HOW TO PRACTICE SLOWLY ~ The 50% Rule

[@camillesindell2740]

I have recently not only dramatically lowered my practice speed but I am now not speeding up as quickly as I used to. I have found that staying at a very slow speed for weeks (Brahms Intermezzo 118, challenging for me) has made the learning process so much more pleasant. I play all the phrases at a very comfortable pace, completely relaxed, but in tempo, albeit very slow. By the time I ramp up I am thoroughly engaged with the whole text and the expressive markings. So far this is working so much better than constantly playing too fast, hoping the errors will smooth out. This is such a frustrating way to learn a piece! Thank you for your expertise. I so appreciate your time and commitment to sharing what you love.

[@Flowmotion1000]

I keep referring back to this advice, thanks. I think one reason we play too fast is pride; we’re trying to impress ourselves or someone who we think may be listening.

[@william_fong]

Exactly

[@harrynking777]

I think it is because we think we can easily get used to playing at a certain tempo.

[@aloha1005]

This is really a very very good advice. My piano teacher tells me from my very first lesson that if you play too fast when learning a peace, it is very difficult to correct thta error afterwrads because it is as if the fingers have their own memory. It takes 2x as much time to correct an error that your fingers learnt because you played too fast without concentrating on each musical part.

[@canadiansoul9401]

Hello from Brazil ;) 36 years, self learning 13 mouths of study Thanks for helping me.

[@mikedaniels3009]

I love this guy. Awesome performer, teacher and yet so humble. Cory, IOU, WE all owe YOU.

[@omg_wtf]

Great video. Speed is a byproduct of accuracy.

[@tec4ever72]

Holy words! I'll have tatooed!

[@junjungatbos3548]

Well put👍

[@simonlong4718]

Forsooth

[@kimberlyscott7960]

You can now expand step-by-step into Ballad style, Blues, Jazz, Ragtime, Improvisation and creating your own melodies. You will even learn how to read music AS you learn how to ‘play-by-ear’ and eventually you will be able to play some amazing Classical pieces. visit here 4LearnPianoEasy.blogspot.com

[@jazzerson7087]

This is one of my favourite KZbin videos as it's had a big impact on how I practice and like magic I've found practicing slow with the metronome irons out problems which would creep in when learning pieces or solos. Something happens to your brain when you practice very slow. Through repetition it makes technically daunting things seem possible, and I notice that when I eventually speed it up I play more fluently. If you're playing so slow that your brain is annoyed at you it's a good thing as it means your brain is having to work and absorb every phrase!

[@Margritz12]

This makes so much sense to me. I have just about memorized my 1st Bach invention - I think I was more focused on "just the notes". So now I want to go back and practice it slowly so I can give it the expression it needs.

[@JulioEUnzuetaHoffmann]

Nice lesson. As I used to say to my students, "speed should be a consequence of confidence". Thanks for all these good tips.

[@Widiar0]

I have followed your channel for YEARS now, and I think you have become a bit more "mellow, forgiving and open minded" with your ideas and teaching methods, and the overall way you approach pieces, teaching and people. I find it very positive, thank you for sharing your ideas, will give them a try as soon as I manage to get a new keyboard as my old one finally gave up on me.

[@indirajayaraman4758]

Thank you. Excellent tutorial on speed.

[@noriega78]

you are thanking us.... no way. we thank you !!! tips you give are awesome

[@davidmiller1155]

Just discovered this channel. I remember my teacher encouraging me to do slow practice, I didn’t really get it just wanted to go fast. Eventually I realised that music involves so many factors which must be played and appreciated. Your explanation of slow practise is the best I’ve heard. Thank you.

[@rudysmith6293]

Excellent presentation! Thank you!

[@45martinlee]

Thank you for this wonderful lesson. Happy new year

[@MrArtist1971]

Love your channel Corey. You're humble, talented and I could go on. Thank you for all you do.

[@FryChicken]

I found your performances all to be FANTASTIC.

[@gordonbryant6460]

I've been trying to impress this process on my students for YEARS. Going forward I'm going to insist that they all watch this video. Well done - concise and powerful. Thank you!

[@leighclark5257]

Wonderful instruction. Like attending a master class. Thanks!

