When you start a new piece, what do you do first? If you try to concentrate on all the things that go into learning a new piece to perfection, it is overwhelming. Here is the order of what I believe is a good plan for learning:
1) Notes – hand separately first and slow with correct fingering
2) Rhythm – slow and correct (sometimes a metronome is helpful)
3) Pedaling – now begin to use the pedal as marked in the piece
4) Dynamics – being to notice the louds and softs in the piece and all instruction written by the composer.
5) Tempo – the speed of the piece is usually written at the beginning above the first measure. Slowing increase your speed.
6) Memory – if you are going to memorize your piece, begin to work on it now. It may surprise you how much you already know by memory.
Happy Practicing!!!
Thanks for the advice. Sometimes it’s really hard to know where to start and how to begin learning a new piece. I really appreciate the simple steps you have given.