How to make a practice schedule

Questions? Requests for videos? Email me at [e-mail], and I'll give you access to a platform where I'm answering 100% of the questions you ask.
This video explains how to create a practice schedule to become a well-rounded jazz pianist.
My previous video explains many of the things but you'll need to study, but this video you a layout of how and when to study them. There is endless material to actually study, and you'll need to find much of that online (or request custom videos from me), but this gives you a basic schedule that you can use to make sure you're covering all of the bases to actually grow as a pianist.
Everything I'm talking about in this video is based on following chart:
weeklypiano.files.wordpress.c...
You will notice that this chart is based on a four hour schedule, but breakdown percentages for each thing that you should study and calculates the timing for 1, 2, and 8 hour sessions as well.
The Behringer exercises I mention I located here:
weeklypiano.files.wordpress.c...
Vocabulary sheets are:
weeklypiano.files.wordpress.c...
weeklypiano.files.wordpress.c...
I hope you get a lot out of this video!!! Thank you to Jan from the Netherlands for requesting it.
- Weekly Piano
PS: Here are the specifics that I discuss that are not detailed in the chart. Having them written here may help refresh your memory after watching the video:
Technical exercises:
- Mostly at ease
- Push towards end of each
Study theory
- If you don’t know all the basics, make this your first mission. Use videos and books to grasp all of these basic concepts:
- Modes (execute a 4-octave scale in each mode)
- Triads (be able to play any major and minor triad in any key)
Comping (a different one each day)
- McCoy Tyner comping
- early Herbie Hancock comping
- Bill Evans comping (drop 2)
- Oscar Peterson comping
Vocabulary (alternate each day)
- Pick a jazz lick off the sheet and play in every key
- Pick one lick from a transcription, not more than 2 bars, and play in every key
New tune (Pick from tunes list. Do one of the following to that tune each day, until you have a good grasp on the tune): (green dolphin
- Melody
- Comp (2-handed)
- Melody with right hand and comp with left
- Melody with right hand and bass with left
- Listen and play along with a classic recording of the tune
Transcribe (pick a recording of one of the following artists):
- Oscar Peterson
- McCoy Tyner
- Herbie Hancock
- Keith Jarrett
- Bud Powell
- Charlie Parker
- Cannonball Adderly
- Stan Getz
- John Coltrane
- Miles Davis
Focus on the following aspects as you’re transcribing:
- Comping
- Melody
- Vocabulary
- Time feel / swing
- Contour (question/answer, call/response within solo)
- Harmonic development (if you’re advanced)
- Superimposition (if you are advanced)
- Colors
Make sure you start slow and speed it up so you can play it comfortably eventually at a fast pace
Soloing over a standard:
- 1-octave exercise
- Motivic exercise
Play with someone else. Go over standards, try to improvise.
NEW AS OF DECEMBER 18, 2017: One of my Patreon supporters made this cool spreadsheet that makes it easier to track your practice given my guidelines from the video. I've uploaded it here. Thanks Robel F! Practice Itinerary Spreadsheet (compliments of Robel F):
www.dropbox.com/s/rbr7lnk44kh...
To get your own private lessons, support the creation of these training videos, and join the piano community, visit / weeklypiano

[@liambrown4690]

I for one am incredibly stoked to see Agent Mulder teaching piano. Love this💜

[@joshuaglennwilson]

The Bach piece at 9:04 is English suite no 3 in G minor, BWV 808 (J. S. Bach), Mvmt. VI: Gigue.

[@famapla]

Man, thank you for your generosity!!!

[@iandrummer1]

This is the most informative and much needed video I've ever seen! You are such a God send!

[@sergeantpinbacksreturn879]

that exercise from your old Piano teacher, is called : TAUSIG Exercises,....help to develop stretching ability of all the Fingers. very powerfull exercise, that has to be practises very carfully, cause if overdone it could do quite some harm. i love that herbie exercise man ! thanks from Berlin, Germany, for all the very usefull videos you ve been posting !

[@Solcius123123]

Another video like this ? ! You're awesome ! Thank you. The walking bass line video or bass line video is a great idea ! (Not requesting anything, you already gave so much with those videos, I can't ask you something ahah)

[@kaivrock]

Your generosity is incredible

[@rebeccacunningham8810]

This video as well as all of your content is absolute gold! I've been looking for something like this for years and it's held me back from actually practicing because I feel like I'm not being productive. Thank you so much!!

[@kidirish22]

Much Appreciated! I've been struggling with how to organize my time and this is a really nice place to start. Thank you for taking the time!

