How to Practice Music: an interview with Pianist, Composer, and Author Andrew Eales
“Practice makes perfect.” We’ve all heard this; we all know that playing well depends on how frequently and thoroughly we practice. It’s when we attempt to implement this truth that problems appear. This happens because although we want to play well and we’re willing to devote the necessary time to achieve this goal, but we’re untrained in how to use our time at the piano in a creative, dedicated, and efficient way.
Enter How to Practice Piano, a guide by career educator, pianist, composer, and author, Andrew Eales of the world-renowned piano blog, PianoDao. Packed with wisdom gleaned from decades of making and teaching music, Eales’ guide offers practical advice on how to practice in ways that are both productive and joyful. What many of us had to learn through years of trial and error can be found in this pithy, must-have book. When Eales announced that Hal Leonard had released the book, I contacted him and asked if he’d be willing to be interviewed about it for No Dead Guys. It is an honor share his wisdom with No Dead Guys readers.
Congratulations on the publication of your new book, How to Practice Music. What prompted you to write it and why do you feel it’s an important addition to other practicing guides that are already on the market?
The honest answer is that Hal Leonard approached me with the idea! But I immediately saw that it is good one!
There’s definitely a space in the market for a concise pocket handbook that answers all of the most basic and generic questions about practice, in a simple down-to-earth way, while hopefully inspiring students and players to find new and creative ways to explore and expand their music-making.
As a career music educator, what do you feel is most musicians’ biggest practicing misconception?
There’s sometimes this idea that there is a “right way” to practice, and which leads to measurable results. I just don’t believe that it works that way, and the assumption that it does can lead to untold frustration and a low sense of satisfaction in making music.
In what ways do you think people get in their own way when practicing?
As with so many things, it all starts with over-thinking, and if we try too hard to force a particular result, we are often less successful. One of the themes of my book is developing a more playful approach to practice, in which creativity and curiosity replace striving.
Is this book just for pianists or will the principles apply to other instruments as well?
The book is actually for anyone who sings or plays any instrument. In some of the examples given, there are references to fingering, breathing, sitting, embouchure, bowing, and so on, but essentially the core advice throughout is completely generic. It’s a book for everyone…
As a teacher, the biggest practicing complaint I got from students was finding the time to sit down and do it. What do you recommend that busy musicians do in order to maintain a regular practice schedule?
The book includes a whole section packed with tips about planning, but one I will share here is this – that if we map out a schedule of our other essential activities it becomes much easier to see when we can fit in practice, or of course if we actually can’t, because we’ve basically over-committed ourselves.
What tips do you offer students who find the repetition of practicing boring?
I would recommend them to read the book and learn how to practice more creatively! I have suggested to all my own students that they pick up a copy of the book and read it. There’s bound to be stuff in there which I haven’t communicated effectively enough to them in lessons, because when writing this I was able to collect my thoughts specifically into one stream of practice ideas.
When I was a student, my teachers spent very little time teaching me how to practice. They just told me to practice and I had to work out the “how” on my own. In what way do you think How to Practice Music might be helpful to teachers?
Well I think your experience is a typical one that many of us will identify with, and having not ourselves been taught “how” to practice, how do we communicate this to our students? I suspect that other teachers, once they’ve seen the book, will actually want their students to read it too. Hal Leonard have done a superb job with the design, really packing in a wealth of practical advice that is bound to help any player, and all in a manageable way.
But hopefully teachers will also find that even a quick read through How to Practice Music will arm them with lots of advice and ideas that they can use in lessons. We need to model these skills and use them with our students, and there shouldn’t be a big divide between what happens in the practice room and the teaching studio.
Why do you feel it was important for you to include a section on how to practice mindfully?
Serious students are sometimes tempted to practice for longer hours than they should. We’ve probably all come across and heard of players who became injured from their playing. The book doesn’t cover technical problems, but it does encourage a mindful approach.
I’ve also included suggestions for what to do when taking breaks, including listening to recordings, doing easy breathing exercises, all of which will hopefully help students adopt a healthy and reflective approach to practice.
I understand that this book is just one of many books you’re writing for Hal Leonard. What other books will be published and when can we expect to see them?
In terms of pocket handbooks we’ll have to wait and see, but we are currently working together on a fresh series of piano anthologies featuring core classics alongside great music from composers around the world, past and present. These are going to be really diverse and inspiring collections, and I hope they will be available before the end of this year.
How to Practice Music has been released in Europe and the UK. When and where will it be available in America?
A lot of work has been done standardising the text to American spelling standards, but right now it is on its way to stores and can be pre-ordered here: Hal Leonard
What’s the most important piece of advice you can offer musicians who struggle with practicing?
There are so many reasons we struggle, but we all do. Hopefully by reading How to Practice Music, players will each discover the answer that helps solve their present struggles.
Andrew Eales is a widely respected and experienced music educator and piano teacher based in Milton Keynes UK, where he runs a successful teaching studio. He is a published composer and author, and his piano recordings have been streamed more than a million times worldwide. Andrew runs the piano website/blog Pianodao.com