Structuring Piano Practice

[mortuarycold]

I recently passed my ABRSM Grade 3 Piano exam. I will start working towards my Grade 4 examination in a few months time, but in the meantime, I plan to learn a few pieces and try to improve my technique.

I am having difficulty structuring my piano playing. I feel that when I go to practice on the piano, my allotted time seems disjointed. If that time was more structured, I believe that I could get more out of my practice.

If any of you could point me in the right direction, then I would be most grateful.

[rmbarbosa]

I dont know if this may help but you may wish to strcture your piano practice in this way:
1 - Choose some pieces grade 4 (for example, 3 pieces)
2 - Examine carefully each piece, its structure, the bars or musical phrases repeated along the music and the most dificult bars.
3 - If possible, memorise right hand and left hand of each bar, but without playing it.
4 - Then, play hands separated each bar or a little group of bars, untill you can play them easily.
5 - Then, play hands together and repeat this little group for example 7 times. To begin, choose the most dificult passages (sometimes, we must begin with the end or near the end of the music because many times the most dificult is there...).
6 - Allow to each music only 20 minutes/day. After this, stop and rest 5 0r 10 minutes, then go to other music, if possible different from the other.
7 - Doing so, in 1H30 min, you will study 3 different musics/day.
8 - Next day, you will proceed the same way. In 5 or 7 days you will see how much you have gained.
Its very important, as you know, to "link" each bar (or each group of bars) with the first note of the next bar, to avoid mistakes or memory lapses, when you play in public.
9 - Each day, the last time you play what you have studied, play it very slow.
10 - what we study daily, it is during night sleep we learn and memorise. And more than 20 minutes to each thing is a lost of time, believe me.
Best wishes
Rui

[elota]

Rui, that was really helpful for me too. Am playing after a gap of more than 10 years and it really hard to get my practices in order. Am planning to write grade 6 trinity. Any tips?

[rmbarbosa]

Elota
My English is very poor, so I couldnt understand your question "I`m planning to write.....etc". Could you explain me what`s in your mind so that I can try to give some tips? Thanks.
Rui