[@nathanchasse8189]

This video was so helpful!!!! I've been wanting to start practicing jazz for a while now, and I now actually have an idea of what to practice! Thank you so much!!

[@cottoncandy113]

This is so helpful! Thank you so much for spending the time to put this up!

[@YourOwnAdventure]

I would love it if you could make an in-depth video like this one about the Comping styles/Techniques/what to expect when bringing them to the streets/how to comp with other musicians/how to feel comfortable as a first time band member. Etc.. I would greatly appreciate it and really grateful for the uploads!

[@delanodouglas6141]

His name was Oscar Beringer. He was an English piano composer who wrote a book entitled, "Daily Technical Studies".

[@marciothadeupianista]

I love your piano and your humildity!

[@MartinSack365]

Excellent tutorials. Well done. I use tons of your ideas.

[@FlorisVerbeij]

AMAZING! Thanks

[@dertrotl]

thank you man, you’re my hero !

[@nogoogleplus]

Really great vid and practice break down, thanks a bunch!

[@spassgamer]

This is gold ! Thank you soo much :)

[@imranhossain6391]

dude you rock thanks man :)

[@patrickconnelly5736]

Thank you!

[@fernandoro89]

Hi, Great stuff, very helpful. Thank you for sharing this. I wish you do detailed videos on the other comping styles as you did McCoy Tyner or recommend a source. Also, I a training myself on the piano, I was formerly a guitarist. Could you make a video on pentatonic fingerings, please?

[@mentafari]

Thanks man.

[@RamBhakt12234]

I really would like to see a video on the jazz vocabulary you mentioned in 28:44. This lesson is epic btw!

[@sambitdeshmukhya8658]

Is it possible to take online classes with you? your series of tutorials are the most informative and structured I've ever seen! Amazing stuff! Keep Doing this and help people like us get an idea of how to approach practice.

[@betobarreto5480]

hello first want to congratulate you for the talent and technical knowledge so accurate , totally understandable that you purchased , I emprecioando really to the level you alcansou !

[@geekrobot9797]

WOW! Thanks man :)

[@Flat-Five]

Could you please make a video on different comping techniques and how to practice them?? 2 handed chord voicing options, adding in bass notes and melodic movement etc. Thanks for the videos!!

[@MrCornpopz]

Awesome video man, its super helpful to see these kinds of things... its hard sometimes to keep practice fun and interesting. I am definitely gonna try these out to make my practice better!

[@Radiobarr]

Great video man, found it really helpful. Could you make a video about soloing over Spain by Chic Corea?

[@deonzoss]

great stuff! thanks for so much useful information. One thing I have trouble with is determining how the vocabulary that you've included should sound exactly. I'm pretty new to reading music, so this might be my problem. I know what notes to play (I know you played #18 for instance) but I can't figure out how to make them fit a nice swing. Is it somewhat open to interpretation on how to play them or is there a definite way to play them that I just haven't learned to read yet? I would hate to ask but a video of you playing those two sheets of vocabulary back to back would be incredible!

[@mechwarreir2]

Hey Weeklypiano, love your vids, i've learned a lot from them. I would highly suggest that you get some kind of mic because it's very difficult to hear your voice. The piano is also a lot louder than your voice so when I raise the volume to hear what you say, the piano sound blows up. Keep up the great work though !

[@LukePalmer]

Hey weeklypiano, I just want to let you know, I think it was in this video, when you said 'find a mentor' and said Herbie Hancock was your mentor and it was 'no accident', you inspired me to take a big risk, sneak backstage at a show, and ask my hero for some lessons. And he said yes! Thank you!!!!

[@Account-ru8wt]

Luke Palmer wow awesome!

[@Aaron29ersorbgiants]

Who was it?

[@almightyshux303]

@@Aaron29ersorbgiants Dr.Lovebug

[@tomgiles1484]

4:03 Jim Trompeter? Wow, there's a blast from the past. If he's the same Jim Trompeter I'm thinking of, he was one of the "star" players at U of Miami when I was a jazz piano performance major there. This is a useful video, as I'm always looking for fresh exercises and ways to create more efficient practice sessions for myself. Thanks for posting! Btw, you and all other musicians reading this might be interested in the book by Jonathan Harnum called, "The Practice of Practice: How To Boost Your Music Skills." I bring this up because at 36:11 you mention that one shouldn't do only a minute of practicing. In the book, Harnum points out that (as unbelievable as it sounds), focused practicing for a minute or two a day (esp. if you're strapped for time) can actually be quite beneficial, and the brain is learning, even though you might not think it is. Harnum also refers to an interesting study done on the effectiveness of the length of practice times involving developing pitch recognition. Four groups of participants were studied. I won't go into detail how the test was set up, but the final findings revealed that those who practiced 20 minutes and then did a musically-unrelated puzzle (like a crossword) for another 20 minutes (the puzzle had nothing to do with it -- it just preoccupied the test subject) WHILE LISTENING to the music they were just practicing were as effective in learning as the group who had practiced for 40 minutes straight. This is just one topic Harnum explores. Anyway, it's worth a read.

