Have you ever wondered “Why does my playing still sound disjointed after all this practice?” You are not alone! Beginners tend to have an over-reliance on the visual. But, once you can start trusting yourself and playing keys without looking, the flow and artistry you’re looking for can come together.
Why Play Keys Without Looking?
People who have played piano for a long time intuitively realize that moving away from looking only at the music or only at the keys makes for a much more enjoyable playing experience. And, I want to help you do the same!
When you play piano keys without looking, you:
- Develop your muscle memory,
- Gain a deeper understanding of your music and body as you play,
- Use your brain power beyond the basics (i.e. notes) and build artistry.
In our studio, Must Love Music, everyone from beginners in our intro sessions to later-level students plays piano with their eyes closed at some point. There is something about closing your eyes that helps you better feel the shape your hand makes, the feel of the keys under your fingers plus, how your body and mind work together to create music!
Tip 1: Know Your Black Key Groups
Black key groups are more than just patterns on the keyboard. They can also work as important placeholders to build muscle memory quicker!
At the beginning levels, this is especially important because your music typically doesn’t jump around the piano too much. Or, if it does, it’s normally by octaves. This means that while your hand moves, the way the keys feel under your fingers and the shape of your hand won’t change significantly.
To start, find your black key group (2 or 3) and use your fingers (no peeking) to find the next ones on the piano. If you find it hard not to peek, grab a blindfold!
Then, try an exercise with me in the video below or by clicking here. I’m playing an excerpt from “Our Seasons of Change” to make things more musical.
Tip 2: Memorize Chord Shapes
I was fortunate to learn the practical side of chords as a teen. One of the strategies I unknowingly developed was to make chord shapes with my hands when scanning music. I thought everyone did this! Turns out they don’t.
However, having muscle memory of not just black key groups but chords supercharges your learning and ability to play new music quickly!
For example, did you know:
- Root position chords tend to have one of 4 basic shapes.
- First-inversion and second-inversion chords tend to have limited hand shapes as well.
- This pattern holds for each type of chord!
What about when you move from chord to chord in a progression? Again, music loves continuity and patterns, so typically you find common notes between chords. Using your fingers as anchor points helps you move quickly and seamlessly between chords.
See this in action plus try an exercise with me in the video above or by clicking here. I also use a blindfold while playing an excerpt from “Our Seasons of Change” to show how powerful these strategies can be! (There’s even a key change where I shift hand position without looking.)
Play Keys Without Looking
By adding some ‘no peeking’ playing time, you will make greater progress in your piano playing! And, get to the fun part of creating music … not just playing keys.
Let me know …
Which of these two tips helped you play piano keys without looking?
If you want to build even more high-level abilities at a beginner level, check out “How to Master Hand Over Hand Arpeggios“. This builds on tip 1 from this article.
Imagine learning how to play piano through fun activities, improvising (creating music in the moment) plus writing your own music!
As a parent, imagine your child’s smile as they have fun learning piano and creating music … plus, family and friends as they hear the music your child has created.
As a teen or adult student, imagine jamming with musician friends .. or wowing them with the latest song you wrote.
If you want to dive deeper and experience a creative and engaging piano learning journey, join us for our upcoming intro sessions. Spots are filling up fast, so don’t miss out! Click the link below to sign up or click here for upcoming dates and information.
