A simple guide to piano practice for beginners, including how long to practise and why little and often can work best.
When you’re first learning to play the piano, one of the questions you might ask is, “How often should I practise?”
And the answer might surprise you.
You don’t necessarily need to sit at the piano for an hour every day. In fact, when you’re just starting out, I’d recommend doing much less than that.
A few minutes at a time can be more than enough.
The important thing is to practise regularly and give yourself time to gradually get used to playing the piano.
Start with just a few minutes
When you first start playing the piano, everything is new.
You’re getting used to where the keys are, learning how your fingers move and trying to remember new information. There’s a lot going on.
So there’s really no need to sit down and practise for thirty minutes or an hour straight away.
I’d start with just a few minutes a day.
Perhaps two to five minutes at first. That’s it.
You might think that doesn’t sound like much, but remember, you’re starting from scratch.
It’s a bit like taking up jogging or running. You wouldn’t normally go out and try to run a mile on your very first day if you’ve never run before.
You’d start gradually and build things up over time.
It’s the same with learning the piano.
As you become more comfortable, you can naturally increase the amount of time you spend playing. But there’s no need to rush it.
Little and often can work better
One thing I would recommend is spreading your practice out rather than trying to do everything in one long session.
For example, you might practise for a few minutes in the morning and then come back to the piano for another few minutes later in the day.
That’s often going to be more manageable than sitting down for thirty minutes and trying to take everything in at once.
And this isn’t just about your fingers.
When you’re learning piano, you’re also taking in a lot of information. You’re learning notes, chords, rhythms, theory and all sorts of other things.
If you sit there for hours trying to absorb everything, you’re not necessarily going to remember it all.
Sometimes it’s better to learn a little, give yourself some time away from the piano, and then come back to it later.
Don’t try to do everything with your fingers straight away
There’s also a physical side to learning the piano.
When you’re starting out, you don’t need to worry about immediately using all five fingers, or even trying to play with both hands and all ten fingers at once.
I’d much rather see a beginner getting comfortable with a couple of fingers and gradually introducing the others.
You might start by getting your thumb and index finger moving comfortably, and then gradually bring the other fingers into play.
The important thing is that you’re getting used to moving your fingers and finding the keys without making the whole thing unnecessarily complicated.
Your fingers will become more coordinated as you practise.
You don’t have to master everything on the first day.
Learn something you can actually play
I also think it’s important that your practice isn’t just about exercises and theory.
You should have something musical to play.
But again, don’t make it too difficult.
You don’t need to try to learn an entire three-minute song when you’ve only just started playing.
Instead, learn something small.
It could be a little piece of music that only lasts ten seconds.
You might even choose a very simple song or part of a song that only uses a couple of fingers.
That might not sound very impressive, but if you’ve learned it yourself and you can sit down and play it from beginning to end, that’s an achievement.
And that feeling is important.
When you’re learning something new, being able to play a little piece of music fairly quickly gives you something to look forward to.
You get that feeling of, “Hey, I can actually play something!”
Then you can learn another little piece.
And another.
Before you know it, those little pieces start becoming longer and more complicated.
You don’t have to learn everything at once
When you’re a complete beginner, it’s very easy to look at everything there is to learn about the piano and think you have to learn it all straight away.
You don’t.
There are plenty of things you’ll eventually learn, but you don’t need to worry about them all on your first day.
Start with the basics.
Get familiar with the keyboard. Learn where the notes are. Get your fingers moving. Learn a few simple pieces of music.
Then build from there.
For example, you could start by learning the names of the white keys and becoming familiar with where they are on the keyboard.
Once you’re comfortable with those, you can start learning about the black keys.
You don’t need to know everything about scales, chords, music theory and complicated fingerings before you’ve even had a chance to get comfortable at the piano.
Give yourself time.
You don’t have to practise perfectly
Another thing I’d say is don’t worry too much about having a “perfect” practice session.
When you’re learning, you’re going to make mistakes.
Your fingers might go to the wrong keys. You might forget something you learned yesterday. You might find something really easy one day and then struggle with it the next.
That’s completely normal.
The aim isn’t to sit at the piano and get everything right every single time.
The aim is to gradually become more comfortable.
A little bit of practice today, another little bit tomorrow, and then another the day after that.
Over time, those small amounts of practice start to add up.
What if I only have a few minutes?
That’s absolutely fine.
If you’ve only got five minutes, use five minutes.
