"Circles" Step Two

In "Circles" Step One, I talked about how to break up the piece into small sections of only two measures and draw a circle around it.  Then we looked for circles that matched, or nearly matched.  After doing that, there are usually only four or five "circles" that need to be learned.  If you practice one "circle" per day, you would learn the entire song perpectly in just under a week - just in time for your next lesson!

Now I will teach you exactly how to practice a "Circle".

First of all, you have to block out the rest of the music and only learn that one circle.  This kind of focus is really the whole point of this method of practicing, so if you let your attention wander to the rest of the piece, you are defeating the purpose.

Now you are ready to follow these steps to get your "circle" perfect.

1.  Practice the Right Hand alone until you can play it two times in a row PERFECTLY.

2. Practice the Left Hand alone until you can play it two times in a row PERFECTLY.

3. Practice hands together:

• Get all the notes perfect two times in a row.
• Keep all the notes perfect and add counting the rhythm out loud while you play it - 2 times perfectly
• Keep the notes and rhythm perfect and add in getting all the fingering correct - 2 times perfectly
• Keep notes, rhythm, and fingering perfect, and add in dynamics - 2 times perfectly
• Find the metronome speed that matches how you just played it.  Play it once with the metronome.
• Move the metronome up a notch or two (no more than five numbers, ie 60 to 65). Play it once at the new higher speed.  
• Move the metronome up another notch or two four more times.  Play it once at each new speed.
• Now close the music book and play your "circle" from memory three times.

Ta da!!!  You're done with that circle.  It is learned.  It is perfect. And it is even memorized!  

I know this looks like a lot of work, but it probably took me longer to type it out than it does to actually do it.  This whole process should only take about two minutes. The circle is so short (only two measures) that it only takes five to ten seconds to play through it.  

So if you practice for twenty minutes a day (the amount I recommend for my own students), you will be able to learn TEN circles every day.  If you are in beginning music books, you can probably learn ten pieces per week.  Your teacher will be absolutely beside herself with joy!

HAPPY PRACTICING!

CIRCLES Step One

The most common method I teach for practicing is called practicing "Circles".  I call it "Circles" because it all started when I would draw circles around a small section of my student's pieces and told them to only practice that one circle until it was perfect.  The assignment was to practice only one circle from each piece per day.

The results were amazing!  I had a beginning student in the Level 1 Method Books.  She was passing off two or three pieces each week.  I taught her this new way to practice.  She was already in the habit (reinforced by her parents) to practice for twenty minutes a day, so she had to keep learning circles until her time was up.  She passed off FOURTEEN pieces the next week!  And most of them were memorized!

This is the basic foundation that I teach almost all other practicing skills on.  There are some exceptions, but we will cover those in other articles.

So... let me explain how to practice "Circles".

Step One

Identify the Circles and Patterns

Here is an example.  This is a piece from a Level 3 Hal Leonard Method Book.

The first thing to do is draw a circle around the first two measures.

Then look for anywhere in the rest of the piece that this "circle" is repeated exactly the same.  Since you will have learned this circle perfectly the first time it appears in the music, you can skip practicing it when it comes up again.  Draw dashes through it diagonally.

Remember - it might repeat again - so check the ENTIRE piece.

Now look for "circles" that are almost the same.  This one has the same notes and rhythm, but the hands are switched - the melody is now in the Left Hand, and the harmony is in the Right Hand.  So even though it's a little different, it will be really EASY to learn because you've basically learned it already!

OK...  Now draw a circle around the NEXT two measures in the piece.  I have used a different color so it's easier to see what I'm talking about.

Now look through the rest of the piece to see if it repeats EXACTLY, or ALMOST the same.  It does not, so we draw a circle around the next two measures.  I circled these in green.  When we search for a repeat, we find one at the very end of the song, so I dashed it out with green.

That only leaves two measures, so we draw a circle around them.  I used orange this time.

Now look at how many "Circles" we have to practice.  There are five.  If we practice one every day until it is perfect, it will take us five days to get this entire piece perfect.  Just in time to pass it off at the next lesson!



I will demonstrate how to practice the circle to get it perfect in following articles...


HAPPY PRACTICING!! 

First Rule of Practicing

I have had all kinds of piano students.  I've had those who passed off their assignments every single week and progressed really fast.  I've also had those who didn't ever practice because they didn't even have a piano at home.  Of course, most students are somewhere in between those two extremes.  


I talk to the parents quite often about what is and isn't working at home with regard to practicing.  I have learned something quite interesting.  The piano students who are almost always prepared and move ahead faster than average all have one thing in common.

What that one thing is may surprise you.  It's not talent.  It's not focus.  It's not better practicing skills.  It's not coming from a musical family.  It's not getting help from mom or dad.  It's not which method they are learning.  It's not how much they enjoy their assignments.  

Are you sitting down?  Because the one thing that my successful students have in common is so simple, you may be shocked.

It's having a schedule!

Yes, it's that simple.  The parents tell me that they have a routine for the kids that includes practicing.  That routine is different for every home and every student.  Whether they practice in the morning, afternoon, or evening, they had basically the same routine every day.  

I recently had a conversation with a student that went something like this:

Me:  You did such a great job!  I can tell you really practiced this week.

Student:  Yeah.  I have to.  I come home from school and can take a break for a snack, but then I have to read for twenty minutes and practice the piano before I can do anything else.  Even watch TV!!

Based on my previous experience, this student will be one of the top achievers in my studio - just because he has practicing built into his routine at home.

I know it may seem too simple to have much of an impact, but I've seen so much success with it that it is definitely worth the effort of a try!