[@Frecheszinho]

wow such awesome stuff here, new subscriber man! I'm entering a jazz course this year, and I hope this schedule helps me! btw I do my scales exercises differently, I make them 2 octaves and start on the 1st grade, and then 2nd till the 8th then go down (playing inverted), and move to the next tone, so I can learn to play the scale in all the modes (dorian mixolidyan etc.) do you think this way I do is also good? btw I love the idea of changing the rythm of the scales! I should add that to my scale practice (the triplets). Oh and one more thing! why did you not include arpeggio exercise? isn't it important?

[@joelo3346]

Hello! This video was fantastic! Going back to Jan's original question, if you only have a 1-2 hour block per day, do you recommend breaking it up proportionally (5 minutes on scales instead of 10, etc) -or- is spending the full amount, separated into different days, more beneficial? Thanks in advance and thanks for this wonderful resource!

[@austinjacques439]

PLEASE DO A VIDEO ON BASSLINES!!! YOU ARE AWESOME!

[@GregSperoMusic]

thank you! a few people have asked for a bassline video; i'll make one soon!

[@itzelramos3587]

Thanks so much, i'm studying piano and this is one of the hardest things to do is like to schedule. A question, then you take a time to review what you already know right? Standars or maybe lectures you read in the past, like doing it every day a review like 30min or something?

[@rafaelgomez1989]

THANK YOU ...THAT WAS AWESOME..AND SUPER HELPFUL ...]loved those PIECES @ [ 10:16 ] & [ 11:25 - 12:59 ] were may find SHEET MUSIC !!!!

[@peacelo5264]

Thanks for the video! May I know the name of the pieces from Bach that you suggest us to play?:)

[@Simchords]

Great lesson! Thank you! Do you do warm ups before each session? Or do you just go straight to business?

[@rikalet]

Hi there! :) This is great! Do you have a sheet for the Jim's exercise by any chance?

[@agapeacres1]

that Jim exercise is tausig. imslp.org/wiki/Daily_Studies_%28Tausig,_Carl%29

[@elleondejuda4681]

Hey man is there a chart for the fingers exercise? What book you recommend for beginners on Bach if there's anything you know out there Thanks man.

[@BRL1611]

Jim's exercise is a Tausig exercise from Daily Exercise.

[@weeklypiano]

thank you!

[@AeroImp]

In your opinion would Scott Joplin pieces be a worthy substitute to Bach?

[@gilbenji]

Hi WeeklyPiano, Absolutely great stuff. Thanks a lot man. Can you please add the sheet with the licks? It seems to be missing..

[@weeklypiano]

+Gil Sheffer sorry - just uploaded those now!

[@jedha6859]

Where did you upload that?

[@deonzoss]

its the last two links in the description

[@martinleschband]

Doesn't the stretching associated w Jim's exercise (seems like a lot of finger playing) cause problems or the crossing over exercise cause tension from turning the wrist?

[@marciothadeupianista]

Is this vídeo same a your other Video “practice jazz Im 42 minutes” ?

[@ravenmusic932]

Thanks a lot for this great tutorial. Around 22:00 you mentioned a vocabulary sheet, but there's no link?

[@weeklypiano]

+Daniel Raab sorry - just added that to description now

[@iBurnedCookies]

Where can I find the video on Oscar Peterson's comping? I saw it a few weeks ago, but I can't find it anymore :(

[@devidasdandgaonkar6421]

effective exercise but couldn't follow the notes after 9.45 onwards, where can I get details of exercise notes etoc

[@Account-ru8wt]

how many hours a day do you normally practice?

[@pmarati]

Hello WeeklyPiano, Thank you for such valuable stuff here. I am a non-piano player who had minimal keyboard training in college and I started going through the Beringer Studies that you recommended. I am hoping you can kindly clarify some things for me. The way I was taught fingerings on keyboard is that using 1-5 isn't efficient in every key. For example, while that might be appropriate in the key of C, in the key of Db, you should begin the scale on 2, then 3, and then cross over playing the thumb on F, so that 2,3, and 4 can lay comfortably over the black keys. This rule would be followed in keys F#, and B as well. In keys F, Bb, Eb, and Ab, the 4th finger always lands on Bb. My question is, using the Beringer Studies, am I following those rules using the 5 finger studies or am I am supposed to universally use 1-5 regardless of key? I'm not sure if the purpose of the exercises is just to build dexterity or to actually teach correct fingerings. Thanks again for your great videos and keep up the great work!