You could spend a couple of minutes getting your fingers moving, a couple of minutes working on something you’ve already learned, and then finish by playing a little piece of music you enjoy.
You don’t have to wait until you’ve got a whole hour free before you sit down at the piano.
In fact, if you make your practice sessions short and manageable, you’re probably more likely to keep doing them.
And that’s the important part.
A simple five-minute piano practice routine
If you’re not sure what to actually do with those five minutes, here’s a simple way to structure your practice.
Minute one: Get your fingers moving
Start with something very simple.
You might play a couple of notes using your thumb and index finger, then gradually bring in the other fingers.
The idea is simply to get your hands comfortable on the keyboard.
Minute two: Practise one small thing
Choose one thing you’re currently learning.
It could be a couple of notes, a chord, a rhythm or a small piece of theory.
Don’t try to cover everything at once.
Minute three: Repeat it
Go over the same thing again.
Try to make it a little more comfortable rather than worrying about playing it perfectly.
Minute four: Play something musical
This is the fun bit.
Play the little piece, phrase or song you’ve been learning.
It might only be ten seconds long. That’s absolutely fine.
Minute five: Finish with something you enjoy
Play something you’ve already learned or simply experiment with the keys.
Finish your practice session feeling that you’ve actually played the piano, rather than feeling like you’ve just completed an exercise.
And that’s it.
Five minutes might not sound like much, but when you’re just starting out, it can be plenty.
You can always come back later and do another five minutes.
The important thing isn’t how long you sit at the piano. It’s that you come back to it regularly.
How long should you practise as you progress?
There’s no magic amount of time that everybody should practise.
As you become more experienced, you may naturally want to spend longer at the piano.
You might find yourself practising for ten minutes, then twenty minutes, and eventually even longer.
That’s fine.
But there’s no reason to start there.
Your practice time should grow with you.
If you’re enjoying yourself and want to keep playing, that’s a good sign that you’re ready to do a little more.
Practice doesn’t always have to mean playing
There’s also more to learning the piano than physically sitting at the keyboard.
You can listen to music.
You can listen to a piece you’re learning and become familiar with how it sounds.
You can think about the notes or chords you’ve been learning.
You can even spend a few minutes away from the piano thinking about something you’ve recently learned.
Your brain is still processing information even when you’re not physically playing.
So don’t feel as though every bit of progress has to happen with your fingers on the keys.
The most important thing is consistency
I’d much rather see someone practise for five minutes every day than practise for an hour once a week.
Learning the piano is a gradual process.
You’re teaching your fingers how to move, you’re training your ears, you’re learning new information and, most importantly, you’re getting comfortable at the instrument.
You don’t need to do all of that in one session.
Give yourself time.
Start small, practise little and often, learn things you can actually play, and gradually build things up as you become more comfortable.
And remember, even if you’ve only learned something that lasts ten seconds, you’re still learning to play the piano.
That’s progress.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often should a beginner practise piano?
For a complete beginner, I’d suggest starting with just a few minutes a day. Two to five minutes can be enough when you’re first getting used to the piano. You can gradually increase your practice time as you become more comfortable.
Is it better to practise piano every day?
Regular practice can be helpful because you’re continually getting used to the instrument and reinforcing what you’ve learned. Even a short practice session can be worthwhile.
Is thirty minutes of piano practice a day too much for a beginner?
Not necessarily, but there’s no need to start with thirty minutes. If you’re completely new to the piano, starting with a few minutes and gradually building up can make the experience much more manageable.
Should I practise piano for an hour every day?
You don’t need to practise for an hour simply because you think you’re supposed to. The amount of practice you need can change as you progress. For a beginner, shorter and more manageable sessions can be a good place to start.
What should I practise as a beginner?
Keep things simple. Work on basic finger movements, learn the names of the keys and spend some time playing a very short piece of music.
You don’t need to try to learn complicated songs or use all ten fingers straight away. Start with simple pieces that you can learn relatively quickly and gradually build from there.
Final Thoughts
Learning the piano doesn’t have to mean sitting at the piano for hours every day.
Start small.
A few minutes here and there can be enough when you’re beginning. Get your fingers moving, learn a little bit of theory, become familiar with the keyboard and, most importantly, learn something you can actually play.
Then come back tomorrow and do a little more.
Over time, those few minutes can become ten minutes, then twenty minutes, and eventually you may find yourself sitting at the piano simply because you want to play.
And that’s really what we’re aiming for.