[@bikkies]

This is excellent. I am forever having to force myself to slow down. I have a couple of other tricks too. Because I mostly play Baroque, I often set my keyboard (a YDP121) to harpsichord mode with no touch response. Particularly at a slower tempo, the short decay for a held note compared to a piano means I have to concentrate more on keeping the key down for the full note length. Going to the other extreme, setting the keyboard to organ mode, where the note never decays, means I can hear the note durations more clearly. Take Handel's Air in F from the Water Music as an example. If you just "play the notes" then you lose all the harmonies. Hold the notes for their duration and it brings the piece to life. This also leads me to a more legato style and accentuates a staccato more obviously. I find counterpoint lends itself particularly well to a slower pace, particularly when sight-reading the work or returning to it after a long hiaitus. Unless you are skilled at weaving together four independently moving voices at full pace, which I am not, slowing it down is practically a necessity.

[@hal7ter]

Thank you for taking the time to make this video and posting it. My classical guitar teacher taught that when you play a piece with mistakes, you have just practised the mistakes, rather than the piece as it is written. So glad to hear all your reasoning and your demonstrations. I thought I was just getting old and crotchity when I got impatient with performances of Bach that were so fast one couldn't really hear the music.

[@caracaf15]

This is what my teacher can't explain. Thanks a lot I advanced a lot and now she is glad .

[@marnicalysa4365]

Emanuel Díaz Orozco a

[@tahitihawaiiblue]

No thanks to her 😒

[@Wargasm644]

I came here for guitar. But watched the entire video. Fascinating. And applicable to guitar. And many other instruments. I’ve recently decided to revisit my technique and become a better player. I can’t believe how much improvement I’ve made in less than a month. Just by slowing stuff down considerably. Sometimes to a snails pace just to “feel” it sink in. Amazing that after 30 years I could make leaps like this. I’ve always been impatient. And have always cheated ability with shady technique. Unlearning bad technique is tough. But by playing slow like this, it’s a lot easier to unlearn and relearn simultaneously. Two birds...... Brilliant.

[@bportermusic]

I found that playing slowly helps with training the movements with precision and control into your hands / fingers. Regardless of a lot of people telling me not to practice Hanon, I was stuck and not gaining improvement until I started practicing the first 31 exercises slowly, and also now I am practicing them with both hands detached for training how to play broken chord accompaniments. It still takes me ages to learn a single Joplin piece, and I have moved more onto focusing on trying to get better at playing and recording my own ideas, improvising exercises, plus vocal coaching from other youtubers too.

[@360clouds6]

Dear Sir. Thank you for this little video! I admit that I have been suffering from this "Speed Issue" and it has stopped me from actually learning the instrument in the past (Im playing guitar, not piano). I even stopped playing it cuz I just thought I am not good enough cuz I can't play a line of 16th notes at 120 bpm. After not playing for 3 years I had to take it up again some weeks ago...I just can't go without music! So now I am in the process of correcting my mindset so that I can finally enjoy my instrument and learn it correctly. So thank you for your little reminder.

[@vidmaster7]

This is most excellent! I have been playing for a long time and never heard this before. I generally try to play it at speed as soon as possible. Your excellent teaching has shown me what is missing from my playing. I do put feeling into my music but I believe I am missing some accuracy and nuances as you demonstrated here. Thank you so much.

[@Mickferndalespeedy]

Great lesson much wisdom in this lesson. Thank you.

[@dieguzki]

Thank you for the video! A couple of pianists told me I should learn at a slow pace. I have a fingers congenital condition and I always tried to play as fast as I could in order to fight against my condition, but I understand the importance of slow. Cheers from Argentina! 😄

[@MichaelAlexander1967]

You are absolutely right about hearing everything when you practice slowly. I think that is the reason why I enjoyed practicing & playing Chopin's Berceuse so much, & it is also why I enjoy the sound of Beethoven's Piano Sonata's 2nd Mvmt., Adagio Cantibile. I acquire so many positive emotions just from listening to those pieces as well as practicing them. Wow, even at half speed, for me it was still fast; maybe its because I'm not use to Bach, but it is definitely your lane. You're a very talented & gifted player with excellent experience!

[@hrobert745]

Thanks so much--this is hugely helpful. I've been practicing Chopin's Revolutionary Etude slowly, but your point about not just playing the notes really hit home. That's been an error in my practice which I can now correct!

[@KrisKory]

This is excellent ... I find a lot of my students are just 'happy' playing the notes. They find me being picky or needlessly critical when they play the notes perfectly yet lack the dynamics or tones or feelings of the piece they are playing. Many of the kids today really dislike having to deal with detail. ... I try to explain that, when a person is speaking to them, we can understand those spoken words MORE than just the words by the tone and inflections in the voice speaking to us... those extra details complete the message. But nah ... they just want to play 'the song' ... 'the right notes'. It's sooooo much more than just notes. Thanks again.

