Do You Think You're Too Good To Practice SLOW?

[@andreasmaier5361]

My piano teacher always said: "Those who practice slowly will reach their goal faster." Many regards from Germany!

[@dimitrovboeleepianoduo]

So true! Nice thank you 🙏😊

[@Nimeu1992]

Great advice! It's so hard to not speed up when practicing slowly. The metronome keeps you honest.

[@dimitrovboeleepianoduo]

Thank you! Yes it definitely does 😊

[@MrWhiteKeys1]

This was a real eye-opener! I often practice very slow, but it is nice to be validated. However, I take on too large of a section at a time, so this was very helpful.

[@dimitrovboeleepianoduo]

Thank you! I’m happy it helped 😊

[@redsoil5821]

I agree absolutely. I see how I make progress on each new piece when I slow down all the time.

[@dimitrovboeleepianoduo]

Amazing!👏

[@DavidMiller-bp7et]

You hit on something vital to the most solid progress on piano. Ego limits us by thinking that we are better than we are. I knew about Rach, "Practice like a snail, play like a cheetah." That does not assign a relative value to it. Your talk clarifies it. I am about the 15 year experience level at piano. Now desiring to practice slower; slower settles the music more deeply into muscle memory. I'm going to the piano anon and picking up my slow methodology where I left it yesterday. This is very encouraging to us and to the pianosphere for overal progress and development. The great Itzhak Perelman always signs his authographs with "Practice slowly." this lesson is inspiring and emphatically justifies very slow practice methods. We become impatient; want to go faster than is best, overall, for us. I also used the metro to speed up what I thought was slowly but now am learning to use it to remain disciplined at a slower, even a snail's pace, tempo. The brain absorbs so much more dimension at "slow." I usually don't do it for a while but the brilliant strength of this lesson makes me a subscriber. Thank you, Dave Florence, Oregon, USA

[@dimitrovboeleepianoduo]

Than you so much for your comment :) I'm happy that I inspired you to go slow; you will be so happy with your progress!

[@andrewanderson6121]

This is great advice, well delivered. Separate hand practice is also an essential. Everything must include the ears of course.

[@dimitrovboeleepianoduo]

Thank you! Yes absolutely

[@jonasrussel5561]

Geweldig! Ik had graag gewild dat ik dit in mijn (wat minder gedisciplineerde jaren) aan jouw zijde wat meer had gedaan. Het werkt inderdaad uitstekend, maar vooral als je goed je focus houdt bij wat je doet.

[@dimitrovboeleepianoduo]

Nooit te laat hoor!😜😊 Gelukkig nieuwjaar alvast!!

[@DudGolfer]

This is so valuable, and so hard but the only way to mastery ❤️

[@dimitrovboeleepianoduo]

Thank you 🙏

[@Hrothgar2010]

2:09 I find that even more important than "hearing" everything" is "feeling" everything in my hand, arm, and body. If I am conscious of any tension at slower speeds I can work on letting it go, whereas at fast tempos I don't even realize it's there and wonder why I'm struggling. 2:40 I will try the rotation technique, thanks!

[@barrywilkins1042]

Great point! This is exactly what I tell my students to focus on when practising slowly: "Feel everything!"😊

[@dimitrovboeleepianoduo]

Well said! My pleasure let me know how it works out for you.

[@aBachwardsfellow]

​@@barrywilkins1042 Exactly! Your mind is learning everything it experiences about what is happening. If your mind experiences tension -- it learns tension. Never let your mind experience anything that doesn't belong with the music -- only feed your mind what you want it to remember ... practice perfection to learn perfection ...

[@barrywilkins1042]

@aBackwardsfellow ❤️ your comment! Especially "never let your mind experience anything that doesn't belong.....only feed your mind what you want it to remember" : This is such a good observation which applies to all of Life...!!!😊 One quibble: I would say (and indeed I do!) that it is better to practise excellence rather than "perfection." Thank you for adding to the conversation and if you don't mind, I am going to "steal" your comment and repeat it to my own students!😅

[@aBachwardsfellow]

​@@barrywilkins1042 I gladly accept your quibble -- excellence is certainly a worthy goal short of perfection -- and much more realistic and attainable - 🙂 The other corollary I tell myself is "practice what's going to happen anyway" - that is -- what you're intending to happen is to play the piece well -- so practice playing it well. By all means "steal" my comment -- it came to mind freely enough -- no additional charge ! :-) .. and yes -- it does apply to much of life ... ("whatsover things are ... think on these things ")

[@rebeldesemteta1677]

This information is so valuable, especially for those who don't have acess to in person lessons

[@dimitrovboeleepianoduo]

Thank you! Happy you think so

[@stephenscottbrewer5184]

Thank you! Couldn't agree more about the benefits of slow practice. And your tips are spot on! Happy New Year!

[@dimitrovboeleepianoduo]

Thank you! Same to you!!

[@mausib]

Great video. Thank you for helping us.

[@dimitrovboeleepianoduo]

My pleasure, I'm happy you liked it!

