Nathaniel School of Music

How to Improve Your Piano Playing (5 Things to Focus On)

To play piano at a professional level, learn to play in all 12 keys without the transpose button, stay aware of the other musicians, react to the melody with suitable chords and rhythm, feel a steady pulse in your body, and control your dynamics.

Video lesson by Jason Zac · Intermediate · 18 min

Can't see the video? Watch it on YouTube.

Key points

This lesson from Jason Zac at Nathaniel School of Music is for pianists who already have some skills and theory, have listened to plenty of music and perhaps played a few shows, and now want to work like a professional: in the studio, on stage, with bands or even as a teacher. It covers five areas to focus on, plus a bonus idea.

1. Play in all 12 keys

There are 12 keys in music, so every scale, such as the major scale, can be played 12 ways. If you have learned and harmonised a melody in one key, you should be able to play it in another, such as Eb, on the spot. Jason Zac calls this changing keys on the fly.

This matters in jam rooms and before shows. If a singer finds a song in D major too low, you move up to Eb major, and if that still does not work, to E major. It also helps your own singing: a song that is too low in Eb might suit your voice better in Ab.

Avoid the transpose button. After a couple of years of playing, the notes get into your system, and transposing makes your eyes see something different from what you hear. Each key also feels different and can inspire different music, so do not fear the keys with many black notes.

2. Be aware of the other instruments

In a band you may have drums, bass, vocals, harmonies, guitar, horns, saxophone or flute. You do not need to learn their instruments, but you should respond to what they do. With a drummer, listen for the pulse, the kick drum and the snare drum. A simple approach is to answer the kick in the bass register of the piano and the snare in the high register, for example using a simple F major chord.

You can practise this with a real drummer, a loop or a programmed beat. Listen to the singer and guitarist too, notice when they play softly or loudly, and even transcribe them. A useful rule: think about your own instrument last.

3. React well to the melody

When working with others, the singer or lead instrument usually carries the melody, and your job is harmony and rhythm. Decide the mood: soothing, groovy and up-tempo, sad, happy, dreamy or mysterious. Then choose chords that fit the melody and a rhythm pattern that suits its movement. Learning to hold a basic pitch when singing helps a lot, because you can practise harmonising your own voice.

4. Feel a steady pulse

Your aim is to get listeners and bandmates moving: nodding, clapping, tapping. To do that, you must move to the music yourself, with an inner clock always running. Wrong notes are easy to notice, but weak rhythm is not, and moving is the best test. Keep the pulse with your foot, or with your head if your feet are on the pedals. Even when you play busy 16th-note patterns, keep the steady one, two, three, four underneath, and if the song is in three, feel it in three.

5. Control your dynamics

Dynamics means change over time. Playing the right chords and inversions is not enough. Shape the music with:

Bonus: become a one-man orchestra

When no sheet music tells you what each hand plays, create your own arrangement that covers melody, harmony and rhythm together.

How to practise

  1. Take a song you know and play it in a new key without transposing.
  2. Play it over a drum loop, matching kick and snare with low and high registers.
  3. Sing a melody and find chords and a rhythm that suit its mood.
  4. Keep your head or foot moving with the pulse throughout.
  5. Play it again, changing volume, register, touch and density from section to section.

Questions about this lesson

Why shouldn't I use the transpose button on my keyboard?

Once notes settle into your system, transposing makes what you see differ from what you hear, which causes confusion. Learning all 12 keys also lets you change key instantly for a singer and gives you the different feel each key offers.

How should a pianist play along with a drummer?

Listen for the pulse, kick and snare, then respond on the piano, for example placing chords in the bass register with the kick and in the high register with the snare.

How do I check if my rhythm is good?

Move while you play, by tapping your foot or nodding your head, and keep a steady one, two, three, four going even under busy patterns. If you can't move comfortably with it, the rhythm needs more practice.

What are dynamics on the piano besides loud and soft?

Dynamics also include choosing the register you play in, using the sustain pedal, playing legato or staccato, and deciding how dense or simple your chords should be.

Practise it

Related lessons