Improving accuracy

I've been playing piano for a couple months now and have learnt a few songs. I've found that as soon as there are large jumps around the keyboard, I cannot play the passages without looking down at where my hands are.

When you see a good player, they seem to be able to hit any key they want without looking - rather like touch typing at the computer.

What is most effective practice method to help build this skill? I realise that partly it will just take lots of practice (I guess in the same way that I can touch type simply because I've been using computers for years), but there must be some ways to "speed up" how quickly you learn.

Is playing scales a good idea? Arpeggios? Learning pieces? Something else?

Thanks,

Robin

This is a skill you will learn over a long time. I have played for a year, and still have to look at every single longer jumps I have to do! Thats very normal!!! Even the professional players do that!! Sometimes you have to jump with both hands at the same time, its rare and mostly accour in difficult pieces! Then you have to practice the one jump, so you know it without looking! Its usually best to look at the hand that does the hard thing/things. This is quite normal even for professionals, changing view from left to right, based on what the hands do!!

Like in my Maple Leaf Rag Performance I almost Only look at the Left hand cause this jumps all through the piece, and the jumps in the right hands is smaller and therefor easier to control!

To control jumps without looking:
First only practice the jump, look at it and when you look, do it back and forth, over and over and try to Feel with your bodey, arm, hand and mind how far it is!! After some practice you can try to close your eyes, doing it slow. When you can do this with closed eyes, slow then you can start to speed up, but not before you can. Every mistakes you do, will take you 13 perfect times to correct and erase from your memory. So its time-saving to practice more slow to avoid all the damage-work

And boom, you got it up to speed. The shorter and easier the jump, the faster you will learn it. Maybe some minutes, maybe some hours or maybe some days. Hard jumps might also take weeks and months, but then we are talking maybe a to hard piece if it takes months! I dont know, you just have to try this approach, Its very effective

Good Luck And remember that its Normal to have to look at the piano/keyboard

Thanks very much for the quick reply

RobinL wrote:Thanks very much for the quick reply

No problem

RobinL wrote:
Is playing scales a good idea? Arpeggios? Learning pieces? Something else?

These things are Very important as well, but for other things than jumps, but essential to becoming a good pianist So do scales, arpeggios, learn pieces, try to do something that seams a little difficult and not those you think will be very easy! So you get some Challenge