The Polish pianist Ignace Paderewski once stated that “Musical genius is 98% work and 2% talent.” His observation suggests that the process by which we go about learning music is a matter of deliberate and cognizant work. Determine right now to approach practice with a sense of focus attention and purposeful activity toward a goal. Another great pianist by the name of Josef Hofmann put it this way: “The full acoustic picture of the music must be lodged in the mind, before it can be expressed through the hands . . . playing is simply the manual expression of something [a pianist] knows.” The great Hungarian pianist Franz Liszt once commented “It is not so much the practicing of technique as the technique of practicing that counts.” He also advised his students to “Think ten times before practicing once.” Clearly, the art of music performance is in great measure intellectual.

 The great piano teacher Isabelle Yalkovsky Byman offered her students the following guidelines:

Plan your work each day.

Budget your time.

At the end of the practice session, you should feel [confident] of your accomplishment.

Maintain a positive mental attitude.

Think you can and will.

Concentration is essential! Do not practice when your mind is far off. Slow practice, fast progress, fast practice, no progress.

Be alert, observant and attentive to every detail.

Practice exactly as you intend the piece to be played in performance. Never allow a slip or mistake to go by. Stop and check errors immediately.

Listen to the sounds you are producing – music is the art of sound.