[@BachScholar]

I also use that analogy sometimes, about speaking. I talk to them like a robot with no inflection and then ask if they would like it if someone gave a speech like that. The answer is always "no". It is absolutely mandatory that students learn musical inflection (slurs, articulation, etc.) from the early stages the same way one would use spoken inflections in a speech.

[@cwilsonrn]

this tutorial is great. I have been studying a menuet by Sperontes which is hard because your hands are all over the keyboard. I am an adult student. Started playing in my fifties, stopped but resumed about 3 years ago. Sometimes its frustrating when you are working on more that one piece. I'm 70 and I love studying the piano. Thanks for your expertise and talent.

[@sframalho]

Excellent tip! It's hard to control the anxiety to reach the actual speed though...

[@SaraMGreads]

Thanks! My teacher was trying to explain this to me but with only 45 minutes per lesson she can only say so much. Your explanation makes great sense!

[@rogercarroll2551]

The best lesson on slow practice I have ever had, and I've had many. Sometimes when I pat myself on the back because of "slow practice" I discover it really is not consistent slow practice at all. Always said I didn't really need the devilish metronome. O yes I do. Many thanks.

[@federicodelcastillo481]

I find this lesson truly insightful. Had I been aware of this useful concept, I' had gained lots of time within my 7 years of practice! Great teaching, thank you very much!

[@robertburnett5561]

One of the most valuable videos I have found.

[@rafaelgomez1989]

❤ You are a great Professor 🎉

[@sylphyrose301]

Thank you very much for sharing this wonderful practice tip. It was an invaluable reminder to me. You hear everything at this speed. Cheers!

[@composer7325]

This is excellent. All classical sheet music should have all the chords and modulations marked in.The 50% makes so much sense.This is an excellent video.Thank you.

[@Piddeaux]

Just what I've been needing! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

[@xanthus798]

All around excellent lesson! My accordion teacher has been teaching me to do this since day one! I relied far too much on "talent" and not discipline. Playing improved when slowing down the practice!

[@mbpress0176]

Dr. Hall is clearly one of the best music instructors on the internet today. He provides fantastic videos for all levels of piano students, and his exercises from his videos can truly help any potential piano player become better. A truly remarkable professor.

[@nickyork8901]

I found a similar method to the above after years of playing the violin, as a way to ensure that I remain completely relaxed when (re)learning a new (or old) piece. I actually found this out from playing the piano, which I can only play very slowly anyway, so I had no option - it taught me that it is much more fun to learn things slowly, because you play the music correctly from the outset. But I would take it really, really slow, about a quarter speed or less, not just half speed. That way everything you do can be intentional and relaxed and correct, and keep it that way while you get the muscle memory. It's very time consuming to start with, but you progress twice as fast. Some pianist once said that they practice really slowly not just to be able to play it right, but instead to reach the point where they cannot get it wrong.

[@geralynpalacol9295]

Nuggets of WISDOM!!!!!!! THANKS SO MUCH CORY! (And I got to get myself a Metronome). THANK YOU CORY for this LESSON!!!!!!!!

[@tatianakouracheva3532]

Three years have passed, and did you buy the metronome. Be honest!

[@iliakaluzhny3833]

Спасибо огромное , начинаю активно применять вашу методику. Очень полезный и практичный сюжет !!!😊.

[@dougnickerson]

Very helpful , I was practicing the tango El Choclo , today , & decided to follow my 'own advice' ,that is , I often pay lip service to slow practice , . I slowed my playing way down & things improved , a lot ! One of my teachers once said if you try a slower tempo it , "gives you time to think." This is so true and the demonstratation in this video illustrates this really well ! A person has time to think ok , remember to play these notes staccato , or , ok , a left hand run is coming up , I have to be careful to cross the thumb over , or etc . Thanks )

[@huihuang4048]

Wow! Thank you for sharing this wisdom. That is why I so respect someone who can teach. Love how you make this rule so practical and meaningful for people who want to improve and earn high rewarding for mastery. Humans today adore speed and rush by skipping. We wish/dream to be a master with a couple trying. Slow has been perceived as weakness. It is so true that unless you follow this old wisdom and actually devote it. Anyway, thank you. I am going to show this video to my kids who learn pianos right now. :)

[@RaindropServicesNYC]

I'm very impressed by your presentation (first time I see your videos). I have a habit of quickly watching YT videos at faster speed. I almost did that with this video, then realized this was not the video to watch at faster speed. Thanks for the tutorial.

