Wednesday, 4 February 2026

How to Approach Learning a New Piece of Music

(Without tears, tantrums, or throwing the score across the room)

Whether you’re learning a Bach fugue, a hymn accompaniment, a jazz standard, or a modern film theme, the process matters far more than raw talent. The biggest mistake most learners make is trying to play the whole piece too soon.

Here’s a calm, methodical, actually effective way to approach a new piece of music.

1. Start Away From the Instrument

Before you touch a key, read the music.

Look for:

Key signature and likely accidentals
Time signature and rhythmic traps
Repeated motifs or sequences
Changes in texture (chords → melody → counterpoint)
Technical hazards (leaps, awkward fingering, fast runs)

👉 This is musical reconnaissance. Five minutes here can save hours later.

2. Decide What the Piece Is Doing

Ask yourself:

Where is the melody?
What is accompaniment and what is decoration?
Where does the music breathe?
Where is it going emotionally?

Music is not a typing exercise. If you know what matters, you’ll practise the right things.

3. Break It Into Small, Logical Chunks

Forget “from the beginning to the end”.

Instead:

1–2 bars for complex music
4 bars for simple passages
One hand / one voice / one line at a time

Mastery comes from precision, not endurance.

4. Practise Slowly (Slower Than Feels Sensible)

Slow practice isn’t beginner practice.
It’s professional practice.

At slow speed you can:

Hear balance and voicing
Control fingering properly
Spot tension before it becomes habit
Build reliable muscle memory

If you can’t play it slowly, you can’t really play it.

5. Use a Metronome – But Don’t Worship It

A metronome is a tool, not a dictator.

Good uses:

Checking rhythmic accuracy
Stabilising tricky passages
Gradually increasing tempo

Bad use:

Locking expressive music into mechanical rigidity

Use it, then switch it off and listen.

6. Join the Dots Carefully

Once small sections are secure:

Overlap sections (end of A into start of B)
Practise transitions deliberately
Don’t assume joins will “sort themselves out”

Most performance disasters happen between sections.

7. Build Musical Detail Early

Don’t wait until “later” for:

Dynamics
Articulation
Phrasing
Registration / tone colour

If you practise without them, you are practising the wrong version of the piece.

8. Play Through Imperfectly – On Purpose

Once the notes are mostly there:

Play the whole piece without stopping
Note where it falls apart
Fix those spots afterwards

This trains recovery skills and performance confidence.

9. Walk Away (Yes, Really)

The brain consolidates learning away from the instrument.

Short, focused sessions + rest
beats
long, frustrated marathons

Sleep is an underrated practice technique.

10. Perform It Before You Think It’s “Ready”

Play it:

For a friend
Into a recorder
In a low-pressure setting

Nothing reveals weak spots faster — and nothing accelerates progress more.

The Big Idea

Learning music isn’t about grinding through notes.
It’s about thinking, listening, and building confidence layer by layer.

Slow is fast.
Simple is powerful.
And consistency always beats talent.

Wednesday, 4 February 2026