Lesson Goal: To understand that studying, practicing, and exercising are three very different behaviors with three very different goals…
Studying Defined
Studying is the act of focusing ones attention on something with the goal of learning a fact, concept, principle, skill, and so on. Studying reorganizes and strengthens many electro-chemical connections in your brain and typically requires lots of mental effort.
Practicing Defined
Practicing is the act of repeating a complex motor activity until it becomes automatic. This process, where the motor pathways in your sub-conscious brain are reorganized, is called automatization.
Exercising Defined
Exercising is the act of imposing physical stresses on your muscles, ligaments, tendons, bones, heart, and lungs with the goal of improving strength, endurance, flexibility, etc. Repetitive exertions such as running, stretching, swimming, and lifting weights will accomplish this goal. While there might be incidental benefits to your thinking due to increased blood flow to the brain and general well-being, your brain is not meaningfully altered by such physical exertions.
Implications for Piano Students
Practicing, as done by most, is typically just doing something the wrong way over and over and over again hoping for a miracle that never comes. If you want to play like an artist, you must reject the widespread myth that getting good is accomplished by doing physical exercises. This is so important that it needs to be repeated: It is a huge mistake to believe that you need to do exercises in order to play the piano.
Why? Because fluent piano technique is NOT achieved by building strength and endurance. Fluent piano technique is achieved by changing the neural networks in your brain that control how you move your body. It crucial to understand that your BRAIN moves your muscles. Your muscles do not move themselves. In fact, the ability to move your body—to do things like walk, talk, write, eat, and drink—is the only reason for anyone to need a brain at all.
Takeaways
- Getting good at the piano is never a matter of doing physical exercises.
- Doing exercises can be worse than useless. Doing exercises can actually cause injury.
- Never practice anything without studying it first.
learn more… Practice Habits