[@aliceackerman7451]

Thank you so much, it is a great advice, most teachers teach a piece of music ask me to listen to recording. obviously it is in a fast tempo, but I want to listen to slow tempo play so I can hear each notes sound, I am glad to find your channel, it is God sent, I have a better idea & skill how to practice slow correctly

[@Discovering_Hope]

Cory, Thanks so much for this wonderful lesson. I am new and I have never liked the sound of super fast playing. I have heard so much of ragtime ruined by fast playing. I will always do this so as to appreciate all the architecture of the music. Peace.

[@belladogga1]

Hope you are staying safe and well in this awful time of CV19. Thank you for giving me some wonderful videos to use in "isolation' at home. They are easy to follow and useful. Take care and may God bless america that this is all over soon.

[@katicamusic]

you are a great teacher. thanks a lot.

[@lydiabrindley5117]

thank you .I play at 50% speed most of the time.I just play Beethoven for me n my cats n dogs .not played for over 20 years. no piano now only a keyboard n not full size either. but it gives me so much pleasure n stabilizes my depression. thank you for this ..will look at your other videos now I've subscribed to you channel .. won't feel too bad now when I play slowly .I hear all the music when I play slower ..too fast n I'm all fingers n thumbs 😁

[@frederickschulze8014]

Fantasie Impromptu at 50% speed still feels fast

[@carriersignal]

Great advice to practice slowly. It's true a piece needs to maintain a certain momentum for it to stay musical, even for practice, but sometimes less than 50% may work. Speed is only a part of the whole picture. Best to crawl before running. Thank you for your videos.

[@Ginessefinesse]

I just discovered this channel. Thank you so much, you're a great teacher! I'm impressed.

[@thomasschwarz1973]

great, i always felt the same way. and its not just about learning a piece (and then speeding up), its about playing authentially, from your heart, at any time....

[@theghostintheruins]

Very helpful video, thanks. Everything you play looks so effortless, you've no idea how envious I'm am!

[@horoffra]

Interesting and true, says this all the time too

[@Archim31]

Really helpful. If I am able to put this into practice my piano teacher and I will be pleased. Thank you very much. Great video.

[@annemackay1306]

Archim31 u

[@avidlearner43]

Super video. Accuracy and expression before speed.

[@infledermaus]

I'm going to try to relearn the piano after a 30 year break. Still read music. I just switched to another, lighter instrument back then - the mandolin! Very easy to move around. This should be good no matter the instrument. Thanks for doing this lesson and uploading this!

[@Megasupercoolest]

Thank you for your motivation.

[@MarciaLangfeldt]

Thank you, I will try it today with Bach.

[@chaostheistify]

Thank you for all the hard work you do, you are an amazing pianist , Bach would've been proud :)

[@pen509]

This has been such a helpful teaching resource! THANK YOU! It's even changed the way I play and learn pieces. THANK YOU!

[@leona7522]

Excellent lesson. I'm so glad I clicked on this. I'm subscribing. Thank you, sir!

[@gracieg5849]

L A Me too!!! Awesome teacher. 🥰

[@bullskitter]

I love how well you explain these tips...

[@lawrencetaylor4101]

Merci Cory. I'm using your Bach Chorales and realized that I haven't been paying attention to the rhythm. This is the second video telling me the same thing. I'm hoping to be ready for the first exam in a couple of months. I'm not in a hurry to take it, I want to be prepared.

[@grahambarton1942]

Thanks so much; weirdly I came to the same conclusion myself recently (after years practicing too fast, like many self-taught hackers) but found it hard to discipline myself. You have given me new resolve. Mucho gratius!

[@cco10399]

Thank-you for the "how to practice slowly segment." Very helpful.

[@stradaveriusfiddle]

It really is very important to be able to practice slow. I know, because it has been a bad habit of mine that is hard to change, as much as I remind myself. So, thanks for this.

[@randyparizo3949]

Wow! This is good. I also love your tutorial on sonata pathitique. That's one of my favorite classical pieces. Good job on the videos and as a teacher.

[@Flowmotion1000]

This is really good. Thanks so much. I wish my teachers had drummed this information into me more thoroughly when I started learning.

[@brendenwilson8316]

Iv been taking lessons for 3 months now and im enjoying it iv been watching your tip videos i appreciate it I can play a little of the entertainer already thanks man.

