

Just want to say this so true!

My current piece has got to a stage that I can play from beginning to end, at tempo, but still have hiccups here and there. So this week, I pulled out my metronome, and forced myself to practice at exactly half tempo. It's so slow that muscle memory in the form of "sequence of movements" become broken and useless. It forces my brain to be clear of every next move, and really fix anything that's unsure.

After doing this for 3 days, I go back to the normal tempo and found it almost effortless, and with so much more confidence that I now have spare mental bandwidth to really pay attention to dynamics and articulation.

pianoloverus

iternabe I think one of the interesting things about slow practice or very slow practice is that, although very often recommended, I think the reasons for the recommendation vary to some extent. I think the benefit you mentioned at the end of the second paragraph is one of the more common reasons given for slow practice, and it seems to make logical sense. But in other threads I've read or participated in a wide variety of different reasons were given. (I'm talking about reasons other than probably helping memorization which I would put in a separate category.)

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