[@Poypull]

Read the preface to the exercises, your answer is in there.

[@mymisc7727]

"Poypull": I love it. Spent some time in Auz? Their favorite word.

[@davonralls8555]

I’ve never heard of the second one you’re doing what’s the name of scale?

[@Tsharkeye]

Thanks for the awesome vid! But im not really sure what you mean with comping? Is it just the chords of a song?

[@weeklypiano]

+ThomasNL Comping is short for "accompaniment". It's when you play chords (usually in a rhythmic manner) to accompany a soloist. You can "comp" and "solo" at the same time too.

[@PLanBBeaTZ]

Hi, and thanks for this great channel where you share your knoweledge and understanding about music, which is genius!!!!!!!! i ve watched a view of your videos, and for me , you are a great pianist!!!!very inspirational!!!!!!!!! i ve watched the 42 mins video about jazz on your channel, and you ve mentioned something about QUESTION and ANSWER, what is a greeeeat topic, but unfortunately it is underated on youtube!!!! would it be possible that you make a tutorial on QUESTIONING and ANSWERING and how to develop MOTIVES and VARY or CONTRAST them??!!!??????????? you are very talented to explain things and i like how you see/understand things in music, and would be so awesssssoooommmeee when you could explain something more on Q and A in music!!!!! Thank you Adrian

[@rafaelgomez1989]

NEW subscriber HERE....AWESOME vid...Herbie Hancock exercises where to find them ? !!!!!

[@Frecheszinho]

helloo after this 2 years, do you still use beringher exercises? :)

[@hnncanon4452]

Weekly piano I have the same piano the kawai es 7, isn't it? But the metronome annoyed me a lot, so how am I done my practice? It's really necessary for became a good pianist?

[@weeklypiano]

hnn canon yes it’s so annoying that you can’t turn off the downbeat sound. I’d get a Yamaha MX88 and a speaker and use your phone for metronome

[@tarekhussein10]

hello man great video !! but i can't get the jim's exercise

[@ballicostretch]

+Tarek Hussein Playback at 0.5 speed (sound) or 0.25 (visual only)

[@bluestonejones]

Once you start adding tunes, how do you maintain the ones you know with out spending tons of time reviewing?

[@jazzerson7087]

The problem I have is that the more tunes I learn the harder it becomes to maintain them all, it's an uphill struggle!

[@tomgiles1484]

James Anderson Ain't that the truth, James?! Same thing happens to me -- even pieces I've arranged or composed. It's worse trying to maintain all the classical pieces I've learned over the years. This is one reason I admire pianists like "superhuman" pianists like Yuja Wang or Marc-Andre Hamelin who are able to maintain a huge repertoire of pieces that are both extremely difficult and lengthy.

[@houssamtech7563]

Hahahaha in the Arabic language a word humans it's" إنسان" and it's meaning is "a forgettable" 😉

[@PieterDave]

What are those bach pieces your playing?Or what ever your playing and calling it bach. haha. Sounds good

[@elleondejuda4681]

What song is you played on minute 26 to 27 beutifull swing

[@hnncanon4452]

The tune was composed by kaper and Washington in 1947, for the film of the same name and is entitled " on green dolphin street " a jazz standard.

[@pedroneves9351]

you do Skype lessons ?

[@dillmon1]

I feel whatever your practice routine is will affect your sound, aesthetics and style

[@weeklypiano]

Very true

[@Sweet_Solos]

Wat organ prelude is that at 10:20?

[@weeklypiano]

+Bernardo Semião Liszt's transcription of Bach's prelude for organ in A-

[@otisskopik1400]

I think the second exercice was introduced by brahms ;)

[@diaspiano]

Nope, its the Tausig exercise. A proficient student of Lizst who was know for his efortless technique. There are another videos on YT about it check it out, its very hard. Although here its a little bit different, but same concept.

[@keithcollins8068]

You did not indicate which " Bach " you were using to build your skils

[@jeanlucchapelon]

Excellent but let’s say that Herbie Hancock is not the owner of some exercices He studied classical music so Hanon,Liszt,Brahms,Czerny and others exercices!!

[@sanjayparmar379]

Slow explained

[@riczi.j]

31:28 Am I hearing The Lick?

[@devidasdandgaonkar6421]

you pra tice very fast couldnot follow