I crafted this plan to get my technique sparkling this year. (I assure you that there were no diet or exercise plans in my new year's resolutions, but there are musical resolutions.)
This is a plan that should work for most pianists. I will start it officially tomorrow and see how it goes. (I'll report back here with the results).
***UPDATE: 1/13/2019. I've been trying the "monthly technique plan" I posted for several days, and realized that I had some duplicate exercises listed on the original Google doc I posted. I also thought the organization was not logical enough so I re-ordered the exercises for a more logical flow, in the hopes that this will help me and others to memorize the routine. So, here is my latest plan. I will start practicing based on this plan today and update you periodically with edits and progress reports on how I'm doing! I do want to tell you that I already feel more accuracy and technical competency in my playing of pieces. It's taking me about 45-minutes a day to get through the routine (I suspect this number is a bit inflated due to my interruptions and note-taking while I practice). My knuckle joints are a bit sore in a tired way, but I'm keeping my pulse on this and will make sure it doesn't worsen. ***
HERE'S THE NEW, UPDATED PRACTICE PLAN FOR ADVANCED PIANISTS AND ADVANCED STUDENTS:
CLICK THE LINK AT THE RIGHT----------> TONAL-BASED PRACTICE SYSTEM: A KEY A DAY, A MONTHLY SYSTEM TO DEVELOP FLUENCY AND TECHNICAL PROFICIENCY IN ALL 12 MAJOR, MINOR, AND BLUES KEYS
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eoxHpuhYbo8jXvFylz27CHbuLAdlIc3M/view?usp=sharing
***UPDATE: 1/13/2019. I've been trying the "monthly technique plan" I posted for several days, and realized that I had some duplicate exercises listed on the original Google doc I posted. I also thought the organization was not logical enough so I re-ordered the exercises for a more logical flow, in the hopes that this will help me and others to memorize the routine. So, here is my latest plan. I will start practicing based on this plan today and update you periodically with edits and progress reports on how I'm doing! I do want to tell you that I already feel more accuracy and technical competency in my playing of pieces. It's taking me about 45-minutes a day to get through the routine (I suspect this number is a bit inflated due to my interruptions and note-taking while I practice). My knuckle joints are a bit sore in a tired way, but I'm keeping my pulse on this and will make sure it doesn't worsen. ***
HERE'S THE NEW, UPDATED PRACTICE PLAN FOR ADVANCED PIANISTS AND ADVANCED STUDENTS:
CLICK THE LINK AT THE RIGHT----------> TONAL-BASED PRACTICE SYSTEM: A KEY A DAY, A MONTHLY SYSTEM TO DEVELOP FLUENCY AND TECHNICAL PROFICIENCY IN ALL 12 MAJOR, MINOR, AND BLUES KEYS
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eoxHpuhYbo8jXvFylz27CHbuLAdlIc3M/view?usp=sharing
Why is better technique on my bucket list for 2019? Well, I had a few events lately with difficult passages. I did practice them, but when it came time to execute the difficult passage during the performance, I was faking it at best. I didn't get the level of detail in there that I should have. My fingers just wouldn't fly fast enough for certain technical tasks (rapid trills, trills in thirds, rapid 16th note passages). I did have a baby a few years ago, and practice has been difficult to fit in, but this is no excuse. I'm determined to rise early to exercise my fingers!
Here's what I've spent the better part of a morning on:
Monthly Technique Plan for Advanced Contemporary Pianists
*** Click the link above for a printable version. ***
Here is the plan, at a glance (below). Focus on 1 key a day, doing the exercises below. Now...here's a disclaimer alert: I haven't tried this yet but I will time it this week and report back on how many minutes (or hours!) of your time this will gobble up.
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