[@bdharrtle]

Thank you very much for this eternally valid reminder and a gem of advice.

[@catsansculo]

Thank you for your videos and recommendations. I bought the piano classic book of ur text you recommended in an earlier video which you also have in this video. I have already begun using it. And am very glad I own it. Thanks. I also bought the bach chorales book. it is in the mail . My new metronome is in the mail also. Hope it has a sonorous tone as yours does. Thanks for your help and teaching. Will start practicing at 50% as a daily routine.

[@BachScholar]

Wonderful!

[@rad-guidance7]

This is a very good method for beginner level, up to end of first cycle, or ABRSM grade 4 level, however one of my teachers James Gibb, told me to never practice under two-thirds of the original speed as in terms of muscular reaction I would have difficulties speeding up. I was preparing Chopin Ballade no 4 at the time at the Royal College of Music and my fortepiano teacher (who was David Ward at the time), backed him up on the Mozart a minor sonata first movement. (k310). And now I have a student preparing this sonata for a masterclass: he simply refuses to practice slowly - hasn't understand yet the value of this way of practice that everyone must do. Very frustrating, it divides the students who go on to CNSMD and those who fail, (no other word for it). Thank you for your video.

[@rudyredcat425]

Playing at 50% speed will reduce my expletives by 50% 😀

[@coltonmykael]

😂😂😂😂 this alone makes me want to slow down when I practice.

[@petertame1140]

Very useful. Many thanks.

[@experiFilm]

Omg the Bach Italian concerto 😭 it's one of my main goals in life.

[@johnkiunke5617]

I would add that hands separate practice is extremely important for getting all the notes and phrasing right

[@symmetry3296]

I must disagree with you. That is something I used to do in the past and it was difficult for me to overcome. I have completely given up that strategy and I'm really happy I did. Practicing with both hands simultaneously and gradually increasing the speed has allowed me to progress faster and develop independence of the hands. Also, by doing this I can get a full sense of the melody and tempo of the pieces from the first phrases. I find that to be more challenging or difficult for people who practice with one hand at a time.

[@powertube5671]

I agree completely. Not only that, some performers, who can play fast, play them TOO fast so that it's a blur. I happen to like Evgeny Kissin's recording of Rachmaninoff's Concerto number 3 because he plays is just a little slower than most, enabling the listener to actually hear the articulation.

[@alonsoquijano6749]

I don't play the piano. I play the ocarina. But this video really helped me understand the importance of practicing slowly. I think your technique applies to all instruments. Greetings from Ecuador.

[@MildSatire]

Alonso Quijano *cue ocarina of time theme song*

[@2521-g9r]

I enjoy Bach, too.

[@AntPontes]

Thank you for this excellent practicing speed explanation.

[@HomayunM]

Great video, thanks very much..

[@keyboarddancers7751]

This is such obvious advice and yet I still need to sit and listen to this man (and to others, including my teacher/mentor) in order to reinforce the advice!

[@kadhi7187]

Teacher, I love your videos. I do not know how to speak English, but I try to understand in practice. Brasil

[@ashbgash6447]

Thank you this was very helpful! This is exactly what I needed in order to actually understand HOW to play at 50%

[@admirljubovic6759]

I think control is what every pianist should strive for

[@crazyhorsetrading8655]

Thank you for the upload. Very helpful. I'm attempting to learn to play Piano Accordion, and have this problem with trying to play too fast. Thanks for the advice, I'm sure it is going to make a huge difference.

[@confidential5743]

Thanks for the lesson sir, very kind of you to share your knowledge with us for free :)

[@klimperndernindja7211]

Very helpfull! Thank you for puttin it back to my mind how important it is to practice slowly!

[@littlebigkaycey]

I've been working on the Italian concerto in my spare time while I'm still in school. I think your techniques will help out with my progress. I usually play to relax but forget to practice with as much meaning as you're presenting here. Thanks for this video, I'm glad I've stumbled upon your videos, every new interpretation helps out :)

[@Myaccountishacked]

Excellent piano tutorial . Thank you "BachScholar Dr. Cory Hall !"

[@constancemitchell6309]

Wow. Doc. ur playing is so delightful with the classical music. Tku for the tips. Could listen to ur playing all day. Do u practice by portions.

[@jjszor4359]

Thank you, this remarkably wonderful i will benefit from this tremenduously. Great works, man. Bless you, allelujah

[@pianopressofficial]

Great lesson