[@jorgerivas1424]

Thanks for the tip. I've been playing piano almost 60 years and very impatient but this is really a game changer for me. I tried it out today on one of my (future) recital pieces, slowing down and taking one measure at a time. I'm working on Isaac Albeniz's Iberia "El Puerto." This technique really works for me. My Moscow Conservatory professor will appreciate this when I start lessons in the spring. Going slow will actually speed up my learning time.

[@dimitrovboeleepianoduo]

It’s really true! Love ❤️ that piece btw good luck preparing for your recital!

[@poppy2908]

Thanks for the tip, I will definitely try.

[@dimitrovboeleepianoduo]

Let me know how it worked out for you :)

[@bunnyhollowcrafts]

Really appreciate your advice!!

[@dimitrovboeleepianoduo]

So glad!

[@saintedward318]

Thank you for this! That's amazing that Rachmaninoff would practice so slow.

[@dimitrovboeleepianoduo]

Right?!

[@brensocial]

wondeful thanks!

[@dimitrovboeleepianoduo]

Glad you liked it!

[@Amber-jq3yq]

This advice is good ....... thank you!

[@dimitrovboeleepianoduo]

You're so welcome!

[@l.w.paradis2108]

These are super good tips.

[@dimitrovboeleepianoduo]

Thank you! 🙏

[@claudio8313]

Great advice that I think is valid for all musical instruments. For example, with the violin, playing a slow scale is more difficult to manage than a faster one. You tend to rush out of boredom and also to appear better, but it's wrong.

[@dimitrovboeleepianoduo]

Absolutely!

[@Amber-jq3yq]

Really enjoyed listening to you

[@dimitrovboeleepianoduo]

Thanks so much!

[@aBachwardsfellow]

I had a similar experience standing outside the studio of a Russian concert pianist -- v-e-r-y slow, intentional practice. I call it "sarcastically slow" -- with my correlating "mantra" - "I don't have to play a note before I'm ready to".

[@dimitrovboeleepianoduo]

Love the mantra!

[@aBachwardsfellow]

​@@dimitrovboeleepianoduo it's been helpful -- usually what I resort to after having hit the wall making the same mistake 2 or 3 times, it's like ..."ok -- you see how this is going ... so just STOP IT! " ;-)

[@DavidMiller-bp7et]

QUESTION: If we slow down something by sections, do you sense it's better to go through the whole piece at that tempo bringing all the sections to that original tempo--OR--speed up the section under consideration up to tempo and then work succeeding sections in the same fashion at that snail's tempo? I would sense it would be the former. WHAT SAY YOU? I just worked a half dozen opening sections, like intro and a phrase, in this fashion. The slower the harder until one takes in most of all that is there at the slow tempi.

[@dimitrovboeleepianoduo]

Hi David, if I understand your question correctly: I personally like to work in small section and start speeding them up already a little because otherwise I get very bored and less focused. The next section I start again very slowly. However sometimes I do work longer section slow, like when I'm learning a new piece. You can try both and observe which feels more effective for you.

[@DavidMiller-bp7et]

@@dimitrovboeleepianoduo Super answer, thank you. If one does a bunch of separate pieces with a small opening section, one ends up with 84 unfinished pieces. I will follow my instincts. Thanks again.

[@DavidMiller-bp7et]

I sense this is working very deep.

[@rkbrown83]

Thank you for this. I always assumed that slow practice was only meant for novices, and then when I got to Advanced level, I had a huge wake-up call. 😂

[@dimitrovboeleepianoduo]

My pleasure!

[@lightball1414]

Slow practice is always a challenge when you want to practice in the morning, but have to head out to work soon.

[@dimitrovboeleepianoduo]

😜

[@aBachwardsfellow]

I suppose it depends on what you want your brain to remember from your practice session: - 20 minutes of too many measures played marginally well with considerable tension, or - 20 minutes of a few measures played so well they could hardly be played any better ... I know which one I'd rather remember ... :-)

[@andrewanderson6121]

Chasin's wife was one of the great pianists: Constance Keene. Check her out!

[@dimitrovboeleepianoduo]

Thanks I will. I see that they also recorded for piano duo very cool!

[@jorgesaiden3005]

😊😊😊

[@moffac01]

Josef Hofmann. One f, two n’s.

[@dimitrovboeleepianoduo]

Well spotted! My apologies to the maestro

[@bradsims5116]

If your trying to play faster, your slow playing has to have fast playing mechanics.

[@HarDiMonPetit]

Uh no. I feel I'm too bad to practice really slow.

[@dimitrovboeleepianoduo]

😝

[@jackbussy3133]

A more serious comment. You are right in saying that the point of SP is hearing everything. For that to be a success I would add it needs a very effective listening from us. I see too many players practicing slow with something else in mind. Practicing slow should be like a mindfulness based meditation…..!!

[@jackbussy3133]

I am absolutely convinced. I cannot play fast anyway….😂😂

[@dimitrovboeleepianoduo]

😜