5 ways to learn music faster: take a big-picture survey

You can learn new pieces so much faster if you take a survey of the main ingredients or features before you start to practice.

It's very tempting to dive right in from bar 1, hands together, and see what happens. But this will always take much longer than the minutes you spend up-front getting clues about the landscape of the score.

Here are 5 ways you can become familiar with the music before you start playing it, to learn music faster.

1. Listen to a performance of the music, and follow along with the score. Free resources like YouTube make this so easy to do, and often you can watch the performer's hands as they play. Now you know exactly what it sounds like, and, after several listens, be able to hear the general outline of the music in your head.

   
   

2. Label the sections: A, B, Introduction, Coda (or Ending), etc. Notice and circle any instructions such as repeat dots, "DC al Fine", etc. Make sure you know what they mean. If not, look them up online or ask your teacher.

   
   

3. Think up a character or adjectives to describe the different sections of the score. Does it change from major to minor and back? Is there a fast lively passage? Does the piece gradually change mood or are there sudden shifts?

   
   

4. Look for places that are exactly the same - the same phrase or motif, a repeating A section, sequences, repeating rhythms. Now see if you can find places that are similar to other pieces you know. Can you find key signatures, scales and chord shapes that are familiar? Are there any places that are just easy?

   
   

5. Isolate the tricky spots. Sometimes these are obvious just from looking a the score or listening to the music, otherwise it's the places you haven't identified as easy or familiar (see step 4). These will be your first places to practice.

With these five big-picture survey tips, you will have a detailed and comprehensive plan of how to practice every new piece you play. Not only that, but you will practice much more effectively, and learn the music much more quickly. More progress in less time, hooray!