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How to Learn a Piano Piece Quickly

Three Parts:Approaching the piece logicallyPracticing the pieceDealing with challenging areasCommunity Q&A

Learning to play a new piece of music on the piano can be difficult. Whether you're struggling with a piece your teacher set you, or are teaching yourself a piece you've always wanted to learn, this guide should help reduce the hours of frustrating practice which seem to get you nowhere.

Part 1
Approaching the piece logically

  1. 1
    Find the piece you are working on. Listen to the dynamics; this helps with mostly classical pieces.
  2. 2
    Split the piece up. Setting yourself smaller goals within the piece of music will make it more manageable and less frustrating. Moreover, by splitting it into parts, you can listen to the dynamics with greater ease and try to follow along as you listen. This helps you to tell the difference between how you're playing and how the artist is playing the piece.
    • The extent of parts you split the piece up into will depend on the length of the music and how difficult it is; use your judgement to decide.

Part 2
Practicing the piece

  1. 1
    Practice each hand individually. Learn the right hand part first, then the left. Don't try to play them together until you can play them both individually, fluently.
  2. 2
    If it is a popular piece or song that you know, try to play along to the lyrics/music in your head when practicing your right hand. That way you'll know when you go wrong and you'll be able to memorize it easier.
  3. 3
    Add to the piece bit by bit. Rather than trying to play all the way through, play one line a few times, then add the next line, then the next.
  4. 4
    Slow it down. Don't try to play it at full speed until you can play it slowly without making mistakes.
  5. 5
    Take your time. You'll end up feeling frustrated if you try to do it all at once. Take regular breaks and play other pieces which you can play while you're learning a difficult piece.

Part 3
Dealing with challenging areas

  1. 1
    Identify any problem sections and break them down further. If you need to spend 10 minutes on getting 2 chords right, then spend 10 minutes on it. It will be worth it in the long run and ignoring a problem part can cause frustration later on when it is the only part you cannot play.
  2. 2
    Play it through once you think you've got the hang of it. This will allow you to identify any places you are still going wrong. Remember to keep coming back to the piece now you can play it, so you don't forget it.
  3. 3
    Don't leave it wrong. If you stop practicing after playing it wrongly, you will remember it incorrectly. By making sure you end on a section you can play, the correct version will stick in your mind, making it easier to play next time.

Community Q&A

Add New Question
  • Using these tips, could I learn a piece in a week?
    wikiHow Contributor
    It totally depends on how difficult the piece is, how experienced you are, and how many hours of that week you practice it.
  • Can I learn to do it perfectly?
    wikiHow Contributor
    If you practice hard enough and long enough, yes.
  • How many hours a day should I practice to be good at playing piano?
    wikiHow Contributor
    Practicing is very subjective. If I'm trying to get a song perfectly polished in a week, I will practice for four hours a day. If you just want to be good at playing in general, go for an hour a day, remembering to challenge your abilities with your song choice.
  • Can I learn it in a night?
    wikiHow Contributor
    It depends on what piece it is, how easy the piece is, and how much experience you have. Very hard pieces should take 2 weeks - 2 months to learn and memorize.
  • Can I learn a piano piece backwards and work forwards?
    wikiHow Contributor
    Yes, it actually is a good idea to start from either the middle or near the end, and learn the measures and work your way back to the beginning.
  • How can I learn to play on my own?
    wikiHow Contributor
    To learn to play piano on your own, you may want to consider downloading an app or buying a beginning piano book. Go through the theoretical things until you remember them clearly, then start learning the actual notes on the piano. Try learn where all the Cs are, where Bb is etc. Once you know all the notes, Try learning a song. At first, try an easy, popular one, like a nursery rhyme. You could also listen to recordings online to get the speed and dynamics right.
  • Is there any phrase to help me read the notes?
    wikiHow Contributor
    For the treble clef, use FACE to remember the space notes from bottom to top. The phrase "Every good boy deserves fudge" will help you remember the line notes from bottom to top. For the bass clef, use "Green buses drive fast always" from the bottom to the top lines and "Great big dogs from Africa" for the spaces from top to bottom.
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  • Many pieces of music are based on patterns. Patterns make music easier to play so identify as many as you can.
  • If you find yourself getting frustrated, take a break. The music will still be there when you come back and you won't learn as efficiently if you're annoyed.
  • Learn some music theory. Knowing the structure of the piece, why the composer put this chord here or this one there, etc. will speed up your progress.
  • Keep calm and take a deep breath. It may sound silly but it helps when you lose your focus.
  • Try to find a easier version of that song and learn it first. That will make everything a lot easier.
  • Relax and play the song like you know it already.


  • Try not to get frustrated, if you find you do stand up take a few deep breaths, play another song once or twice then get back to your piece you were working on.

Article Info

Categories: Piano and Keyboard | Songs and Song Writing

In other languages:

Español: aprender a tocar una canción en el piano rápidamente, Italiano: Imparare Velocemente a Suonare un Brano al Pianoforte, Русский: быстро выучить фортепианную пьесу, Português: Aprender um Concerto de Piano Rapidamente, Deutsch: Schnell ein Klavierstück lernen

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