Practice Slow the Right Way - How to Practice Piano Without Making Mistakes

Learn 7 slow-practice mistakes that make you worse — how to practice piano without making mistakes.

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You’ve been practicing slowly—but slow alone won’t fix it. I show the 7 mistakes that turn “slow practice” into wasted time, the tiny mindset shift that actually encodes memory, and the quick drills you can use right at the piano to get faster, cleaner, and more musical. Keep your eyes on the demos — they’re the parts that change your playing.

I’ve taught adult pianists for decades (Carnegie Hall performer; students have performed on NPR's "From the Top").

00:00 why slow practice often fails and what actually works
00:00:11 why you should keep watching
00:02:01 Short-term memory — why long chunks don’t stick \
00:02:37 Chunking technique — practice in very small 3–5 item bites so the brain encodes it
00:05:30 Fix fingering for speed — quick demo and how to test fingerings
00:06:30 Add musicality while you practice — why listening & image matter
00:09:30 Why repetition alone is fragile — add layers beyond muscle memory
00:13:30 Stop repeating mindlessly — what to ask yourself when a mistake happens
00:14:30 Practice like a detective — form a hypothesis, test it, repeat
00:17:30 Tiny-chunk break protocol — play 3×, 5–10s break, repeat 3×
00:18:36 Breaks, sleep & consolidation — why resting makes you better
00:19:30 Wrap-up & quick checklist — what to do next
00:20:02 Grab the free guide Turbocharge Your Practice (link above)

Quick checklist — do this after each practice session

Identify the exact problem (fingering, memory, pedal, or focus).

Choose a micro-chunk (3–5 notes), practice it slowly, then at tempo to test the fix.

Use the tiny-chunk break protocol: play the chunk 3×, take a 5–10s break, play 3× again; log whether it improved. If not, revise and repeat.

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