1,000 Days of Music - Day 12: How the Sausages Are Made

Advisory Warning: Don’t play the video clips unless you have a high tolerance for listening to slow practice with the metronome.

This is one way pianists achieve mastery—at least it's one of the ways I do. Crank up the metronome and play the music at a painfully slow tempo, four to six measures at a time. Each successive time I run through the music, I increase the tempo slightly. This gets the music into the brain and the fingers. It also increases confidence. If I play slow, I’m ready to go. Playing the music beautifully faster and faster is encouraging. Soon I can play the music quickly and well. It may sound tedious to anyone listening, but it’s one of the ways I cultivate my skill.